BDE 224
Diversity and Function of Invertebrates
Written by Tegan Gibaud
Introduction
Definitions Invertebrates: Organisms without spines/backbones.
Metazoan: Group of animals with cells that are differentiated into
tissues and organs and usually a digestive cavity lined with
specialized cells.
Heterotroph: Organism that doesn’t produce its own food and
therefore takes in nutrition from other sources.
Main Questions Why are we interested in the diversity and function of
invertebrates?
● Great diversity
● Large biomass
● Important roles in ecological functions
What is functional diversity?
● Aspects of biodiversity that influence how an ecosystem
operates or functions.
Invertebrate Diversity Invertebrates make up 95% of metazoan diversity. They are
multicellular and heterotrophic organisms.
Importance of Invertebrate Diversity
● Very large biomass: 93% of total animal biomass is made up
of invertebrates.
● Many roles in ecological function
1. Food source for other species which promotes energy
flow in ecosystems.
2. Species interactions (plants and pollinators; host and
parasite) affect the survival, reproduction and
population dynamics of other organisms.
3. Effects on nutrient cycling (processing dead
organisms, soil formation and nutrient enrichment -
dung beetles promote the movement of
macronutrients).
4. Ecosystem engineering and evolution drivers
Example: termites construct mounts which change
the landscape and are used by animals as shelter,
perches, etc.
1
, 5. Human applications such as food consumption,
medical applications (biochemical compounds) and
biomimetic materials (material is manufactured that is
inspired by beetle structure that traps water
effectively).
Functional Diversity Functional Diversity: The extent of trait dissimilarity in a given
(FD) community.
The traits include morphological, physiological and ecological traits
in the community.
FD is important to biodiversity as it influences species coexistence,
species dynamics and ecosystem functioning.
Various indices and formulas are used to estimate FD so that
communities can be compared.
Traits Used to Traits are typically associated with what the organism does, who it
Estimate Functional interacts with and the impact of the organism on it’s community.
Diversity
Examples of These Traits
● Morphology (body size)
● Ecology (diet)
● Environmental tolerances (niche size)
● Behaviour
● Phenology (timing of life tages)
Example: Breeding behaviour of birds involves the use of materials
such as vegetation and dead trees. This can influence other species’
use of resources and breeding.
Bird Example
Low Functional Diversity High Functional Diversity
Similar size birds Birds with different sizes
Same niche: Grazing on the Diverse traits
ground
Species Richness Species Richness: Amount of different species represented in an
ecological community.
The first picture below displays how the number of species is equal
in both communities and the second picture, the length of the line
between species is proportional to how similar the species are.
2
,The application of functional traits allows us to score species along a
continuum of dissimilarity. Some species share functional traits
(they are the same size, eat the same thing, etc.) and thus are more
similar than others that do not. Now, if we apply functional traits to
the above example, we might find the dissimilarity among species
looks more like this for the two communities:
Image & Info:
https://jonlefcheck.net/2014/10/20/what-is-functional-diversity-and-why-do-we-care-
2/
3
, Importance of Species
Richness
Image: Lecture Notes
Map One
● Illustrates the number of fish species in marine waters
around the world.
● The tropical regions garnered the highest number of species
- highest diversity at the equator and decreasing towards the
poles.
Map Two
● The areas of highest functional diversity are the Galapagos,
some areas around Australia etc.
● In these hotspots, species do very different things and some
of these might be very unique. These areas must be
protected as losing these species means losing some
functional traits that might be very essential or useful in the
long-run.
4
Diversity and Function of Invertebrates
Written by Tegan Gibaud
Introduction
Definitions Invertebrates: Organisms without spines/backbones.
Metazoan: Group of animals with cells that are differentiated into
tissues and organs and usually a digestive cavity lined with
specialized cells.
Heterotroph: Organism that doesn’t produce its own food and
therefore takes in nutrition from other sources.
Main Questions Why are we interested in the diversity and function of
invertebrates?
● Great diversity
● Large biomass
● Important roles in ecological functions
What is functional diversity?
● Aspects of biodiversity that influence how an ecosystem
operates or functions.
Invertebrate Diversity Invertebrates make up 95% of metazoan diversity. They are
multicellular and heterotrophic organisms.
Importance of Invertebrate Diversity
● Very large biomass: 93% of total animal biomass is made up
of invertebrates.
● Many roles in ecological function
1. Food source for other species which promotes energy
flow in ecosystems.
2. Species interactions (plants and pollinators; host and
parasite) affect the survival, reproduction and
population dynamics of other organisms.
3. Effects on nutrient cycling (processing dead
organisms, soil formation and nutrient enrichment -
dung beetles promote the movement of
macronutrients).
4. Ecosystem engineering and evolution drivers
Example: termites construct mounts which change
the landscape and are used by animals as shelter,
perches, etc.
1
, 5. Human applications such as food consumption,
medical applications (biochemical compounds) and
biomimetic materials (material is manufactured that is
inspired by beetle structure that traps water
effectively).
Functional Diversity Functional Diversity: The extent of trait dissimilarity in a given
(FD) community.
The traits include morphological, physiological and ecological traits
in the community.
FD is important to biodiversity as it influences species coexistence,
species dynamics and ecosystem functioning.
Various indices and formulas are used to estimate FD so that
communities can be compared.
Traits Used to Traits are typically associated with what the organism does, who it
Estimate Functional interacts with and the impact of the organism on it’s community.
Diversity
Examples of These Traits
● Morphology (body size)
● Ecology (diet)
● Environmental tolerances (niche size)
● Behaviour
● Phenology (timing of life tages)
Example: Breeding behaviour of birds involves the use of materials
such as vegetation and dead trees. This can influence other species’
use of resources and breeding.
Bird Example
Low Functional Diversity High Functional Diversity
Similar size birds Birds with different sizes
Same niche: Grazing on the Diverse traits
ground
Species Richness Species Richness: Amount of different species represented in an
ecological community.
The first picture below displays how the number of species is equal
in both communities and the second picture, the length of the line
between species is proportional to how similar the species are.
2
,The application of functional traits allows us to score species along a
continuum of dissimilarity. Some species share functional traits
(they are the same size, eat the same thing, etc.) and thus are more
similar than others that do not. Now, if we apply functional traits to
the above example, we might find the dissimilarity among species
looks more like this for the two communities:
Image & Info:
https://jonlefcheck.net/2014/10/20/what-is-functional-diversity-and-why-do-we-care-
2/
3
, Importance of Species
Richness
Image: Lecture Notes
Map One
● Illustrates the number of fish species in marine waters
around the world.
● The tropical regions garnered the highest number of species
- highest diversity at the equator and decreasing towards the
poles.
Map Two
● The areas of highest functional diversity are the Galapagos,
some areas around Australia etc.
● In these hotspots, species do very different things and some
of these might be very unique. These areas must be
protected as losing these species means losing some
functional traits that might be very essential or useful in the
long-run.
4
