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Yang J, Wang X, Carmona CP, Wang X, Shen G. Inverse relationship between species competitiveness and intraspecific trait variability may enable species coexistence in experimental seedling communities. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2895. [PMID: 38570481 PMCID: PMC10991546 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47295-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Theory suggests that intraspecific trait variability may promote species coexistence when competitively inferior species have higher intraspecific trait variability than their superior competitors. Here, we provide empirical evidence for this phenomenon in tree seedlings. We evaluated intraspecific variability and plastic response of ten traits in 6750 seedlings of ten species in a three-year greenhouse experiment. While we observed no relationship between intraspecific trait variability and species competitiveness in competition-free homogeneous environments, an inverse relationship emerged under interspecific competition and in spatially heterogeneous environments. We showed that this relationship is driven by the plastic response of the competitively inferior species: Compared to their competitively superior counterparts, they exhibited a greater increase in trait variability, particularly in fine-root traits, in response to competition, environmental heterogeneity and their combination. Our findings contribute to understanding how interspecific competition and intraspecific trait variability together structure plant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Xiya Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Carlos P Carmona
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Xihua Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Rd. (No.2), Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Guochun Shen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Rd. (No.2), Shanghai, 200092, China.
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2
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Tariq A, Sardans J, Zeng F, Graciano C, Hughes AC, Farré-Armengol G, Peñuelas J. Impact of aridity rise and arid lands expansion on carbon-storing capacity, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem services. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17292. [PMID: 38634556 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Drylands, comprising semi-arid, arid, and hyperarid regions, cover approximately 41% of the Earth's land surface and have expanded considerably in recent decades. Even under more optimistic scenarios, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2100, semi-arid lands may increase by up to 38%. This study provides an overview of the state-of-the-art regarding changing aridity in arid regions, with a specific focus on its effects on the accumulation and availability of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in plant-soil systems. Additionally, we summarized the impacts of rising aridity on biodiversity, service provisioning, and feedback effects on climate change across scales. The expansion of arid ecosystems is linked to a decline in C and nutrient stocks, plant community biomass and diversity, thereby diminishing the capacity for recovery and maintaining adequate water-use efficiency by plants and microbes. Prolonged drought led to a -3.3% reduction in soil organic carbon (SOC) content (based on 148 drought-manipulation studies), a -8.7% decrease in plant litter input, a -13.0% decline in absolute litter decomposition, and a -5.7% decrease in litter decomposition rate. Moreover, a substantial positive feedback loop with global warming exists, primarily due to increased albedo. The loss of critical ecosystem services, including food production capacity and water resources, poses a severe challenge to the inhabitants of these regions. Increased aridity reduces SOC, nutrient, and water content. Aridity expansion and intensification exacerbate socio-economic disparities between economically rich and least developed countries, with significant opportunities for improvement through substantial investments in infrastructure and technology. By 2100, half the world's landmass may become dryland, characterized by severe conditions marked by limited C, N, and P resources, water scarcity, and substantial loss of native species biodiversity. These conditions pose formidable challenges for maintaining essential services, impacting human well-being and raising complex global and regional socio-political challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Tariq
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jordi Sardans
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Fanjiang Zeng
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Corina Graciano
- Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alice C Hughes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Gerard Farré-Armengol
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
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3
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Weides SE, Hájek T, Liancourt P, Herberich MM, Kramp RE, Tomiolo S, Pacheco-Riaño LC, Tielbörger K, Májeková M. Belowground niche partitioning is maintained under extreme drought. Ecology 2024; 105:e4198. [PMID: 37897690 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Belowground niche partitioning presents a key mechanism for maintaining species coexistence and diversity. Its importance is currently reinforced by climate change that alters soil hydrological conditions. However, experimental tests examining the magnitude of its change under climate change are scarce. We combined measurements of oxygen stable isotopes to infer plant water-uptake depths and extreme drought manipulation in grasslands. Belowground niche partitioning was evidenced by different water-uptake depths of co-occurring species under ambient and extreme drought conditions despite an increased overlap among species due to a shift to shallower soil layers under drought. A co-occurrence of contrasting strategies related to the change of species water-uptake depth distribution was likely to be key for species to maintain some extent of belowground niche partitioning and could contribute to stabilizing coexistence under drought. Our results suggest that belowground niche partitioning could mitigate negative effects on diversity imposed by extreme drought under future climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie E Weides
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tomáš Hájek
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Pierre Liancourt
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Botany Department, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Rosa E Kramp
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sara Tomiolo
