Effects of biodiversity loss on freshwater ecosystem functions increase with the number of stressors
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A multitude of anthropogenic stressors drive biodiversity loss and alter ecosystem functioning. Freshwaters, which contribute disproportionally to global biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles, are particularly threatened. Although the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions (BEF) is generally well-established, especially in terrestrial ecosystems, the role of multiple, co-occurring stressors in modulating the relationship remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis to address this knowledge gap by assessing the effect of multiple stressors on the relationship between taxon richness and four measures of ecosystem function. The relationship was generally positive, with the slope becoming steeper as the number of stressors increased, suggesting that exposure to multiple stressors exacerbates impacts of biodiversity loss on ecosystem function. Multiple stressor effects on both taxon richness and ecosystem functions were largely predictable from individual stressor effects, although antagonistic effects on ecosystem functions emerged in 14% of the considered cases. The type of stressor and ecosystem function, along with taxonomic group, exerted no influence on the BEF relationship, contrary to our expectations. Microbial production and biomass declined most strongly in response to stressors, despite notable variability. Overall, our findings imply that functional consequences of freshwater biodiversity loss are more severe under multifaceted environmental change than previously assumed.
Date Issued
2025-11-01
Date Acceptance
2025-11-11
Citation
Global Change Biology, 2025, 31 (11)
ISSN
1354-1013
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Global Change Biology
Volume
31
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41293856
Subjects
communities
ecosystem processes
environmental drivers
global change
leaf decomposition
litter breakdown
multiple stressors
productivity
rivers
Biodiversity
Fresh Water
Ecosystem
Stress, Physiological
Biomass
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
e70617
Date Publish Online
2025-11-26