title: Global human footprint on the linkage between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in reef fishes.
abstract: Difficulties in scaling up theoretical and experimental results have raised controversy over the consequences of biodiversity loss for the functioning of natural ecosystems. Using a global survey of reef fish assemblages, we show that in contrast to previous theoretical and experimental studies, ecosystem functioning (as measured by standing biomass) scales in a non-saturating manner with biodiversity (as measured by species and functional richness) in this ecosystem. Our field study also shows a significant and negative interaction between human population density and biodiversity on ecosystem functioning (i.e., for the same human density there were larger reductions in standing biomass at more diverse reefs). Human effects were found to be related to fishing, coastal development, and land use stressors, and currently affect over 75% of the world's coral reefs. Our results indicate that the consequences of biodiversity loss in coral reefs have been considerably underestimated based on existing knowledge and that reef fish assemblages, particularly the most diverse, are greatly vulnerable to the expansion and intensity of anthropogenic stressors in coastal areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. moracamilo@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.forename: Octavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Aburto-Oropeza
authors.forename: Arturo
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authors.lastname: Ayala Bocos
authors.forename: Paula M
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authors.lastname: Ayotte
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authors.forename: Andrew G
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authors.lastname: Bessudo
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
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authors.lastname: Brokovich
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authors.lastname: Chabanet
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authors.lastname: Cortés
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authors.forename: Amilcar
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authors.lastname: Cupul Magaña
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authors.lastname: Demartini
authors.forename: Graham J
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authors.lastname: Edgar
authors.forename: David A
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authors.lastname: Feary
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authors.lastname: Gaston
authors.forename: Charlotte
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authors.lastname: Gough
authors.forename: Nicholas A J
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authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Hector
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authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: Marah
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authors.lastname: Hardt
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authors.lastname: Kulbicki
authors.forename: Yves
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authors.lastname: Letourneur
authors.forename: Andres
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authors.lastname: López Pérez
authors.forename: Michel
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authors.lastname: Loreau
authors.forename: Yossi
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authors.lastname: Loya
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Ismael
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authors.lastname: Mascareñas-Osorio
authors.forename: Tau
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morove
authors.forename: Marc-Olivier
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Nadon
authors.forename: Yohei
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authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Gustavo
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authors.lastname: Paredes
authors.forename: Nicholas V C
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Polunin
authors.forename: Morgan S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pratchett
authors.forename: Héctor
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authors.lastname: Reyes Bonilla
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: Enric
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authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Stuart A
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authors.lastname: Sandin
authors.forename: German
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authors.lastname: Soler
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authors.lastname: Stuart-Smith
authors.forename: Emmanuel
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authors.lastname: Tessier
authors.forename: Derek P
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authors.lastname: Tittensor
authors.forename: Mark
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authors.lastname: Tupper
authors.forename: Paolo
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authors.lastname: Usseglio
authors.forename: Laurent
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authors.lastname: Vigliola
authors.forename: Laurent
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authors.lastname: Wantiez
authors.forename: Ivor
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authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Shaun K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Fernando A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Zapata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D018533:Biomass; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D057894:Coral Reefs; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D011156:Population Density