1
|
Zeng Y, Guo X, Lei J, Shi Y, Liu X, Dai T, Zhang Q, Gao Q, Chu H, Liu Y, Zhou J, Yang Y. Regional microbial biogeography linked to soil respiration. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 929:172263. [PMID: 38583623 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The relationships between α-diversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) have been extensively examined. However, it remains unknown how spatial heterogeneity of microbial community, i.e., microbial β-diversity within a region, shapes ecosystem functioning. Here, we examined microbial community compositions and soil respiration (Rs) along an elevation gradient of 853-4420 m a.s.l. in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, which is renowned as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. There were significant distance-decay relationships for both bacterial and fungal communities. Stochastic processes played a dominant role in shaping bacterial and fungal community compositions, while soil temperature was the most important environmental factor that affected microbial communities. We evaluated BEF relationships based on α-diversity measured by species richness and β-diversity measured by community dispersions, revealing significantly positive correlations between microbial β-diversities and Rs. These correlations became stronger with increasing sample size, differing from those between microbial α-diversities and Rs. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), we found that soil temperature, soil moisture, and total nitrogen were the most important edaphic properties in explaining Rs. Meanwhile, stochastic processes (e.g., homogenous dispersal and dispersal limitation) significantly mediated effects between microbial β-diversities and Rs. Microbial α-diversity poorly explained Rs, directly or indirectly. In a nutshell, we identified a previously unknown BEF relationship between microbial β-diversity and Rs. By complementing common practices to examine BEF with α-diversity, we demonstrate that a focus on β-diversity could be leveraged to explain Rs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yufei Zeng
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xue Guo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jiesi Lei
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yu Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Xu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Tianjiao Dai
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
| | - Qiuting Zhang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Institute for Environmental Genomics and Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Qun Gao
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Haiyan Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Yongqin Liu
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jizhong Zhou
- Institute for Environmental Genomics and Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA; School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA; Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Yunfeng Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liang M, Lamy T, Reuman DC, Wang S, Bell TW, Cavanaugh KC, Castorani MCN. A marine heatwave changes the stabilizing effects of biodiversity in kelp forests. Ecology 2024; 105:e4288. [PMID: 38522859 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Biodiversity can stabilize ecological communities through biological insurance, but climate and other environmental changes may disrupt this process via simultaneous ecosystem destabilization and biodiversity loss. While changes to diversity-stability relationships (DSRs) and the underlying mechanisms have been extensively explored in terrestrial plant communities, this topic remains largely unexplored in benthic marine ecosystems that comprise diverse assemblages of producers and consumers. By analyzing two decades of kelp forest biodiversity survey data, we discovered changes in diversity, stability, and their relationships at multiple scales (biological organizational levels, spatial scales, and functional groups) that were linked with the most severe marine heatwave ever documented in the North Pacific Ocean. Moreover, changes in the strength of DSRs during/after the heatwave were more apparent among functional groups than both biological organizational levels (population vs. ecosystem levels) and spatial scales (local vs. broad scales). Specifically, the strength of DSRs decreased for fishes, increased for mobile invertebrates and understory algae, and were unchanged for sessile invertebrates during/after the heatwave. Our findings suggest that biodiversity plays a key role in stabilizing marine ecosystems, but the resilience of DSRs to adverse climate impacts primarily depends on the functional identities of ecological communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maowei Liang
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, University of Minnesota, East Bethel, Minnesota, USA
| | - Thomas Lamy
- MARBEC, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Daniel C Reuman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Ecological Research, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Tom W Bell
- Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kyle C Cavanaugh
- Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Max C N Castorani
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhang S, Chen Y, Zhou X, Zhu B. Spatial patterns and drivers of ecosystem multifunctionality in China: Arid vs. humid regions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 920:170868. [PMID: 38367730 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) refers to an ecosystem's capacity to simultaneously uphold multiple ecological functions or services. In terrestrial ecosystems, the potential patterns and processes of EMF remain largely unexplored, limiting our comprehension of how ecosystems react to various driving factors. We collected environmental, soil and plant nutrient data, investigate the spatial distribution characteristics of EMF in China's terrestrial ecosystems, differentiating between arid and humid regions and examining the underlying drivers. Our findings reveal substantial spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of EMF across China's terrestrial ecosystems, with pronounced variations between arid and humid regions. In arid regions, the EMF index predominantly falls within the range of -1 to 1, including approximately 66.8 % of the total area, while in humid regions, the EMF index primarily falls within the range of 0 to 2, covering around 55.2 % of the total area. Climate, soil, and vegetation factors account for 61.4 % and 51.9 % of the total EMF variation in arid and humid regions, respectively. Notably, climate emerges as the dominant factor governing EMF variation in arid regions, whereas soil physicochemical properties take precedence in humid regions. Specifically, mean annual temperature (MAT) emerges as the primary factor influencing EMF variation in arid regions, while the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil biodiversity index (SBI) play pivotal roles in regulating EMF variation in humid regions. Indeed, climate can exert both direct and indirect influences on EMF. In summary, our study not only compared the disparities in the spatial distribution of EMF in arid and humid regions but also unveiled the distinct controlling factors that govern EMF changes in these different regions. Our research has contributed novel insights for evaluating the drivers responsible for mediating EMF in diverse ecosystems, shedding light on the adaptability and response mechanisms of ecosystems under varying environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shihang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yusen Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Xiaobing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Bo Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rouabah A, Lasserre-Joulin F, Plantureux S, Taugourdeau S, Amiaud B. Functional trait composition of carabid beetle communities predicts prey suppression through both mass ratio and niche complementarity mechanisms. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:562-574. [PMID: 37596960 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Several components of predator functional diversity have been hypothesized to influence prey suppression through either niche complementarity or mass ratio effects. Nevertheless, most studies have used a functional group approach when assessing the role of these predators in ecosystem functioning. By adopting a trait-based approach, we evaluated the relative contributions of carabid diversity components in predicting prey suppression. Our results highlight the importance of both taxonomic and functional diversity components of carabids as key drivers of prey suppression. Prey suppression was best predicted by carabid densities, with the dominance of Poecilus cupreus potentially driving the positive effect of community total abundance through the mass ratio effect. Prey suppression increased with increasing the density of large carabids. In addition, carabid eye diameter and antennal length were key functional traits for predicting prey suppression. Furthermore, prey suppression increased with increasing carabid functional richness following the niche complementarity effect. In contrast to functional richness, functional evenness and functional divergence of carabid communities were weakly correlated with prey suppression. By identifying which diversity components of carabid communities contribute the most to increase prey suppression, our results can guide efforts aiming to predict the relationship between diversity of these predators and ecosystem functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Simon Taugourdeau
- UMR SELMET, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, 34000, France
- CIRAD, UMR SELMET-PPZS, Dakar, Sénégal
| | - Bernard Amiaud
- UMR Silva, Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, 54506, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Luo Q, Li S, Kinouchi T, Wu N, Fu X, Ling C, Cai Q, Chiu MC, Resh VH. Existing levels of biodiversity and river location may determine changes from small hydropower developments. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 357:120697. [PMID: 38565031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Global ecosystems are facing anthropogenic threats that affect their ecological functions and biodiversity. However, we still lack an understanding of how biodiversity can mediate the responses of ecosystems or communities to human disturbance across spatial gradients. Here, we examined how existing, spatial patterns of biodiversity influence the ecological effects of small hydropower plants (SHPs) on macroinvertebrates in river ecosystems. This study found that levels of biodiversity (e.g., number of species) can influence the degrees of its alterations by SHPs occurring along elevational gradients. The results of the study reveal that the construction of SHPs has various effects on biodiversity. For example, low-altitude areas with low biodiversity (species richness less than 12) showed a small increase in biodiversity compared to high-altitude areas (species richness more than 12) under SHP disturbances. The increases in the effective habitat area of the river segment could be a driver of the enhanced biodiversity in response to SHP effects. Changes in the numerically dominant species contributed to the overall level of community variation from disturbances. Location-specific strategies may mitigate the effects of SHPs and perhaps other disturbances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingyi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430061, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100084, China; Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
| | - Shuyin Li
- Yangtze River Basin Ecological Environment Monitoring and Scientific Research Center, Yangtze River Basin Ecological Environment Supervision and Administration Bureau, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Wuhan, 430010, China; Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
| | - Tsuyoshi Kinouchi
- Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
| | - Naicheng Wu
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
| | - Xiaocheng Fu
- Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute Co., LTD., Shanghai, 200233, China.
| | - Chang Ling
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430061, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Qinghua Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430061, China.
| | - Ming-Chih Chiu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430061, China.
| | - Vincent H Resh
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, 94720, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wei F, Xie T, Su C, He B, Shu Z, Zhang Y, Xiao Z, Hao J. Stability and Assembly Mechanisms of Butterfly Communities across Environmental Gradients of a Subtropical Mountain. INSECTS 2024; 15:230. [PMID: 38667360 PMCID: PMC11050375 DOI: 10.3390/insects15040230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Mountain ecosystems harbor evolutionarily unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity, particularly in insects. In this study, we characterized the diversity, community stability, and assembly mechanisms of butterflies on a subtropical mountain in the Chebaling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, China, using grid-based monitoring across the entire region for two years. The results showed that species richness, abundance, and Faith's phylogenetic diversity decreased with increasing elevation; taxonomic diversity played a considerable role in mediating the effects of environmental changes on stability. Moreover, our results showed that stochastic processes are dominant in governing the assembly of butterfly communities across all elevational gradients, with habitats at an elevation of 416-580 m subjected to the strongest stochastic processes, whereas heterogeneous selection processes displayed stronger effects on the assembly of butterfly communities at 744-908 m, 580-744 m, and 908-1072 m, with abiotic factors inferred as the main driving forces. In addition, significant differences were detected between the barcode tree and the placement tree for the calculated β-NTI values at 416-580 m. Overall, this study provides new insights into the effects of environmental change on the stability and assembly of butterflies in Chebaling, which will be beneficial for biodiversity conservation and policy development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fanyu Wei
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China; (F.W.); (T.X.); (C.S.); (B.H.)
| | - Tingting Xie
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China; (F.W.); (T.X.); (C.S.); (B.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Zoological and Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Chengyong Su
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China; (F.W.); (T.X.); (C.S.); (B.H.)
| | - Bo He
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China; (F.W.); (T.X.); (C.S.); (B.H.)
