233
rent needs concerning future science within the EcosystemBased Management (EBM) framework. For example, the
only domain of science represented in this session was
marine ecology. No physics, social, economic, governance,
etc., abstracts were submitted at all, while we know how
important each component of social-ecological systems (and
their interactions) are for the understanding of the systems as
well as for the implications to management. Similarly, the
lack of management applications presented here may suggest that young marine scientists tend to develop knowledge
and understanding of processes rather than apply current
findings to current global problematics.
11 The Interplay Between Marine
Biodiversity and Ecosystems Functioning:
Patterns and Mechanisms in a Changing
World
Francisco R. Barboza
1
, Maysa Ito
1
, and Markus Franz
1
1
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel,
Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
11.1 Call for Abstracts
Existing knowledge on the role of biodiversity in determining ecosystems’ characteristics and their capacity to cope
with human impacts has been mainly generated by terrestrial ecologists, leaving the information about marine environments restricted to a small number of publications.
Thus, a bigger number of observational and experimental
works are required, in an effort to generate valuable data
that allow effective conservation strategies in the sea. The
scientific session welcomes contributions on the interplay
between biodiversity and structure-functioning in marine
ecosystems, over all spatial and temporal scales. Theoretical
and applied researchers, with a purely ecological or interdisciplinary background are welcome to share their work
and ideas.
11.2 Abstracts of Oral Presentations
11.2.1 Phenology-Mediated Changes
in the Structure of a Benthic Food Web
Marco Scotti
1*
, Agnes Mittermayr
1,2
, Ulrich Sommer
1
1
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel,
Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
2
Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue
Provincetown, MA 02657, USA
*invited speaker, corresponding author: mscotti@geomar.de
Keywords: Biodiversity, Body size, Food web topology,
Functional traits, Network analysis
Food webs are binary representations of who eats whom
in ecosystems. The arrangement of feeding interactions can
be predicted from species body size, and food web structure
provides clues on functioning (e.g., pathways responsible for
carbon recycling). Previous studies investigated how
anthropic pressures impact biodiversity and percolate their
effects on food web structure. Most food web analyses rely
on average annual trophic behavior, thus neglecting the relevance of seasonal changes. Such simplification impairs the
chance of modeling the role of phenology (e.g., sizefrequency distribution along the life cycle) on food web
structure. We present the food web analysis of a benthic
community in the Baltic Sea. Fifteen food webs were constructed using triple isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N and δ34S)
of samples collected every 2 weeks, from March to September
2011. Details concerning species body size and environmental conditions (e.g., temperature) were recorded. We found
that during summer: (1) species are less omnivore and feed at
lower trophic levels than in spring; (2) trophic specialization
is associated with low trophic similarity; (3) carbon is recycled through short cycles. Such changes are coherent with
the size-frequency distribution trends observed for some species of polychaetes and amphipods. Species with annual life
cycle attain larger body size in spring, while the drastic
reduction of average body size occurs in summer following
reproduction. These trends explain the decrease of average
trophic level, the decline of omnivory, and structure of
cycling from spring to summer. With the construction of
time-explicit food webs we showed the link between sizefrequency distribution and food web structure. Sizefrequency distribution is regulated by the phenology and its
effects would have remained hidden with an average annual
food web. This connection might turn to be particularly useful to investigate the consequences of climate change on phenology and, indirectly, on food web functioning.
11.2.2 Food Webs: A Central Piece in BiodiversityEcosystem Functioning Theory
P. Olivier
1*
, M. C. Nordström
1
1
Åbo Akademi University, Environmental and Marine
Biology, BioCity, Artillerigatan 6, FI-20520 Åbo, Finland
*corresponding author: pierre.olivier@abo.fi
Keywords: Food webs, Traits, Biodiversity, Ecosystem
functioning
Due to human and environmental pressures on marine
ecosystems (e.g., fishing and climate change), marine biodiversity is decreasing at an unprecedented rate. It is vital to
understand how this change impacts ecosystems and their
ability to maintain functioning. A food web topology
describes the diversity of species and of their trophic interactions, i.e., who eats whom. We know that species interactions
Appendices
rent needs concerning future science within the EcosystemBased Management (EBM) framework. For example, the
only domain of science represented in this session was
marine ecology. No physics, social, economic, governance,
etc., abstracts were submitted at all, while we know how
important each component of social-ecological systems (and
their interactions) are for the understanding of the systems as
well as for the implications to management. Similarly, the
lack of management applications presented here may suggest that young marine scientists tend to develop knowledge
and understanding of processes rather than apply current
findings to current global problematics.