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Katja Tielbörger
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria Májeková
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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4
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Blume-Werry G, Dorrepaal E, Keuper F, Kummu M, Wild B, Weedon JT. Arctic rooting depth distribution influences modelled carbon emissions but cannot be inferred from aboveground vegetation type. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:502-514. [PMID: 37227127 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The distribution of roots throughout the soil drives depth-dependent plant-soil interactions and ecosystem processes, particularly in arctic tundra where plant biomass, is predominantly belowground. Vegetation is usually classified from aboveground, but it is unclear whether such classifications are suitable to estimate belowground attributes and their consequences, such as rooting depth distribution and its influence on carbon cycling. We performed a meta-analysis of 55 published arctic rooting depth profiles, testing for differences both between distributions based on aboveground vegetation types (Graminoid, Wetland, Erect-shrub, and Prostrate-shrub tundra) and between 'Root Profile Types' for which we defined three representative and contrasting clusters. We further analyzed potential impacts of these different rooting depth distributions on rhizosphere priming-induced carbon losses from tundra soils. Rooting depth distribution hardly differed between aboveground vegetation types but varied between Root Profile Types. Accordingly, modelled priming-induced carbon emissions were similar between aboveground vegetation types when they were applied to the entire tundra, but ranged from 7.2 to 17.6 Pg C cumulative emissions until 2100 between individual Root Profile Types. Variations in rooting depth distribution are important for the circumpolar tundra carbon-climate feedback but can currently not be inferred adequately from aboveground vegetation type classifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesche Blume-Werry
- Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, 17487, Greifswald, Germany
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 981 07, Abisko, Sweden
| | - Ellen Dorrepaal
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 981 07, Abisko, Sweden
| | - Frida Keuper
- BioEcoAgro Joint Research Unit, INRAE, F-02000, Barenton-Bugny, France
| | - Matti Kummu
- Water and Development Research Group, Aalto University, 00076, Aalto, Finland
| | - Birgit Wild
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - James T Weedon
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), Systems Ecology Section, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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5
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Waterton J, Mazer SJ, Cleland EE. When the neighborhood matters: contextual selection on seedling traits in native and non-native California grasses. Evolution 2023; 77:2039-2055. [PMID: 37393951 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Plants interact extensively with their neighbors, but the evolutionary consequences of variation in neighbor identity are not well understood. Seedling traits are likely to experience selection that depends on the identity of neighbors because they influence competitive outcomes. To explore this, we evaluated selection on seed mass and emergence time in two California grasses, the native perennial Stipa pulchra, and the non-native annual Bromus diandrus, in the field with six other native and non-native neighbor grasses in single- and mixed-species treatments. We also quantified characteristics of each neighbor treatment to further investigate factors influencing their effects on fitness and phenotypic selection. Selection favored larger seeds in both focal species and this was largely independent of neighbor identity. Selection generally favored earlier emergence in both focal species, but neighbor identity influenced the strength and direction of selection on emergence time in S. pulchra, but not B. diandrus. Greater light interception, higher soil moisture, and greater productivity of neighbors were associated with more intense selection for earlier emergence and larger seeds. Our findings suggest that changes in plant community composition can alter patterns of selection in seedling traits, and that these effects can be associated with measurable characteristics of the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Waterton
- Ecology, Behavior and Evolution Section, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Susan J Mazer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Elsa E Cleland
- Ecology, Behavior and Evolution Section, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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6
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Orlowski N, Rinderer M, Dubbert M, Ceperley N, Hrachowitz M, Gessler A, Rothfuss Y, Sprenger M, Heidbüchel I, Kübert A, Beyer M, Zuecco G, McCarter C. Challenges in studying water fluxes within the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum: A tracer-based perspective on pathways to progress. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 881:163510. [PMID: 37059146 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Tracing and quantifying water fluxes in the hydrological cycle is crucial for understanding the current state of ecohydrological systems and their vulnerability to environmental change. Especially the interface between ecosystems and the atmosphere that is strongly mediated by plants is important to meaningfully describe ecohydrological system functioning. Many of the dynamic interactions generated by water fluxes between soil, plant and the atmosphere are not well understood, which is partly due to a lack of interdisciplinary research. This opinion paper reflects the outcome of a discussion among hydrologists, plant ecophysiologists and soil scientists on open questions and new opportunities for collaborative research on the topic "water fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum" especially focusing on environmental and artificial tracers. We emphasize the need for a multi-scale experimental approach, where a hypothesis is tested at multiple spatial scales and under diverse environmental conditions to better describe the small-scale processes (i.e., causes) that lead to large-scale patterns of ecosystem functioning (i.e., consequences). Novel in-situ, high-frequency measurement techniques offer the opportunity to sample data at a high spatial and temporal resolution needed to understand the underlying processes. We advocate for a combination of long-term natural abundance measurements and event-based approaches. Multiple environmental and artificial tracers, such as stable isotopes, and a suite of experimental and analytical approaches should be combined to complement information gained by different methods. Virtual experiments using process-based models should be used to inform sampling campaigns and field experiments, e.g., to improve experimental designs and to simulate experimental outcomes. On the other hand, experimental data are a pre-requisite to improve our currently incomplete models. Interdisciplinary collaboration will help to overcome research gaps that overlap across different earth system science fields and help to generate a more holistic view of water fluxes between soil, plant and atmosphere in diverse ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Orlowski
