Similarly, an ecosystem with multiple functional groups that impact nitrogen cycling would not be significantly altered if one functional group was eliminated by a disturbance such as an oil spill. Image credit: Principles of Conservation Biology 3rd Edition Ecosystem function can be influenced by the functional diversity among species. ![]() Conversely, if there is a single species feeding at this trophic level, the loss of that species will have significant effects on the food web. If multiple species are feeding at the same level in the food web, a loss of one species will not result in significant alterations to the food web, that is the ecosystem is resilient. Using stable isotope analysis, ACER scientists are investigating consumers in coastal Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, collecting tissue samples from different shark species to establish each species’ position in the food web (trophic level). If one species within a functional group is affected by a natural or anthropogenic disturbance, another species would still carry out that role in the ecosystem. Species that serve the same functional role within a functional group are considered functionally redundant. Some studies suggest that ecosystems with greater functional diversity are more resilient than ones with lower functional diversity. As another example, different species in the taxonomic group (class) of segmented worms known as polychaetes show several different feeding strategies including suspension feeding, deposit feeding, predation, and species that are scavengers. An ecosystem that includes both piscivorous and planktivorous fish would have greater functional diversity than one that would only have one or the other. In contrast, their prey, being found lower in the food web, can be planktivorous (fish that eat plankton). Returning to our shark and tuna example, both organisms eat fish, known as being piscivorous (fish eating). A functional group is a group of species that perform the same role for example, feeding the same way in the ecosystem. Byron Symbols courtesy of the Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (/imagelibrary/)įunctional diversity is also used to refer to the presence or absence of specific functional groups. ![]() The lower level is also functionally redundant with multiple species feeding at the sample level. A functionally diverse system with species feeding at at multiple levels in a food web.
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