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Andraczek K, Weigelt A, Cantuarias CJB, Fischer M, Hinderling J, Prati D, Rauwolf EMN, van der Plas F. Relationships between species richness and biomass production are context dependent in grasslands differing in land-use and seed addition. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19663. [PMID: 37952061 PMCID: PMC10640580 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47020-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite evidence from grasslands experiments suggesting that plant species loss reduces biomass production, the strength of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in managed grasslands is still debated. High land-use intensity and reduced species pools are often suggested to make relationships between biodiversity and productivity less positive or even negative, but concrete evidence is still scarce. We investigated biodiversity-productivity relationships over two years in 150 managed grasslands in Germany. Specifically, we distinguished between relationships of biodiversity and biomass production in managed grasslands (1) varying in land-use intensity (e.g. of mowing, grazing and/or fertilization), (2) where land-use intensity is experimentally reduced, and (3) where additionally to land-use reductions, species pools are enlarged by seed addition. Among grasslands varying in land-use intensity, we found negative biodiversity-productivity relationships. Land-use reduction weakened these relationships, towards neutral, and sometimes, even positive relationships. Seed addition reduced species pool limitations, but this did not strengthen biodiversity-productivity relationships. Our findings indicate that land-use intensity is an important factor explaining the predominantly negative biodiversity-productivity relationships in managed grasslands. While we did not find that species pool limitations weakened biodiversity-productivity relationships, our results are based on a two-year-old experiment, possibly such effects are only visible in the long-term. Ultimately, advancing insights on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships helps us to understand under which conditions agricultural production may benefit from promoting biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Andraczek
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 03401, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cristóbal J Bottero Cantuarias
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Judith Hinderling
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Prati
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Esther M N Rauwolf
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Andraczek K, Weigelt A, Hinderling J, Kretz L, Prati D, van der Plas F. Biomass removal promotes plant diversity after short-term de-intensification of managed grasslands. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287039. [PMID: 37384725 PMCID: PMC10310043 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Land-use intensification is one of the main drivers threatening biodiversity in managed grasslands. Despite multiple studies investigating the effect of different land-use components in driving changes in plant biodiversity, their effects are usually studied in isolation. Here, we establish a full factorial design crossing fertilization with a combined treatment of biomass removal, on 16 managed grasslands spanning a gradient in land-use intensity, across three regions in Germany. Specifically, we investigate the interactive effects of different land-use components on plant composition and diversity using structural equation modelling. We hypothesize that fertilization and biomass removal alter plant biodiversity, directly and indirectly, mediated through changes in light availability. We found that, direct and indirect effects of biomass removal on plant biodiversity were larger than effects of fertilization, yet significantly differed between season. Furthermore, we found that indirect effects of biomass removal on plant biodiversity were mediated through changes in light availability, but also by changes in soil moisture. Our analysis thus supports previous findings, that soil moisture may operate as an alternative indirect mechanism by which biomass removal may affect plant biodiversity. Most importantly, our findings highlight that in the short-term biomass removal can partly compensate the negative effects of fertilization on plant biodiversity in managed grasslands. By studying the interactive nature of different land-use drivers we advance our understanding of the complex mechanisms controlling plant biodiversity in managed grasslands, which ultimately may help to maintain higher levels of biodiversity in grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Andraczek
- Department of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- Department of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Lena Kretz
- Department of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Prati
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Department of Life Sciences, Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Dormann CF, Bagnara M, Boch S, Hinderling J, Janeiro-Otero A, Schäfer D, Schall P, Hartig F. Plant species richness increases with light availability, but not variability, in temperate forests understorey. BMC Ecol 2020; 20:43. [PMID: 32727542 PMCID: PMC7392730 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-020-00311-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Temperate forest understorey vegetation poses an excellent study system to investigate whether increases in resource availability lead to an increase in plant species richness. Most sunlight is absorbed by the species-poor tree canopy, making the much more species-rich understorey species inhabit a severely resource-limited habitat. Additionally, the heterogeneity of light availability, resulting from management-moderated tree composition and age structure, may contribute to species coexistence. One would therefore expect that the diversity in the herb layer correlates positively with either the overall light availability, or the light heterogeneity, depending on whether resource availability or heterogeneity are more important drivers of diversity. To test this idea, we assessed variability of light conditions in 75 forest plots across three ecoregions with four different methods. Results We correlated these data with vegetation relevés and found light availability to be strongly positively correlated with understorey plant species richness, as well as with understorey cover. Light variability (assessed with two approaches) within plots was positively correlated with transmittance, but did not improve the relationship further, suggesting that the main driver of species richness in this system is the overall resource availability. Two of the three beech-dominated regions exhibited near-identical effects of light transmittance, while the third, featuring pine alongside beech and thus with the longest gradient of transmittance and lowest species richness, displayed a weaker light response. Conclusions While site conditions are certainly responsible for the trees selected by foresters, for the resulting forest structure, and for the differences in plant species pools, our results suggest that light transmittance is a strong mediating factor of understorey plant species richness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten F Dormann
- Biometry & Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Maurizio Bagnara
- Biometry & Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Steffen Boch
- WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Judith Hinderling
- Institut of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Janeiro-Otero
- Biometry & Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Deborah Schäfer
- Institut of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Peter Schall
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Florian Hartig
- Biometry & Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.,Theoretical Ecology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
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