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Phylogenetic constraints on ecosystem functioning

Author

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  • Dominique Gravel

    (Université du Québec à Rimouski, chimie et géographie, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimousk, Québec, Canada G5L 3A1.)

  • Thomas Bell

    (Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK.)

  • Claire Barbera

    (Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Montpellier 2, CC 065, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.)

  • Marine Combe

    (Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Montpellier 2, CC 065, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.)

  • Thomas Pommier

    (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne (UMR 5557, USC 1193). Université Lyon I, INRA, CNRS, bat. G. Mendel, 43 boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.)

  • Nicolas Mouquet

    (Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Montpellier 2, CC 065, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.)

Abstract

There is consensus that biodiversity losses will result in declining ecosystem functioning if species have different functional traits. Phylogenetic diversity has recently been suggested as a predictor of ecosystem functioning because it could approximate the functional complementarity among species. Here we describe an experiment that takes advantage of the rapid evolutionary response of bacteria to disentangle the role of phylogenetic and species diversity. We impose a strong selection regime on marine bacterial lineages and assemble the ancestral and evolved lines in microcosms of varying lineage and phylogenetic diversity. We find that the relationship between phylogenetic diversity and productivity is strong for the ancestral lineages but brakes down for the evolved lineages. Our results not only emphasize the potential of using phylogeny to evaluate ecosystem functioning, but also they warn against using phylogenetics as a proxy for functional diversity without good information on species evolutionary history.

Suggested Citation

  • Dominique Gravel & Thomas Bell & Claire Barbera & Marine Combe & Thomas Pommier & Nicolas Mouquet, 2012. "Phylogenetic constraints on ecosystem functioning," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 1-6, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:3:y:2012:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms2123
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2123
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