1
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Andraczek K, Weigelt A, Cantuarias CJB, Fischer M, Hinderling J, Prati D, Rauwolf EMN, van der Plas F. Relationships between species richness and biomass production are context dependent in grasslands differing in land-use and seed addition. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19663. [PMID: 37952061 PMCID: PMC10640580 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47020-z] [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: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite evidence from grasslands experiments suggesting that plant species loss reduces biomass production, the strength of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in managed grasslands is still debated. High land-use intensity and reduced species pools are often suggested to make relationships between biodiversity and productivity less positive or even negative, but concrete evidence is still scarce. We investigated biodiversity-productivity relationships over two years in 150 managed grasslands in Germany. Specifically, we distinguished between relationships of biodiversity and biomass production in managed grasslands (1) varying in land-use intensity (e.g. of mowing, grazing and/or fertilization), (2) where land-use intensity is experimentally reduced, and (3) where additionally to land-use reductions, species pools are enlarged by seed addition. Among grasslands varying in land-use intensity, we found negative biodiversity-productivity relationships. Land-use reduction weakened these relationships, towards neutral, and sometimes, even positive relationships. Seed addition reduced species pool limitations, but this did not strengthen biodiversity-productivity relationships. Our findings indicate that land-use intensity is an important factor explaining the predominantly negative biodiversity-productivity relationships in managed grasslands. While we did not find that species pool limitations weakened biodiversity-productivity relationships, our results are based on a two-year-old experiment, possibly such effects are only visible in the long-term. Ultimately, advancing insights on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships helps us to understand under which conditions agricultural production may benefit from promoting biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Andraczek
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 03401, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cristóbal J Bottero Cantuarias
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Judith Hinderling
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Prati
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Esther M N Rauwolf
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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2
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Schuchardt MA, Berauer BJ, Heßberg A, Wilfahrt P, Jentsch A. Drought effects on montane grasslands nullify benefits of advanced flowering phenology due to warming. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Max A. Schuchardt
- Department of Disturbance Ecology Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research University of Bayreuth Bayreuth Germany
| | - Bernd J. Berauer
- Department of Disturbance Ecology Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research University of Bayreuth Bayreuth Germany
- Department of Plant Ecology Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology University of Hohenheim Hohenheim Germany
| | - Andreas Heßberg
- Department of Disturbance Ecology Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research University of Bayreuth Bayreuth Germany
| | - Peter Wilfahrt
- Department of Disturbance Ecology Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research University of Bayreuth Bayreuth Germany
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul Minnesota USA
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research University of Bayreuth Bayreuth Germany
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3
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Brooks AJ, Lancaster J, Downes BJ, Wolfenden B. Just add water: rapid assembly of new communities in previously dry riverbeds, and limited long-distance effects on existing communities. Oecologia 2020; 194:709-722. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04799-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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4
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Ladouceur E, Stanley Harpole W, Blowes SA, Roscher C, Auge H, Seabloom EW, Chase JM. Reducing dispersal limitation via seed addition increases species richness but not above-ground biomass. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1442-1450. [PMID: 32567139 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Seed dispersal limitation, which can be exacerbated by a number of anthropogenic causes, can result in local communities having fewer species than they might potentially support, representing a potential diversity deficit. The link between processes that shape natural variation in diversity, such as dispersal limitation, and the consequent effects on productivity is less well known. Here, we synthesised data from 12 seed addition experiments in grassland communities to examine the influence of reducing seed dispersal limitation (from 1 to 60 species added across experiments) on species richness and productivity. For every 10 species of seed added, we found that species richness increased by about two species. However, the increase in species richness by overcoming seed limitation did not lead to a concomitant increase in above-ground biomass production. This highlights the need to consider the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in a pluralistic way that considers both the processes that shape diversity and productivity simultaneously in naturally assembled communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Ladouceur
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig-Halle-Jena, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06120, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
| | - W Stanley Harpole
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig-Halle-Jena, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, Halle (Saale, 06108, Germany
| | - Shane A Blowes
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig-Halle-Jena, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06120, Germany
| | - Christiane Roscher
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig-Halle-Jena, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
| | - Harald Auge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig-Halle-Jena, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, Halle (Saale), 06120, Germany
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig-Halle-Jena, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06120, Germany
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5
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Transferring biodiversity-ecosystem function research to the management of ‘real-world’ ecosystems. ADV ECOL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