- Hydrology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
| | - Michael Rinderer
- Hydrology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; Geo7 AG, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maren Dubbert
- Isotope Biogeochemistry and Gasfluxes, ZALF, Müncheberg, Germany
| | | | - Markus Hrachowitz
- Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628CN Delft, Netherlands
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland; Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Youri Rothfuss
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Agrosphere (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany; Terra Teaching and Research Centre, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Matthias Sprenger
- Earth and Environmental Sciences at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA
| | - Ingo Heidbüchel
- Hydrological Modelling, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany; Hydrogeology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angelika Kübert
- Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthias Beyer
- Institute for Geoecology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Giulia Zuecco
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy; Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Colin McCarter
- Department of Geography, Department of Biology and Chemistry, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
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7
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Blonder BW, Aparecido LMT, Hultine KR, Lombardozzi D, Michaletz ST, Posch BC, Slot M, Winter K. Plant water use theory should incorporate hypotheses about extreme environments, population ecology, and community ecology. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:2271-2283. [PMID: 36751903 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant water use theory has largely been developed within a plant-performance paradigm that conceptualizes water use in terms of value for carbon gain and that sits within a neoclassical economic framework. This theory works very well in many contexts but does not consider other values of water to plants that could impact their fitness. Here, we survey a range of alternative hypotheses for drivers of water use and stomatal regulation. These hypotheses are organized around relevance to extreme environments, population ecology, and community ecology. Most of these hypotheses are not yet empirically tested and some are controversial (e.g. requiring more agency and behavior than is commonly believed possible for plants). Some hypotheses, especially those focused around using water to avoid thermal stress, using water to promote reproduction instead of growth, and using water to hoard it, may be useful to incorporate into theory or to implement in Earth System Models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wong Blonder
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Luiza Maria Teophilo Aparecido
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ, 85008, USA
| | - Kevin R Hultine
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ, 85008, USA
| | - Danica Lombardozzi
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
| | - Sean T Michaletz
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Bradley C Posch
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ, 85008, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Martijn Slot
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, 0843-03092, Panama
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Wang J, Zhang C, Luo P, Yang H, Luo C. Water yield response to plant community conversion caused by vegetation degradation and improvement in an alpine meadow on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159174. [PMID: 36191703 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Water provision is an important ecological function of alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. Quantitative assessment of the effects of vegetation change induced by vegetation degradation and improvement on water yield (WY) in alpine meadows is urgent for rational water and grassland resources conservation and management. Previous studies mainly focused on the effects of vegetation coverage. What is less clear is how the WY of alpine meadow changes under plant community conversion caused by vegetation degradation and improvement. To test the hypotheses that lysimeter drainage (LD) decreases in the vegetation-degraded meadow and recovers in the vegetation-improved meadow, and the LD decreases as the stress tolerance of dominant strategy decreases, in situ lysimeters with intact monoliths of well-vegetated alpine meadows subjected to vegetation intact (sedge-dominated), degraded (forb-dominated) and improved (fast-growing grass-dominated) were employed, and then plant communities among treatments were compared based on the quantitative competitor, stress tolerator, and ruderal (CSR) theory. Compared to the vegetation-intact monoliths, the LD of vegetation-degraded monoliths was 59 % lower owing to the deeper roots and greater aboveground growth. The LD of vegetation-improved monoliths was 83 % higher than that of vegetation-degraded monoliths due to the shallower roots but was 25 % lower than that of vegetation-intact monoliths due to the greater aboveground growth. The LD decreased along a plant community conversion gradient in which the S-selection of the dominance strategy decreased (R2 = 0.34, P = 0.022) and the C-selection increased (R2 = 0.71, P < 0.001), likely due to the significant covariation between community-weighted CSR strategy with eco-hydrological plant and soil properties. These results indicated that the community conversion caused by vegetation degradation reduces the WY of alpine meadows, and sowing fast-growing grasses can only partly restore this function. Application of stress-tolerant plants for vegetation improvement may be more efficient in recovering the WY of degraded meadows, especially in flat meadows under humid climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- Institute of Environmental Science, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan, PR China.
