| title: | Role of functional diversity in the stability of coastal ecosystem in the northern Baltic Sea |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF5103 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
1.16. Marine Sciences and Limnology |
| status: | completed |
| institution: | Estonian Marine Institute |
| head of project: | Jonne Kotta |
| duration: | 01.01.2002 - 31.12.2004 |
| description: | The overall aim is to shed light on the processes regulating marine benthic biodiversity in the northern Baltic Sea and forecast the changes in biodiversity associated with the biological and environmental changes that are occurring in the system. The previous knowledge about the processes affecting the stability and diversity of the communities in the Baltic Sea is largely circumstantial based on the data of species distribution only. During this project the ecological consequence of the changes in functional diversity on the species interactions is investigated in the coastal ecosystem of the northern Baltic Sea. The key questions are: (1) Whether the species loss in the poorer communities will have greater ecological implications than in the functionally more complex communities? (2) If there is room for more species in the existing assemblages? (3) If competition for food or space is important in the northern Baltic Sea, both among present populations and potential new species invading the area? And if the poverty of species in the Baltic Sea is because the inhabitants are competitive superior to invading species? A number of manipulative field experiments will be conducted during the project. Based on the results of these experiments the role of interspecific and intraspecific interactions in the biodiversity of the simple benthic communities is clarified in the northern Baltic Sea, with the aim to help understanding the role of competition in more complex systems. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Ilmar Kotta | Estonian Marine Institute/ Tallinn Pedagogical University | researcher/ PhD student | |
| 2. | Jonne Kotta | Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu | senior researcher | |
| 3. | Georg Martin | Estonian Marine Institute/ University of Tartu | senior researcher | |
| 4. | Helen Orav-Kotta | Estonian Marine Institute/ University of Tartu | researcher/ PhD student | |
| 5. | Tiina Paalme | Estonian Marine Institute/ Tallinn Pedagogical University | researcher/ PhD student | |