The functional effects of a dominant consumer are altered following the loss of a dominant producer

Human impacts on ecosystems are resulting in unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss worldwide. The loss of species results in the loss of the multiple roles that each species plays or functions (i.e., “ecosystem multifunctionality”) that it provides. A more comprehensive understanding of the effects of species on ecosystem multifunctionality is necessary for assessing the ecological impacts of species loss. We studied the effects of two dominant intertidal species, a primary producer (the seaweed Neorhodomela oregona) and a consumer (the shellfish Mytilus trossulus), on twelve ecosystem functions in a coastal ecosystem, both in undisturbed tide pools and following the removal of the dominant producer. We modified analytical methods used in biodiversity-multifunctionality studies to investigate the potential effects of individual dominant species on ecosystem function. The effects of the two dominant species from different trophic levels tended to differ in directionality (+/-) consist..., This dataset contains the raw data from a removal experiment, which includes the physical characteristics of the tide pools (water depth, volume, surface area, etc.) and details about the removal manipulation (e. g., mass of removed algae). It also includes the data from seven sets of community biodiversity surveys, in which the surface area of all non-mobile species were measured (recorded in measurements of “squares”, each of which is equal to 100cm2) and the number of individuals of mobile species were counted in each tide pool. Additionally, the data collected during two sets (before and after removal) of light/dark productivity trials, in which the tide pools were incubated under opaque tarps for a period of time to assess photosynthetic activity and respiration, are included. Initial measurements were collected prior to incubation, “dark” measurements were collected immediately following the incubation, and recovery measurements were taken approximately 30 minutes after the end of..., Microsoft Excel