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 m...