Changes in salt marsh detritivore identity influences on ecosystem multifunctionality

Ecosystems world-wide experience changes in species composition in response to natural and anthropogenic changes in environmental conditions.  Research to date has greatly improved our understanding of how species affect focal ecosystem functions.  However, because measurements of multiple ecosystem functions have not been consistently justified for any given trophic group, it is unclear whether interpretations of research syntheses adequately reflect the contributions of consumers to ecosystems.  Using model communities assembled in experimental microcosms, we examined the relationship between four numerically dominant detritivore species and six ecosystem functions that underpin fundamental aspects of carbon and nitrogen cycling above- and below-ground.  We tested whether ecosystem responses to changes in detritivore identity depended upon species trait dissimilarity, food web compartment (aboveground, belowground, mixed), or number of responses considered (one to six). We found littl...