| | - Zufei Shu
- Guangdong Chebaling National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau, Shaoguan 512500, China; (Z.S.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Yingming Zhang
- Guangdong Chebaling National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau, Shaoguan 512500, China; (Z.S.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Zhishu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Jiasheng Hao
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China; (F.W.); (T.X.); (C.S.); (B.H.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Raza W, Jiang G, Eisenhauer N, Huang Y, Wei Z, Shen Q, Kowalchuk GA, Jousset A. Microbe-induced phenotypic variation leads to overyielding in clonal plant populations. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:392-399. [PMID: 38195997 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02297-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Overyielding, the high productivity of multispecies plant communities, is commonly seen as the result of plant genetic diversity. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships can emerge in clonal plant populations through interaction with microorganisms. Using a model clonal plant species, we found that exposure to volatiles of certain microorganisms led to divergent plant phenotypes. Assembling communities out of plants associated with different microorganisms led to transgressive overyielding in both biomass and seed yield. Our results highlight the importance of belowground microbial diversity in plant biodiversity research and open new avenues for precision ecosystem management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Waseem Raza
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Institute for Environmental Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Gaofei Jiang
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Yishuo Huang
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhong Wei
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Qirong Shen
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - George A Kowalchuk
- Institute for Environmental Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Alexandre Jousset
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Schnabel F, Barry KE, Eckhardt S, Guillemot J, Geilmann H, Kahl A, Moossen H, Bauhus J, Wirth C. Neighbourhood species richness and drought-tolerance traits modulate tree growth and δ 13 C responses to drought. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2024; 26:330-345. [PMID: 38196270 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Mixed-species forests are promoted as a forest management strategy for climate change adaptation, but whether they are more resistant to drought than monospecific forests remains contested. In particular, the trait-based mechanisms driving the role of tree diversity under drought remain elusive. Using tree cores from a large-scale biodiversity experiment, we investigated tree growth and physiological stress responses (i.e. increase in wood carbon isotopic ratio; δ13 C) to changes in climate-induced water availability (wet to dry years) along gradients in neighbourhood tree species richness and drought-tolerance traits. We hypothesized that neighbourhood species richness increases growth and decreases δ13 C and that these relationships are modulated by the abiotic (i.e. climatic conditions) and the biotic context. We characterised the biotic context using drought-tolerance traits of focal trees and their neighbours. These traits are related to cavitation resistance versus resource acquisition and stomatal control. Tree growth increased with neighbourhood species richness. However, we did not observe a universal relief of water stress in species-rich neighbourhoods. The effects of neighbourhood species richness and climate on growth and δ13 C were modulated by the traits of focal trees and the traits of their neighbours. At either end of each drought-tolerance gradient, species responded in opposing directions during dry and wet years. We show that species' drought-tolerance traits can explain the strength and nature of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in experimental tree communities experiencing drought. Mixing tree species can increase growth but may not universally relieve drought stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Schnabel
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - K E Barry
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Ecology and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - S Eckhardt
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - J Guillemot
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, Piracicaba, Brazil
- Eco&Sols, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Campus SupAgro, Montpellier, France
- Department of Forest Sciences, ESALQ, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil
| | - H Geilmann
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - A Kahl
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - H Moossen
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - J Bauhus
- Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - C Wirth
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Wu A, Xiong X, Zhou G, Barmon M, Li A, Tang X, Liu J, Zhang Q, Liu S, Chu G, Zhang D. Climate change-related biodiversity fluctuations and composition changes in an old-growth subtropical forest: A 26-yr study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169899. [PMID: 38184245 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
The detection and attribution of biodiversity change is of great scientific interest and central to policy effects aimed at meeting biodiversity targets. Yet, how such a diverse climate scenarios influence forest biodiversity and composition dynamics remains unclear, particularly in high diversity systems of subtropical forests. Here we used data collected from the permanent sample plot spanning 26 years in an old-growth subtropical forest. Combining various climatic events (extreme drought, subsequent drought, warming, and windstorm), we analyzed long-term dynamics in multiple metrics: richness, turnover, density, abundance, reordering and stability. We did not observe consistent and directional trends in species richness under various climatic scenarios. Still, drought and windstorm events either reduced species gains or increased species loss, ultimately increased species turnover. Tree density increased significantly over time as a result of rapid increase in smaller individuals due to mortality in larger trees. Climate events caused rapid changes in dominant populations due to a handful of species undergoing strong increases or declines in abundance over time simultaneously. Species abundance composition underwent significant changes, particularly in the presence of drought and windstorm events. High variance ratio and species synchrony weaken community stability under various climate stress. Our study demonstrates that all processes underlying forest community composition changes often occur simultaneously and are equally affected by climate events, necessitating a holistic approach to quantifying community changes. By recognizing the interconnected nature of these processes, future research should accelerate comprehensive understanding and predicting of how forest vegetation responds to global climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anchi Wu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Biologic Resources Protection and Utilization, Hubei Minzu University, Enshi 445000, China; Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Xin Xiong
- Lushan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang 332900, China; Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Guoyi Zhou
- Institute of Ecology, School of Applied Meteorology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
| | - Milon Barmon
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States; Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - Andi Li
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Xuli Tang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Juxiu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Qianmei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Shizhong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Guowei Chu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Deqiang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystem, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Shi X, Eisenhauer N, Peñuelas J, Fu Y, Wang J, Chen Y, Liu S, He L, Lucas-Borja ME, Wang L, Huang Z. Trophic interactions in soil micro-food webs drive ecosystem multifunctionality along tree species richness. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17234. [PMID: 38469998 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Rapid biodiversity losses under global climate change threaten forest ecosystem functions. However, our understanding of the patterns and drivers of multiple ecosystem functions across biodiversity gradients remains equivocal. To address this important knowledge gap, we measured simultaneous responses of multiple ecosystem functions (nutrient cycling, soil carbon stocks, organic matter decomposition, plant productivity) to a tree species richness gradient of 1, 4, 8, 16, and 32 species in a young subtropical forest. We found that tree species richness had negligible effects on nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and plant productivity, but soil carbon stocks and ecosystem multifunctionality significantly increased with tree species richness. Linear mixed-effect models showed that soil organisms, particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and soil nematodes, elicited the greatest relative effects on ecosystem multifunctionality. Structural equation models revealed indirect effects of tree species richness on ecosystem multifunctionality mediated by trophic interactions in soil micro-food webs. Specifically, we found a significant negative effect of gram-positive bacteria on soil nematode abundance (a top-down effect), and a significant positive effect of AMF biomass on soil nematode abundance (a bottom-up effect). Overall, our study emphasizes the significance of a multitrophic perspective in elucidating biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships and highlights the conservation of functioning soil micro-food webs to maintain multiple ecosystem functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuzhen Shi
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Resources and Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CREAF, Centre de Recerca Ecològicai Aplicacions Forestals, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Yanrong Fu
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Resources and Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jianqing Wang
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Resources and Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yuxin Chen
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Shengen Liu
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Lulu He
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Resources and Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja
- Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, Castilla-La Mancha University, Albacete, Spain
| | - Liyan Wang
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Resources and Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhiqun Huang
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Resources and Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Muvengwi J, Ndagurwa HGT, Witkowski ETF, Mbiba M. Woody species composition, diversity, and ecosystem services of yards along an urban socioeconomic gradient. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168976. [PMID: 38036145 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Woody plants offer a wide range of valuable ecosystem services, but their distribution across socioeconomic gradients in urban landscapes remains poorly understood. Thus, we explored the effect of socioeconomic and legacy factors on plant species richness and phylogenetic diversity, and the motivations for growing and keeping certain species. We sampled a total of 300 households across a socioeconomic gradient in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe, in high-, medium- and low-density areas, representing low to high wealth strata. Trees were mostly grown for ornamental purpose in the rich (low-density) suburbs and utilitarian purposes in the poorer medium to high-density areas. However, trees were also grown with similar proportion for shade across the socioeconomic gradient. Proportion of medicinal and fruit trees increased with household density, while wind break trees were more common in low-density suburbs. Exotic species exhibited greater species richness compared with indigenous species, with both combined and separate assessments of indigenous and exotic species richness revealing a significant positive association with socioeconomic and legacy factors. The composition of species displayed considerable variation along the socioeconomic gradient. Notably, in low-density environments, exotic species maintained elevated phylogenetic diversity in comparison to indigenous species. This distinction was particularly pronounced when analysed independently, revealing a significant positive correlation between exotic species richness and both property value and education level. Our study shows that residents filter specific plant species based on their socioeconomic status and that, relative to low-income households, the rich homeowners have unintentionally incorporated enough exotic species to produce novel phylogenetic diversity of woody plants in their yards. Thus, we confirm the existence of a socioeconomic gradient in terms of species richness, composition, and phylogenetic diversity. However, the imbalance in species richness and phylogenetic diversity across the socioeconomic gradient can be reduced by increased tree planting in open areas, including along streets in medium to high-density areas to improve ecosystem services.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justice Muvengwi
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa.
