Temporal variability in the benthos: Does the sea floor function differently over time?

More than thirty years of data at two benthic stations in the North Sea show periods of stable species composition with decadal shifts. This paper examined the extent to which these shifts alter ecosystem functioning and hence provision of ‘ecosystem goods and services’. Ecosystem functioning results from the biological activity of the organisms present and changes in the life style, behaviour and morphology of the species present at a site...