A functional trait-based approach to understand community assembly and diversity–productivity relationships over 7 years in experimental grasslands
| Autor: | Bernhard Schmid, Ernst Detlef Schulze, Nina Buchmann, Sven Pompe, Alexandra Weigelt, Olaf Kolle, Marlén Gubsch, Christiane Roscher, Annett Lipowsky, Jens Schumacher |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | University of Zurich, Roscher, Christiane |
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Biodiversity community mean traits Plant Science 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 10127 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies Limiting similarity 1110 Plant Science biomass production Dominance (ecology) Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 2. Zero hunger biology Ecology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Onobrychis viciifolia Niche differentiation environmental filtering 15. Life on land functional diversity biology.organism_classification niche differentiation 1105 Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Trait 570 Life sciences 590 Animals (Zoology) Species evenness species identity Species richness |
| Zdroj: | Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics |
| ISSN: | 1433-8319 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ppees.2013.02.004 |
| Popis: | a b s t r a c t Several multi-year biodiversity experiments have shown positive species richness-productivity rela- tionships which strengthen over time, but the mechanisms which control productivity are not well understood. We used experimental grasslands (Jena Experiment) with mixtures containing different num- bers of species (4, 8, 16 and 60) and plant functional groups (1-4; grasses, legumes, small herbs, tall herbs) to explore patterns of variation in functional trait composition as well as climatic variables as predictors for community biomass production across several years (from 2003 to 2009). Over this time span, high community mean trait values shifted from the dominance of trait values associated with fast growth to trait values suggesting a conservation of growth-related resources and successful reproduction. Increasing between-community convergence in means of several productivity-related traits indicated that environ- mental filtering and exclusion of competitively weaker species played a role during community assembly. A general trend for increasing functional trait diversity within and convergence among communities sug- gested niche differentiation through limiting similarity in the longer term and that similar mechanisms operated in communities sown with different diversity. Community biomass production was primarily explained by a few key mean traits (tall growth, large seed mass and leaf nitrogen concentration) and to a smaller extent by functional diversity in nitrogen acquisition strategies, functional richness in mul- tiple traits and functional evenness in light-acquisition traits. Increasing species richness, presence of an exceptionally productive legume species (Onobrychis viciifolia) and climatic variables explained an additional proportion of variation in community biomass. In general, community biomass production decreased through time, but communities with higher functional richness in multiple traits had high pro- ductivities over several years. Our results suggest that assembly processes within communities with an artificially maintained species composition maximize functional diversity through niche differentiation and exclusion of weaker competitors, thereby maintaining their potential for high productivity. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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