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Loss in intraspecific diversity can alter ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive, and intraspecific biodiversityβecosystem function iBEF relationships have been restrained to primary producers. Here, we manipulated genetic and functional richness of a fish consumer Phoxinus phoxinus to test whether iBEF relationships exist in consumer species and whether they are more likely sustained by genetic or functional richness.
We found that both genotypic and functional richness affected ecosystem functioning, either independently or interactively. Loss in genotypic richness reduced benthic invertebrate diversity consistently across functional richness treatments, whereas it reduced zooplankton diversity only when functional richness was high.
Finally, losses in genotypic and functional richness altered functions decomposition through trophic cascades. We concluded that iBEF relationships lead to substantial top-down effects on entire food chains. Global change is expected to generate a loss of intraspecific diversity worldwide.
This mesocosm study explores whether loss of genetic and functional diversity in a predator species affects community and ecosystem functioning of lower trophic levels in pond ecosystems, revealing that diversity loss in a single consumer species can impact an entire ecosystem, reducing its functionality.
