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Zheng L, Barry KE, Guerrero-Ramírez NR, Craven D, Reich PB, Verheyen K, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Eisenhauer N, Barsoum N, Bauhus J, Bruelheide H, Cavender-Bares J, Dolezal J, Auge H, Fagundes MV, Ferlian O, Fiedler S, Forrester DI, Ganade G, Gebauer T, Haase J, Hajek P, Hector A, Hérault B, Hölscher D, Hulvey KB, Irawan B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Lanta V, Leps J, Mereu S, Messier C, Montagnini F, Mörsdorf M, Müller S, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker WC, Parker JD, Parrotta JA, Paterno GB, Perring MP, Piotto D, Wayne Polley H, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Quosh J, Rewald B, Godbold DL, van Ruijven J, Standish RJ, Stefanski A, Sundawati L, Urgoiti J, Williams LJ, Wilsey BJ, Yang B, Zhang L, Zhao Z, Yang Y, Sandén H, Ebeling A, Schmid B, Fischer M, Kotowska MM, Palmborg C, Tilman D, Yan E, Hautier Y. Effects of plant diversity on productivity strengthen over time due to trait-dependent shifts in species overyielding. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2078. [PMID: 38453933 PMCID: PMC10920907 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46355-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Plant diversity effects on community productivity often increase over time. Whether the strengthening of diversity effects is caused by temporal shifts in species-level overyielding (i.e., higher species-level productivity in diverse communities compared with monocultures) remains unclear. Here, using data from 65 grassland and forest biodiversity experiments, we show that the temporal strength of diversity effects at the community scale is underpinned by temporal changes in the species that yield. These temporal trends of species-level overyielding are shaped by plant ecological strategies, which can be quantitatively delimited by functional traits. In grasslands, the temporal strengthening of biodiversity effects on community productivity was associated with increasing biomass overyielding of resource-conservative species increasing over time, and with overyielding of species characterized by fast resource acquisition either decreasing or increasing. In forests, temporal trends in species overyielding differ when considering above- versus belowground resource acquisition strategies. Overyielding in stem growth decreased for species with high light capture capacity but increased for those with high soil resource acquisition capacity. Our results imply that a diversity of species with different, and potentially complementary, ecological strategies is beneficial for maintaining community productivity over time in both grassland and forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liting Zheng
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Island Observation and Research Station, Zhejiang Tiantong National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban and Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
- Institute for Global Change Biology and School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Kathryn E Barry
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nathaly R Guerrero-Ramírez
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of Temperate Zones, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dylan Craven
- GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Huechuraba, Santiago, Chile
- Data Observatory Foundation, ANID Technology Center No. DO210001, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
| | - Peter B Reich
- Institute for Global Change Biology and School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | | | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nadia Barsoum
- Centre for Ecosystems, Society and Biosecurity, Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, UK
| | - Jürgen Bauhus
- Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | | | - Jiri Dolezal
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany CAS, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Harald Auge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Marina V Fagundes
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Olga Ferlian
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Fiedler
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Büsgen-Institute, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Gislene Ganade
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Tobias Gebauer
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Bioenergy Systems Department, Resource Mobilisation, German Biomass Research Center-DBFZ gGmbH, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Josephine Haase
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag-Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Peter Hajek
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Bruno Hérault
- CIRAD, Forêts et Sociétés, Montpellier, France
- Forêts et Sociétés, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | - Dirk Hölscher
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Bambang Irawan
- Forestry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia
- Land Use Transformation Systems Center of Excellence, University of Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia
| | - Hervé Jactel
- INRAE, University of Bordeaux, BIOGECO, Cestas, France
| | - Julia Koricheva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Vojtech Lanta
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany CAS, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Leps
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Biological Research Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Simone Mereu
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Bioeconomia, CNR-IBE, Sassari, Italy
- CMCC-Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, IAFES Division, Sassari, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Piazza Marina 61 (c/o palazzo Steri), Palermo, Italy
| | - Christian Messier
- Département des sciences biologiques, Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Département des sciences naturelles, ISFORT, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Ripon, QC, Canada
| | - Florencia Montagnini
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Martin Mörsdorf
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department for Research, Biotope-, and Wildlife Management; National Park Administration Hunsrück-Hochwald, Birkenfeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Müller
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bart Muys
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Charles A Nock
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Renewable Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Alain Paquette
- Département des sciences biologiques, Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - William C Parker
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
| | - John D Parker
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA
| | - John A Parrotta
- USDA Forest Service, Research & Development, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Gustavo B Paterno
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael P Perring
- UKCEH (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), Environment Centre Wales, Bangor, UK
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Daniel Piotto
- Centro de Formação em Ciências Agroflorestais, Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, Itabuna, Brazil
| | | | - Quentin Ponette
- Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | | | - Julius Quosh
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Boris Rewald
- Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Forest Ecosystem Research, Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Douglas L Godbold
- Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Forest Ecosystem Research, Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Forest Ecology and Management group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rachel J Standish
- School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Artur Stefanski
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Leti Sundawati
- Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Institut Pertanian Bogor University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Jon Urgoiti
- Département des sciences biologiques, Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laura J Williams
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Brian J Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Baiyu Yang
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Island Observation and Research Station, Zhejiang Tiantong National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban and Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Island Observation and Research Station, Zhejiang Tiantong National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban and Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhao Zhao
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Island Observation and Research Station, Zhejiang Tiantong National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban and Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongchuan Yang
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hans Sandén
- Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anne Ebeling
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martyna M Kotowska
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Cecilia Palmborg
- Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Enrong Yan
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Island Observation and Research Station, Zhejiang Tiantong National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban and Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
- Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC), Shanghai, China.
