Data from: Environmental filtering of macroinvertebrate traits influences ecosystem functioning in a large river floodplain

The Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function hypothesis postulates that higher
biodiversity is correlated with faster ecosystem process rates and
increased ecosystem stability in fluctuating environments. Exhibiting high
spatio-temporal habitat diversity, floodplains are highly productive
ecosystems, supporting communities that are naturally resilient and highly
diverse.  We examined linkages among floodplain wetland habitats,
invertebrate communities and their associated traits, and ecosystem
function across 60 sites within the floodplain wetlands of the lower
Wolastoq | Saint John River, New Brunswick, using structural equation
modelling and Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN2).  We
identified key environmental filters structuring invertebrate communities,
by linking increased niche differentiation through shoreline change, flood
pulse dynamics, and macrophyte bed complexity with increased taxa and
functional diversity.  Examination of traits linked to ecosystem
functions revealed that more resilient wetlands with balance between
primary productivity and decomposition as carbon sources were associated
with greater functional evenness and richness, while habitat patches with
elevated decomposition rates had lower functional richness, reflecting a
simplified, more disturbed habitat.  While our more complex
overarching SEM model was ultimately compromised by an overspecified
number of pathways, our results nevertheless are indicative of a
divergence between wetland and riverine ecosystems in their relationships
linking biodiversity and ecosystem function, illustrating how to define
ecosystem health in wetland habitats, and demonstrating how critical
functions support healthy wetland habitats by providing increased
resilience to disturbance.

生物多样性-生态系统功能假说提出，在波动环境中，更高的生物多样性与更快的生态系统过程速率及更强的生态系统稳定性相关。洪泛平原具有高度的时空栖息地多样性，是生产力极高的生态系统，支撑着天然具有恢复力且高度多样的群落。我们采用结构方程模型（Structural Equation Modelling, SEM）和阈值指示分类群分析（TITAN2），在新不伦瑞克省Wolastoq | Saint John河下游的洪泛平原湿地中选取60个位点，研究了洪泛平原湿地栖息地、无脊椎动物群落及其相关性状与生态系统功能之间的关联。我们通过将岸线变化、洪水脉冲动态及大型植物床复杂性带来的生态位分化增强与分类群和功能多样性增加相关联，识别出构建无脊椎动物群落的关键环境筛选因子。对与生态系统功能相关的性状分析表明，作为碳源的初级生产力与分解作用之间达到平衡、且恢复力更强的湿地，与更高的功能均匀度和丰富度相关；而分解速率较高的栖息地斑块则具有较低的功能丰富度，反映出其栖息地结构简化且受干扰程度更高。尽管我们更复杂的整体结构方程模型最终因路径设定过多而受限，但研究结果仍表明，湿地与河流生态系统在生物多样性与生态系统功能的关联关系上存在差异，阐明了如何定义湿地栖息地的生态系统健康，并证明了关键功能如何通过增强对干扰的恢复力来支撑健康的湿地栖息地。