Featured paper: The meaning of the term ‘function’ in ecology: A coral reef perspective

This Functional Ecology paper from 2019 by David Bellwood, Robert Streit, Simon Brandl and Sterling Tebbett summarizes some key concepts that have lead us to establish the Reef Function Hub.

In this review, we discuss the many different uses of the seemingly simple word ‘function’ in the context of ecological research on coral reefs. The word seems to carry a connotation of increased importance and thus is commonly used, yet rarely defined. Mislabelled ‘functional importance’ may lead to skewed perspective on the future of coral reefs.

Faced with rapid changes in global ecosystems, and in their capacity to deliver ecosystem services, we argue that research needs to follow empirical evidence and find causal connections between animal behaviour and ecological processes. To facilitate a way forward, we offer a operational definition of the term ‘function’ and outline a framework to harness the power of functional approaches in understanding and managing high-diversity systems such as coral reefs.

“Function is the movement or storage of energy or material”

To read the full paper in the special issue of Functional Ecology - “Coral Reef Functional Ecology in the Anthropocene” - click here.