| | - Hilton G T Ndagurwa
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa; Department of Geospatial Science, Faculty of Environmental Science, National University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box AC 939, Ascot, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
| | - Ed T F Witkowski
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Monicah Mbiba
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lv P, Sun S, Li Y, Zhao S, Zhang J, Hu Y, Yue P, Zuo X. Growing-season drought and nitrogen addition interactively impair grassland ecosystem stability by reducing species diversity, asynchrony, and stability. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169122. [PMID: 38065502 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Aboveground net primary productivity controls the amount of energy available to sustain all living organisms, and its sustainable provision relies on the stability of grassland ecosystems. Human activities leading to global changes, such as increased nitrogen (N) deposition and the more frequent occurrence of extreme precipitation events, with N addition increasing the sensitivity of ecosystem production stability to changes in the precipitation regime. However, whether N addition, in combination with seasonal precipitation increases or severe drought, affects ecosystem stability remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a six-year environmental change monitoring experiment in a semiarid grassland in northern China to test the effects of N addition, seasonal drought, and precipitation increases on the temporal stability of ecosystem productivity. Our study revealed that an interaction between drought and N addition reduced species diversity, species asynchrony, species stability, and thus ecosystem stability. These environmental change drivers (except for precipitation increase) induced a positive relationship between species asynchrony and diversity, whereas N addition interactively with drought and precipitation increase led to a negative relationship between diversity and species stability. Only N addition interactively with drought induced a positive species diversity-ecosystem stability relationship because lower species stability was overcome by increased species asynchrony. Our study is great importance to illustrate that production temporal stability tends to be inhibited with drought, though interactively with nutrient N addition. These findings highlight the primary role of asynchronous dynamics among species in modulating the effects of environmental change on diversity-stability relationships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Lv
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shanshan Sun
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuqiang Li
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shenglong Zhao
- College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741000, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Information Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ya Hu
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ping Yue
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaoan Zuo
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Neyret M, Le Provost G, Boesing AL, Schneider FD, Baulechner D, Bergmann J, de Vries FT, Fiore-Donno AM, Geisen S, Goldmann K, Merges A, Saifutdinov RA, Simons NK, Tobias JA, Zaitsev AS, Gossner MM, Jung K, Kandeler E, Krauss J, Penone C, Schloter M, Schulz S, Staab M, Wolters V, Apostolakis A, Birkhofer K, Boch S, Boeddinghaus RS, Bolliger R, Bonkowski M, Buscot F, Dumack K, Fischer M, Gan HY, Heinze J, Hölzel N, John K, Klaus VH, Kleinebecker T, Marhan S, Müller J, Renner SC, Rillig MC, Schenk NV, Schöning I, Schrumpf M, Seibold S, Socher SA, Solly EF, Teuscher M, van Kleunen M, Wubet T, Manning P. A slow-fast trait continuum at the whole community level in relation to land-use intensification. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1251. [PMID: 38341437 PMCID: PMC10858939 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45113-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Organismal functional strategies form a continuum from slow- to fast-growing organisms, in response to common drivers such as resource availability and disturbance. However, whether there is synchronisation of these strategies at the entire community level is unclear. Here, we combine trait data for >2800 above- and belowground taxa from 14 trophic guilds spanning a disturbance and resource availability gradient in German grasslands. The results indicate that most guilds consistently respond to these drivers through both direct and trophically mediated effects, resulting in a 'slow-fast' axis at the level of the entire community. Using 15 indicators of carbon and nutrient fluxes, biomass production and decomposition, we also show that fast trait communities are associated with faster rates of ecosystem functioning. These findings demonstrate that 'slow' and 'fast' strategies can be manifested at the level of whole communities, opening new avenues of ecosystem-level functional classification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margot Neyret
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine, Université Grenoble Alpes - CNRS - Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Grenoble, France.
| | | | | | - Florian D Schneider
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
- ISOE - Institute for social-ecological research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dennis Baulechner
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
| | - Joana Bergmann
- Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Franciska T de Vries
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Stefan Geisen
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kezia Goldmann
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Soil Ecology Department, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Anna Merges
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ruslan A Saifutdinov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nadja K Simons
- Ecological Networks, Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- Applied Biodiversity Sciences, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Andrey S Zaitsev
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Senckenberg Museum for Natural History Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany
| | - Martin M Gossner
- Forest Entomology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kirsten Jung
- Institut of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ellen Kandeler
- Department of Soil Biology, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jochen Krauss
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Caterina Penone
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Schloter
- Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Research Unit for Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Oberschleissheim, Germany
- Chair of Environmental Microbiology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schulz
- Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Research Unit for Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- Ecological Networks, Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Volkmar Wolters
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
| | - Antonios Apostolakis
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Klaus Birkhofer
- Department of Ecology, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Cottbus, Germany
| | - Steffen Boch
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Runa S Boeddinghaus
- Department of Soil Biology, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
- Department Plant Production and Production Related Environmental Protection, Center for Agricultural Technology Augustenberg (LTZ), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Ralph Bolliger
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Bonkowski
- Terrestrial Ecology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - François Buscot
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Soil Ecology Department, Halle/Saale, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena-, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kenneth Dumack
- Terrestrial Ecology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Huei Ying Gan
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironments Tübingen (SHEP), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Johannes Heinze
- Department of Biodiversity, Heinz Sielmann Foundation, Wustermark, Germany
| | - Norbert Hölzel
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina John
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
| | - Valentin H Klaus
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Forage Production and Grassland Systems, Agroscope, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Till Kleinebecker
- Institute for Landscape Ecology and Resources Management (ILR), Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition (iFZ), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sven Marhan
- Department of Soil Biology, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jörg Müller
- Department of Nature Conservation, Heinz Sielmann Foundation, Wustermark, Germany
| | - Swen C Renner
- Ornithology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Autria, Germany
| | | | - Noëlle V Schenk
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ingo Schöning
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Marion Schrumpf
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Sebastian Seibold
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Freising, Germany
- TUD Dresden University of Technology, Forest Zoology, Tharandt, Germany
| | - Stephanie A Socher
- Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Department Environment and Biodiversity, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Emily F Solly
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Computation Hydrosystems Department, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Miriam Teuscher
- University of Göttingen, Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark van Kleunen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
- Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Tesfaye Wubet
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena-, Leipzig, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Community Ecology Department, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Peter Manning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Wang X, Wang Z, Miao H, Zhang C, Zou H, Yang Y, Zhang Z, Liu J. Appropriate livestock grazing alleviates the loss of plant diversity and maintains community resistance in alpine meadows. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:119850. [PMID: 38141346 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Alpine meadows constitute one of the major ecosystems on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with livestock grazing exerting a considerable impact on their biodiversity. However, the degree to which plant diversity influences community stability under different grazing intensities remains unclear in this region. This study conducted controlled grazing experiments across four levels of grazing intensity (no-, low-, medium-, and high-grazing) based on herbage utilization rate to assess the influence of grazing intensities on plant community structure and diversity-stability relationships. We discovered that high-grazing reduced plant diversity and attenuated the temporal stability and resistance of above-ground biomass. No- and low-grazing could alleviate plant biomass loss, with community resistance being optimal under low-grazing. The direct effects of livestock grazing on temporal stability were found to be negligible. Plant characteristics and diversity accounted for a substantial proportion of livestock grazing effects on community resistance (R2 = 0.46), as revealed by piecewise structural equation model analysis. The presence of plant diversity enhances the resistance of alpine meadows against disturbance and accelerates the recovery after grazing. Our results suggest that low-grazing intensity may represent a judicious option for preserving species diversity and community stability on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Zaiwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Haitao Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Chunping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Hao Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Yunfeng Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Zhenghua Zhang
- Qinghai Haibei National Field Research Station of Alpine Grassland Ecosystem and Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810008, China
| | - Jie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Robroek BJM, Devilee G, Telgenkamp Y, Härlin C, Steele MN, Barel JM, Lamers LPM. More is not always better: peat moss mixtures slightly enhance peatland stability. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232622. [PMID: 38196366 PMCID: PMC10777156 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial wetland ecosystems challenge biodiversity-ecosystem function theory, which generally links high species diversity to stable ecosystem functions. An open question in ecosystem ecology is whether assemblages of co-occurring peat mosses contribute to the stability of peatland ecosystem processes. We conducted a two-species (Sphagnum cuspidatum, Sphagnum medium) replacement series mesocosm experiment to evaluate the resistance, resilience, and recovery rates of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) under mild and deep water table drawdown. Our results show a positive effect of mild water table drawdown on NEE with no apparent role for peat moss mixture. Our study indicates that the carbon uptake capacity by peat moss mixtures is rather resilient to mild water table drawdown, but seriously affected by deeper drought conditions. Co-occurring peat moss species seem to enhance the resilience of the carbon uptake function (i.e. ability of NEE to return to pre-perturbation levels) of peat moss mixtures only slightly. These findings suggest that assemblages of co-occurring Sphagnum mosses do only marginally contribute to the stability of ecosystem functions in peatlands under drought conditions. Above all, our results highlight that predicted severe droughts can gravely affect the sink capacity of peatlands, with only a small extenuating role for peat moss mixtures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bjorn J. M. Robroek
- Department of Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Giulia Devilee
- Department of Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED-ELD), University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yvet Telgenkamp
- Department of Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Carina Härlin
- Länsstyrelsen i Jönköpings län, Store Mosse Nationalpark, 335 74 Hillerstorp, Sweden
| | - Magdalena N. Steele
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Janna M. Barel
- Department of Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Leon P. M. Lamers
- Department of Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Ma F, Yan Y, Svenning JC, Quan Q, Peng J, Zhang R, Wang J, Tian D, Zhou Q, Niu S. Opposing effects of warming on the stability of above- and belowground productivity in facing an extreme drought event. Ecology 2024; 105:e4193. [PMID: 37882140 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming, often accompanied by extreme drought events, could have profound effects on both plant community structure and ecosystem functioning. However, how warming interacts with extreme drought to affect community- and ecosystem-level stability remains a largely open question. Using data from a manipulative experiment with three warming treatments in an alpine meadow that experienced one extreme drought event, we investigated how warming modulates resistance and recovery of community structural and ecosystem functional stability in facing with extreme drought. We found warming decreased resistance and recovery of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and structural resistance but increased resistance and recovery of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP), overall net primary productivity (NPP), and structural recovery. The findings highlight the importance of jointly considering above- and belowground processes when evaluating ecosystem stability under global warming and extreme climate events. The stability of dominant species, rather than species richness and species asynchrony, was identified as a key predictor of ecosystem functional resistance and recovery, except for BNPP recovery. In addition, structural resistance of common species contributed strongly to the resistance changes in BNPP and NPP. Importantly, community structural resistance and recovery dominated the resistance and recovery of BNPP and NPP, but not for ANPP, suggesting the different mechanisms underlie the maintenance of stability of above- versus belowground productivity. This study is among the first to explain that warming modulates ecosystem stability in the face of extreme drought and lay stress on the need to investigate ecological stability at the community level for a more mechanistic understanding of ecosystem stability in response to climate extremes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yingjie Yan