| | - Chunyan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Peng Luo
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Hao Yang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Chuan Luo
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
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9
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Herben T, Šašek J, Balšánková T, Hadincová V, Krahulec F, Krak K, Pecháčková S, Skálová H. The shape of root systems in a mountain meadow: plastic responses or species-specific architectural blueprints? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:2223-2236. [PMID: 35363897 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The efficient uptake of nutrients depends on the ability of roots to respond to gradients of these resources. Although pot experiments have shown that species differ in their ability to proliferate their roots in nutrient-rich patches, the role of such differences in determining root shapes in the field is unclear. We used fine-scale quantitative (q)PCR-based species-specific mapping of roots in a grassland community to reconstruct species-specific root system shapes. We linked them with data from pot experiments on the ability of these species to proliferate in nutrient-rich patches and their rooting depth. We found remarkable diversity in root system shapes, from cylindrical to conical. Interspecific differences in rooting depths in pots were the main determinant of rooting depths in the field, whereas differences in foraging ability played only a minor role. Although some species with strong foraging ability did place their roots into nutrient-rich soil layers, it was not a universal pattern. The results imply that although the vertical differentiation of grassland species is pronounced, it is primarily not driven by the differential plastic response of species to soil nutrient gradients. This may constrain the coexistence of species with similar rooting depths and may instead favour coexistence of species differing in their architectural blueprints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Herben
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Šašek
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Balšánková
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Věroslava Hadincová
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - František Krahulec
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Karol Krak
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Praha 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Sylvie Pecháčková
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- The West Bohemian Museum in Pilsen, Kopeckého sady 2, 301 00, Plzeň, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Skálová
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
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10
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Kulmatiski A, Beard KH. A modern two-layer hypothesis helps resolve the 'savanna problem'. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:1952-1960. [PMID: 35834518 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
For over a century, deep roots have been assumed to allow trees to avoid competition with grasses (i.e., the two-layer hypothesis). Yet, in part because it remains difficult to measure water uptake in the field, there has been a shift in savanna ecology away from the two-layer hypothesis and towards alternative explanations of tree-grass coexistence. Here, we combine hydrologic tracer experiments and soil water flow models to demonstrate how the distribution of active roots affects water uptake across a range of savanna conditions. Grass roots were shallower and provided pre-emptive access to enough soil water to allow nearly continuous grass cover, but slightly deeper roots provided trees with more total water under most conditions. This 'some water now or more water later' tradeoff varied with precipitation amount, soil texture, and tree and grass relative root abundance in ways that helped explain tree and grass landscape abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Kulmatiski
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Karen H Beard
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
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11
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Do details matter? Disentangling the processes related to plant species interactions in two grassland models of different complexity. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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12
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Kübert A, Kuester E, Götz M, Dubbert D, Eiblmeier M, Werner C, Rothfuss Y, Dubbert M. Combined experimental drought and nitrogen loading: the role of species-dependent leaf level control of carbon and water exchange in a temperate grassland. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2021; 23:427-437. [PMID: 33338294 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) loading and extreme drought strongly alter biomass production, species composition and carbon and water fluxes of temperate grasslands. Such changes at the community level are often attributed to species- and functional group-specific responses in phenology and/or physiology. In a multifactorial field experiment, we studied the responses of three abundant grassland species (forb Centaurea jacea, grasses Arrhenatherum elatius and Dactylis glomerata) to N loading and extreme drought, focusing on responses of carbon and water relations at the leaf level. We analysed (1) changes in bulk leaf N (uptake efficiency of additional N), (2) adaptation of plant water status (leaf water potential) and (3) impact on leaf carbon and water fluxes. We observed more efficient N utilization in the two grasses compared to C. jacea. Naturally occurring summer drought significantly impacted the plant water status of all species, while extreme drought treatment only further affected water status during and after summer drought. C. jacea was able to maintain much lower leaf water potentials compared to the grasses during drought. Despite these clear species-specific responses to N loading and drought, the species were able to maintain homeostasis of leaf carbon and water fluxes. Thus, strong declines in the (community) carbon sequestration observed at this site during the (natural) summer drought were not related to leaf physiological responses in assimilation, but were driven by phenological adaptions of the species community: the drought-sensitive grasses, even though exhibiting higher N uptake efficiency, responded with a shortened life cycle to severe summer drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kübert
