Changes in the location of biodiversity–ecosystem function hot spots across the seafloor landscape with increasing sediment nutrient loading

Declining biodiversity and loss of ecosystem function threatens the ability of habitats to contribute ecosystem services. However, the form of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) and how relationships change with environmental change is poorly understood. This limits our ability to predict the consequences of biodiversity loss on ecosystem function, particularly in real-world marine ecosystems that are species rich, and where multiple ecosystem functions are represented by multiple indicators. We investigated spatial variation in BEF relationships across a 300 000 m2 intertidal sandflat by nesting experimental manipulations of sediment pore water nitrogen concentration into sites with contrasting macrobenthic community composition. Our results highlight the significance of many different elements of biodiversity associated with environmental characteristics, community structure, functional diversity, ecological traits or particular species (ecosystem engin...生物多样性下降与生态系统功能丧失，正威胁生境提供生态系统服务的能力。然而，学界对生物多样性与生态系统功能（Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function，BEF）间的关联模式，以及该关联如何随环境变化发生改变，仍缺乏深入认知。这一认知缺口限制了我们预测生物多样性丧失对生态系统功能所产生影响的能力，尤其在物种丰富、且多项生态功能由多指标表征的真实海洋生态系统中，该局限尤为显著。我们以一片面积达30万平方米的潮间带沙床为研究区域，将沉积物孔隙水氮浓度的实验操控设计嵌套于具有迥异大型底栖生物群落组成的样地中，以此探究BEF关联的空间变异。本研究结果凸显了诸多与环境特征、群落结构、功能多样性、生态性状乃至特定物种（生态系统工程师）相关的生物多样性要素的关键意义——