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Guo Y, Boughton EH, Bohlman S, Bernacchi C, Bohlen PJ, Boughton R, DeLucia E, Fauth JE, Gomez-Casanovas N, Jenkins DG, Lollis G, Miller RS, Quintana-Ascencio PF, Sonnier G, Sparks J, Swain HM, Qiu J. Grassland intensification effects cascade to alter multifunctionality of wetlands within metaecosystems. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8267. [PMID: 38092756 PMCID: PMC10719369 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44104-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Sustainable agricultural intensification could improve ecosystem service multifunctionality, yet empirical evidence remains tenuous, especially regarding consequences for spatially coupled ecosystems connected by flows across ecosystem boundaries (i.e., metaecosystems). Here we aim to understand the effects of land-use intensification on multiple ecosystem services of spatially connected grasslands and wetlands, where management practices were applied to grasslands but not directly imposed to wetlands. We synthesize long-term datasets encompassing 53 physical, chemical, and biological indicators, comprising >11,000 field measurements. Our results reveal that intensification promotes high-quality forage and livestock production in both grasslands and wetlands, but at the expense of water quality regulation, methane mitigation, non-native species invasion resistance, and biodiversity. Land-use intensification weakens relationships among ecosystem services. The effects on grasslands cascade to alter multifunctionality of embedded natural wetlands within the metaecosystems to a similar extent. These results highlight the importance of considering spatial flows of resources and organisms when studying land-use intensification effects on metaecosystems as well as when designing grassland and wetland management practices to improve landscape multifunctionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxi Guo
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave, Davie, FL, USA
| | - Elizabeth H Boughton
- Archbold Biological Station, Buck Island Ranch, 300 Buck Island Ranch Road, Lake Placid, FL, USA.
| | - Stephanie Bohlman
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Carl Bernacchi
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Patrick J Bohlen
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Raoul Boughton
- Archbold Biological Station, Buck Island Ranch, 300 Buck Island Ranch Road, Lake Placid, FL, USA
| | - Evan DeLucia
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - John E Fauth
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Nuria Gomez-Casanovas
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center, Texas A&M University, Vernon, TX, USA
- Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - David G Jenkins
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Gene Lollis
- Archbold Biological Station, Buck Island Ranch, 300 Buck Island Ranch Road, Lake Placid, FL, USA
| | - Ryan S Miller
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, APHIS Veterinary Services, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Grégory Sonnier
- Archbold Biological Station, Buck Island Ranch, 300 Buck Island Ranch Road, Lake Placid, FL, USA
| | - Jed Sparks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Hilary M Swain
- Archbold Biological Station, Buck Island Ranch, 300 Buck Island Ranch Road, Lake Placid, FL, USA
| | - Jiangxiao Qiu
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave, Davie, FL, USA.
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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