Linking biodiversity to ecosystems: A task for plant community ecologists

Pillar, Valério D.; Chiarucci, Alessandro; Pärtel, Meelis; Chytrý, Milan

doi:10.1111/jvs.12587

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although taxonomic diversity may affect grassland recovery from changes in disturbance and environmental conditions (Isbell et al, 2015; Craven et al, 2016), such effects tend to be strongly associated with the selection of species by their functional traits, impacting functional diversity and ecosystem functioning (Ebeling et al, 2014; Fischer et al, 2016). How stable different systems are and how taxonomic and functional diversity can predict ecosystem recovery is still unclear (but see Eisenhauer et al, 2016; Pillar et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Functional and taxonomic alpha and beta diversity responses to burning grasslands in southern Brazil

Joner

Giehl

Pillar

2021

J Vegetation Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Questions Grasslands in subtropical Brazil are known as potentially fire‐prone ecosystems. Aiming to better understand the effects of fire on biodiversity, we addressed the following questions: does fire benefit all alpha and beta components of taxonomic and functional diversity in grasslands; which functional groups are affected; does diversity foster recovery of above‐ground biomass after fire? Location Campos grassland, southern Brazil Methods The effects of fire were investigated using a before/after control/impact experimental design. A randomized block design with seven replicates was set up, where a fire experiment was established after three years of both grazing and fire exclusion. Each block contained two paired 10 m × 10 m plots. We assessed plant species composition, plant functional trait composition, plant functional groups, and above‐ground biomass before and after fire in both burnt and control plots. Results Both taxonomic and functional alpha diversity increased in burnt plots and decreased in unburnt plots across time. Taxonomic species richness considering total species increased more than considering common species only. Functional beta diversity increased in burnt plots while taxonomic beta diversity stayed similar between treatments. Forb total cover increased after fire while graminoids and shrubs remained unchanged. Burnt plots with high initial functional richness presented greater biomass recovery, whereas species richness presented no relation with above‐ground biomass. Conclusions Fire increases species and functional richness in plots of subtropical Campos grasslands (alpha diversity component), and while it increases functional beta diversity, taxonomic beta diversity remained unchanged. Functional diversity is important for maintaining grassland biomass recovery after fire.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How stable different systems are and how taxonomic and functional diversity can predict ecosystem recovery is still unclear (but see Eisenhauer et al, 2016;Pillar et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional and taxonomic alpha and beta diversity responses to burning grasslands in southern Brazil

Joner

Giehl

Pillar

2021

J Vegetation Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The question of how biodiversity influences ecosystem functions, such as biomass production and biogeochemical cycling, has been discussed for decades (Cardinale et al, 2011; Hooper et al, 2005; Schulze & Mooney, 1993; Tilman et al, 1996; van der Plas, 2019). The biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) debate has become even more relevant recently, given that the ongoing global biodiversity crisis (Ceballos et al, 2015; Díaz et al, 2019; McGill et al, 2015) requires us to understand how changes in the diversity and composition of biological communities (especially plants) will affect ecosystem processes and services (Pillar et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) debate has become even more relevant recently, given that the ongoing global biodiversity crisis (Ceballos et al, 2015;Díaz et al, 2019;McGill et al, 2015) requires us to understand how changes in the diversity and composition of biological communities (especially plants) will affect ecosystem processes and services (Pillar et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traits of dominant plant species drive normalized difference vegetation index in grasslands globally

Engel

Bruelheide

Hoss

et al. 2023

Global Ecol Biogeogr

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim: Theoretical, experimental and observational studies have shown that biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships are influenced by functional community structure through two mutually non-exclusive mechanisms: (1) the dominance effect (which relates to the traits of the dominant species); and (2) the niche partitioning effect [which relates to functional diversity (FD)]. Although both mechanisms have been studied in plant communities and experiments at small spatial extents, it remains unclear whether evidence from small-extent case studies translates into a generalizable macroecological pattern. Here, we evaluate dominance and niche partitioning effects simultaneously in grassland systems world-wide.Location: Two thousand nine hundred and forty-one grassland plots globally.

show abstract

“…In the face of climate change, biodiversity may be an important driver of ecosystem stability (Eisenhauer et al 2016;Craven et al 2018;Pillar et al 2018), i.e., the resistance of a given ecosystem function to change and its resilience to recover from disturbances or climate extremes (Tilman & Downing 1994;Isbellet al 2015). Some studies have shown that plant biodiversity can provide resistance of primary productivity to climate extremes, but this relationship depends on the direction and intensity of the event (Isbellet al 2015;Fischer et al 2016;García-Palacios et al 2018;Mackie et al 2019;Biggs et al 2020;Valenciaet al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stabilizing effects of biodiversity on grassland productivity under climate anomalies depend on the communities' resource use strategy

Hoss

Richter

Vélez-Martin

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of climate changes on the stability of plant communities is a major concern, especially for the maintenance of ecosystem processes and services. Biodiversity may buffer communities from the effects of these disturbances, providing resistance and resilience. Here we assess the interplay between biodiversity facets on resistance and resilience of biomass productivity under anomalous dry and wet conditions in subtropical grasslands. Overall, high levels of taxonomic and functional biodiversity components, coupled to the community type derived from functional traits, positively affected the resistance under anomalous dry and wet conditions, whereas resilience was positively affected in the recovery from wet periods. We conclude that increased diversity of the plant communities can ensure ecosystem stability throughout the climatic anomalies, but this is contingent on the biodiversity component evaluated, the direction and intensity of the climatic anomaly, and the functional structure of the communities.

show abstract

Linking biodiversity to ecosystems: A task for plant community ecologists

Cited by 5 publications

References 13 publications

Functional and taxonomic alpha and beta diversity responses to burning grasslands in southern Brazil

Functional and taxonomic alpha and beta diversity responses to burning grasslands in southern Brazil

Traits of dominant plant species drive normalized difference vegetation index in grasslands globally

Stabilizing effects of biodiversity on grassland productivity under climate anomalies depend on the communities' resource use strategy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About