Does biodiversity increase spatial stability in plant community biomass?

Ecology Letters
A WeigeltBernhard Schmid

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that biodiversity decreases the spatial variability of biomass production between subplots taken within experimental grassland plots. Our findings supported this hypothesis if functional diversity (weighted Rao's Q) was considered. Further analyses revealed that diversity in rooting depth and clonal growth form were the most important components of functional diversity stabilizing productivity. Using species or functional group richness as diversity measures there was no significant effect on spatial variability of biomass production, demonstrating the importance of the biodiversity component considered. Moreover, we found a significant increase in spatial variability of productivity with decreasing size of harvested area, suggesting small-scale heterogeneity as an important driver. The ability of diverse communities to stabilize biomass production across spatial heterogeneity may be due to complementary use of spatial niches. Nevertheless, the positive effect of functional diversity on spatial stability appears to be less pronounced than previously reported effects on temporal stability.

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Citations

Feb 1, 2011·Oecologia·Takehiro Sasaki, William K Lauenroth
Aug 12, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Eoin J O'Gorman, Mark C Emmerson
Sep 2, 2010·Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR·Courtney J RobinsonVincent B Young
Apr 4, 2012·PloS One·Leonardo Ariel SaraviaFernando Momo
Apr 4, 2012·PloS One·Nico EisenhauerAlexandre Jousset
Dec 15, 2010·Ecology·Arthur R KeithThomas G Whitham
Jan 1, 2012·Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)·Huan Deng
Feb 11, 2012·Trends in Plant Science·Thomas G WhithamDavid Solance Smith
Oct 24, 2009·Ecology Letters·Helmut Hillebrand, Birte Matthiessen
May 9, 2014·Ecology Letters·Shaopeng Wang, Michel Loreau
Mar 17, 2015·Scientific Reports·Madhav Prakash Thakur, Nico Eisenhauer
Aug 29, 2018·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Dylan CravenPeter Manning
May 26, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Wen-Qiang GaoHui-Ru Zhang

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