Multiple plant diversity components drive consumer communities across ecosystems

Andreas Schuldt (), Anne Ebeling, Matthias Kunz, Michael Staab, Claudia Guimarães-Steinicke, Dörte Bachmann, Nina Buchmann, Walter Durka, Andreas Fichtner, Felix Fornoff, Werner Härdtle, Lionel R. Hertzog, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Christiane Roscher, Jörg Schaller, Goddert Oheimb, Alexandra Weigelt, Wolfgang Weisser, Christian Wirth, Jiayong Zhang, Helge Bruelheide and Nico Eisenhauer
Additional contact information
Andreas Schuldt: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Anne Ebeling: Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Matthias Kunz: Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität Dresden, PF 1117
Michael Staab: University of Freiburg, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology
Claudia Guimarães-Steinicke: Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University
Dörte Bachmann: ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätsstrasse 2
Nina Buchmann: ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätsstrasse 2
Walter Durka: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Andreas Fichtner: Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology
Felix Fornoff: University of Freiburg, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology
Werner Härdtle: Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology
Lionel R. Hertzog: Gent University
Alexandra-Maria Klein: University of Freiburg, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology
Christiane Roscher: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Jörg Schaller: University Bayreuth, Environmental Geochemistry, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), Universitätsstraße 30
Goddert Oheimb: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Alexandra Weigelt: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Wolfgang Weisser: Technical University of Munich, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2
Christian Wirth: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Jiayong Zhang: Zhejiang Normal University
Helge Bruelheide: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Nico Eisenhauer: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Humans modify ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide, with negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Promoting plant diversity is increasingly suggested as a mitigation strategy. However, our mechanistic understanding of how plant diversity affects the diversity of heterotrophic consumer communities remains limited. Here, we disentangle the relative importance of key components of plant diversity as drivers of herbivore, predator, and parasitoid species richness in experimental forests and grasslands. We find that plant species richness effects on consumer species richness are consistently positive and mediated by elevated structural and functional diversity of the plant communities. The importance of these diversity components differs across trophic levels and ecosystems, cautioning against ignoring the fundamental ecological complexity of biodiversity effects. Importantly, plant diversity effects on higher trophic-level species richness are in many cases mediated by modifications of consumer abundances. In light of recently reported drastic declines in insect abundances, our study identifies important pathways connecting plant diversity and consumer diversity across ecosystems.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09448-8

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