2e+05 3e+05 4e+05 5e+05 6e+05 7e+05
575000058500005950000
-3 -2 -1 0
2e+05 3e+05 4e+05 5e+05 6e+05 7e+05
575000058500005950000
-1 0 1 2 3
Henrike Andresen, Jennifer Dannheim, Thomas Brey
BREMERHAVEN Am Handelshafen 12 27570 Bremerhaven Telefon 0471 4831-0 www.awi.de
Predictive value of trait-based measures for benthic secondary production in the
German North Sea
• The biodiversity-ecosystem functioning principle suggests diversity as a driver for ecosystem properties.
• To investigate the complementarity this implies, we take a trait-based and large scale observational approach.
• Diversity indices based on dissimilarities of various combinations of functional
traits are related to benthic energy flow as a measure of ecosystem functioning.
174 stations in the German
North Sea
sampled within two years.
Main findings
Secondary production
correlates inversely with biodiversity.
Dominance of the detritivore diet is the most powerful
predictor of secondary production.
Biological traits used
Resource use traits:
feeding habit and diet Body features:
size and flexibility
Interaction with environment:
position and movement Life history traits:
lifespan and fecundity
Background
Production map Diversity map
Relevant factors
Empirical production model
Data
Main producers
• Sediment organic content, grain size and water depth account for most of the explained variation in
secondary production.
• Functional diversity based on diet trait improves
regression model more than overall trait diversity or taxonomic diversity, but all relationships are negative.
van Veen grabs
0.1 m2
species responsible for 30 %, species responsible for 50 % of total secondary production
http://www.thomas-brey.de/science/virtualhandbook/
henrike.andresen@awi.de
position mean individual body mass
temperature
water depth
taxon
diet
movement
productivity
2e+05 3e+05 4e+05 5e+05 6e+05 7e+05
575000058500005950000
-1 0 1 2 3
2e+05 3e+05 4e+05 5e+05 6e+05 7e+05
575000058500005950000
-3 -2 -1 0
0.5 1 2 5 10 20
gram carbon per m2 and year
0.3 0.45 0.6 0.75
Simpson's Index (D)