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6
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Interactions count: plant origin, herbivory and disturbance jointly explain seedling recruitment and community structure. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8288. [PMID: 28811574 PMCID: PMC5557803 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08401-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivory and disturbance are major drivers of biological invasions, but it is unclear how they interact to determine exotic vs. native seedling recruitment and what consequences arise for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Previous studies neglected the roles of different, potentially interacting, guilds of generalist herbivores such as rodents and gastropods. We therefore set up a full-factorial rodent exclusion x gastropod exclusion x disturbance x seed-addition experiment in a grassland community in Central Germany and measured early seedling recruitment, as well as species richness, species composition and aboveground biomass. Gastropod herbivory reduced the positive effect of disturbance on seedling recruitment, particularly for exotic species. Rodent herbivory had weak positive effects on seedling recruitment at undisturbed sites, irrespective of species origin. This effect was likely driven by their strong negative effect on productivity. Interactive effects between both herbivore guilds became only evident for species richness and composition. How many species established themselves depended on disturbance, but was independent of species origin. The fewer exotic species that established themselves increased productivity to a stronger extent compared to native species. Our study highlights that joint effects of disturbance, herbivory and species origin shape early recruitment, while they only weakly affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
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7
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Dudenhöffer JH, Pufal G, Roscher C, Klein AM. Plant density can increase invertebrate postdispersal seed predation in an experimental grassland community. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:3796-3807. [PMID: 27231530 PMCID: PMC4864194 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Janzen–Connell effects are negative effects on the survival of a plant's progeny at high conspecific densities or close to its conspecifics. Although the role of Janzen–Connell effects on the maintenance of plant diversity was frequently studied, only few studies targeted Janzen–Connell effects via postdispersal seed predation in temperate grassland systems. We examined effects of conspecific density (abundance of conspecific adult plants) on postdispersal seed predation by invertebrates of three grassland species (Centaurea jacea, Geranium pratense, and Knautia arvensis) in experimental plant communities. Additionally, we examined the impact of plant species richness and different seed predator communities on total and relative seed predation (= seed predation of one plant species relative to others). We offered seeds in an exclusion experiment, where treatments allowed access for (1) arthropods and slugs, (2) arthropods only, (3) small arthropods only, and (4) slugs only. Treatments were placed in plots covering a gradient of abundance of conspecific adults at different levels of plant species richness (1, 2, 3, 4, 8 species). Two of the plant species (C. jacea and K. arvensis) experienced higher rates of seed predation and relative predation with increasing abundance of conspecific adults. For C. jacea, this effect was mitigated with increasing plant species richness. Differences in seed predator communities shifted seed predation between the plant species and changed the magnitude of seed predation of one plant species relative to the others. We exemplify density‐dependent increase in seed predation via invertebrates in grassland communities shaping both the total magnitude of species‐specific seed predation and seed predation of one species relative to others. Further differences in seed predator groups shift the magnitude of seed predation between different plant species. This highlights the importance of invertebrate seed predation to structure grasslands via density‐dependent effects and differing preferences of consumer groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Hendrik Dudenhöffer
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Freiburg Tennenbacherstr. 4 79106 Freiburg Germany
| | - Gesine Pufal
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Freiburg Tennenbacherstr. 4 79106 Freiburg Germany
| | - Christiane Roscher
- UFZ Department of Physiological Diversity Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Permoserstrasse 15 04318 Leipzig Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5a 04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Freiburg Tennenbacherstr. 4 79106 Freiburg Germany
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8
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Eskelinen A, Harrison SP. Resource colimitation governs plant community responses to altered precipitation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:13009-14. [PMID: 26438856 PMCID: PMC4620885 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1508170112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological theory and evidence suggest that plant community biomass and composition may often be jointly controlled by climatic water availability and soil nutrient supply. To the extent that such colimitation operates, alterations in water availability caused by climatic change may have relatively little effect on plant communities on nutrient-poor soils. We tested this prediction with a 5-y rainfall and nutrient manipulation in a semiarid annual grassland system with highly heterogeneous soil nutrient supplies. On nutrient-poor soils, rainfall addition alone had little impact, but rainfall and nutrient addition synergized to cause large increases in biomass, declines in diversity, and near-complete species turnover. Plant species with resource-conservative functional traits (low specific leaf area, short stature) were replaced by species with resource-acquisitive functional traits (high specific leaf area, tall stature). On nutrient-rich soils, in contrast, rainfall addition alone caused substantial increases in biomass, whereas fertilization had little effect. Our results highlight that multiple resource limitation is a critical aspect when predicting the relative vulnerability of natural communities to climatically induced compositional change and diversity loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland;
| | - Susan P Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
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9
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García-Meza D, Martorell C. A trade off in the absolute magnitudes of seed and microsite limitations and their effects on population regulation. OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diego García-Meza
- Depto de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria MX-04510 Coyoacán, México D. F., Mexico
| | - Carlos Martorell
