Redundancy and response diversity of functional groups: implications for the resilience of coral reefs.
Ambio
; 35(1): 30-5, 2006 Feb.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16615697
ABSTRACT
To improve coral reef management, a deeper understanding of biodiversity across scales in the context of functional groups is required. The focus of this paper is on the role of diversity within functional groups in securing important ecosystem processes that contribute to the resilience of coral-dominated reef states. Two important components of species biodiversity that confer ecosystem resilience are analyzed redundancy and the diversity of responses within functional groups to change. Three critical functional groups are used to illustrate the interaction between these two components and their role in coral reef resilience zooxanthellae (symbiotic micro algae in reef-building corals), reef-building corals, and herbivores. The paper further examines the consequences of undermining functional redundancy and response diversity and addresses strategies to secure ecological processes that are critical for coral reef resilience.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Ecosystem
/
Conservation of Natural Resources
/
Anthozoa
/
Biodiversity
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Ambio
Year:
2006
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Sweden
Publication country:
SE
/
SUECIA
/
SUÉCIA
/
SWEDEN