Hi, Denise.
It's very tempting to say yes. If one partner is missing, that's all it takes
for photosynthesis not to happen on land. However, I hesitate to call
photosynthesis an "emergent" function, nevertheless, because the "phototrophs"
(in all the cases I'm aware of) are "phototrophs" all by themselves.
To reiterate, I've been thinking of "functions" as products/abilities that
species contribute to their communities (some being unique, others being
redundant). Functions are "emergent" when they're not characteristic of any
one species in the community (or any one partner in a symbiosis), but, instead,
are the result of species interacting with one another.
An analogous phenomenon would be the chemical properties of compounds. The
properties of water, for example, aren't present in oxygen or hydrogen gas. If
analysis reveals that a container holds one part oxygen and two parts hydrogen,
you wouldn't necessarily try to use it to douse a flame.
~ Aabir
----- Original Message ----- From: Denise Burchsted
<dburchs...@keene.edu> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Mon, 09 Sep 2013
20:48:32 -0000 (UTC) Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] "Emergent" functions contributing
to the functional diversity of a community? What about the fungus + phototroph
association that made colonization of dry land possible? (e.g.,
http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~jetterso/Pages%20for%20Plant%20Diversity%20Web%20Site/documents/plantfungihistoryTREE.pdf)
- Denise -- Denise Burchsted, PE, PhD Assistant Professor,
Department of Environmental Studies mail: Mailstop 2001, Keene State College,
Keene NH 03435-2001 office: (603) 358-2176, Putnam Science Center room 236
On 9/6/2013 6:05 AM, Aabir Banerji wrote: > Hi, Duncan. > > I do regard
secondary phytochemicals as functional traits. Do you know if phytochemicals
can blend with each other or otherwise enhance each other's potency to create
an emergent defense cocktail? Something that would deter consumers that would
not be deterred by any of the individual components? > > ~ Aabir > > >
----- Original Message ----- > From: Duncan Thomas > To: Aabir Banerji > Cc:
ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu > Sent: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 03:03:18 -0000 (UTC) >
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] "Emergent" functions contributing to the functional
diversity of a community? > > > > If you include plant secondary
phytochemicals as functional > > traits, then the fitness of an individual
can be increased by having neighbors > > that use different functional traits
for their chemical defenses, reducing the local > > density of taxon-specific
pathogens. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any > > publications that have
looked at functional traits this way for natural systems > > or for
inter-cropping. > Duncan Thomas > > > > On Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 2:53 AM,
Aabir Banerji wrote: > > > > Dear fellow ECOLOG users, > > > > > >
The relationship between functional diversity and taxonomic diversity in
ecological communities isn't always linear. I imagine the simplest case of
non-linearity is where there is a lot of functional redundancy among
phylogenetically diverse taxa. The opposite extreme (a depauperate community
having a lot of functional diversity) is also possible... e.g., where
generalist populations exhibit complex demographic structures or inducible
polymorphisms. > > > > > > > > What I'd like to know, though, is if
there is evidence of taxa fulfilling functions by associating with one another.
It's one thing for a species to enter a new niche by relying on the product or
ability of a different species (such as a beneficial symbiont). It's another
for different species to combine complementary products or abilities to
create/achieve something that no one species in the community is able to
produce or achieve by itself (an "emergent" function). This latter phenomenon
would be something akin to neighborhood habitat amelioration... or, perhaps,
something more general that includes neighborhood habitat amelioration. > >
> > > > > > Would any of you happen to know of recent reviews or articles
that address this topic? Or some really good examples of it, perhaps? > > >
> > > Thanks in advance! > > > > > > ~ Aabir > > > > > > > >
> Dr. Aabir Banerji > > > Postdoctoral Associate > > > Institute of
Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies > > > University of Zurich >
> > aabir.bane...@ieu.uzh.ch
