Abstract
The goal is to demonstrate the importance of biodiversity for ecological processes in the sea. This multidisciplinary study focuses on marine benthic fauna and how infaunal diversity affects biogeochemical processes. The fauna is classified into functional groups in relation to where they feed, their mobility, and their feeding habit; altogether 25 functional groups. We hypothesise that biogeochemical processes in marine sediments, i.e. mineralisation and nitrification-denitrification rates, are positively correlated with number of functional groups (functional biodiversity). In this experimental study we will use both natural and treated sediments from the Skagerrak and the Baltic Sea for comparison. Different functional biodiversities will be used and their ecological impacts on the biogeochemical processes analysed. For example, we suggest that the mineralisation rate in Baltic Sea sediments is significantly lower than in Skagerrak sediments, and that this is related to fewer functional groups in the Baltic Sea.
Sweden