- Ecosystem Physiology, University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - E Kuester
- Ecosystem Physiology, University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - M Götz
- Ecosystem Physiology, University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - D Dubbert
- Landscape Ecohydrology, Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei (IGB), Berlin, Germany
| | - M Eiblmeier
- Ecosystem Physiology, University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - C Werner
- Ecosystem Physiology, University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Y Rothfuss
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Agrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - M Dubbert
- Ecosystem Physiology, University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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13
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Roy J, Rineau F, De Boeck HJ, Nijs I, Pütz T, Abiven S, Arnone JA, Barton CVM, Beenaerts N, Brüggemann N, Dainese M, Domisch T, Eisenhauer N, Garré S, Gebler A, Ghirardo A, Jasoni RL, Kowalchuk G, Landais D, Larsen SH, Leemans V, Le Galliard J, Longdoz B, Massol F, Mikkelsen TN, Niedrist G, Piel C, Ravel O, Sauze J, Schmidt A, Schnitzler J, Teixeira LH, Tjoelker MG, Weisser WW, Winkler B, Milcu A. Ecotrons: Powerful and versatile ecosystem analysers for ecology, agronomy and environmental science. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1387-1407. [PMID: 33274502 PMCID: PMC7986626 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems integrity and services are threatened by anthropogenic global changes. Mitigating and adapting to these changes require knowledge of ecosystem functioning in the expected novel environments, informed in large part through experimentation and modelling. This paper describes 13 advanced controlled environment facilities for experimental ecosystem studies, herein termed ecotrons, open to the international community. Ecotrons enable simulation of a wide range of natural environmental conditions in replicated and independent experimental units while measuring various ecosystem processes. This capacity to realistically control ecosystem environments is used to emulate a variety of climatic scenarios and soil conditions, in natural sunlight or through broad-spectrum lighting. The use of large ecosystem samples, intact or reconstructed, minimizes border effects and increases biological and physical complexity. Measurements of concentrations of greenhouse trace gases as well as their net exchange between the ecosystem and the atmosphere are performed in most ecotrons, often quasi continuously. The flow of matter is often tracked with the use of stable isotope tracers of carbon and other elements. Equipment is available for measurements of soil water status as well as root and canopy growth. The experiments ran so far emphasize the diversity of the hosted research. Half of them concern global changes, often with a manipulation of more than one driver. About a quarter deal with the impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning and one quarter with ecosystem or plant physiology. We discuss how the methodology for environmental simulation and process measurements, especially in soil, can be improved and stress the need to establish stronger links with modelling in future projects. These developments will enable further improvements in mechanistic understanding and predictive capacity of ecotron research which will play, in complementarity with field experimentation and monitoring, a crucial role in exploring the ecosystem consequences of environmental changes.
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14
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Liang W, Wei X. Relationships between ecosystems above and below ground including forest structure, herb diversity and soil properties in the mountainous area of Northern China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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15
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Kulmatiski A, Beard KH, Holdrege MC, February EC. Small differences in root distributions allow resource niche partitioning. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:9776-9787. [PMID: 33005344 PMCID: PMC7520225 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep roots have long been thought to allow trees to coexist with shallow-rooted grasses. However, data demonstrating how root distributions affect water uptake and niche partitioning are uncommon.We describe tree and grass root distributions using a depth-specific tracer experiment six times over two years in a subtropical savanna, Kruger National Park, South Africa. These point-in-time measurements were then used in a soil water flow model to simulate continuous water uptake by depth and plant growth form (trees and grasses) across two growing seasons. This allowed estimates of the total amount of water a root distribution could absorb as well as the amount of water a root distribution could absorb in excess of the other rooting distribution (i.e., unique hydrological niche).Most active tree and grass roots were in shallow soils: The mean depth of water uptake was 22 cm for trees and 17 cm for grasses. Slightly deeper rooting distributions provided trees with 5% more soil water than the grasses in a drier season, but 13% less water in a wetter season. Small differences also provided each rooting distribution (tree or grass) with unique hydrological niches of 4 to 13 mm water.The effect of rooting distributions has long been inferred. By quantifying the depth and timing of water uptake, we demonstrated how even small differences in rooting distributions can provide plants with resource niches that can contribute to species coexistence. Differences in total water uptake and unique hydrological niche sizes were small in this system, but they indicated that tradeoffs in rooting strategies can be expected to contribute to tree and grass coexistence because 1) competitive advantages change over time and 2) plant growth forms always have access to a soil resource pool that is not available to the other plant growth form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Kulmatiski
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
| | - Karen H. Beard
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
| | - Martin C. Holdrege
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
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16
