Limited evidence for spatial resource partitioning across temperate grassland biodiversity experiments

Barry, Kathryn E.; Ruijven, Jasper van; Mommer, Liesje; Bai, Yongfei; Beierkuhnlein, Carl; Buchmann, Nina; Kroon, Hans de; Ebeling, Anne; Eisenhauer, Nico; Guimarães‐Steinicke, Claudia; Hildebrandt, Anke; Isbell, Forest; Milcu, Alexandru; Neßhöver, Carsten; Reich, Peter B.; Roscher, Christiane; Sauheitl, Leopold; Scherer‐Lorenzen, Michael; Schmid, Bernhard; Tilman, David; Felten, Stefanie von; Weigelt, Alexandra

doi:10.1002/ecy.2905

Cited by 51 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…If intraspecific competition for soil moisture outweighs interspecific competition during these dry periods (e.g., niche complementarity effects, HilleRisLambers et al 2012), individual species may experience alleviation of intense intraspecific competition when growing in higher-diversity plots. Although we cannot rule this out as a contributing mechanism, a recent meta-analysis by Barry et al (2020) found that spatial resource partitioning for belowground resources is quite rare in 21 experimental manipulations of grassland biodiversity around the world. Although competition for soil moisture is inevitably occurring, it is likely paired with well-known aboveground effects of diversity on evaporative demand.…”

Section: Facilitation and Alleviation Of Competition In Higherdiversimentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Furthermore, resource partitioning theory suggests that intraspecific competition should be greater than interspecific competition for many species (HilleRisLambers et al 2012). Although conspecific neighbors likely compete for resources in overlapping ways, heterospecific neighbors may have complementary root distributions (but see Barry et al 2020), alternative physiological strategies to combat water stress (Fotelli et al 2000), or alternative energy allocation patterns that reduce water loss aboveground (e.g., lower specific leaf area of leaves). If intraspecific competition outweighs interspecific competition, this could buffer species from strong competition for soil water during drought.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stress gradients and biodiversity: monoculture vulnerability drives stronger biodiversity effects during drought years

Wright

Mommer

Barry

et al. 2020

Ecology

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Climate change will increase the likelihood and severity of droughts into the future. Although diversity may buffer plant communities against the negative effects of drought, the mechanisms underlying this pattern remain unclear. Higher‐diversity plant communities may have a higher likelihood of including more drought‐resistant species that can compensate for drought‐sensitive species (“insurance effects”). Alternatively, higher‐diversity communities may alter environmental conditions and improve performance of even drought‐sensitive species. Here we planted nonleguminous forbs and grasses into monocultures and four‐ and eight‐species mixtures, and measured species and plot productivity every year from 2000 to 2010. We found that six of our eight species were suppressed when growing in monoculture during dry years. These same species were unaffected by drought when growing in higher‐diversity mixtures. Because of this poor performance in monoculture (not insurance effects), the biodiversity productivity relationship was strongest during the driest years. If biodiversity ameliorates hot/dry conditions and therefore improves performance of drought‐sensitive species during periods of low rainfall, this may mean biodiversity can be used as a tool to protect individual species from drought conditions.

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Section: Facilitation and Alleviation Of Competition In Higherdiversimentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress gradients and biodiversity: monoculture vulnerability drives stronger biodiversity effects during drought years

Wright

Mommer

Barry

et al. 2020

Ecology

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“…2019a), which can have varying implications for measures of ecosystem function above and below ground (Barry et al . 2019b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing dispersal limitation via seed addition increases species richness but not above‐ground biomass

et al. 2020

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Seed dispersal limitation, which can be exacerbated by a number of anthropogenic causes, can result in local communities having fewer species than they might potentially support, representing a potential diversity deficit. The link between processes that shape natural variation in diversity, such as dispersal limitation, and the consequent effects on productivity is less well known. Here, we synthesised data from 12 seed addition experiments in grassland communities to examine the influence of reducing seed dispersal limitation (from 1 to 60 species added across experiments) on species richness and productivity. For every 10 species of seed added, we found that species richness increased by about two species. However, the increase in species richness by overcoming seed limitation did not lead to a concomitant increase in above-ground biomass production. This highlights the need to consider the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in a pluralistic way that considers both the processes that shape diversity and productivity simultaneously in naturally assembled communities.

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“…The ongoing and increasing exploitation of terrestrial and marine resources, direct exploitation of organisms, as well as climate change, are reducing plant diversity (IPBES, 2019), which negatively impacts a diverse array of ecological functions that are critical for sustaining humanity (Cardinale et al., 2012). In terrestrial ecosystems, increased aboveground productivity with plant species diversity is accompanied by greater fine root biomass and productivity (Barry et al., 2020; Ma & Chen, 2016; Zhang et al., 2012). This suggests that plant species mixtures require additional soil resources (water and nutrients) and/or increased resource use efficiency to support higher above‐ and belowground productivity, in contrast to corresponding monocultures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global responses of fine root biomass and traits to plant species mixtures in terrestrial ecosystems

Peng

Chen

2020

Global Ecol. Biogeogr.

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Aim Fine root traits underpin terrestrial ecosystem functioning. Despite ongoing plant diversity loss due to anthropogenic activities, our understanding of the effects of plant diversity on fine root traits remains elusive. We addressed: (a) Do fine roots modify their traits in response to species mixtures? (b) Do these responses change with the species richness in mixtures, stand age, and soil depth? (c) Do plant‐mixture induced responses of root traits differ across terrestrial ecosystems? Location Global. Time period Publication years: 1985–2019. Major taxa studied Plants. Methods We conducted a global meta‐analysis of 852 paired observations from 103 published studies to assess the effects of species mixtures on fine root biomass and traits (including root/shoot ratio, community‐weighted mean rooting depth, root length density, specific root length, mean root diameter and root nitrogen content). Results We found that the effects of species mixtures were highly dependent on species richness in mixtures, stand age, and soil depth. The positive effects of species mixtures on root biomass increased with species richness, soil depth, and mean annual temperature. Species mixture effects on root length density shifted from negative to positive with increasing stand age and soil depth and with decreased temperatures. The effects of species mixtures on specific root length shifted from positive to negative with increasing species richness and soil depth, and from negative to positive with increasing stand age. Main conclusions Our meta‐analysis highlights that the community‐level consequences of changes in plant diversity on fine root traits are not consistent, and that predicting these consequences requires taking into account the extent of changes in plant species richness, stand age, soil depth investigated, background climates, and importantly, particular fine root traits.

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Limited evidence for spatial resource partitioning across temperate grassland biodiversity experiments

Cited by 51 publications

References 86 publications

Stress gradients and biodiversity: monoculture vulnerability drives stronger biodiversity effects during drought years

Stress gradients and biodiversity: monoculture vulnerability drives stronger biodiversity effects during drought years

Reducing dispersal limitation via seed addition increases species richness but not above‐ground biomass

Global responses of fine root biomass and traits to plant species mixtures in terrestrial ecosystems

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