We can start to understand how our marine ecosystems function and how they are structured throught focusing on the characteristics, or traits, of the species, rather than using the number of species as a measure of biodiversity. In this study, guest postdoc Anna Törnroos from our VRK Centre of Ocean Life and colleagues investigated the traits of the bottom living fauna, such as worms, mussels and snails, in the Baltic Sea. They found that despite the low number of benthic species in the Baltic Sea, there is a surprisingly high functional richness.
Click here to see the article (in Danish), published in Aktuel Naturvidenskab 1, Mars 2016.
Original article:
Törnroos A., Bonsdorff E., Bremner J., Blomqvist M., Josefson A.B., Garcia C., Warzocha J. (2015) Marine benthic ecological functioning over decreasing taxonomic richness. Journal of Sea Research 98:49-56.