Source Analysis: Effects of Biodiversity on the Functioning of Trophic Groups and Ecosystems
Type of Information
This source is an academic, peer-reviewed article that examines the role of biodiversity in the functioning of trophic groups and ecosystems.
Reasons for Selection
It is written by experts in the field of ecology and biodiversity, ensuring credibility.The article follows a structured scientific format, with clear sections such as Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, which are standard in scholarly publications. It has undergone peer review as Nature, meaning that experts in the field critically evaluated the study before its publication, enhancing its reliability. The article acknowledges funding sources, which indicates institutional and financial support for the research. It includes figures, tables, and supplementary materials to support its claims, which are hallmarks of rigorous academic research.
Summary
Biodiversity regulates ecosystem functions through multi-level mechanisms. Producer diversity enhances resource use complementarity and stress resistance (such as Tilman’s grassland experiment), while consumer and decomposer diversity regulates energy transfer and material cycle through food webs. The diversity-productivity relationship is influenced by a combination of redundancy and complementarity, and high-diversity systems generally exhibit higher biomass and nutrient turnover efficiency, but tolerant species in extreme environments may dominate functional output.
Citation
Cardinale, B. J., Srivastava, D. S., Duffy, J. E., Wright, J. P., Downing, A. L., Sankaran, M., & Jouseau, C. Effects of Biodiversity on the Functioning of Trophic Groups and Ecosystems. Nature 443, 989-992 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05202