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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2
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Wilsey B, Kaul A, Polley HW. Establishment from seed is more important for exotic than for native plant species. Plant Environ Interact 2024; 5:e10132. [PMID: 38323131 PMCID: PMC10840371 DOI: 10.1002/pei3.10132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Climate change has initiated movement of both native and non-native (exotic) species across the landscape. Exotic species are hypothesized to establish from seed more readily than comparable native species. We tested the hypothesis that seed limitation is more important for exotic species than native grassland species. We compared seed limitation and invasion resistance over three growing seasons between 18 native and 18 exotic species, grown in both monocultures and mixtures in a field experiment. Half of the plots received a seed mix of the contrasting treatment (i.e., exotic species were seeded into native plots, and native species were seeded into exotic plots), and half served as controls. We found that (1) establishment in this perennial grassland is seed limited, (2) establishment from seed is greater in exotic than native species, and (3) community resistance to seedling establishment was positively related to diversity of extant species, but only in native communities. Native-exotic species diversity and composition differences did not converge over time. Our results imply that native to exotic transformations occur when diversity declines in native vegetation and exotic seeds arrive from adjacent sites, suggesting that managing for high diversity will reduce transformations to exotic dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal BiologyIowa State UniversityAmesIowaUSA
| | - Andrew Kaul
- Center for Conservation and Sustainable DevelopmentMissouri Botanical GardenSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - H. Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research LaboratoryUSDA‐ARSTempleTexasUSA
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3
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Wilsey B, Martin L, Xu X, Isbell F, Polley HW. Biodiversity: Net primary productivity relationships are eliminated by invasive species dominance. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14342. [PMID: 38098152 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Experiments often find that net primary productivity (NPP) increases with species richness when native species are considered. However, relationships may be altered by exotic (non-native) species, which are hypothesized to reduce richness but increase productivity (i.e., 'invasion-diversity-productivity paradox'). We compared richness-NPP relationships using a comparison of exotic versus native-dominated sites across the central USA, and two experiments under common environments. Aboveground NPP was measured using peak biomass clipping in all three studies, and belowground NPP was measured in one study with root ingrowth cores using root-free soil. In all studies, there was a significantly positive relationship between NPP and richness across native species-dominated sites and plots, but no relationship across exotic-dominated ones. These results indicate that relationships between NPP and richness depend on whether native or exotic species are dominant, and that exotic species are 'breaking the rules', altering richness-productivity and richness-C stock relationships after invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology 251 Bessey Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Leanne Martin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology 251 Bessey Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Xia Xu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology 251 Bessey Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | | | - H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Temple, Texas, USA
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4
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Georgiou K, Jackson RB, Vindušková O, Abramoff RZ, Ahlström A, Feng W, Harden JW, Pellegrini AFA, Polley HW, Soong JL, Riley WJ, Torn MS. Global stocks and capacity of mineral-associated soil organic carbon. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3797. [PMID: 35778395 PMCID: PMC9249731 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31540-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil is the largest terrestrial reservoir of organic carbon and is central for climate change mitigation and carbon-climate feedbacks. Chemical and physical associations of soil carbon with minerals play a critical role in carbon storage, but the amount and global capacity for storage in this form remain unquantified. Here, we produce spatially-resolved global estimates of mineral-associated organic carbon stocks and carbon-storage capacity by analyzing 1144 globally-distributed soil profiles. We show that current stocks total 899 Pg C to a depth of 1 m in non-permafrost mineral soils. Although this constitutes 66% and 70% of soil carbon in surface and deeper layers, respectively, it is only 42% and 21% of the mineralogical capacity. Regions under agricultural management and deeper soil layers show the largest undersaturation of mineral-associated carbon. Critically, the degree of undersaturation indicates sequestration efficiency over years to decades. We show that, across 103 carbon-accrual measurements spanning management interventions globally, soils furthest from their mineralogical capacity are more effective at accruing carbon; sequestration rates average 3-times higher in soils at one tenth of their capacity compared to soils at one half of their capacity. Our findings provide insights into the world’s soils, their capacity to store carbon, and priority regions and actions for soil carbon management. Mineral-organic associations play a key role in soil carbon preservation. Here, Georgiou et al. produce global estimates of mineral-associated soil carbon, providing insight into the world’s soils and their capacity to store carbon
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Georgiou
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, USA. .,Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Olga Vindušková
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, 2000, Belgium.,Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University, Prague, 128 01, Czech Republic
| | - Rose Z Abramoff
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91191, France.,Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
| | - Anders Ahlström
- Deptartment of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, SE-22100, Sweden
| | - Wenting Feng
- Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 10081, China
| | - Jennifer W Harden
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Adam F A Pellegrini
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK.,Cambridge Conservation Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
| | - Jennifer L Soong
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.,Granular, Inc, San Francisco, CA, 94103, USA
| | - William J Riley
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Margaret S Torn
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.,Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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5
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Wayne Polley
- USDA‐Agricultural Research Service Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory Temple Texas USA
| | - Harold P. Collins
- USDA‐Agricultural Research Service Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory Temple Texas USA
| | - Philip A. Fay
- USDA‐Agricultural Research Service Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory Temple Texas USA
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6
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Wang S, Loreau M, de Mazancourt C, Isbell F, Beierkuhnlein C, Connolly J, Deutschman DH, Doležal J, Eisenhauer N, Hector A, Jentsch A, Kreyling J, Lanta V, Lepš J, Polley HW, Reich PB, van Ruijven J, Schmid B, Tilman D, Wilsey B, Craven D. Biotic homogenization destabilizes ecosystem functioning by decreasing spatial asynchrony. Ecology 2021; 102:e03332. [PMID: 33705570 PMCID: PMC8244107 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Our planet is facing significant changes of biodiversity across spatial scales. Although the negative effects of local biodiversity (α diversity) loss on ecosystem stability are well documented, the consequences of biodiversity changes at larger spatial scales, in particular biotic homogenization, that is, reduced species turnover across space (β diversity), remain poorly known. Using data from 39 grassland biodiversity experiments, we examine the effects of β diversity on the stability of simulated landscapes while controlling for potentially confounding biotic and abiotic factors. Our results show that higher β diversity generates more asynchronous dynamics among local communities and thereby contributes to the stability of ecosystem productivity at larger spatial scales. We further quantify the relative contributions of α and β diversity to ecosystem stability and find a relatively stronger effect of α diversity, possibly due to the limited spatial scale of our experiments. The stabilizing effects of both α and β diversity lead to a positive diversity–stability relationship at the landscape scale. Our findings demonstrate the destabilizing effect of biotic homogenization and suggest that biodiversity should be conserved at multiple spatial scales to maintain the stability of ecosystem functions and services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Claire de Mazancourt
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany
| | - John Connolly
- UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
