Multitrophic richness enhances ecosystem multifunctionality of tropical shallow lakes

1. Biodiversity provides multiple functions and services to ecosystems.
However, the role of biodiversity in sustaining multiple functions
simultaneously (multifunctionality) is still poorly understood in
natural communities, especially in hyperdiverse tropical freshwater
ecosystems. Studies have focused on the effect of single trophic groups on
ecosystem function and on individual ecosystem functions. 2. Using a
16-year database from tropical shallow lakes, we combined species richness
of nine trophic groups into a unique measurement of multitrophic richness.
We then investigated the influence of the richness within separate trophic
groups and in a multitrophic context on ecosystem multifunctionality. We
also analyzed how the interactions among multiple trophic groups affect
multifunctionality. 3. The multitrophic richness had a stronger positive
effect on multifunctionality than the richness of single trophic groups.
The removal of each trophic groups decreased the effect of the
multitrophic richness on multifunctionality. The larger predatory
vertebrates and primary producers had stronger positive effects on
multifunctionality, but the richness of basal trophic groups fueled the
large size predators, thus indirectly contributing to increase
multifunctionality. 4. Our study has important implications for
conservation, such as the need for preserving multiple trophic groups to
maintain multifunctional integrity in natural freshwater ecosystems.
Moreover, trophic simplification (loss of trophic groups) of the
ecosystems should strongly impair their functioning.