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Quan Quan
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinlong Peng
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ruiyang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinsong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dashuan Tian
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qingping Zhou
- Institute of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu, China
| | - Shuli Niu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Suonan J, Lu X, Li X, Hautier Y, Wang C. Nitrogen addition strengthens the stabilizing effect of biodiversity on productivity by increasing plant trait diversity and species asynchrony in the artificial grassland communities. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1301461. [PMID: 38053765 PMCID: PMC10694273 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1301461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Background and aims Nitrogen (N) enrichment usually weakens the stabilizing effect of biodiversity on productivity. However, previous studies focused on plant species richness and thus largely ignored the potential contributions of plant functional traits to stability, even though evidence is increasing that functional traits are stronger predictors than species richness of ecosystem functions. Methods We conducted a common garden experiment manipulating plant species richness and N addition levels to quantify effects of N addition on relations between species richness and functional trait identity and diversity underpinning the 'fast-slow' economics spectrum and community stability. Results Nitrogen addition had a minor effect on community stability but increased the positive effects of species richness on community stability. Increasing community stability was found in the species-rich communities dominated by fast species due to substantially increasing temporal mean productivity relative to its standard deviation. Furthermore, enhancement in 'fast-slow' functional diversity in species-rich communities dominated by fast species under N addition increased species asynchrony, resulting in a robust biodiversity-stability relationship under N addition the artificial grassland communities. Conclusion The findings demonstrate mechanistic links between plant species richness, 'fast-slow' functional traits, and community stability under N addition, suggesting that dynamics of biodiversity-stability relations under global changes are the results of species-specific responses of 'fast-slow' traits on the plant economics spectrum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji Suonan
- College of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Xuwei Lu
- College of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Xiaona Li
- Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Chao Wang
- Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Zhao Y, Liu X, Wang J, Nie Y, Huang M, Zhang L, Xiao Y, Zhang Z, Zhou S. Fungal pathogens increase community temporal stability through species asynchrony regardless of nutrient fertilization. Ecology 2023; 104:e4166. [PMID: 37671835 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Natural enemies and their interaction with host nutrient availability influence plant population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem functions. However, the way in which these factors influence patterns of community stability, as well as the direct and indirect processes underlying that stability, remains unclear. Here, we investigated the separate and interactive roles of fungal/oomycete pathogens and nutrient fertilization on the temporal stability of community biomass and the potential mechanisms using a factorial experiment in an alpine meadow. We found that fungal pathogen exclusion reduced community temporal stability mainly through decreasing species asynchrony, while fertilization tended to reduce community temporal stability by decreasing species stability. However, there was no interaction between pathogen exclusion and nutrient fertilization. These effects were largely due to the direct effects of the treatments on plant biomass and not due to indirect effects mediated through plant diversity. Our findings highlight the need for a multitrophic perspective in field studies examining ecosystem stability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yimin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jianbin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yu Nie
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Mengjiao Huang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yao Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhenhua Zhang
- Qinghai Haibei National Field Research Station of Alpine Grassland Ecosystem, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Shurong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
She Y, Li X, Li C, Yang P, Song Z, Zhang J. Relationship between Species Diversity and Community Stability in Degraded Alpine Meadows during Bare Patch Succession. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3582. [PMID: 37896045 PMCID: PMC10610337 DOI: 10.3390/plants12203582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Plant diversity plays an important role in maintaining the stability of ecosystem functioning. Based on field surveys and indoor analyses, this study investigated the relationship between species diversity and community stability at different stages of bare patch succession in degraded alpine meadow ecosystems. Results show that: (1) Using the ICV (the Inverse of the Coefficient of Variation) method to analyze changes in plant community stability, community stability was generally ranked as follows: Long-term recovered patches > Healthy alpine meadow > Degraded alpine meadow > Short-term recovered patch > Bare Patches. (2) Using factor analysis to construct an evaluation system, the stability ranking based on species diversity was as follows: Healthy alpine meadow > Long-term recovered patches > Degraded alpine meadow > Short-term recovered patches > Bare Patches. (3) The community stability index was significantly positively correlated with vegetation coverage, height, biomass, species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, species evenness, and Simpson's diversity index (p < 0.05). Therefore, a positive correlation exists between plant diversity and community stability, such that plant communities with a higher species diversity tend to be more stable. To maintain the plant diversity and community stability of alpine meadow ecosystems, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of grassland plant composition and community structure, as well as their influencing factors, and promote the positive succession process of grasslands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Xilai Li
- College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China; (Y.S.); (C.L.); (P.Y.); (Z.S.); (J.Z.)
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Meng Y, Li SP, Wang S, Meiners SJ, Jiang L. Scale-dependent changes in ecosystem temporal stability over six decades of succession. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi1279. [PMID: 37801504 PMCID: PMC10558118 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi1279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
A widely assumed, but largely untested, tenet in ecology is that ecosystem stability tends to increase over succession. We rigorously test this idea using 60-year continuous data of old field succession across 480 plots nested within 10 fields. We found that ecosystem temporal stability increased over succession at the larger field scale (γ stability) but not at the local plot scale (α stability). Increased spatial asynchrony among plots within fields increased γ stability, while temporal increases in species stability and decreases in species asynchrony offset each other, resulting in no increase in α stability at the local scale. Furthermore, we found a notable positive diversity-stability relationship at the larger but not local scale, with the increased γ stability at the larger scale associated with increasing functional diversity later in succession. Our results emphasize the importance of spatial scale in assessing ecosystem stability over time and how it relates to biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yani Meng
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Shao-peng Li
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Scott J. Meiners
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, 61920, USA
| | - Lin Jiang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Wisnoski NI, Andrade R, Castorani MCN, Catano CP, Compagnoni A, Lamy T, Lany NK, Marazzi L, Record S, Smith AC, Swan CM, Tonkin JD, Voelker NM, Zarnetske PL, Sokol ER. Diversity-stability relationships across organism groups and ecosystem types become decoupled across spatial scales. Ecology 2023; 104:e4136. [PMID: 37401548 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between biodiversity and stability, or its inverse, temporal variability, is multidimensional and complex. Temporal variability in aggregate properties, like total biomass or abundance, is typically lower in communities with higher species diversity (i.e., the diversity-stability relationship [DSR]). At broader spatial extents, regional-scale aggregate variability is also lower with higher regional diversity (in plant systems) and with lower spatial synchrony. However, focusing exclusively on aggregate properties of communities may overlook potentially destabilizing compositional shifts. It is not yet clear how diversity is related to different components of variability across spatial scales, nor whether regional DSRs emerge across a broad range of organisms and ecosystem types. To test these questions, we compiled a large collection of long-term metacommunity data spanning a wide range of taxonomic groups (e.g., birds, fish, plants, invertebrates) and ecosystem types (e.g., deserts, forests, oceans). We applied a newly developed quantitative framework for jointly analyzing aggregate and compositional variability across scales. We quantified DSRs for composition and aggregate variability in local communities and metacommunities. At the local scale, more diverse communities were less variable, but this effect was stronger for aggregate than compositional properties. We found no stabilizing effect of γ-diversity on metacommunity variability, but β-diversity played a strong role in reducing compositional spatial synchrony, which reduced regional variability. Spatial synchrony differed among taxa, suggesting differences in stabilization by spatial processes. However, metacommunity variability was more strongly driven by local variability than by spatial synchrony. Across a broader range of taxa, our results suggest that high γ-diversity does not consistently stabilize aggregate properties at regional scales without sufficient spatial β-diversity to reduce spatial synchrony.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan I Wisnoski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
- Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Riley Andrade
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Max C N Castorani
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Christopher P Catano
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Aldo Compagnoni
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Lamy
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- MARBEC, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Nina K Lany
- Northern Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Durham, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Luca Marazzi
- Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA
- Thames21, London, UK
| | - Sydne Record
- Department of Biology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Annie C Smith
- Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, Washington, USA
| | - Christopher M Swan
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonathan D Tonkin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Te Pūnaha Matatini Centre of Research Excellence, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Bioprotection Aotearoa Centre of Research Excellence, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Nicole M Voelker
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Phoebe L Zarnetske
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Eric R Sokol
- National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Funk JL, Kimball S, Nguyen MA, Lulow M, Vose GE. Interacting ecological filters influence success and functional composition in restored plant communities over time. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2899. [PMID: 37335271 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
A trait-based community assembly framework has great potential to direct ecological restoration, but uncertainty over how traits and environmental factors interact to influence community composition over time limits the widespread application of this approach. In this study, we examined how the composition of seed mixes and environment (north- vs. south-facing slope aspect) influence functional composition and native plant cover over time in restored grassland and shrubland communities. Variation in native cover over 4 years was primarily driven by species mix, slope aspect, and a species mix by year interaction rather than an interaction between species mix and slope aspect as predicted. Although native cover was higher on wetter, north-facing slopes for most of the study, south-facing slopes achieved a similar cover (65%-70%) by year 4. While community-weighted mean (CWM) values generally became more resource conservative over time, we found shifts in particular traits across community types and habitats. For example, CWM for specific leaf area increased over time in grassland mixes. Belowground, CWM for root mass fraction increased while CWM for specific root length decreased across all seed mixes. Multivariate functional dispersion remained high in shrub-containing mixes throughout the study, which could enhance invasion resistance and recovery following disturbance. Functional diversity and species richness were initially higher in drier, south-facing slopes compared to north-facing slopes, but these metrics were similar across north- and south-facing slopes by the end of the 4-year study. Our finding that different combinations of traits were favored in south- and north-facing slopes and over time demonstrates that trait-based approaches can be used to identify good restoration candidate species and, ultimately, enhance native plant cover across community types and microhabitat. Changing the composition of planting mixes based on traits could be a useful strategy for restoration practitioners to match species to specific environmental conditions and may be more informative than using seed mixes based on growth form, as species within functional groups can vary tremendously in leaf and root traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Funk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sarah Kimball
- Center for Environmental Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Monica A Nguyen
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
| | - Megan Lulow
- UCI Nature, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Gregory E Vose
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Eisenhauer N, Angst G, Asato AEB, Beugnon R, Bönisch E, Cesarz S, Dietrich P, Jurburg SD, Madaj AM, Reuben RC, Ristok C, Sünnemann M, Yi H, Guerra CA, Hines J. The heterogeneity-diversity-system performance nexus. Natl Sci Rev 2023; 10:nwad109. [PMID: 37575691 PMCID: PMC10423029 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ever-growing human population and nutritional demands, supply chain disruptions, and advancing climate change have led to the realization that changes in diversity and system performance are intimately linked. Moreover, diversity and system performance depend on heterogeneity. Mitigating changes in system performance and promoting sustainable living conditions requires transformative decisions. Here, we introduce the heterogeneity-diversity-system performance (HDP) nexus as the conceptual basis upon which to formulate transformative decisions. We suggest that managing the heterogeneity of systems will best allow diversity to provide multiple benefits to people. Based on ecological theory, we pose that the HDP nexus is broadly applicable across systems, disciplines, and sectors, and should thus be considered in future decision making as a way to have a more sustainable global future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Gerrit Angst
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
- Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Sádkách 7, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ana E B Asato
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Rémy Beugnon