| | - Douglas H Deutschman
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Jiří Doležal
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, 37901, Czech Republic
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kreyling
- Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, Greifswald, 17487, Germany
| | - Vojtech Lanta
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, 37901, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Lepš
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Dylan Craven
- Centro de Modelación y Monitoreo de Ecosistemas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, José Toribio Molina 29, Santiago, 8340589, Chile
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Polley HW, Yang C, Wilsey BJ, Fay PA. Temporal stability of grassland metacommunities is regulated more by community functional traits than species diversity. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- H. Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory USDA‐Agricultural Research Service Temple Texas76502USA
| | - Chenghai Yang
- Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center USDA‐Agricultural Research Service College Station Texas77845USA
| | - Brian J. Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa50011USA
| | - Philip A. Fay
- Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory USDA‐Agricultural Research Service Temple Texas76502USA
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8
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Wilsey B, Xu X, Polley HW, Hofmockel K, Hall SJ. Lower soil carbon stocks in exotic vs. native grasslands are driven by carbonate losses. Ecology 2020; 101:e03039. [PMID: 32134498 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Global change includes invasion by exotic (nonnative) plant species and altered precipitation patterns, and these factors may affect terrestrial carbon (C) storage. We measured soil C changes in experimental mixtures of all exotic or all native grassland plant species under two levels of summer drought stress (0 and +128 mm). After 8 yr, soils were sampled in 10-cm increments to 100-cm depth to determine if soil C differed among treatments in deeper soils. Total soil C (organic + inorganic) content was significantly higher under native than exotic plantings, and differences increased with depth. Surprisingly, differences after 8 yr in C were due to carbonate and not organic C fractions, where carbonate was ~250 g C/m2 lower to 1-m soil depth under exotic than native plantings. Our results indicate that soil carbonate is an active pool and can respond to differences in plant species traits over timescales of years. Significant losses of inorganic C might be avoided by conserving native grasslands in subhumid ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
| | - Xia Xu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
| | - Kirsten Hofmockel
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA, USA
| | - Steven J Hall
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
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9
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Upton RN, Checinska Sielaff A, Hofmockel KS, Xu X, Polley HW, Wilsey BJ. Soil depth and grassland origin cooperatively shape microbial community co‐occurrence and function. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Racheal N. Upton
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
| | | | - Kirsten S. Hofmockel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richmond Washington 99354 USA
| | - Xia Xu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
| | - H. Wayne Polley
- USDA‐Agricultural Research Service Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory Temple Texas 76502 USA
| | - Brian J. Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
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10
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Polley HW, Aspinwall MJ, Collins HP, Gibson AE, Gill RA, Jackson RB, Jin VL, Khasanova AR, Reichmann LG, Fay PA. CO 2 enrichment and soil type additively regulate grassland productivity. New Phytol 2019; 222:183-192. [PMID: 30367488 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric CO2 enrichment usually increases the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of grassland vegetation, but the magnitude of the ANPP-CO2 response differs among ecosystems. Soil properties affect ANPP via multiple mechanisms and vary over topographic to geographic gradients, but have received little attention as potential modifiers of the ANPP-CO2 response. We assessed the effects of three soil types, sandy loam, silty clay and clay, on the ANPP response of perennial C3 /C4 grassland communities to a subambient to elevated CO2 gradient over 10 yr in Texas, USA. We predicted an interactive, rather than additive, effect of CO2 and soil type on ANPP. Contrary to prediction, CO2 and soil additively influenced grassland ANPP. Increasing CO2 by 250 μl l-1 increased ANPP by 170 g m-2 across soil types. Increased clay content from 10% to 50% among soils reduced ANPP by 50 g m-2 . CO2 enrichment increased ANPP via a predominant direct effect, accompanied by a smaller indirect effect mediated by a successional shift to increased dominance of the C4 tallgrass Sorghastrum nutans. Our results indicate a large, positive influence of CO2 enrichment on grassland productivity that resulted from the direct physiological benefits of CO2 augmented by species succession, and was expressed similarly across soils of differing physical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wayne Polley
- Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
| | - Michael J Aspinwall
- Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Harold P Collins
- Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
| | - Anne E Gibson
- Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
| | - Richard A Gill
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, 4102 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment and Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Y2E2 Building, 379B, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Virginia L Jin
- Agricultural Research Service, ARS Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, USDA, University of Nebraska, 251 Filley Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
| | - Albina R Khasanova
- Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Lara G Reichmann
- Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Data Institute, University of San Francisco, 101 Howard St., San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
| | - Philip A Fay
- Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
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11
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Sielaff AC, Polley HW, Fuentes-Ramirez A, Hofmockel K, Wilsey BJ. Mycorrhizal colonization and its relationship with plant performance differs between exotic and native grassland plant species. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-01950-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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12
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Craven D, Eisenhauer N, Pearse WD, Hautier Y, Isbell F, Roscher C, Bahn M, Beierkuhnlein C, Bönisch G, Buchmann N, Byun C, Catford JA, Cerabolini BEL, Cornelissen JHC, Craine JM, De Luca E, Ebeling A, Griffin JN, Hector A, Hines J, Jentsch A, Kattge J, Kreyling J, Lanta V, Lemoine N, Meyer ST, Minden V, Onipchenko V, Polley HW, Reich PB, van Ruijven J, Schamp B, Smith MD, Soudzilovskaia NA, Tilman D, Weigelt A, Wilsey B, Manning P. Multiple facets of biodiversity drive the diversity–stability relationship. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1579-1587. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0647-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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13
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Fay PA, Aspinwall MJ, Collins HP, Gibson AE, Gill RH, Jackson RB, Jin VL, Khasanova AR, Reichmann LG, Polley HW. Flowering in grassland predicted by CO 2 and resource effects on species aboveground biomass. Glob Chang Biol 2018; 24:1771-1781. [PMID: 29282824 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Continuing enrichment of atmospheric CO2 may change plant community composition, in part by altering the availability of other limiting resources including soil water, nutrients, or light. The combined effects of CO2 enrichment and altered resource availability on species flowering remain poorly understood. We quantified flowering culm and ramet production and biomass allocation to flowering culms/ramets for 10 years in C4 -dominated grassland communities on contrasting soils along a CO2 concentration gradient spanning pre-industrial to expected mid-21st century levels (250-500 μl/L). CO2 enrichment explained up to 77% of the variation in flowering culm count across soils for three of the five species, and was correlated with flowering culm count on at least one soil for four of five species. In contrast, allocation to flowering culms was only weakly correlated with CO2 enrichment for two species. Flowering culm counts were strongly correlated with species aboveground biomass (AGB; R2 = .34-.74), a measure of species abundance. CO2 enrichment also increased soil moisture and decreased light levels within the canopy but did not affect soil inorganic nitrogen availability. Structural equation models fit across the soils suggested species-specific controls on flowering in two general forms: (1) CO2 effects on flowering culm count mediated by canopy light level and relative species AGB (species AGB/total AGB) or by soil moisture effects on flowering culm count; (2) effects of canopy light level or soil inorganic nitrogen on flowering and/or relative species AGB, but with no significant CO2 effect. Understanding the heterogeneity in species responses to CO2 enrichment in plant communities across soils in edaphically variable landscapes is critical to predict CO2 effects on flowering and other plant fitness components, and species potential to adapt to future environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip A Fay
