| title: | Marine benthic biodiversity and ecological processes - importance of spatial and temporal scales |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF6016 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | Estonian Marine Institute |
| head of project: | Helen Orav-Kotta |
| duration: | 01.01.2005 - 31.12.2008 |
| description: | The overall objective of this project is to quantify experimentally the relationships between ecological processes and marine benthic biodiversity at a number of spatial and temporal scales. (1) We test experimentally the effect of loss of benthic diversity at one trophic level on the functioning of others. (2) We control the hypothesis that the effects of loss of key species, functional groups and diversity vary depending on the initial diversity of the system. (3) We discriminate the effects of ecosystem function on ecological processes e.g. matter and energy flows, primary and secondary production, bioturbation, herbivory, predation, competition for food and space, biological invasions. (4) We experimentally seek which ecological processes are important at different spatial and temporal scales. (5) We measure whether small-scale heterogeneity reflects ecological processes. (6) We analyze whether fine resolution data is noise or information when detecting large-scale effects. (7) We estimate whether and when the process-pattern relationships are temporally persistent. Most of the studies carried out in the many areas of spatial ecology are not based on experimental manipulations but rather they are descriptive and model based. However, the links between ecosystem elements and processes can only be tested experimentally. The effects of spatial and temporal scales are rarely addressed. During the project we clarify the role of various ecological processes in the biodiversity of the simple benthic communities in the northern Baltic Sea, with the aim to help understanding the role of these processes in more complex ecosystems. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Ilmar Kotta | University of Tartu | scientist | |
| 2. | Helen Orav-Kotta | Estonian Marine Institute | scientist | |
| 3. | Tiina Paalme | University of Tartu | researcher | |