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Leipzig Institute for Meteorology, Universität Leipzig, Stephanstraße 3, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919, route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
| | - Elisabeth Bönisch
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Simone Cesarz
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Peter Dietrich
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Stephanie D Jurburg
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - Anna-Maria Madaj
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Rine C Reuben
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Christian Ristok
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Marie Sünnemann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Huimin Yi
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Carlos A Guerra
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| | - Jes Hines
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig 04103Germany
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Du C, Guo W, Li G, Bai M, Zhu Q, Tian Z, Li M, Zhao C, Zhang L. Biomanipulation as a strategy for minimizing ecological risks in river supplied with reclaimed water. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 228:115801. [PMID: 37011791 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Reclaimed water is an effective method for addressing water pollution and shortages. However, its use may contribute to the collapse of receiving water (algal blooms and eutrophication) owing to its unique characteristics. A three-year biomanipulation project was conducted in Beijing to investigate the structural changes, stability, and potential risks to aquatic ecosystems associated with the reuse of reclaimed water in rivers. During the biomanipulation, the proportion of Cyanophyta in the community structure of phytoplankton density in river supplied with reclaimed water decreased, and the community composition shifted from Cyanophyta and Chlorophyta to Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta. The biomanipulation project increased the number of zoobenthos and fish species and significantly increased fish density. Despite the significant difference in aquatic organisms community structure, diversity index and community stability of aquatic organisms remained stable during the biomanipulation. Our study provides a strategy for minimizing the hazards of reclaimed water through biomanipulation by reconstructing the community structure of reclaimed water, thereby making it safe for large-scale reuse in rivers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caili Du
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Beijing Hydrology Center, Beijing, 100089, China
| | - Guowen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Miaoxin Bai
- Inner Mongolia Enterprise Key Laboratory of Damaged Environment Appraisal, Evaluation and Restoration, Hohhot 010020, China
| | - Qiuheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Zhenjun Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Maotong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Lieyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Tian Q, Zhang X, Yi H, Li Y, Xu X, He J, He L. Plant diversity drives soil carbon sequestration: evidence from 150 years of vegetation restoration in the temperate zone. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1191704. [PMID: 37346142 PMCID: PMC10279892 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1191704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale afforestation is considered a natural way to address climate challenges (e.g., the greenhouse effect). However, there is a paucity of evidence linking plant diversity to soil carbon sequestration pathways during long-term natural restoration of temperate vegetation. In particular, the carbon sequestration mechanisms and functions of woody plants require further study. Therefore, we conducted a comparative study of plant diversity and soil carbon sequestration characteristics during 150 years of natural vegetation restoration in the temperate zone to provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of long-term natural vegetation restoration processes on soil organic carbon stocks. The results suggested positive effects of woody plant diversity on carbon sequestration. In addition, fine root biomass and deadfall accumulation were significantly positively correlated with soil organic carbon stocks, and carbon was stored in large grain size aggregates (1-5 mm). Meanwhile, the diversity of Fabaceae and Rosaceae was observed to be important for soil organic carbon accumulation, and the carbon sequestration function of shrubs should not be neglected during vegetation restoration. Finally, we identified three plants that showed high potential for carbon sequestration: Lespedeza bicolor, Sophora davidii, and Cotoneaster multiflorus, which should be considered for inclusion in the construction of local artificial vegetation. Among them, L. bicolor is probably the best choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qilong Tian
- The Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoping Zhang
- The Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&E University, Yangling, China
| | - Haijie Yi
- The Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yangyang Li
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&E University, Yangling, China
| | - Xiaoming Xu
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&E University, Yangling, China
- College of Urban, Rural Planning and Architectural Engineering, Shangluo University, Shangluo, China
| | - Jie He
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&E University, Yangling, China
| | - Liang He
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&E University, Yangling, China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Evans LC, Melero Y, Schmucki R, Boersch-Supan PH, Brotons L, Fontaine C, Jiguet F, Kuussaari M, Massimino D, Robinson RA, Roy DB, Schweiger O, Settele J, Stefanescu C, van Turnhout CAM, Oliver TH. Mechanisms underpinning community stability along a latitudinal gradient: Insights from a niche-based approach. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:3271-3284. [PMID: 36924241 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
At large scales, the mechanisms underpinning stability in natural communities may vary in importance due to changes in species composition, mean abundance, and species richness. Here we link species characteristics (niche positions) and community characteristics (richness and abundance) to evaluate the importance of stability mechanisms in 156 butterfly communities monitored across three European countries and spanning five bioclimatic regions. We construct niche-based hierarchical structural Bayesian models to explain first differences in abundance, population stability, and species richness between the countries, and then explore how these factors impact community stability both directly and indirectly (via synchrony and population stability). Species richness was partially explained by the position of a site relative to the niches of the species pool, and species near the centre of their niche had higher average population stability. The differences in mean abundance, population stability, and species richness then influenced how much variation in community stability they explained across the countries. We found, using variance partitioning, that community stability in Finnish communities was most influenced by community abundance, whereas this aspect was unimportant in Spain with species synchrony explaining most variation; the UK was somewhat intermediate with both factors explaining variation. Across all countries, the diversity-stability relationship was indirect with species richness reducing synchrony which increased community stability, with no direct effects of species richness. Our results suggest that in natural communities, biogeographical variation observed in key drivers of stability, such as population abundance and species richness, leads to community stability being limited by different factors and that this can partially be explained due to the niche characteristics of the European butterfly assemblage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luke Christopher Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 217, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AH, UK
| | - Yolanda Melero
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 217, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AH, UK
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Reto Schmucki
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Biodiversity, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Philipp H Boersch-Supan
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU, UK
- Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Lluís Brotons
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
- InForest Jru (CTFC-CREAF), Solsona, 25280, Spain
- CSIC, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Colin Fontaine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, CESCO, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle - CNRS - Sorbonne Université, UMR7204, CP135, 43 Rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Jiguet
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, CESCO, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle - CNRS - Sorbonne Université, UMR7204, CP135, 43 Rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Mikko Kuussaari
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Biodiversity Centre, Latokartanonkaari 11, FI-00790, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dario Massimino
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU, UK
| | | | - David B Roy
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Biodiversity, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Oliver Schweiger
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ, Halle, Germany
- iDiv, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Josef Settele
- iDiv, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Conservation Biology & Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ, Halle, Germany
| | - Constanti Stefanescu
- Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Francesc Macià, 51, 08402, Granollers, Spain
| | - Chris A M van Turnhout
- Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology & Ecophysiology, Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES), Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tom Henry Oliver
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 217, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Li F, Zhang Y, Altermatt F, Yang J, Zhang X. Destabilizing Effects of Environmental Stressors on Aquatic Communities and Interaction Networks across a Major River Basin. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7828-7839. [PMID: 37155929 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Human-driven environmental stressors are increasingly threatening species survival and diversity of river systems worldwide. However, it remains unclear how the stressors affect the stability changes across aquatic multiple communities. Here, we used environmental DNA (eDNA) data sets from a human-dominated river in China over 3 years and analyzed the stability changes in multiple communities under persistent anthropogenic stressors, including land use and pollutants. First, we found that persistent stressors significantly reduced multifaceted species diversity (e.g., species richness, Shannon's diversity, and Simpson's diversity) and species stability but increased species synchrony across multiple communities. Second, the structures of interaction networks inferred from an empirical meta-food web were significantly changed under persistent stressors, for example, resulting in decreased network modularity and negative/positive cohesion. Third, piecewise structural equation modeling proved that the persistent stress-induced decline in the stability of multiple communities mainly depended upon diversity-mediated pathways rather than the direct effects of stress per se; specifically, the increase of species synchrony and the decline of interaction network modularity were the main biotic drivers of stability variation. Overall, our study highlights the destabilizing effects of persistent stressors on multiple communities as well as the mechanistic dependencies, mainly through reducing species diversity, increasing species synchrony, and changing interaction networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Feilong Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Jianghua Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Jia B, He J, Wang X. Species asynchrony stabilizes productivity over 20 years in Northeast China. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9991. [PMID: 37153024 PMCID: PMC10156448 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The stability of forest productivity can reflect the functioning of forest ecosystems. It is a crucial topic to understand the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions in ecology. Although previous studies have made great progress in understanding the effects of diversity, species asynchrony, and other factors on community biomass and productivity, few studies have explored how these factors affect the temporal stability of productivity. In this study, we hypothesized that diversity, species asynchrony, and topography would directly or indirectly impact the temporal stability of productivity. To test this hypothesis, we used a multiple regression model and a piecewise structural equation model based on the inventory data over 20 years (5-year intervals) from 1992 to 2012 at Jingouling Forest Farm in Northeast China. Our results showed that species asynchrony was the main driving factor affecting the temporal stability of productivity. Structural diversity significantly decreased community stability, while species diversity had a nonsignificant effect on it. We found the combination of a multiple regression model and a piecewise structural equation model is an effective method for evaluating the factors that influence community stability. The effect of species asynchrony is crucial for understanding the ecological mechanisms underlying the diversity-stability relationship in mixed forests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Jia
- Beijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Zhu L, Chen Y, Sun R, Zhang J, Hale L, Dumack K, Geisen S, Deng Y, Duan Y, Zhu B, Li Y, Liu W, Wang X, Griffiths BS, Bonkowski M, Zhou J, Sun B. Resource-dependent biodiversity and potential multi-trophic interactions determine belowground functional trait stability. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:95. [PMID: 37127665 PMCID: PMC10150482 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01539-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND For achieving long-term sustainability of intensive agricultural practices, it is pivotal to understand belowground functional stability as belowground organisms play essential roles in soil biogeochemical cycling. It is commonly believed that resource availability is critical for controlling the soil biodiversity and belowground organism interactions that ultimately lead to the stabilization or collapse of terrestrial ecosystem functions, but evidence to support this belief is still limited. Here, we leveraged field experiments from the Chinese National Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) and two microcosm experiments mimicking high and low resource conditions to explore how resource availability mediates soil biodiversity and potential multi-trophic interactions to control functional trait stability. RESULTS We found that agricultural practice-induced higher resource availability increased potential cross-trophic interactions over 316% in fields, which in turn had a greater effect on functional trait stability, while low resource availability made the stability more dependent on the potential within trophic interactions and soil biodiversity. This large-scale pattern was confirmed by fine-scale microcosm systems, showing that microcosms with sufficient nutrient supply increase the proportion of potential cross-trophic interactions, which were positively associated with functional stability. Resource-driven belowground biodiversity and multi-trophic interactions ultimately feedback to the stability of plant biomass. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated the importance of potential multi-trophic interactions in supporting belowground functional trait stability, especially when nutrients are sufficient, and also suggested the ecological benefits of fertilization programs in modern agricultural intensification. Video Abstract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lingyue Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Nanjing, 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Nanjing, 210008, China.
| | - Ruibo Sun
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Farmland Ecological Conservation and Pollution Prevention, College of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Jiabao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Nanjing, 210008, China.
