Grand Lake Meadows COI metabarcoding

The Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function hypothesis postulates that higher biodiversity is correlated with ecosystem function by providing a high number of filled niches through species response types and resource use patterns. Through their high spatio-temporal habitat diversity, floodplains are highly productive ecosystems with communities that are naturally resilient and highly diverse. Linkages among floodplain wetland abiotic filters, invertebrate communities and their associated traits, and ecosystem function were examined first with structural equation analyses, and second with Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN2) for 60 sites within the Grand Lake Meadow and Portobello Creek wetland complex - floodplain wetlands of the lower Wolastoq Saint John River, New Brunswick. This study identified key environmental filters of invertebrate communities, namely linking increased niche differentiation through historical change, flood pulse dynamics, and macrophyte bed complexity with increased taxa and functional diversity. Examination of trait metrics with ecosystem function revealed that healthy wetlands with higher primary productivity were associated with greater functional evenness, while habitat patches with increased decomposition rates had low richness, reflecting highly disturbed habitat. This study highlights key differences between wetland and riverine ecosystems, identifying critical functions supporting healthy wetland ecosystems through increased resilience to disturbance related to differing levels of protection.