| Summary: | Global environmental change drives diversity loss and shifts in community structure. A key challenge is to better understand the impacts on ecosystem function and to connect species and trait diversity of assemblages with the possible consequences for ecosystem function. Here we quantify shifts in species composition and trait diversity associated with ocean acidification (OA) by using field measurements at marine CO 2 vent systems spanning four reef habitats across different depths in a temperate coastal ecosystem. We find that both species and trait diversity decreased and that ecosystem properties (understood as the interplay between species, traits, and ecosystem function) shifted with acidification. Furthermore, shifts in trait categories such as autotrophs, filter feeders, herbivores, and habitat-forming species were habitat-specific, indicating that OA may produce divergent responses across habitats and depths. Combined, these findings reveal the importance of connecting species and trait diversity of marine benthic habitats with key ecosystem properties to anticipate the impacts of global environmental change. Our results also generate new insights into the predicted general and habitat-specific ecological consequences of OA. Funding provided by: National Geographic Society Crossref Funder Registry ID: https://ror.org/04bqh5m06 Award Number: 9771-15 Funding provided by: European Commission Crossref Funder Registry ID: https://ror.org/00k4n6c32 Award Number: 702628 Funding provided by: Agence Nationale de la Recherche Crossref Funder Registry ID: https://ror.org/00rbzpz17 Award Number: ANR-17-MOPGA-0001 Funding provided by: Italian National Biodiversity Future Center* Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: 00000033 Sampling design of benthic surveys . Percent cover of 215 benthic species was quantified using two approaches with scuba diving: i) visual census techniques in Shallow Reef (benthic surveys were performed from 0.5 to 3 m depth) and Reef habitats (benthic surveys at ~10 m depth) ...
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