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX, USA
| | | | - Harold P Collins
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX, USA
| | - Anne E Gibson
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX, USA
| | - Richard H Gill
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Virginia L Jin
- USDA-ARS Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Albina R Khasanova
- Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Lara G Reichmann
- Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX, USA
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14
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Wayne Polley
- USDA–Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory Temple TX USA
| | - Brian J. Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal BiologyIowa State University Ames IA USA
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15
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Johnson DM, Domec JC, Carter Berry Z, Schwantes AM, McCulloh KA, Woodruff DR, Wayne Polley H, Wortemann R, Swenson JJ, Scott Mackay D, McDowell NG, Jackson RB. Co-occurring woody species have diverse hydraulic strategies and mortality rates during an extreme drought. Plant Cell Environ 2018; 41:576-588. [PMID: 29314069 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
From 2011 to 2013, Texas experienced its worst drought in recorded history. This event provided a unique natural experiment to assess species-specific responses to extreme drought and mortality of four co-occurring woody species: Quercus fusiformis, Diospyros texana, Prosopis glandulosa, and Juniperus ashei. We examined hypothesized mechanisms that could promote these species' diverse mortality patterns using postdrought measurements on surviving trees coupled to retrospective process modelling. The species exhibited a wide range of gas exchange responses, hydraulic strategies, and mortality rates. Multiple proposed indices of mortality mechanisms were inconsistent with the observed mortality patterns across species, including measures of the degree of iso/anisohydry, photosynthesis, carbohydrate depletion, and hydraulic safety margins. Large losses of spring and summer whole-tree conductance (driven by belowground losses of conductance) and shallower rooting depths were associated with species that exhibited greater mortality. Based on this retrospective analysis, we suggest that species more vulnerable to drought were more likely to have succumbed to hydraulic failure belowground.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Johnson
- College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA
| | - Jean-Christophe Domec
- Bordeaux Sciences Agro, UMR INRA-ISPA 1391, Gradignan, 33195, France
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Z Carter Berry
- College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA
| | - Amanda M Schwantes
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | | | - David R Woodruff
- US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
| | - Remí Wortemann
- INRA Nancy, UMR INRA-UL 1137 Ecologie et Ecophysiologie Forestières, Champenoux, 54280, France
| | - Jennifer J Swenson
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - D Scott Mackay
- Department of Geography, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14261, USA
| | - Nate G McDowell
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment, and Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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16
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Craven D, Isbell F, Manning P, Connolly J, Bruelheide H, Ebeling A, Roscher C, van Ruijven J, Weigelt A, Wilsey B, Beierkuhnlein C, de Luca E, Griffin JN, Hautier Y, Hector A, Jentsch A, Kreyling J, Lanta V, Loreau M, Meyer ST, Mori AS, Naeem S, Palmborg C, Polley HW, Reich PB, Schmid B, Siebenkäs A, Seabloom E, Thakur MP, Tilman D, Vogel A, Eisenhauer N. Plant diversity effects on grassland productivity are robust to both nutrient enrichment and drought. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0277. [PMID: 27114579 PMCID: PMC4843698 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Global change drivers are rapidly altering resource availability and biodiversity. While there is consensus that greater biodiversity increases the functioning of ecosystems, the extent to which biodiversity buffers ecosystem productivity in response to changes in resource availability remains unclear. We use data from 16 grassland experiments across North America and Europe that manipulated plant species richness and one of two essential resources-soil nutrients or water-to assess the direction and strength of the interaction between plant diversity and resource alteration on above-ground productivity and net biodiversity, complementarity, and selection effects. Despite strong increases in productivity with nutrient addition and decreases in productivity with drought, we found that resource alterations did not alter biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships. Our results suggest that these relationships are largely determined by increases in complementarity effects along plant species richness gradients. Although nutrient addition reduced complementarity effects at high diversity, this appears to be due to high biomass in monocultures under nutrient enrichment. Our results indicate that diversity and the complementarity of species are important regulators of grassland ecosystem productivity, regardless of changes in other drivers of ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Craven
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Pete Manning
- Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Bern, 3013 Bern, Switzerland Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany
| | - John Connolly
- Ecological and Environmental Modelling Group, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Anne Ebeling
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Strasse 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Christiane Roscher
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Enrica de Luca
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - John N Griffin
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, UK
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kreyling
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Vojtech Lanta
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Paul Sabatier University, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Sebastian T Meyer
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences, Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Akira S Mori
- Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8501, Japan
| | - Shahid Naeem
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Cecilia Palmborg
- Department of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umea, Sweden
| | - H Wayne Polley
- USDA-ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX 76502, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 North Cleveland Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alrun Siebenkäs
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Theodor-Lieser Strasse 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Eric Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Madhav P Thakur
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Anja Vogel
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences, Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Schwinning S, Meckel H, Reichmann LG, Polley HW, Fay PA. Accelerated development in Johnsongrass seedlings (Sorghum halepense) suppresses the growth of native grasses through size-asymmetric competition. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176042. [PMID: 28467488 PMCID: PMC5415093 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive plant species often dominate native species in competition, augmenting other potential advantages such as release from natural enemies. Resource pre-emption may be a particularly important mechanism for establishing dominance over competitors of the same functional type. We hypothesized that competitive success of an exotic grass against native grasses is mediated by establishing an early size advantage. We tested this prediction among four perennial C4 warm-season grasses: the exotic weed Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparius) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). We predicted that a) the competitive effect of Johnsongrass on target species would be proportional to their initial biomass difference, b) competitive effect and response would be negatively correlated and c) soil fertility would have little effect on competitive relationships. In a greenhouse, plants of the four species were grown from seed either alone or with one Johnsongrass neighbor at two fertilizer levels and periodically harvested. The first two hypotheses were supported: The seedling biomass of single plants at first harvest (50 days after seeding) ranked the same way as the competitive effect of Johnsongrass on target species: Johnsongrass < big bluestem < little bluestem/switchgrass, while Johnsongrass responded more strongly to competition from Johnsongrass than from native species. At final harvest, native plants growing with Johnsongrass attained between 2–5% of their single-plant non-root biomass, while Johnsongrass growing with native species attained 89% of single-plant non-root biomass. Fertilization enhanced Johnsongrass’ competitive effects on native species, but added little to the already severe competitive suppression. Accelerated early growth of Johnsongrass seedlings relative to native seedlings appeared to enable subsequent resource pre-emption. Size-asymmetric competition and resource-pre-emption may be a critical mechanism by which exotic invasive species displace functionally similar native species and alter the functional dynamics of native communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Schwinning