- Depto de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria MX-04510 Coyoacán, México D. F., Mexico
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10
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Korell L, Schmidt R, Bruelheide H, Hensen I, Auge H. Mechanisms driving diversity-productivity relationships differ between exotic and native communities and are affected by gastropod herbivory. Oecologia 2015; 180:1025-36. [PMID: 26235964 PMCID: PMC4819496 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3395-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity experiments have shown that productivity usually increases with plant species richness. However, most of those studies disregarded the importance of trophic interactions to the diversity-productivity relationship, and focused on the loss of native species while ignoring invasions by exotic species. Yet, as functional complementarity and the impact of plant antagonists are likely to differ between native and exotic communities, the diversity-productivity relationship may change when native communities are invaded by exotic species. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to test how diversity effects, evenness, and productivity differed between exotic and native assemblages of grassland plants, and how these communities were influenced by slug herbivory. In line with other experiments, we found higher productivity in exotic than in native communities. However, different mechanisms (complementarity vs. selection effect) contributed to the positive diversity-productivity relationships in exotic vs. native communities. Against expectations, native communities showed much lower evenness and a greater selection effect, suggesting that competitive dominance among native species may be even stronger than among exotic species. Slug herbivory decreased productivity independently of species origin and species diversity. However, exotic communities showed a threefold higher complementarity effect than native communities in the absence of slugs, which was mainly driven by differences in the responses of native and exotic legumes and nonleguminous herbs. Our results imply that underlying mechanisms for the positive diversity-productivity relationship differ between native and exotic communities in the early stages of community development, and that differential responses of plant functional groups to generalist herbivory can contribute to this pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lotte Korell
- Institute of Biology, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany. .,Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120, Halle, Germany. .,Institute of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Robin Schmidt
- Institute of Biology, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany.,Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120, Halle, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Isabell Hensen
- Institute of Biology, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Harald Auge
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120, Halle, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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11
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Telila H, Hylander K, Nemomissa S. The potential of small Eucalyptus
plantations in farmscapes to foster native woody plant diversity: local and landscape constraints. Restor Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Habte Telila
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management; Addis Ababa University; P. O. Box 3434 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Kristoffer Hylander
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences; Stockholm University; SE-106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Sileshi Nemomissa
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management; Addis Ababa University; P. O. Box 3434 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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12
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Halpern CB, Antos JA, Beckman LM. Vegetation Recovery in Slash-Pile Scars Following Conifer Removal in a Grassland-Restoration Experiment. Restor Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charles B. Halpern
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; College of the Environment, University of Washington; Box 352100 Seattle WA 98195-2100 U.S.A
| | - Joseph A. Antos
- Department of Biology; University of Victoria; PO Box 3020 Victoria BC V8W 3N5 Canada
| | - Liam M. Beckman
- Robert D. Clark Honors College; 1293 University of Oregon; Eugene OR 97403-1293 U.S.A
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13
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Preukschas J, Zeiter M, Fischer M, Stampfli A. Biotic resistance to plant invasion in grassland: Does seed predation increase with resident plant diversity? Basic Appl Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2014.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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14
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Scale-dependent diversity effects of seed dispersal by a wild herbivore in fragmented grasslands. Oecologia 2014; 175:305-13. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-2897-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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15
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Maron JL, Auge H, Pearson DE, Korell L, Hensen I, Suding KN, Stein C. Staged invasions across disparate grasslands: effects of seed provenance, consumers and disturbance on productivity and species richness. Ecol Lett 2014; 17:499-507. [PMID: 24467348 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 09/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Exotic plant invasions are thought to alter productivity and species richness, yet these patterns are typically correlative. Few studies have experimentally invaded sites and asked how addition of novel species influences ecosystem function and community structure and examined the role of competitors and/or consumers in mediating these patterns. We invaded disturbed and undisturbed subplots in and out of rodent exclosures with seeds of native or exotic species in grasslands in Montana, California and Germany. Seed addition enhanced aboveground biomass and species richness compared with no-seeds-added controls, with exotics having disproportionate effects on productivity compared with natives. Disturbance enhanced the effects of seed addition on productivity and species richness, whereas rodents reduced productivity, but only in Germany and California. Our results demonstrate that experimental introduction of novel species can alter ecosystem function and community structure, but that local filters such as competition and herbivory influence the magnitude of these impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Maron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
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16
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Lee SC, Bruno JF. Propagule supply limits grazer richness equally across a resource gradient. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00152.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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17
