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A negative consequence of biodiversity loss is reduced rates of ecosystem functions. Phylogenetic-based biodiversity indices have been claimed to provide more accurate predictions of ecosystem functioning than species diversity alone. This approach assumes that the most relevant traits for ecosystem functioning present a phylogenetic signal. Yet, traits-mediating niche partitioning and resource uptake efficiency in animals can be labile. To assess the relative power of a key trait (body size) and phylogeny to predict zooplankton top-down control on phytoplankton, we manipulated trait and phylogenetic distances independently in microcosms while holding species richness constant. We found that body size provided strong predictions of top-down control. In contrast, phylogeny was a poor predictor of grazing rates. Size-related grazing efficiency asymmetry was mechanistically more important than niche differences in mediating ecosystem function in our experimental settings. Our study demonstrates a strong link between a single functional trait (i.e. body size) in zooplankton and trophic interactions, and urges for a cautionary use of phylogenetic information and taxonomic diversity as substitutes for trait information to predict and understand ecosystem functions.

Disentangling the effect of body size and phylogenetic distances on zooplankton top-down control of algae