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Heather Meckel
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, United States of America
| | - Lara G. Reichmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
- USDA-ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, Texas, United States of America
| | - H. Wayne Polley
- USDA-ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, Texas, United States of America
| | - Philip A. Fay
- USDA-ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, Texas, United States of America
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18
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Xu X, Polley HW, Hofmockel K, Wilsey BJ. Species composition but not diversity explains recovery from the 2011 drought in Texas grasslands. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xia Xu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
| | - H. Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory USDA‐ARS Temple Texas 76502 USA
| | - Kirsten Hofmockel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
| | - Brian J. Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
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Ziska LH, Pettis JS, Edwards J, Hancock JE, Tomecek MB, Clark A, Dukes JS, Loladze I, Polley HW. Rising atmospheric CO2 is reducing the protein concentration of a floral pollen source essential for North American bees. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20160414. [PMID: 27075256 PMCID: PMC4843664 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
At present, there is substantive evidence that the nutritional content of agriculturally important food crops will decrease in response to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, Ca However, whether Ca-induced declines in nutritional quality are also occurring for pollinator food sources is unknown. Flowering late in the season, goldenrod (Solidago spp.) pollen is a widely available autumnal food source commonly acknowledged by apiarists to be essential to native bee (e.g. Bombus spp.) and honeybee (Apis mellifera) health and winter survival. Using floral collections obtained from the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, we quantified Ca-induced temporal changes in pollen protein concentration of Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), the most wide spread Solidago taxon, from hundreds of samples collected throughout the USA and southern Canada over the period 1842-2014 (i.e. a Ca from approx. 280 to 398 ppm). In addition, we conducted a 2 year in situtrial of S. Canadensis populations grown along a continuous Ca gradient from approximately 280 to 500 ppm. The historical data indicated a strong significant correlation between recent increases in Ca and reductions in pollen protein concentration (r(2)= 0.81). Experimental data confirmed this decrease in pollen protein concentration, and indicated that it would be ongoing as Ca continues to rise in the near term, i.e. to 500 ppm (r(2)= 0.88). While additional data are needed to quantify the subsequent effects of reduced protein concentration for Canada goldenrod on bee health and population stability, these results are the first to indicate that increasing Ca can reduce protein content of a floral pollen source widely used by North American bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis H Ziska
- Crop Systems and Global Change Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Jeffery S Pettis
- Research Entomologist, Bee Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Joan Edwards
- Department of Biology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA
| | - Jillian E Hancock
- Department of Biology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA
| | - Martha B Tomecek
- Crop Systems and Global Change Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Andrew Clark
- US National Herbarium, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 166, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Dukes
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47097, USA Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47097, USA
| | - Irakli Loladze
- Bryan College of Health Sciences, Bryan Medical Center, Lincoln, NE 68506, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Temple, TX 76502, USA
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Fay PA, Reichmann LG, Aspinwall MJ, Khasanova AR, Polley HW. A CO2 Concentration Gradient Facility for Testing CO2 Enrichment and Soil Effects on Grassland Ecosystem Function. J Vis Exp 2015:53151. [PMID: 26649460 PMCID: PMC4692748 DOI: 10.3791/53151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Continuing increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (CA) mandate techniques for examining impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. Most experiments examine only two or a few levels of CA concentration and a single soil type, but if CA can be varied as a gradient from subambient to superambient concentrations on multiple soils, we can discern whether past ecosystem responses may continue linearly in the future and whether responses may vary across the landscape. The Lysimeter Carbon Dioxide Gradient Facility applies a 250 to 500 µl L-1 CA gradient to Blackland prairie plant communities established on lysimeters containing clay, silty clay, and sandy soils. The gradient is created as photosynthesis by vegetation enclosed in in temperature-controlled chambers progressively depletes carbon dioxide from air flowing directionally through the chambers. Maintaining proper air flow rate, adequate photosynthetic capacity, and temperature control are critical to overcome the main limitations of the system, which are declining photosynthetic rates and increased water stress during summer. The facility is an economical alternative to other techniques of CA enrichment, successfully discerns the shape of ecosystem responses to subambient to superambient CA enrichment, and can be adapted to test for interactions of carbon dioxide with other greenhouse gases such as methane or ozone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip A Fay
- USDA-ARS, Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory;
| | - Lara G Reichmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin
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Xu X, Polley HW, Hofmockel K, Daneshgar PP, Wilsey BJ. Plant invasions differentially affected by diversity and dominant species in native- and exotic-dominated grasslands. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:5662-70. [PMID: 27069615 PMCID: PMC4813100 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant invasions are an increasingly serious global concern, especially as the climate changes. Here, we explored how plant invasions differed between native‐ and novel exotic‐dominated grasslands with experimental addition of summer precipitation in Texas in 2009. Exotic species greened up earlier than natives by an average of 18 days. This was associated with a lower invasion rate early in the growing season compared to native communities. However, invasion rate did not differ significantly between native and exotic communities across all sampling times. The predictors of invasion rate differed between native and exotic communities, with invasion being negatively influenced by species richness in natives and by dominant species in exotics. Interestingly, plant invasions matched the bimodal pattern of precipitation in Temple, Texas, and did not respond to the pulse of precipitation during the summer. Our results suggest that we will need to take different approaches in understanding of invasion between native and exotic grasslands. Moreover, with anticipated increasing variability in precipitation under global climate change, plant invasions may be constrained in their response if the precipitation pulses fall outside the normal growing period of invaders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Xu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory USDA-ARS Temple Texas 76502
| | - Kirsten Hofmockel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011
| | - Pedram P Daneshgar
- Department of Biology Monmouth University 400 Dedar Avenue West Long Branch New Jersey 07764
| | - Brian J Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011
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Fay PA, Newingham BA, Polley HW, Morgan JA, LeCain DR, Nowak RS, Smith SD. Dominant plant taxa predict plant productivity responses to CO2 enrichment across precipitation and soil gradients. AoB Plants 2015; 7:plv027. [PMID: 25829380 PMCID: PMC4429605 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plv027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The Earth's atmosphere will continue to be enriched with carbon dioxide (CO2) over the coming century. Carbon dioxide enrichment often reduces leaf transpiration, which in water-limited ecosystems may increase soil water content, change species abundances and increase the productivity of plant communities. The effect of increased soil water on community productivity and community change may be greater in ecosystems with lower precipitation, or on coarser-textured soils, but responses are likely absent in deserts. We tested correlations among yearly increases in soil water content, community change and community plant productivity responses to CO2 enrichment in experiments in a mesic grassland with fine- to coarse-textured soils, a semi-arid grassland and a xeric shrubland. We found no correlation between CO2-caused changes in soil water content and changes in biomass of dominant plant taxa or total community aboveground biomass in either grassland type or on any soil in the mesic grassland (P > 0.60). Instead, increases in dominant taxa biomass explained up to 85 % of the increases in total community biomass under CO2 enrichment. The effect of community change on community productivity was stronger in the semi-arid grassland than in the mesic grassland, where community biomass change on one soil was not correlated with the change in either the soil water content or the dominant taxa. No sustained increases in soil water content or community productivity and no change in dominant plant taxa occurred in the xeric shrubland. Thus, community change was a crucial driver of community productivity responses to CO2 enrichment in the grasslands, but effects of soil water change on productivity were not evident in yearly responses to CO2 enrichment. Future research is necessary to isolate and clarify the mechanisms controlling the temporal and spatial variations in the linkages among soil water, community change and plant productivity responses to CO2 enrichment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip A Fay