| | - Lauren Hale
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Washington, DC, 20250, USA
| | - Kenneth Dumack
- Terrestrial Ecology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Stefan Geisen
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, 6700AB, The Netherlands
| | - Ye Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yinghua Duan
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Bo Zhu
- Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yan Li
- Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China
| | - Wenzhao Liu
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chine, Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources , Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Xiaoyue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Bryan S Griffiths
- SRUC, Crop and Soil System Research Group, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH93JG, UK
| | - Michael Bonkowski
- Terrestrial Ecology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jizhong Zhou
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - Bo Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Nanjing, 210008, China.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Wu L, Chen H, Chen D, Wang S, Wu Y, Wang B, Liu S, Yue L, Yu J, Bai Y. Soil biota diversity and plant diversity both contributed to ecosystem stability in grasslands. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:858-868. [PMID: 36922741 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of diversity on ecosystem stability in the context of global change has become an important goal of recent ecological research. However, the effects of diversity at multiple scales and trophic levels on ecosystem stability across environmental gradients remain unclear. Here, we conducted a field survey of α-, β-, and γ-diversity of plants and soil biota (bacteria, fungi, and nematodes) and estimated the temporal ecosystem stability of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in 132 plots on the Mongolian Plateau. After climate and soil environmental variables were controlled for, both the α- and β-diversity of plants and soil biota (mainly via nematodes) together with precipitation explained most variation in ecosystem stability. These findings evidence that the diversity of both soil biota and plants contributes to ecosystem stability. Model predictions of the future effects of global changes on terrestrial ecosystem stability will require field observations of diversity of both plants and soil biota.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liji Wu
- College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,Engineering Research Center of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region of Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Huasong Chen
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Dima Chen
- College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,Engineering Research Center of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region of Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Wu
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Bing Wang
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Shengen Liu
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Linyan Yue
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Jie Yu
- Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, China
| | - Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Zhou T, Du W, Wang J, Zhang L, Gao J, Shi N, Wang L, Wu Y, Tian B. Divergent responses of plant functional traits and biomass allocation to slope aspects in four perennial herbs of the alpine meadow ecosystem. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1092821. [PMID: 36938032 PMCID: PMC10016094 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1092821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Slope aspect can cause environmental heterogeneity over relatively short distances, which in turn affects plant distribution, community structure, and ecosystem function. However, the response and adaptation strategies of plants to slope aspects via regulating their physiological and morphological properties still remain poorly understood, especially in alpine ecosystems. Here, we selected four common species, including Bistorta macrophylla, Bistorta vivipara, Cremanthodium discoideum, and Deschampsia littoralis, to test how biomass allocation and functional traits of height, individual leaf area, individual leaf mass, and specific leaf area (SLA) respond to variation in slope aspect in the Minshan Mountain, eastern Tibetan Plateau. We found that the slope aspect affected SLA and stem, flower mass fraction with higher values at southwest slope aspect, which is potentially related to light environment. The low-temperature environment caused by the slope aspect facilitates the accumulation of root biomass especially at the northeast slope aspect. Cremanthodium discoideum and D. littoralis invested more in belowground biomass in southeast and southwest slope aspects, although a large number of significant isometric allocations were found in B. macrophylla and B. vivipara. Finally, we found that both biotic and abiotic factors are responsible for the variation in total biomass with contrasting effects across different species. These results suggest that slope aspect, as an important topographic variable, strongly influences plant survival, growth, and propagation. Therefore, habitat heterogeneity stemming from topographic factors (slope aspect) can prevent biotic homogenization and thus contribute to the improvement of diverse ecosystem functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tianyang Zhou
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Wentao Du
- Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jinniu Wang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- Mangkang Biodiversity and Ecological Station, Tibet Ecological Safety Monitor Network, Changdu, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Gao
- Yangtze Eco-Environment Engineering Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Ning Shi
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- Mangkang Biodiversity and Ecological Station, Tibet Ecological Safety Monitor Network, Changdu, China
| | - Lihua Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Aba Teachers University, Wenchuan, China
| | - Yan Wu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Binghui Tian
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
He S, Xiong K, Song S, Chi Y, Fang J, He C. Research Progress of Grassland Ecosystem Structure and Stability and Inspiration for Improving Its Service Capacity in the Karst Desertification Control. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:770. [PMID: 36840118 PMCID: PMC9959505 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The structure and stability of grassland ecosystems have a significant impact on biodiversity, material cycling and productivity for ecosystem services. However, the issue of the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems has not been systematically reviewed. Based on the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, we used the systematic-review method and screened 133 papers to describe and analyze the frontiers of research into the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems. The research results showed that: (1) The number of articles about the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems is gradually increasing, and the research themes are becoming increasingly diverse. (2) There is a high degree of consistency between the study area and the spatial distribution of grassland. (3) Based on the changes in ecosystem patterns and their interrelationships with ecosystem processes, we reviewed the research progress and landmark results on the structure, stability, structure-stability relationship and their influencing factors of grassland ecosystems; among them, the study of structure is the main research focus (51.12%), followed by the study of the influencing factors of structure and stability (37.57%). (4) Key scientific questions on structural optimization, stability enhancement and harmonizing the relationship between structure and stability are explored. (5) Based on the background of karst desertification control (KDC) and its geographical characteristics, three insights are proposed to optimize the spatial allocation, enhance the stability of grassland for rocky desertification control and coordinate the regulation mechanism of grassland structure and stability. This study provided some references for grassland managers and relevant policy makers to optimize the structure and enhance the stability of grassland ecosystems. It also provided important insights to enhance the service capacity of grassland ecosystems in KDC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuyu He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Kangning Xiong
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Shuzhen Song
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Yongkuan Chi
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Jinzhong Fang
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Chen He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Li X, Zuo X, Zhao X, Wang S, Yue P, Xu C, Yu Q, Medina-Roldán E. Extreme drought does not alter the stability of aboveground net primary productivity but decreases the stability of belowground net primary productivity in a desert steppe of northern China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:24319-24328. [PMID: 36334210 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23938-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Extreme droughts strongly impact grassland ecology, both functionally and structurally. However, a comprehensive understanding of the drought impacts on the ecosystem stability is critical for its sustainable development under changing climate. We experimentally report the impact of extreme drought on the temporal stability of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) in a desert steppe of northern China. The relative importance evaluation of extreme drought, soil properties, species asynchrony, taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to measure the temporal ANPP and BNPP stabilities. Our findings suggested that extreme drought decreased BNPP stability but did not affect ANPP stability. Extreme drought reduced taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, ANPP, and soil water content but did not affect species asynchrony, functional diversity, or BNPP. Species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, and soil water content were positively correlated with BNPP stability. The SEM results showed a drought-mediated indirect weakening of BNPP stability via modification of species richness. Asynchrony of species unrelated to drought, however, directly affected ANPP stability. The mechanisms underlying the response determination of ANPP and BNPP stability to extreme drought in desert steppe varied notably. Depending on the species asynchrony, ANPP reduced by extreme drought could maintain higher stability. However, extreme drought lowered BNPP stability by altering species richness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyun Li
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Xiaoan Zuo
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
| | - Xueyong Zhao
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Shaokun Wang
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ping Yue
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Chong Xu
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 10008, China
| | - Qiang Yu
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 10008, China
| | - Eduardo Medina-Roldán
- Institute of BioEconomy - National Research Council (IBE-CNR), 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Ingrisch J, Umlauf N, Bahn M. Functional thresholds alter the relationship of plant resistance and recovery to drought. Ecology 2023; 104:e3907. [PMID: 36314950 PMCID: PMC10078541 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The ecological consequences of future droughts are difficult to predict due to a limited understanding of the nonlinear responses of plants to increasing drought intensity, which can change abruptly when critical thresholds of drought intensity are crossed. Drought responses are composed of resistance and postdrought recovery. Although it is well established that higher drought intensity increases the impact and, thus, reduces plant resistance, less is known about how drought intensity affects recovery and how resistance and recovery are related. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that resistance, recovery, and their relationship change abruptly upon crossing critical thresholds of drought intensity. We exposed mesocosms of two monospecific stands of the common grassland species Dactylis glomerata and Plantago lanceolata to a large gradient of drought intensity and quantified the resistance and recovery of multiple measures of plant productivity, including gross-primary productivity, vegetative height, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and aboveground biomass production. Drought intensity had nonlinear and contrasting effects on plant productivity during drought and recovery, which differed between the two species. Increasing drought intensity decreased the resistance of plant productivity and caused rapid compensatory growth during postdrought recovery, the degree of which was highly dependent on drought intensity. Across multiple response parameters two thresholds of drought intensity emerged, upon which we observed abrupt changes in plant resistance and recovery, as well as their relationship. We conclude that across gradients of drought intensity resistance and recovery are tightly coupled and that both the magnitude and the direction of drought effects on resistance and recovery can change abruptly upon specific thresholds of stress intensity. These findings highlight the urgent need to account for nonlinear responses of resistance and recovery to drought intensity as critical drivers of productivity in a changing climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nikolaus Umlauf
- Department of Statistics, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Michael Bahn