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Wu J, Zeng H, Zhao F, Chen C, Liu W, Yang B, Zhang W. Recognizing the role of plant species composition in the modification of soil nutrients and water in rubber agroforestry systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 723:138042. [PMID: 32217389 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Reliable guidance for crop selection and related management to achieve sustainable soil resource use in rubber agroforestry systems is limited. One important reason for this limited guidance is that our understanding of the effects of different plant functional groups on soil resources is still insufficient. Here, to examine the effects of the species composition of trees, shrubs and herbs on soil nutrients and soil water with increases in the complexity of the plant community structure, we measured the soil nutrient concentrations (i.e., C, N, P, K, Ca and Mg), soil water content and soil water residence time (with stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope tracers) at six soil depths in a monoculture rubber plantation, four multi-species rubber agroforestry systems, and a tropical rainforest. As the plant species composition increased, the soil C and N increased. The soil water content also increased with increases in soil C and N. However, the effects of plant species composition on the soil water content gradually changed from positive to negative, especially under the effects of herb species, which could accelerate soil water drainage and hence shorten the soil water residence time. Therefore, the faster water infiltration and potentially higher flow of soil water in complex plant communities increased the risk and magnitude of mineral nutrient leaching. In addition, as the plant composition increased, plant competition decreased the concentration of soil nutrients, especially soil P, K and Ca. In general, plant interspecific interactions definitively decreased soil mineral nutrients as the plant composition increased, and the effects of tree, shrub and herb species on soil nutrients and soil water differed and sometimes appeared contradictory. However, the effects of plant species composition on soil gradually weakened with increases in soil depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junen Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Huanhuan Zeng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fan Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Chunfeng Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Wenjie Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China.
| | - Bin Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Wanjun Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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17
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Onandia G, Schittko C, Ryo M, Bernard-Verdier M, Heger T, Joshi J, Kowarik I, Gessler A. Ecosystem functioning in urban grasslands: The role of biodiversity, plant invasions and urbanization. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225438. [PMID: 31756202 PMCID: PMC6874358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is driving the transformation of natural and rural ecosystems worldwide by affecting both the abiotic environment and the biota. This raises the question whether urban ecosystems are able to provide services in a comparable way to their non-urban counterparts. In urban grasslands, the effects of urbanization-driven ecological novelty and the role of plant diversity in modulating ecosystem functioning have received little attention. In this study, we assessed the influence of biodiversity, abiotic and biotic novelty on ecosystem functioning based on in situ measurements in non-manipulated grasslands along an urbanization gradient in Berlin (Germany). We focused on plant aboveground biomass (AGB), intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and 15N enrichment factor (Δδ15N) as proxies for biomass production, water and N cycling, respectively, within grassland communities, and tested how they change with plant biogeographic status (native vs alien), functional group and species identity. Approximately one third of the forb species were alien to Berlin and they were responsible for 13.1% of community AGB. Community AGB was positively correlated with plant-species richness. In contrast, iWUE and Δδ15N were mostly determined by light availability (depicted by sky view factor) and urban parameters like the percentage of impervious surface or human population density. We found that abiotic novelty potentially favors aliens in Berlin, mainly by enhancing their dispersal and fitness under drought. Mainly urban parameters indicating abiotic novelty were significantly correlated to both alien and native Δδ15N, but to AGB and iWUE of alien plants only, pointing to a stronger impact of abiotic novelty on N cycling compared to C and water cycling. At the species level, sky view factor appeared to be the prevailing driver of photosynthetic performance and resource-use efficiency. Although we identified a significant impact of abiotic novelty on AGB, iWUE and Δδ15N at different levels, the relationship between species richness and community AGB found in the urban grasslands studied in Berlin was comparable to that described in non-urban experimental grasslands in Europe. Hence, our results indicate that conserving and enhancing biodiversity in urban ecosystems is essential to preserve ecosystem services related to AGB production. For ensuring the provision of ecosystem services associated to water and N use, however, changes in urban abiotic parameters seem necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Onandia
- Research Platform “Data”, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Conrad Schittko
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- Biodiversity Research and Systematic Botany, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Masahiro Ryo
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maud Bernard-Verdier
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- Division of Zoology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tina Heger
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- Biodiversity Research and Systematic Botany, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Restoration Ecology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Jasmin Joshi
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- Biodiversity Research and Systematic Botany, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute for Landscape and Open Space, HSR Hochschule für Technik, Rapperswil, Switzerland