- Grassland, Soil, and Water Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 808 E Blackland Rd., Temple, TX 76502, USA
| | - Beth A Newingham
- College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, PO Box 441133, Moscow, ID 83844, USA Present address: Great Basin Rangelands Research, USDA-ARS, 920 Valley Rd., Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil, and Water Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 808 E Blackland Rd., Temple, TX 76502, USA
| | - Jack A Morgan
- Rangeland Resources Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 1701 Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Daniel R LeCain
- Rangeland Resources Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 1701 Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Robert S Nowak
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science/MS 186, University of Nevada Reno, 1664 North Virginia, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Stanley D Smith
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
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Polley HW, Derner JD, Jackson RB, Gill RA, Procter AC, Fay PA. Plant community change mediates the response of foliar δ(15)N to CO 2 enrichment in mesic grasslands. Oecologia 2015; 178:591-601. [PMID: 25604918 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3221-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 01/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration may change the isotopic signature of plant N by altering plant and microbial processes involved in the N cycle. CO2 may increase leaf δ(15)N by increasing plant community productivity, C input to soil, and, ultimately, microbial mineralization of old, (15)N-enriched organic matter. We predicted that CO2 would increase aboveground productivity (ANPP; g biomass m(-2)) and foliar δ(15)N values of two grassland communities in Texas, USA: (1) a pasture dominated by a C4 exotic grass, and (2) assemblages of tallgrass prairie species, the latter grown on clay, sandy loam, and silty clay soils. Grasslands were exposed in separate experiments to a pre-industrial to elevated CO2 gradient for 4 years. CO2 stimulated ANPP of pasture and of prairie assemblages on each of the three soils, but increased leaf δ(15)N only for prairie plants on a silty clay. δ(15)N increased linearly as mineral-associated soil C declined on the silty clay. Mineral-associated C declined as ANPP increased. Structural equation modeling indicted that CO2 increased ANPP partly by favoring a tallgrass (Sorghastrum nutans) over a mid-grass species (Bouteloua curtipendula). CO2 may have increased foliar δ(15)N on the silty clay by reducing fractionation during N uptake and assimilation. However, we interpret the soil-specific, δ(15)N-CO2 response as resulting from increased ANPP that stimulated mineralization from recalcitrant organic matter. By contrast, CO2 favored a forb species (Solanum dimidiatum) with higher δ(15)N than the dominant grass (Bothriochloa ischaemum) in pasture. CO2 enrichment changed grassland δ(15)N by shifting species relative abundances.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Temple, TX, 76502, USA,
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Procter AC, Ellis JC, Fay PA, Polley HW, Jackson RB. Fungal Community Responses to Past and Future Atmospheric CO2 Differ by Soil Type. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:7364-77. [PMID: 25239904 PMCID: PMC4249185 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02083-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Soils sequester and release substantial atmospheric carbon, but the contribution of fungal communities to soil carbon balance under rising CO2 is not well understood. Soil properties likely mediate these fungal responses but are rarely explored in CO2 experiments. We studied soil fungal communities in a grassland ecosystem exposed to a preindustrial-to-future CO2 gradient (250 to 500 ppm) in a black clay soil and a sandy loam soil. Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing of the rRNA gene cluster revealed that fungal community composition and its response to CO2 differed significantly between soils. Fungal species richness and relative abundance of Chytridiomycota (chytrids) increased linearly with CO2 in the black clay (P < 0.04, R(2) > 0.7), whereas the relative abundance of Glomeromycota (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) increased linearly with elevated CO2 in the sandy loam (P = 0.02, R(2) = 0.63). Across both soils, decomposition rate was positively correlated with chytrid relative abundance (r = 0.57) and, in the black clay soil, fungal species richness. Decomposition rate was more strongly correlated with microbial biomass (r = 0.88) than with fungal variables. Increased labile carbon availability with elevated CO2 may explain the greater fungal species richness and Chytridiomycota abundance in the black clay soil, whereas increased phosphorus limitation may explain the increase in Glomeromycota at elevated CO2 in the sandy loam. Our results demonstrate that soil type plays a key role in soil fungal responses to rising atmospheric CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Procter
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Philip A Fay
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Temple, Texas, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Temple, Texas, USA
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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Polley HW, Derner JD, Jackson RB, Wilsey BJ, Fay PA. Impacts of climate change drivers on C4 grassland productivity: scaling driver effects through the plant community. J Exp Bot 2014; 65:3415-3424. [PMID: 24501178 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eru009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Climate change drivers affect plant community productivity via three pathways: (i) direct effects of drivers on plants; (ii) the response of species abundances to drivers (community response); and (iii) the feedback effect of community change on productivity (community effect). The contribution of each pathway to driver-productivity relationships depends on functional traits of dominant species. We used data from three experiments in Texas, USA, to assess the role of community dynamics in the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) response of C4 grasslands to two climate drivers applied singly: atmospheric CO2 enrichment and augmented summer precipitation. The ANPP-driver response differed among experiments because community responses and effects differed. ANPP increased by 80-120g m(-2) per 100 μl l(-1) rise in CO2 in separate experiments with pasture and tallgrass prairie assemblages. Augmenting ambient precipitation by 128mm during one summer month each year increased ANPP more in native than in exotic communities in a third experiment. The community effect accounted for 21-38% of the ANPP CO2 response in the prairie experiment but little of the response in the pasture experiment. The community response to CO2 was linked to species traits associated with greater soil water from reduced transpiration (e.g. greater height). Community effects on the ANPP CO2 response and the greater ANPP response of native than exotic communities to augmented precipitation depended on species differences in transpiration efficiency. These results indicate that feedbacks from community change influenced ANPP-driver responses. However, the species traits that regulated community effects on ANPP differed from the traits that determined how communities responded to drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wayne Polley
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
| | - Justin D Derner
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, High Plains Grasslands Research Station, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 82009, USA
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Brian J Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
| | - Philip A Fay
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
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Martin LM, Polley HW, Daneshgar PP, Harris MA, Wilsey BJ. Biodiversity, photosynthetic mode, and ecosystem services differ between native and novel ecosystems. Oecologia 2014; 175:687-97. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-2911-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Gross K, Cardinale BJ, Fox JW, Gonzalez A, Loreau M, Wayne Polley H, Reich PB, van Ruijven J. Species Richness and the Temporal Stability of Biomass Production: A New Analysis of Recent Biodiversity Experiments. Am Nat 2014; 183:1-12. [DOI: 10.1086/673915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 254] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Wilsey BJ, Daneshgar PP, Hofmockel K, Polley HW. Invaded grassland communities have altered stability-maintenance mechanisms but equal stability compared to native communities. Ecol Lett 2013; 17:92-100. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2013] [Revised: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian J. Wilsey