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Macholdt J, Hadasch S, Macdonald A, Perryman S, Piepho HP, Scott T, Styczen ME, Storkey J. Long-term trends in yield variance of temperate managed grassland. AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2023; 43:37. [PMID: 37124333 PMCID: PMC10133363 DOI: 10.1007/s13593-023-00885-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The management of climate-resilient grassland systems is important for stable livestock fodder production. In the face of climate change, maintaining productivity while minimizing yield variance of grassland systems is increasingly challenging. To achieve climate-resilient and stable productivity of grasslands, a better understanding of the climatic drivers of long-term trends in yield variance and its dependence on agronomic inputs is required. Based on the Park Grass Experiment at Rothamsted (UK), we report for the first time the long-term trends in yield variance of grassland (1965-2018) in plots given different fertilizer and lime applications, with contrasting productivity and plant species diversity. We implemented a statistical model that allowed yield variance to be determined independently of yield level. Environmental abiotic covariates were included in a novel criss-cross regression approach to determine climatic drivers of yield variance and its dependence on agronomic management. Our findings highlight that sufficient liming and moderate fertilization can reduce yield variance while maintaining productivity and limiting loss of plant species diversity. Plots receiving the highest rate of nitrogen fertilizer or farmyard manure had the highest yield but were also more responsive to environmental variability and had less plant species diversity. We identified the days of water stress from March to October and temperature from July to August as the two main climatic drivers, explaining approximately one-third of the observed yield variance. These drivers helped explain consistent unimodal trends in yield variance-with a peak in approximately 1995, after which variance declined. Here, for the first time, we provide a novel statistical framework and a unique long-term dataset for understanding the trends in yield variance of managed grassland. The application of the criss-cross regression approach in other long-term agro-ecological trials could help identify climatic drivers of production risk and to derive agronomic strategies for improving the climate resilience of cropping systems. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13593-023-00885-w.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Janna Macholdt
- Professorship of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Betty-Heimann-Strasse 5, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Steffen Hadasch
- Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstrasse 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Andrew Macdonald
- Protecting Crops and Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, AL5 2JQ Hertfordshire UK
| | - Sarah Perryman
- Computational and Analytical Sciences Department, Rothamsted Research, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ Harpenden, UK
| | - Hans-Peter Piepho
- Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstrasse 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Tony Scott
- Protecting Crops and Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, AL5 2JQ Hertfordshire UK
| | - Merete Elisabeth Styczen
- Section of Environmental Chemistry and Physics, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jonathan Storkey
- Protecting Crops and Environment, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, AL5 2JQ Hertfordshire UK
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Zhang M, Li G, Wang Y, Pan D, Sun J, Wang L. Land use intensification alters the relative contributions of plant functional diversity and soil properties on grassland productivity. Oecologia 2023; 201:119-127. [PMID: 36396838 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05288-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of grassland productivity variation is critical for global carbon cycling and climate change mitigation. Heretofore, it is unknown how different environmental factors drive small-scale spatial variation in productivity, and whether land use intensification, one of the most important global changes, can regulate the processes that drive productivity change. Here we performed an 18-year exclosure experiment across six sites with high-intensity mowing/grazing history in northern China to examine the effects of land use intensification on plant functional diversity, soil properties, and their relative contributions to above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP). We found that plant functional diversity and soil properties contributed to the variation in ANPP both independently and equally in enclosed grasslands (plant diversity: 20.6%; soil properties: 19.5%). Intensive land use significantly decreased the Rao's quadratic entropy (RaoQ) and community-weighted mean value (CWM) of plant height, and further suppressed the contributions of plant functional diversity to ANPP. In contrast, intensive land use increased soil available N, P, pH, electrical conductivity, and homogeneity of soil available P, and strengthened their contributions to ANPP (31.5%). Our results indicate that high-intensity land use practices in grasslands decrease the role of plant functional diversity, but strengthen the effects of soil properties on productivity. We, therefore, suggest that plant functional diversity can be used effectively to boost productivity in undisturbed grasslands, while soil properties might be a more critical consideration for grassland management in an areas with increased land use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Minna Zhang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Guangyin Li
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Duofeng Pan
- Institute of Forage and Grassland Sciences, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Jinyan Sun
- Institute of Animal Husbandry, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Ling Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Gu Q, Yu Q, Grogan P. Cryptogam plant community stability: Warming weakens influences of species richness but enhances effects of evenness. Ecology 2023; 104:e3842. [PMID: 36199224 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Community stability is a fundamental factor sustaining ecosystem functioning and is affected by species richness and species evenness. The Arctic is warming more rapidly than other biomes, and cryptogam plant species (specifically lichens and bryophytes in this study) are major contributors to tundra biodiversity and productivity. However, to our knowledge, the impacts of warming on cryptogam community stability and the underlying mechanisms have not been investigated. We conducted a 13-year summer warming experiment in mesic birch hummock tundra vegetation near Daring Lake in the continental interior of low Arctic Canada and recorded patterns of cryptogam species abundance in several different growing seasons. Warming decreased the stability of total community abundance, had no effects on species richness, but increased species evenness and species synchrony. Structural equation model analyses indicated that higher species richness was the principal factor associated with the stronger community abundance stability in the control plots and that this effect was driven primarily by a negative correlation with species synchrony. By contrast, higher species evenness was the principal factor associated with the weakened community abundance stability in the warming plots, and this effect was driven primarily by a positive correlation with species synchrony. Our study suggests that climate warming could reduce cryptogam plant community stability in low Arctic tundra and, therefore, decrease important ecosystem services, including carbon storage and food availability to caribou in northern regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Gu
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Qiang Yu
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Paul Grogan
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Wagg C, Roscher C, Weigelt A, Vogel A, Ebeling A, de Luca E, Roeder A, Kleinspehn C, Temperton VM, Meyer ST, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Buchmann N, Fischer M, Weisser WW, Eisenhauer N, Schmid B. Biodiversity-stability relationships strengthen over time in a long-term grassland experiment. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7752. [PMID: 36517483 PMCID: PMC9751076 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35189-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have demonstrated that biodiversity drives ecosystem functioning, yet how biodiversity loss alters ecosystems functioning and stability in the long-term lacks experimental evidence. We report temporal effects of species richness on community productivity, stability, species asynchrony, and complementarity, and how the relationships among them change over 17 years in a grassland biodiversity experiment. Productivity declined more rapidly in less diverse communities resulting in temporally strengthening positive effects of richness on productivity, complementarity, and stability. In later years asynchrony played a more important role in increasing community stability as the negative effect of richness on population stability diminished. Only during later years did species complementarity relate to species asynchrony. These results show that species complementarity and asynchrony can take more than a decade to develop strong stabilizing effects on ecosystem functioning in diverse plant communities. Thus, the mechanisms stabilizing ecosystem functioning change with community age.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Wagg
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland ,grid.55614.330000 0001 1302 4958Fredericton Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 95 Innovation Road, Post Office Box 20280, Fredericton, E3B 4Z7 NB Canada
| | - Christiane Roscher
- grid.7492.80000 0004 0492 3830UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Physiological Diversity, Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.421064.50000 0004 7470 3956German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- grid.421064.50000 0004 7470 3956German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.9613.d0000 0001 1939 2794Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Anja Vogel
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland ,grid.421064.50000 0004 7470 3956German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.9613.d0000 0001 1939 2794Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Anne Ebeling
- grid.9613.d0000 0001 1939 2794Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Enrica de Luca
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anna Roeder
- grid.7492.80000 0004 0492 3830UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Physiological Diversity, Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.421064.50000 0004 7470 3956German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Clemens Kleinspehn
- grid.5734.50000 0001 0726 5157Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vicky M. Temperton
- grid.10211.330000 0000 9130 6144Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian T. Meyer
- grid.6936.a0000000123222966Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universitat Munchen, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
- grid.5963.9Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nina Buchmann
- grid.5801.c0000 0001 2156 2780Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Markus Fischer
- grid.5734.50000 0001 0726 5157Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang W. Weisser
- grid.6936.a0000000123222966Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universitat Munchen, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- grid.421064.50000 0004 7470 3956German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany ,grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Yang X, Huang X, Cheng J, Cheng Z, Yang Q, Hu L, Xu J, He Y. Diversity-triggered bottom-up trophic interactions impair key soil functions under lindane pollution stress. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 314:120293. [PMID: 36183873 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A growing amount of evidence suggests that microbial diversity loss may have negative effects on soil ecosystem function. However, less attention has been paid to the determinants of the relationship between community diversity and soil functioning under pollution stress. Here we manipulated microbial diversity to observe how biotic and abiotic factors influenced soil multi-functions (e.g. lindane degradation, soil respiration and nutrient cycling). Results showed that protist community was more sensitive to dilution, pollution stress, and sodium acetate addition than bacterial and fungal community. Acetate addition accelerated the lindane removal. Any declines in microbial diversity reduced the specialized soil processes (NO3-N production, and N2O flux), but increased soil respiration rate. Dilution led to a significant increase in consumers-bacterial and fungi-bacterial interaction as evidenced by co-occurrence network, which possibly played roles in maintaining microbiome stability and resilience. Interestingly, pollution stress and resource availability weaken the relationship between microbial diversity and soil functions through the bottom-up trophic interaction and environmental preference of soil microbiome. Overall, this work provides experimental evidence that loss in microbial diversity, accompanied with changes in trophic interactions mediated biotic and abiotic factors, could have important consequences for specialized soil functioning in farmland ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xueling Yang
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xiaowei Huang
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jie Cheng
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Zhongyi Cheng
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Qi Yang
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Lingfei Hu
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Jianming Xu
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yan He
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Multiple anthropogenic pressures eliminate the effects of soil microbial diversity on ecosystem functions in experimental microcosms. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4260. [PMID: 35871070 PMCID: PMC9308766 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31936-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity is crucial for the provision of ecosystem functions. However, ecosystems are now exposed to a rapidly growing number of anthropogenic pressures, and it remains unknown whether biodiversity can still promote ecosystem functions under multifaceted pressures. Here we investigated the effects of soil microbial diversity on soil functions and properties when faced with an increasing number of simultaneous global change factors in experimental microcosms. Higher soil microbial diversity had a positive effect on soil functions and properties when no or few (i.e., 1–4) global change factors were applied, but this positive effect was eliminated by the co-occurrence of numerous global change factors. This was attributable to the reduction of soil fungal abundance and the relative abundance of an ecological cluster of coexisting soil bacterial and fungal taxa. Our study indicates that reducing the number of anthropogenic pressures should be a goal in ecosystem management, in addition to biodiversity conservation. It is unclear whether the positive effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning are maintained under multifaceted anthropogenic disturbance. In this experiment, the authors show that multiple simultaneous stressors can negate the positive effect of microbial diversity on soil functions.