| | - Ingo Kowarik
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Ecology, Ecosystem Science and Plant Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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18
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Barry KE, van Ruijven J, Mommer L, Bai Y, Beierkuhnlein C, Buchmann N, de Kroon H, Ebeling A, Eisenhauer N, Guimarães-Steinicke C, Hildebrandt A, Isbell F, Milcu A, Neßhöver C, Reich PB, Roscher C, Sauheitl L, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schmid B, Tilman D, von Felten S, Weigelt A. Limited evidence for spatial resource partitioning across temperate grassland biodiversity experiments. Ecology 2019; 101:e02905. [PMID: 31560129 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Locally, plant species richness supports many ecosystem functions. Yet, the mechanisms driving these often-positive biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships are not well understood. Spatial resource partitioning across vertical resource gradients is one of the main hypothesized causes for enhanced ecosystem functioning in more biodiverse grasslands. Spatial resource partitioning occurs if species differ in where they acquire resources and can happen both above- and belowground. However, studies investigating spatial resource partitioning in grasslands provide inconsistent evidence. We present the results of a meta-analysis of 21 data sets from experimental species-richness gradients in grasslands. We test the hypothesis that increasing spatial resource partitioning along vertical resource gradients enhances ecosystem functioning in diverse grassland plant communities above- and belowground. To test this hypothesis, we asked three questions. (1) Does species richness enhance biomass production or community resource uptake across sites? (2) Is there evidence of spatial resource partitioning as indicated by resource tracer uptake and biomass allocation above- and belowground? (3) Is evidence of spatial resource partitioning correlated with increased biomass production or community resource uptake? Although plant species richness enhanced community nitrogen and potassium uptake and biomass production above- and belowground, we found that plant communities did not meet our criteria for spatial resource partitioning, though they did invest in significantly more aboveground biomass in higher canopy layers in mixture relative to monoculture. Furthermore, the extent of spatial resource partitioning across studies was not positively correlated with either biomass production or community resource uptake. Our results suggest that spatial resource partitioning across vertical resource gradients alone does not offer a general explanation for enhanced ecosystem functioning in more diverse temperate grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Barry
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Liesje Mommer
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätstraße 30, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany.,Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research, Universitätstraße 30, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany
| | - Nina Buchmann
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Hans de Kroon
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, NL-6525 AJ, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Ebeling
- Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Burgweg 11, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Claudia Guimarães-Steinicke
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Anke Hildebrandt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Burgweg 11, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Alexandru Milcu
- The European Ecotron of Montpellier (UPS-3248), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Campus Bailarguet, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France.,Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UMR 5175), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), EPHE, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Carsten Neßhöver
- Department of Conservation Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, 2753, Australia
| | - Christiane Roscher
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
| | - Leopold Sauheitl
- Institute of Soil Science, University of Hannover, Herrenhäuser Strasse 2, Hannover, 30419, Germany.,Department of Soil Physics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106-5131, USA
| | - Stefanie von Felten
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Oikostat GmbH, Ettiswil, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
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19
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Padilla FM, Mommer L, de Caluwe H, Smit-Tiekstra AE, Visser EJW, de Kroon H. Effects of extreme rainfall events are independent of plant species richness in an experimental grassland community. Oecologia 2019; 191:177-190. [PMID: 31401664 PMCID: PMC6732129 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04476-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Global climate models predict more frequent periods of drought stress alternated by heavier, but fewer rainfall events in the future. Biodiversity studies have shown that such changed drought stress may be mitigated by plant species richness. Here, we investigate if grassland communities, differing in species richness, respond differently to climatic extremes within the growing season. In a 3-year outdoor mesocosm experiment, four grassland species in both monoculture and mixture were subjected to a rainfall distribution regime with two levels: periods of severe drought in the summer intermitted by extreme rainfall events versus regular rainfall over time. Both treatments received the same amount of water over the season. Extreme rainfall combined with drought periods resulted in a 15% decrease in aboveground biomass in the second and third year, compared to the regular rainfall regime. Root biomass was also reduced in the extreme rainfall treatment, particularly in the top soil layer (- 40%). All species developed higher water use efficiencies (less negative leaf δ13C) in extreme rainfall than in regular rainfall. These responses to the rainfall/drought treatment were independent of species richness, although the mixtures were on an average more productive in terms of biomass than the monocultures. Our experimental results suggest that mixtures are similarly able to buffer these within-season rainfall extremes than monocultures, which contrasts with findings in the studies on natural droughts. Our work demonstrates the importance of investigating the interactions between rainfall distribution and drought periods for understanding effects of climate change on plant community performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco M Padilla