- Department of Ecology; Evolution and Organismal Biology; Iowa State University; 253 Bessey Hall Ames IA 50011 USA
| | - Pedram P. Daneshgar
- Department of Biology; Monmouth University; 400 Cedar Avenue West Long Branch NJ 07764 USA
| | - Kirsten Hofmockel
- Department of Ecology; Evolution and Organismal Biology; Iowa State University; 253 Bessey Hall Ames IA 50011 USA
| | - H. Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory; USDA-ARS; Temple TX 76502 USA
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Briske DD, Bestelmeyer BT, Brown JR, Fuhlendorf SD, Wayne Polley H. The Savory Method Can Not Green Deserts or Reverse Climate Change. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.2111/rangelands-d-13-00044.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Rico C, Pittermann J, Polley HW, Aspinwall MJ, Fay PA. The effect of subambient to elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration on vascular function in Helianthus annuus: implications for plant response to climate change. New Phytol 2013; 199:956-965. [PMID: 23731256 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2012] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Plant gas exchange is regulated by stomata, which coordinate leaf-level water loss with xylem transport. Stomatal opening responds to internal concentrations of CO₂ in the leaf, but changing CO₂ can also lead to changes in stomatal density that influence transpiration. Given that stomatal conductance increases under subambient concentrations of CO₂ and, conversely, that plants lose less water at elevated concentrations, can downstream effects of atmospheric CO₂ be observed in xylem tissue? We approached this problem by evaluating leaf stomatal density, xylem transport, xylem anatomy and resistance to cavitation in Helianthus annuus plants grown under three CO₂ regimes ranging from pre-industrial to elevated concentrations. Xylem transport, conduit size and stomatal density all increased at 290 ppm relative to ambient and elevated CO₂ concentrations. The shoots of the 290-ppm-grown plants were most vulnerable to cavitation, whereas xylem cavitation resistance did not differ in 390- and 480-ppm-grown plants. Our data indicate that, even as an indirect driver of water loss, CO₂ can affect xylem structure and water transport by coupling stomatal and xylem hydraulic functions during plant development. This plastic response has implications for plant water use under variable concentrations of CO₂, as well as the evolution of efficient xylem transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Rico
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Jarmila Pittermann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- United States Department of Agriculture, Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, 808 E. Blackland Rd, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
| | - Michael J Aspinwall
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Phillip A Fay
- United States Department of Agriculture, Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, 808 E. Blackland Rd, Temple, TX, 76502, USA
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de Mazancourt C, Isbell F, Larocque A, Berendse F, De Luca E, Grace JB, Haegeman B, Wayne Polley H, Roscher C, Schmid B, Tilman D, van Ruijven J, Weigelt A, Wilsey BJ, Loreau M. Predicting ecosystem stability from community composition and biodiversity. Ecol Lett 2013; 16:617-25. [PMID: 23438189 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Revised: 11/08/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
As biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, an important current scientific challenge is to understand and predict the consequences of biodiversity loss. Here, we develop a theory that predicts the temporal variability of community biomass from the properties of individual component species in monoculture. Our theory shows that biodiversity stabilises ecosystems through three main mechanisms: (1) asynchrony in species' responses to environmental fluctuations, (2) reduced demographic stochasticity due to overyielding in species mixtures and (3) reduced observation error (including spatial and sampling variability). Parameterised with empirical data from four long-term grassland biodiversity experiments, our prediction explained 22-75% of the observed variability, and captured much of the effect of species richness. Richness stabilised communities mainly by increasing community biomass and reducing the strength of demographic stochasticity. Our approach calls for a re-evaluation of the mechanisms explaining the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire de Mazancourt
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2K6, Canada.
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Polley HW, Jin VL, Fay PA. Feedback from plant species change amplifies CO2 enhancement of grassland productivity. Glob Chang Biol 2012; 18:2813-2823. [PMID: 24501059 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02735.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Accepted: 04/20/2012] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic global vegetation models simulate feedbacks of vegetation change on ecosystem processes, but direct, experimental evidence for feedbacks that result from atmospheric CO2 enrichment is rare. We hypothesized that feedbacks from species change would amplify the initial CO2 stimulation of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of tallgrass prairie communities. Communities of perennial forb and C4 grass species were grown for 5 years along a field CO2 gradient (250-500 μL L(-1) ) in central Texas USA on each of three soil types, including upland and lowland clay soils and a sandy soil. CO2 enrichment increased community ANPP by 0-117% among years and soils and increased the contribution of the tallgrass species Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass) to community ANPP on each of the three soil types. CO2 -induced changes in ANPP and Sorghastrum abundance were linked. The slope of ANPP-CO2 regressions increased between initial and final years on the two clay soils because of a positive feedback from the increase in Sorghastrum fraction. This feedback accounted for 30-60% of the CO2 -mediated increase in ANPP on the upland and lowland clay soils during the final 3 years and 1 year of the experiment, respectively. By contrast, species change had little influence on the ANPP-CO2 response on the sandy soil, possibly because Sorghastrum increased largely at the expense of a functionally similar C4 grass species. By favoring a mesic C4 tall grass, CO2 enrichment approximately doubled the initial enhancement of community ANPP on two clay soils. The CO2 -stimulation of grassland productivity may be significantly underestimated if feedbacks from plant community change are not considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wayne Polley
- Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
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Wilsey BJ, Daneshgar PP, Polley HW. Biodiversity, phenology and temporal niche differences between native- and novel exotic-dominated grasslands. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 2011; 13:265-276. [PMID: 0 DOI: 10.1016/j.ppees.2011.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
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Kelley AM, Fay PA, Polley HW, Gill RA, Jackson RB. Atmospheric CO2and soil extracellular enzyme activity: a meta-analysis and CO2gradient experiment. Ecosphere 2011. [DOI: 10.1890/es11-00117.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Manzoni S, Katul G, Fay PA, Polley HW, Porporato A. Modeling the vegetation–atmosphere carbon dioxide and water vapor interactions along a controlled CO2 gradient. Ecol Modell 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Polley HW, Phillips RL, Frank AB, Bradford JA, Sims PL, Morgan JA, Kiniry JR. Variability in Light-Use Efficiency for Gross Primary Productivity on Great Plains Grasslands. Ecosystems 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-010-9389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Wilsey BJ, Teaschner TB, Daneshgar PP, Isbell FI, Polley HW. Biodiversity maintenance mechanisms differ between native and novel exotic-dominated communities. Ecol Lett 2009; 12:432-42. [PMID: 19379137 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01298.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In many systems, native communities are being replaced by novel exotic-dominated ones. We experimentally compared species diversity decline between nine-species grassland communities under field conditions to test whether diversity maintenance mechanisms differed between communities containing all exotic or all native species using a pool of 40 species. Aboveground biomass was greater in exotic than native plots, and this difference was larger in mixtures than in monocultures. Species diversity declined more in exotic than native communities and declines were explained by different mechanisms. In exotic communities, overyielding species had high biomass in monoculture and diversity declined linearly as this selection effect increased. In native communities, however, overyielding species had low biomass in monoculture and there was no relationship between the selection effect and diversity decline. This suggests that, for this system, yielding behaviour is fundamentally different between presumably co-evolved natives and coevolutionarily naive exotic species, and that native-exotic status is important to consider.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
