Ecological networks reveal important taxa for ecosystem function in two subtropical South African estuaries

Biodiversity is essential for estuarine ecosystems' functioning, resilience, and persistence. While biodiversity assessments provide some insight into the ecosystem state, they cannot quantify every aspect of ecosystem-level function. We assessed aspects of estuarine ecosystem function and pinpointed taxa of interest that fulfil specific roles in estuarine ecosystems, using a series of novel food web model ensembles and Ecological Network Analysis. We investigated emergent network properties of two subtropical South African estuaries, the anthropogenically impacted large temporarily closed uMdloti Estuary and the ‘near natural’ predominantly open uMlalazi Estuary, during a drought period induced by the El Niño Southern Oscillation. In addition, important network components were identified to elucidate the importance of estuarine/marine taxa in maintaining ecosystem function. The key findings included (1) estuaries exhibit system-specific functional responses under drought conditions, and (2) estuarine/marine taxa are critical for overall ecosystem function. Both estuaries showed seasonal differences in ecosystem activity and reliance on trophic level I (microalgae and detritus) to fuel the food web, and persistently low cycling (<9.3 %). However, compared to uMdloti Estuary, uMlalazi Estuary showed less variation in mean seasonal activity (1597–2095 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹), and higher reliance on detritus to fuel the food web (D:H > 2.02), indicating greater ecosystem functional resilience to external perturbations. uMlalazi Estuary ecosystem function could be attributed to predominantly open mouth conditions maintaining a salinity gradient, and subsequent large contributions to overall ecosystem function from typically estuarine/marine invertebrate taxa. In contrast, the uMdloti Estuary, dominated by freshwater/brackish taxa under prolonged closed mouth conditions, showed greater seasonal variations in mean system activity (1084–2289 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹) and generally high reliance on microalgae (D:H < 1.26), indicative of decreased resilience to external perturbations. During this study, a single mouth breach acted as a ’biological reset’ of uMdloti Estuary, enabling recruitment of estuarine/marine taxa, and a temporary recovery in ecosystem function reflected in increased system cycling (FCI >14.05 %) and decreased reliance on microalgae (D:H > 1. 41). These findings suggest that future predicted drought impacts on estuarine ecosystem function may be partially system-specific due to differing estuarine types, anthropogenic impact, and invertebrate community composition. This study provides a scientific link between ecosystem-level indicators and the role of individual taxa within the system, which is a valuable complement to biodiversity assessments and ecosystem state evaluation.