11 The Interplay Between Marine
Biodiversity and Ecosystems Functioning:
Patterns and Mechanisms in a Changing
World
Francisco R. Barboza
1
, Maysa Ito
1
, and Markus Franz
1
1
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel,
Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
11.1 Call for Abstracts
Existing knowledge on the role of biodiversity in determining ecosystems’ characteristics and their capacity to cope
with human impacts has been mainly generated by terrestrial ecologists, leaving the information about marine environments restricted to a small number of publications.
Thus, a bigger number of observational and experimental
works are required, in an effort to generate valuable data
that allow effective conservation strategies in the sea. The
scientific session welcomes contributions on the interplay
between biodiversity and structure-functioning in marine
ecosystems, over all spatial and temporal scales. Theoretical
and applied researchers, with a purely ecological or interdisciplinary background are welcome to share their work
and ideas.
11.2 Abstracts of Oral Presentations
11.2.1 Phenology-Mediated Changes
in the Structure of a Benthic Food Web
Marco Scotti
1*
, Agnes Mittermayr
1,2
, Ulrich Sommer
1
1
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel,
Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
2
Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue
Provincetown, MA 02657, USA
*invited speaker, corresponding author: mscotti@geomar.de
Keywords: Biodiversity, Body size, Food web topology,
Functional traits, Network analysis
Food webs are binary representations of who eats whom
in ecosystems. The arrangement of feeding interactions can
be predicted from species body size, and food web structure
provides clues on functioning (e.g., pathways responsible for
carbon recycling). Previous studies investigated how
anthropic pressures impact biodiversity and percolate their
effects on food web structure. Most food web analyses rely
on average annual trophic behavior, thus neglecting the relevance of seasonal changes. Such simplification impairs the
chance of modeling the role of phenology (e.g., sizefrequency distribution along the life cycle) on food web
structure. We present the food web analysis of a benthic
community in the Baltic Sea. Fifteen food webs were constructed using triple isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N and δ34S)
of samples collected every 2 weeks, from March to September
2011. Details concerning species body size and environmental conditions (e.g., temperature) were recorded. We found
that during summer: (1) species are less omnivore and feed at
lower trophic levels than in spring; (2) trophic specialization
is associated with low trophic similarity; (3) carbon is recycled through short cycles. Such changes are coherent with
the size-frequency distribution trends observed for some species of polychaetes and amphipods. Species with annual life
cycle attain larger body size in spring, while the drastic
reduction of average body size occurs in summer following
reproduction. These trends explain the decrease of average
trophic level, the decline of omnivory, and structure of
cycling from spring to summer. With the construction of
time-explicit food webs we showed the link between sizefrequency distribution and food web structure. Sizefrequency distribution is regulated by the phenology and its
effects would have remained hidden with an average annual
food web. This connection might turn to be particularly useful to investigate the consequences of climate change on phenology and, indirectly, on food web functioning.
11.2.2 Food Webs: A Central Piece in BiodiversityEcosystem Functioning Theory
P. Olivier
1*
, M. C. Nordström
1
1
Åbo Akademi University, Environmental and Marine
Biology, BioCity, Artillerigatan 6, FI-20520 Åbo, Finland
*corresponding author: pierre.olivier@abo.fi
Keywords: Food webs, Traits, Biodiversity, Ecosystem
functioning
Due to human and environmental pressures on marine
ecosystems (e.g., fishing and climate change), marine biodiversity is decreasing at an unprecedented rate. It is vital to
understand how this change impacts ecosystems and their
ability to maintain functioning. A food web topology
describes the diversity of species and of their trophic interactions, i.e., who eats whom. We know that species interactions
Appendices