Collapse
|
41
|
Wang H, Zhang X, Shan H, Ren W, Wen Z, Tian Y, Weigel B, Ni L, Cao T. Biodiversity buffers the impact of eutrophication on ecosystem functioning of submerged macrophytes on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Southwest China. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 314:120210. [PMID: 36170892 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Increasing eutrophication poses a considerable threat to freshwater ecosystems, which are closely associated with human well-being. As important functional entities for freshwater ecosystems, submerged macrophytes have suffered rapidly decline with eutrophication. However, it is unclear whether and how submerged macrophytes maintain their ecological functions under increasing eutrophication stress and the underlying patterns in the process. In the current study, we conducted an extensive survey of submerged macrophytes in 49 lakes and reservoirs (67% of them are eutrophic) on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau of southwestern China to reveal the relationship between submerged macrophyte biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) under eutrophication stress. Results showed that submerged macrophytes species richness, functional diversity (FD), and β diversity had positive effects on ecosystem functioning, even under eutrophication. Functional diversity was a stronger predictor of community biomass than species richness and β diversity, while species richness explained higher coverage variability than FD and β diversity. This suggests that species richness was a reliable indicator when valid functional traits cannot be collected in considering specific ecological process. With increasing eutrophication in water bodies, the mechanisms underlying biodiversity-ecosystem functioning evolved from "niche complementarity" to "selection effects", as evidenced by decreased species turnover and increased nestedness. Furthermore, the relative growth rate, specific leaf area, and ramet size in trade-off of community functional composition became smaller along eutrophication while flowering duration and shoot height became longer. This study contributes to a better understanding of positive BEF in freshwater ecosystems, despite increasing anthropogenic impacts. Protecting the environment remained the effective way to protect biodiversity and corresponding ecological functions and services. It will be important to consider different facets of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning in future studies to improve effective management plans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
| | - Hang Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wenjing Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zihao Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuqing Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Benjamin Weigel
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leyi Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Te Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
River dike grasslands can reconcile biodiversity and different ecosystem services to provide multifunctionality. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
43
|
Durfort A, Mariani G, Tulloch V, Savoca MS, Troussellier M, Mouillot D. Recovery of carbon benefits by overharvested baleen whale populations is threatened by climate change. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220375. [PMID: 36321488 PMCID: PMC9627705 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of marine megafauna on ecosystem functioning, their contribution to the oceanic carbon cycle is still poorly known. Here, we explored the role of baleen whales in the biological carbon pump across the southern hemisphere based on the historical and forecasted abundance of five baleen whale species. We modelled whale-mediated carbon sequestration through the sinking of their carcasses after natural death. We provide the first temporal dynamics of this carbon pump from 1890 to 2100, considering both the effects of exploitation and climate change on whale populations. We reveal that at their pre-exploitation abundance, the five species of southern whales could sequester 4.0 × 105 tonnes of carbon per year (tC yr-1). This estimate dropped to 0.6 × 105 tC yr-1 by 1972 following commercial whaling. However, with the projected restoration of whale populations under a RCP8.5 climate scenario, the sequestration would reach 1.7 × 105 tC yr-1 by 2100, while without climate change, recovered whale populations could sequester nearly twice as much (3.2 × 105 tC yr-1) by 2100. This highlights the persistence of whaling damages on whale populations and associated services as well as the predicted harmful impacts of climate change on whale ecosystem services.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anaëlle Durfort
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Gaël Mariani
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Vivitskaia Tulloch
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - David Mouillot
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75231, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Wu S, Wang R, Zhu H, Wang Y, Du Y, Zhu S, Zhao N. Changes in root chemical diversity along an elevation gradient of Changbai Mountain, China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:897838. [PMID: 36420024 PMCID: PMC9676470 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.897838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Root chemical traits play a critical role in plant resource use strategies and ecosystem nutrient cycling; however, the chemical diversity of multiple elements of fine root and community chemical assembly belowground are poorly understood. Here, we measured 13 elements (C, N, K, Ca, Mg, S, P, Al, Fe, Na, Mn, Zn, and Cu) in the fine roots of 204 plant species along elevational transect from 540 to 2357 m of Changbai Mountain, China to explore the variation, diversity, and community assembly of root chemical traits. At the species level, the concentrations of macronutrients (N, K, Ca, Mg, S, and P) decreased, whereas the trace metals (Fe, Mn, and Zn) increased with elevation. Root chemical traits at the community level systematically shifted along elevational gradients showing a pattern similar to that at the species level, which were mainly influenced by climate and soil rather than species diversity. In general, the interactions of climate and soil were the main drivers of root chemical assembly for woody layers, whereas soil factors played significant role for root chemical assembly for herb layer. The chemical assembly of rock-derived element P was mainly driven by soil factors. Meanwhile, root chemical diversities were mainly regulated by species diversity, the interactions of climate and soil, and soil factors in the tree, shrub, and herb layers, respectively. A better understanding of plant root chemical diversity and community chemical assembly will help to reveal the role of chemical traits in ecosystem functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shihua Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ruili Wang
- College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Haihua Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yanyan Du
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Sihao Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ning Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Wilschut RA, De Long JR, Geisen S, Hannula SE, Quist CW, Snoek B, Steinauer K, Wubs ERJ, Yang Q, Thakur MP. Combined effects of warming and drought on plant biomass depend on plant woodiness and community type: a meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221178. [PMID: 36196543 PMCID: PMC9533002 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming and precipitation extremes (drought or increased precipitation) strongly affect plant primary production and thereby terrestrial ecosystem functioning. Recent syntheses show that combined effects of warming and precipitation extremes on plant biomass are generally additive, while individual experiments often show interactive effects, indicating that combined effects are more negative or positive than expected based on the effects of single factors. Here, we examined whether variation in biomass responses to single and combined effects of warming and precipitation extremes can be explained by plant growth form and community type. We performed a meta-analysis of 37 studies, which experimentally crossed warming and precipitation treatments, to test whether biomass responses to combined effects of warming and precipitation extremes depended on plant woodiness and community type (monocultures versus mixtures). Our results confirmed that the effects of warming and precipitation extremes were overall additive. However, combined effects of warming and drought on above- and belowground biomass were less negative in woody- than in herbaceous plant systems and more negative in plant mixtures than in monocultures. We further show that drought effects on plant biomass were more negative in greenhouse- than in field studies, suggesting that greenhouse experiments may overstate drought effects in the field. Our results highlight the importance of plant system characteristics to better understand plant responses to climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rutger A Wilschut
- Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78464, Germany.,Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan R De Long
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Louis Bolk Institute, Kosterijland 3-5, Bunnik 3981 AJ, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Geisen
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - S Emilia Hannula
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, Leiden 2333CC, The Netherlands
| | - Casper W Quist
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Basten Snoek
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, Utrecht 3584 CH, The Netherlands
| | - Katja Steinauer
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - E R Jasper Wubs
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Qiang Yang
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Madhav P Thakur
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Zhou T, Zhang J, Qin Y, Zhou G, Wang C, Xu Y, Fei Y, Qiao X, Jiang M. Species Asynchrony and Large Trees Jointly Drive Community Stability in a Montane Subtropical Forest. Ecosystems 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-022-00790-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
47
|
Zhang X, Tan L, Cai Q, Ye L. Environmental factors indirectly reduce phytoplankton community stability via functional diversity. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.990835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The biodiversity-stability relationship is a fundamental subject of ecological research. Considerable evidence demonstrates that biodiversity can either increase or decrease stability. Most relevant research mainly focuses on grassland and forest ecosystems. The biodiversity-stability relationship in aquatic ecosystems and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. To fill the gap, we conducted a year-long study on the phytoplankton of reservoir ecosystems in the Xiangxi Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) to test the following hypotheses: (H1) phytoplankton species richness and functional diversity directly reduce phytoplankton community stability in reservoir ecosystems; (H2) nutrient enrichment and water temperature increasing directly reduce phytoplankton community stability; and (H3) nutrients and water temperature indirectly reduce phytoplankton community stability via biodiversity. The structural equation model (SEM) found that functional diversity (community-weighted means of traits and functional divergence) had significant negative correlations with phytoplankton community stability (p < 0.05), while the species diversity had no significant correlation with phytoplankton community stability (p > 0.05). This finding partially supported the hypothesis H1, which suggested that the functional diversity had a closer tie with stability than the species diversity. SEM did not find any direct effect of environmental factors on phytoplankton community stability, which rejected our hypothesis H2. Instead, SEM found that water temperature and phosphate decreased phytoplankton community stability by increasing the first principal component of the community-weighted means of traits (CWM_PC1), which supported hypothesis H3. Further analysis showed that the increased water temperature and phosphate concentration can promote “r-strategists” species (larger CWM_PC1), which are less resistant to environmental disturbances, therefore decreasing the phytoplankton community stability. Our study highlights the importance of functional diversity in maintaining the relationship between biodiversity and stability in the phytoplankton community, which may provide a mechanistic understanding of the biodiversity-stability relationships in aquatic ecosystems.
Collapse
|
48
|
Defending Earth's terrestrial microbiome. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:1717-1725. [PMID: 36192539 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01228-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Microbial life represents the majority of Earth's biodiversity. Across disparate disciplines from medicine to forestry, scientists continue to discover how the microbiome drives essential, macro-scale processes in plants, animals and entire ecosystems. Yet, there is an emerging realization that Earth's microbial biodiversity is under threat. Here we advocate for the conservation and restoration of soil microbial life, as well as active incorporation of microbial biodiversity into managed food and forest landscapes, with an emphasis on soil fungi. We analyse 80 experiments to show that native soil microbiome restoration can accelerate plant biomass production by 64% on average, across ecosystems. Enormous potential also exists within managed landscapes, as agriculture and forestry are the dominant uses of land on Earth. Along with improving and stabilizing yields, enhancing microbial biodiversity in managed landscapes is a critical and underappreciated opportunity to build reservoirs, rather than deserts, of microbial life across our planet. As markets emerge to engineer the ecosystem microbiome, we can avert the mistakes of aboveground ecosystem management and avoid microbial monocultures of single high-performing microbial strains, which can exacerbate ecosystem vulnerability to pathogens and extreme events. Harnessing the planet's breadth of microbial life has the potential to transform ecosystem management, but it requires that we understand how to monitor and conserve the Earth's microbiome.
Collapse
|
49
|
Zhang Z, Bao T, Hautier Y, Yang J, Liu Z, Qing H. Intra-annual growing season climate variability drives the community intra-annual stability of a temperate grassland by altering intra-annual species asynchrony and richness in Inner Mongolia, China. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9385. [PMID: 36225823 PMCID: PMC9532246 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the factors that regulate the functioning of our ecosystems in response to environmental changes can help to maintain the stable provisioning of ecosystem services to mankind. This is especially relevant given the increased variability of environmental conditions due to human activities. In particular, maintaining a stable production and plant biomass during the growing season (intra‐annual stability) despite pervasive and directional changes in temperature and precipitation through time can help to secure food supply to wild animals, livestock, and humans. Here, we conducted a 29‐year field observational study in a temperate grassland to explore how the intra‐annual stability of primary productivity is influenced by biotic and abiotic variables through time. We found that intra‐annual precipitation variability in the growing season indirectly influenced the community intra‐annual biomass stability by its negative effect on intra‐annual species asynchrony. While the intra‐annual temperature variability in the growing season indirectly altered community intra‐annual biomass stability through affecting the intra‐annual species richness. At the same time, although the intra‐annual biomass stability of the dominant species and the dominant functional group were insensitive to climate variability, they also promoted the stable community biomass to a certain extent. Our results indicate that ongoing intra‐annual climate variability affects community intra‐annual biomass stability in the temperate grassland, which has important theoretical significance for us to take active measures to deal with climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ze Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China.,Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China
| | - Tiejun Bao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China.,Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology Utrecht University Utrecht Netherlands
| | - Jie Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China.,Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China
| | - Zhongling Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China.,Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China
| | - Hua Qing
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China.,Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University Hohhot China
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Factors affecting functional diversity of grassland vegetations. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|