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Abstract
Theory predicts that the temporal stability of productivity, measured as the ratio of the mean to the standard deviation of community biomass, increases with species richness and evenness. We used experimental species mixtures of grassland plants to test this hypothesis and identified the mechanisms involved. Additionally, we tested whether biodiversity, productivity and temporal stability were similarly influenced by particular types of species interactions. We found that productivity was less variable among years in plots planted with more species. Temporal stability did not depend on whether the species were planted equally abundant (high evenness) or not (realistically low evenness). Greater richness increased temporal stability by increasing overyielding, asynchrony of species fluctuations and statistical averaging. Species interactions that favoured unproductive species increased both biodiversity and temporal stability. Species interactions that resulted in niche partitioning or facilitation increased both productivity and temporal stability. Thus, species interactions can promote biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Forest I Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
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Wayne Polley H, Wilsey BJ, Derner JD. Dominant species constrain effects of species diversity on temporal variability in biomass production of tallgrass prairie. OIKOS 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.2007.0030-1299.16080.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Wayne Polley H, Wilsey BJ, Tischler CR. Species abundances influence the net biodiversity effect in mixtures of two plant species. Basic Appl Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2006.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Wilsey BJ, Polley HW. Aboveground productivity and root–shoot allocation differ between native and introduced grass species. Oecologia 2006; 150:300-9. [PMID: 16927104 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-006-0515-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2006] [Accepted: 07/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Plant species in grasslands are often separated into groups (C(4) and C(3) grasses, and forbs) with presumed links to ecosystem functioning. Each of these in turn can be separated into native and introduced (i.e., exotic) species. Although numerous studies have compared plant traits between the traditional groups of grasses and forbs, fewer have compared native versus introduced species. Introduced grass species, which were often introduced to prevent erosion or to improve grazing opportunities, have become common or even dominant species in grasslands. By virtue of their abundances, introduced species may alter ecosystems if they differ from natives in growth and allocation patterns. Introduced grasses were probably selected nonrandomly from the source population for forage (aboveground) productivity. Based on this expectation, aboveground production is predicted to be greater and root mass fraction to be smaller in introduced than native species. We compared root and shoot distribution and tissue quality between introduced and native C(4) grass species in the Blackland Prairie region of Central Texas, USA, and then compared differences to the more well-studied divergence between C(4) grasses and forbs. Comparisons were made in experimental monocultures planted with equal-sized transplants on a common soil type and at the same density. Aboveground productivity and C:N ratios were higher, on average, in native grasses than in native forbs, as expected. Native and introduced grasses had comparable amounts of shallow root biomass and tissue C:N ratios. However, aboveground productivity and total N were lower and deep root biomass and root mass fraction were greater in native than introduced grasses. These differences in average biomass distribution and N could be important to ecosystems in cases where native and introduced grasses have been exchanged. Our results indicate that native-introduced status may be important when interpreting species effects on grassland processes like productivity and plant N accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, 253 Bessey Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
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Wayne Polley H, J. Wilsey B, D. Derner J, B. Johnson H, Sanabria J. Early-successional plants regulate grassland productivity and species composition: a removal experiment. OIKOS 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.14267.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Gill RA, Anderson LJ, Polley HW, Johnson HB, Jackson RB. Potential nitrogen constraints on soil carbon sequestration under low and elevated atmospheric CO2. Ecology 2006. [PMID: 16634295 DOI: 10.2307/20068908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The interaction between nitrogen cycling and carbon sequestration is critical in predicting the consequences of anthropogenic increases in atmospheric CO2 (hereafter, Ca). The progressive N limitation (PNL) theory predicts that carbon sequestration in plants and soils with rising Ca may be constrained by the availability of nitrogen in many ecosystems. Here we report on the interaction between C and N dynamics during a four-year field experiment in which an intact C3/C4 grassland was exposed to a gradient in Ca from 200 to 560 micromol/mol. There were strong species effects on decomposition dynamics, with C loss positively correlated and N mineralization negatively correlated with Ca for litter of the C3 forb Solanum dimidiatum, whereas decomposition of litter from the C4 grass Bothriochloa ischaemum was unresponsive to Ca. Both soil microbial biomass and soil respiration rates exhibited a nonlinear response to Ca, reaching a maximum at approximately 440 micromol/mol Ca. We found a general movement of N out of soil organic matter and into aboveground plant biomass with increased Ca. Within soils we found evidence of C loss from recalcitrant soil C fractions with narrow C:N ratios to more labile soil fractions with broader C:N ratios, potentially due to decreases in N availability. The observed reallocation of N from soil to plants over the last three years of the experiment supports the PNL theory that reductions in N availability with rising Ca could initially be overcome by a transfer of N from low C:N ratio fractions to those with higher C:N ratios. Although the transfer of N allowed plant production to increase with increasing Ca, there was no net soil C sequestration at elevated Ca, presumably because relatively stable C is being decomposed to meet microbial and plant N requirements. Ultimately, if the C gained by increased plant production is rapidly lost through decomposition, the shift in N from older soil organic matter to rapidly decomposing plant tissue may limit net C sequestration with increased plant production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Gill
- Program in Environmental Science and Regional Planning, Washington State University, Pullman 99164, USA.
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Abstract
The interaction between nitrogen cycling and carbon sequestration is critical in predicting the consequences of anthropogenic increases in atmospheric CO2 (hereafter, Ca). The progressive N limitation (PNL) theory predicts that carbon sequestration in plants and soils with rising Ca may be constrained by the availability of nitrogen in many ecosystems. Here we report on the interaction between C and N dynamics during a four-year field experiment in which an intact C3/C4 grassland was exposed to a gradient in Ca from 200 to 560 micromol/mol. There were strong species effects on decomposition dynamics, with C loss positively correlated and N mineralization negatively correlated with Ca for litter of the C3 forb Solanum dimidiatum, whereas decomposition of litter from the C4 grass Bothriochloa ischaemum was unresponsive to Ca. Both soil microbial biomass and soil respiration rates exhibited a nonlinear response to Ca, reaching a maximum at approximately 440 micromol/mol Ca. We found a general movement of N out of soil organic matter and into aboveground plant biomass with increased Ca. Within soils we found evidence of C loss from recalcitrant soil C fractions with narrow C:N ratios to more labile soil fractions with broader C:N ratios, potentially due to decreases in N availability. The observed reallocation of N from soil to plants over the last three years of the experiment supports the PNL theory that reductions in N availability with rising Ca could initially be overcome by a transfer of N from low C:N ratio fractions to those with higher C:N ratios. Although the transfer of N allowed plant production to increase with increasing Ca, there was no net soil C sequestration at elevated Ca, presumably because relatively stable C is being decomposed to meet microbial and plant N requirements. Ultimately, if the C gained by increased plant production is rapidly lost through decomposition, the shift in N from older soil organic matter to rapidly decomposing plant tissue may limit net C sequestration with increased plant production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Gill
- Program in Environmental Science and Regional Planning, Washington State University, Pullman 99164, USA.
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Derner JD, Schuman GE, Jawson M, Shafer SR, Morgan JA, Polley HW, Runion GB, Prior SA, Torbert HA, Rogers HH, Bunce J, Ziska L, White JW, Franzluebbers AJ, Reeder JD, Venterea RT, Harper LA. USDA-ARS Global Change Research on Rangelands and Pasturelands. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.2111/1551-501x(2005)27[36:ugcror]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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