Biodiversity plays a key role for our planet by buffering ongoing and future changes in environmental conditions. We tested if canopy-forming algae enhancing biodiversity (CEB) in a Mediterranean intertidal reef ecological community could alleviate the effect of stressors (heat waves and pollution from sewage) on community metabolic rates (as expressed by oxygen consumption) used as a proxy of community functioning. CEB exerted a buffering effect related to the properties of stressor: physical-pulsing (heat wave) and chronic-trophic (sewage). After a simulated heat wave, CEB was effective in buffering the impacts of detrimental temperatures on the functioning of the community. In reefs exposed to chronic sewage effluents, benefits derived from CEB were less evident, which is likely due to the stressor's contextual action. The results support the hypothesis that ecological responses depend on stressor typology acting at local level and provide insights for improving management measures to mitigate anthropogenic disturbance.

生物多样性通过缓冲环境条件的持续和未来变化，对我们的星球发挥着关键作用。我们测试了在地中海潮间带珊瑚礁生态群落中形成树冠的藻类增强生物多样性 (CEB) 是否可以减轻压力源（热浪和污水污染）对用作群落代理的群落代谢率（以耗氧量表示）的影响运作。CEB 发挥了与压力源特性相关的缓冲作用：物理脉冲（热浪）和慢性营养（污水）。在模拟热浪之后，CEB 有效地缓冲了不利温度对社区功能的影响。在暴露于长期污水的珊瑚礁中，CEB 带来的好处不太明显，这可能是由于压力源的背景行为。