Confounding Factors in the Observational Productivity-Diversity Relationship in Forests

Vilà, Montserrat; Inchausti, Pablo; Vayreda, Jordi; Barrantes, O.; Gràcia, Carles; Ibáñez, Joan Josep Peraire; Mata, Teresa M.

doi:10.1007/3-540-26599-6_4

Cited by 61 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…A similar result was found for the Mediterranean Aleppo pine forests in Spain, where Vilà et al (2003Vilà et al ( , 2005 found that species richness is a less important factor than climate, successional stage, bedrock type, and solar radiation for wood production.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Other studies (Vilà et al, 2007) found that the dominant tree species is an important determinant for wood production in Spain. There are several factors that influence the relationships between species diversity and aboveground biomass productivity, such as environment (Hooper et al, 2005;Vilà et al, 2005;Ma et al, 2010;Paquette & Messier, 2011), spatial scale (Chase & Leibold, 2002), plant density (He et al, 2005;Potter & Woodall, 2014), successional status (Caspersen & Pacala, 2001;Vilà et al, 2003), site productivity (Paquette & Messier, 2011;Potter & Woodall, 2014), soil fertility (Rodríguez-Loinaz et al, 2008;Thoms et al, 2010), evolutionary history and latitude , and seed dispersal limitation .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Linking hypothesized causal factors to aboveground biomass growth in forests of Alabama and the eastern United States

Ojha

Dimov

2018

For. syst.

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Aim of study: We analyzed the hypothesized causal effects of relative density, density, height, species richness, species diversity, temperature, precipitation, and slope on above ground biomass growth (AGBG).Area of study: Eastern region of the USA. Materials and methods:We used the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) database. A total of 2554 plots from all stand ages, regardless of disturbance history, were selected from the state of Alabama and 967 plots of stand age under 30 years and no prior disturbance were selected from the eastern US. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling.Main results: Relative stand density exhibited a strong positive direct effect on AGBG, especially in the young forests (path coefficient 0.79), but a weaker indirect effect through species richness/diversity. Tree height influenced positively AGBG directly and indirectly through relative density and species richness. The effect of temperature and slope was greater than the effect of species richness/diversity on AGBG in the young forests of the eastern US.Research highlights: For the forests of the eastern US, greater tree species diversity did not appear to result in neither greater nor lower productivity. The diversity-productivity relationship was negative in forests of Alabama, however, where prior management likely resulted in removal of select dominant trees from valuable species (i.e., high-grading).Additional keywords: FIA; productivity; path analysis; relative stand density; species richness; Shannon's diversity index; temperature.Abbreviations used: AGB (above ground biomass); AGBG (above ground biomass growth); CCR (compacted crown ratio); DBH (diameter at breast height); IVP (importance value percent); FIA (Forest Inventory and Analysis); SDI (stand density index); SEM (structural equation modeling).Authors´ contributions: LDD and SKO conceived and designed the research. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. SKO acquired national forest inventory data from the USDA, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA), Knoxville Tennessee for the study. SKO extracted climatic variables from spatial data sources; he conducted statistical analysis and made figures and tables and prepared the first draft of the manuscript. LDD contributed to all parts and drafts of the manuscript.Data acquisition and accuracy of analysis: The national forest inventory dataset was obtained with the help of the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) personnel. FIA data is publicly available at FIA DataMart (https://apps.fs.usda.gov/fia/ datamart/CSV/datamart_csv.html).

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking hypothesized causal factors to aboveground biomass growth in forests of Alabama and the eastern United States

Ojha

Dimov

2018

For. syst.

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“…From a forest succession model dealing with "real" species, the conclusion was derived that "tree diversity strongly influences primary productivity in European temperate forests across a wide range of sites with different climates through a strong complementarity effect" (Morin et al, 2011). Similar findings are also supported by some field studies: a positive relationship between tree species diversity and productivity was indicated in early successional and disturbed sclerophyllous and conifer forests before canopy closure (Vilà et al, 2005). In a Panamanian experimental plantation, mixed-species plots yielded on average 30-58 % higher summed tree basal area compared to monocultures after 5 yr (Potvin and Gotelli, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Diversity did not influence soil water use of tree clusters in a temperate mixed forest

Meißner¹,

Köhler²,

Hölscher³

2013

Web Ecol.

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Abstract. Compared to monocultures, diverse ecosystems are often expected to show more comprehensive resource use. However, with respect to diversity-soil-water-use relationships in forests, very little information is available. We analysed soil water uptake in 100 tree clusters differing in tree species diversity and species composition in the Hainich forest in central Germany. The clusters contained all possible combinations of five broadleaved tree species in one-, two-and three-species clusters (three diversity levels), replicated fourfold (20 one-species, 40 two-species and 40 three-species clusters). We estimated soil water uptake during a summer dry period in 0-0.3 m soil depth, based on throughfall and soil moisture measurements with a simple budgeting approach. Throughout the whole vegetation period in 2009, soil water uptake was additionally determined at a higher temporal resolution and also for a greater part of the soil profile (0-0.7 m) on a subset of 16 intensive clusters. During the dry spell, mean soil water uptake was 1.9 ± 0.1 mm day −1 in 0-0.3 m (100 clusters) and 3.0 ± 0.5 mm day −1 in 0-0.7 m soil depth (16 clusters), respectively. Besides a slightly higher water use of Fraxinus clusters, we could not detect any effects of species identity or diversity on cluster water use. We discuss that water use may indeed be a conservative process, that differences in tree-species-specific traits may be compensated for by other factors such as herb layer coverage and tree spatial arrangement, and that diversitydriven differences in water use may arise only at a larger scale. We further conclude that with respect to stand water use "tree diversity" alone is not an appropriate simplification of the complex network of interactions between species traits, stand properties and environmental conditions that have varying influence on stand water use, both in space and time.

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“…Experimental studies looking at diversity-function relationships have only recently been initiated in forest ecosystems and have yet to produce results Vila et al, 2005). In the meantime, analyses of forest inventory data have produced conflicting support for diversity-function relationships in forests, showing either a positive relationship between diversity and productivity (Caspersen and Pacala, 2001), no relationship (Enquist and Niklas, 2001), or a positive or negative relationship depending on the identity of the dominant species in a mixed-species stand (Frivold and Frank, 2002).…”

Section: Storage and Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in carbon storage among tree species: Implications for the management of a small-scale carbon sink project

Kirby

Potvin

2007

Forest Ecology and Management

359

179

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Confounding Factors in the Observational Productivity-Diversity Relationship in Forests

Cited by 61 publications

References 39 publications

Linking hypothesized causal factors to aboveground biomass growth in forests of Alabama and the eastern United States

Linking hypothesized causal factors to aboveground biomass growth in forests of Alabama and the eastern United States

Diversity did not influence soil water use of tree clusters in a temperate mixed forest

Variation in carbon storage among tree species: Implications for the management of a small-scale carbon sink project

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