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Effects of crop species richness on pest-natural enemy systems based on an experimental model system using a microlandscape. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2013; 56:758-66. [DOI: 10.1007/s11427-013-4511-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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18
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Auffret AG, Cousins SAO. Humans as long-distance dispersers of rural plant communities. PLoS One 2013; 8:e62763. [PMID: 23658770 PMCID: PMC3642177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans are known for their capacity to disperse organisms long distances. Long-distance dispersal can be important for species threatened by habitat destruction, but research into human-mediated dispersal is often focused upon few and/or invasive species. Here we use citizen science to identify the capacity for humans to disperse seeds on their clothes and footwear from a known species pool in a valuable habitat, allowing for an assessment of the fraction and types of species dispersed by humans in an alternative context. We collected material from volunteers cutting 48 species-rich meadows throughout Sweden. We counted 24 354 seeds of 197 species, representing 34% of the available species pool, including several rare and protected species. However, 71 species (36%) are considered invasive elsewhere in the world. Trait analysis showed that seeds with hooks or other appendages were more likely to be dispersed by humans, as well as those with a persistent seed bank. More activity in a meadow resulted in more dispersal, both in terms of species and representation of the source communities. Average potential dispersal distances were measured at 13 km. We consider humans capable seed dispersers, transporting a significant proportion of the plant communities in which they are active, just like more traditional vectors such as livestock. When rural populations were larger, people might have been regular and effective seed dispersers, and the net rural-urban migration resulting in a reduction in humans in the landscape may have exacerbated the dispersal failure evident in declining plant populations today. With the fragmentation of habitat and changes in land use resulting from agricultural change, and the increased mobility of humans worldwide, the dispersal role of humans may have shifted from providers of regular local and landscape dispersal to providers of much rarer long-distance and regional dispersal, and international invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair G Auffret
- Landscape Ecology, Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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19
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Zeiter M, Stampfli A. Positive diversity-invasibility relationship in species-rich semi-natural grassland at the neighbourhood scale. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2012; 110:1385-93. [PMID: 22956533 PMCID: PMC3489150 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcs193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Attempts to answer the old question of whether high diversity causes high invasion resistance have resulted in an invasion paradox: while large-scale studies often find a positive relationship between diversity and invasibility, small-scale experimental studies often find a negative relationship. Many of the small-scale studies are conducted in artificial communities of even-aged plants. Species in natural communities, however, do not represent one simultaneous cohort and occur at various levels of spatial aggregation at different scales. This study used natural patterns of diversity to assess the relationship between diversity and invasibility within a uniformly managed, semi-natural community. METHODS In species-rich grassland, one seed of each of ten species was added to each of 50 contiguous 16 cm(2) quadrats within seven plots (8 × 100 cm). The emergence of these species was recorded in seven control plots, and establishment success was measured in relation to the species diversity of the resident vegetation at two spatial scales, quadrat (64 cm(2)) within plots (800 cm(2)) and between plots within the site (approx. 400 m(2)) over 46 months. KEY RESULTS Invader success was positively related to resident species diversity and richness over a range of 28-37 species per plot. This relationship emerged 7 months after seed addition and remained over time despite continuous mortality of invaders. CONCLUSIONS Biotic resistance to plant invasion may play only a sub-ordinate role in species-rich, semi-natural grassland. As possible alternative explanations for the positive diversity-invasibility relationship are not clear, it is recommended that future studies elaborate fine-scale environmental heterogeneity in resource supplies or potential resource flows from resident species to seedlings by means of soil biological networks established by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Zeiter
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland.
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Tognetti PM, Chaneton EJ. Invasive exotic grasses and seed arrival limit native species establishment in an old-field grassland succession. Biol Invasions 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-012-0249-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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May F, Giladi I, Ziv Y, Jeltsch F. Dispersal and diversity - unifying scale-dependent relationships within the neutral theory. OIKOS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.20078.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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New nature by sowing? The current state of species introduction in grassland restoration, and the road ahead. J Nat Conserv 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2010.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Fischer M, Bossdorf O, Gockel S, Hänsel F, Hemp A, Hessenmöller D, Korte G, Nieschulze J, Pfeiffer S, Prati D, Renner S, Schöning I, Schumacher U, Wells K, Buscot F, Kalko EK, Linsenmair KE, Schulze ED, Weisser WW. Implementing large-scale and long-term functional biodiversity research: The Biodiversity Exploratories. Basic Appl Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2010.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 334] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A Myers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Systematics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
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Vitt P, Havens K, Hoegh-Guldberg O. Assisted migration: part of an integrated conservation strategy. Trends Ecol Evol 2009; 24:473-4; author reply 476-7. [PMID: 19595474 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2009.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2009] [Revised: 05/27/2009] [Accepted: 05/27/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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