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Agronomy, University of Almería, La Cañada, 04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Liesje Mommer
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hannie de Caluwe
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Annemiek E Smit-Tiekstra
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Eric J W Visser
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Hans de Kroon
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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20
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O'Keefe K, Nippert JB, McCulloh KA. Plant water uptake along a diversity gradient provides evidence for complementarity in hydrological niches. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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21
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Barakoti S, Celik I, Moorhead D, Apul D. Diversity analysis of water sources, uses, and flows from source to use in the USA. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 652:1409-1415. [PMID: 30586825 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Diversifying a system can reduce risk from- and increase resilience to perturbation. For this reason, the concept of diversity has been used in many different fields but its use in analyzing engineering infrastructure has been limited. In particular, the diversity of water sources and uses and the diversity of how sources are connected to uses (flow) have never been analyzed. In addition, the relationships between diversity and economic efficiency of water systems remain uncertain. In this study, we addressed these topics by conceptualizing and quantifying water source, use, and flow diversity in the USA. Water source and water use data were collected from the US Geological Survey for 2000, 2005, and 2010. Diversity was calculated with the Shannon Weaver Index. The overall mean water use diversity by state was 0.79 ± 0.31 (N = 150) and increased from 0.63 ± 0.31 in 2000 to 0.89 ± 0.28 by 2010, reflecting overall decreases in high-use categories, like thermonuclear power, and relative increases in already low domestic use. In contrast, source diversity showed no change over time, with an overall state mean of 0.82 ± 0.28 (N = 150) but varying between states largely due to differences in geographic and climatic factors influencing regional water sources. Water flow diversity also showed no change over time, averaging 1.00 ± 0.43 (N = 150), higher than both source and use diversity. The mean water use efficiency for all states over the study period was 52 ± 60 $/m3 of water and was positively and strongly related to both source and use diversity. Thus, the USA water system diversity is sensitive to factors logically expected to influence both source and use, and directly affects water use efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Barakoti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Ilke Celik
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sustainability and Renewable Energy Systems Program, University of Wisconsin - Platteville, 1 University Plaza, Platteville, WI 53818, USA
| | - Daryl Moorhead
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Defne Apul
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
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Barry KE, Mommer L, van Ruijven J, Wirth C, Wright AJ, Bai Y, Connolly J, De Deyn GB, de Kroon H, Isbell F, Milcu A, Roscher C, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schmid B, Weigelt A. The Future of Complementarity: Disentangling Causes from Consequences. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 34:167-180. [PMID: 30527960 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that biodiversity supports ecosystem functioning. Yet, the mechanisms driving this relationship remain unclear. Complementarity is one common explanation for these positive biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships. Yet, complementarity is often indirectly quantified as overperformance in mixture relative to monoculture (e.g., 'complementarity effect'). This overperformance is then attributed to the intuitive idea of complementarity or, more specifically, to species resource partitioning. Locally, however, several unassociated causes may drive this overperformance. Here, we differentiate complementarity into three types of species differences that may cause enhanced ecosystem functioning in more diverse ecosystems: (i) resource partitioning, (ii) abiotic facilitation, and (iii) biotic feedbacks. We argue that disentangling these three causes is crucial for predicting the response of ecosystems to future biodiversity loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Barry
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Liesje Mommer
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Wirth
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Fellowship Group Functional Biogeography, Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Alexandra J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University - Los Angeles, 5151 State University Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90032-8201, USA
| | - Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Plant Ecology Centre, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China
| | - John Connolly
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Ecological and Environmental Modelling Group, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Gerlinde B De Deyn
- Soil Biology and Biological Soil Quality Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hans de Kroon
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, NL-6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Alexandru Milcu
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Ecotron (UPS-3248), Montferrier-sur-Lez, France; Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE-CNRS, UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Christiane Roscher
- Department of Physiological Diversity, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Permoserstrasse 15, Germany; Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
- Faculty of Biology, Geobotany, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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