Seasonal variability in ecosystem functioning across estuarine gradients: The role of sediment communities and ecosystem processes

Sebastiaan Mestdagh; Xiaoyu Fang; Karline Soetaert; Tom Ysebaert; Tom Moens; Carl Van Colen

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105096

Seasonal variability in ecosystem functioning across estuarine gradients: The role of sediment communities and ecosystem processes

Mar Environ Res. 2020 Dec:162:105096. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105096. Epub 2020 Aug 2.

Authors

Sebastiaan Mestdagh¹, Xiaoyu Fang², Karline Soetaert³, Tom Ysebaert⁴, Tom Moens², Carl Van Colen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, PO Box 140, 4400 AC Yerseke, the Netherlands.
² Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
³ Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, PO Box 140, 4400 AC Yerseke, the Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, PO Box 140, 4400 AC Yerseke, the Netherlands; Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 77, 4400 AB Yerseke, the Netherlands.
⁵ Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: carl.vancolen@ugent.be.

PMID: 32829095
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105096

Abstract

Functional trait approaches advance the understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem function (BDEF) relationships and its control by the environmental context. Application of these insights into management remains constrained due to lack of evidence from real-world ecosystems that capture the natural spatial and temporal gradients at which biodiversity and environmental conditions operate. In this study we measured macrofauna community traits, ecosystem processes and abiotic properties at 9 locations during 4 months, spanning a wide gradient in sedimentary habitats and salinity in the Scheldt estuary, and quantified the (a)biotic contribution to sediment community oxygen consumption, as a measure of ecosystem function. We found that functional attributes of the macrofauna community and its effect on bio-irrigation can predict ecosystem function, but especially during the colder period of the year. This result highlights that generalizations about BDEF relationships, and biodiversity loss on ecosystem functions, are limited whenever this temporal component is not acknowledged.

Keywords: Ecosystem functioning; Ecosystem processes; Estuaries; Macrofauna; Sediment biogeochemistry; Soft sediments.

MeSH terms

Biodiversity
Ecosystem*
Estuaries*
Salinity
Seasons