Biodiversity can buffer ecosystem functioning against disturbances by allowing species to compensate for the functions lost through the extirpation of other species, a key process known as ecological insurance. Functional ecology has extended this idea by emphasising trait redundancy amongst species that help buffer core ecosystem functions. However, some functions might be supported only by species with distinct combinations...

Marine Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) approaches are a well-established and fundamental component of international agreements and treaties, regional seas conventions, assessment strategies, European Directives and national and regional instruments. However, there is the need to interrogate and clarify the implementation of EBM approaches under current marine management. Although particular focus here is within the European U...

This survey of the marine ichthyofauna of the Piton de La Fournaise volcano at Reunion Island is the first explanatory study of fish community structures in this area. It describes and analyses the main qualitative descriptors of the fish communities ( i.e . species richness, diet, life history and geographical distribution) and their spatio‐temporal organization. This investigation in 2011 examined lava flows of different age...

A single autonomous video camera was used to record the abundances of Chromis viridis over a branching Acropora sp. colony eight times per day over a period of 50 days. The poor explanatory power of global radiation suggests the need for recording the light really available to the fish, especially in the UV range. The increasing number of C. viridis observed with increasing wind along shore and water level may correspond to in...

An understanding of the role of factors intrinsic to a species’ life history in structuring contemporary genetic variation is a fundamental, but understudied, aspect of evolutionary biology. Here, we assessed the influence of the propensity to outbreak in shaping worldwide genetic variation in Locusta migratoria , a cosmopolitan pest well known for its expression of density‐dependent phase polyphenism. We scored 14 microsatell...

Summary The soil nitrogen cycle was investigated in a pre‐established Lolium perenne sward on a loamy soil and exposed to ambient and elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (350 and 700 μL L −1 ) and, at elevated [CO 2 ], to a 3 °C temperature increase. At two levels of mineral nitrogen supply, N– (150 kgN ha −1 y −1 ) and N+ (533 kgN ha −1 y −1 ), 15 N‐labelled ammonium nitrate was supplied in split applications over a 2.5‐...

The relative contribution of different soil organism groups to nutrient cycling has been quantified for a number of ecosystems. Some functions, particularly within the N‐cycle, are carried out by very specific organisms. Others, including those of decomposition and nutrient release from organic inputs are, however, mediated by a diverse group of bacteria, protozoa, fungi and invertebrate animals. Many authors have hypothesized...