Environmental heterogeneity modulates the effect of plant diversity on the spatial variability of grassland biomass

Pedro Daleo (), Juan Alberti, Enrique J. Chaneton, Oscar Iribarne, Pedro M. Tognetti, Jonathan D. Bakker, Elizabeth T. Borer, Martín Bruschetti, Andrew S. MacDougall, Jesús Pascual, Mahesh Sankaran, Eric W. Seabloom, Shaopeng Wang, Sumanta Bagchi, Lars A. Brudvig, Jane A. Catford, Chris R. Dickman, Timothy L. Dickson, Ian Donohue, Nico Eisenhauer, Daniel S. Gruner, Sylvia Haider, Anke Jentsch, Johannes M. H. Knops, Ylva Lekberg, Rebecca L. McCulley, Joslin L. Moore, Brent Mortensen, Timothy Ohlert, Meelis Pärtel, Pablo L. Peri, Sally A. Power, Anita C. Risch, Camila Rocca, Nicholas G. Smith, Carly Stevens, Riin Tamme, G. F. (Ciska) Veen, Peter A. Wilfahrt and Yann Hautier
Additional contact information
Pedro Daleo: UNMDP—CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central
Juan Alberti: UNMDP—CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central
Enrique J. Chaneton: Universidad de Buenos Aires—CONICET
Oscar Iribarne: UNMDP—CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central
Pedro M. Tognetti: Universidad de Buenos Aires—CONICET
Jonathan D. Bakker: University of Washington
Elizabeth T. Borer: University of Minnesota
Martín Bruschetti: UNMDP—CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central
Andrew S. MacDougall: University of Guelph
Jesús Pascual: UNMDP—CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central
Mahesh Sankaran: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Eric W. Seabloom: University of Minnesota
Shaopeng Wang: College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University
Sumanta Bagchi: Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
Lars A. Brudvig: Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University
Jane A. Catford: King’s College London, 30 Aldwych
Chris R. Dickman: University of Sydney
Timothy L. Dickson: University of Nebraska at Omaha, Department of Biology
Ian Donohue: Trinity College Dublin
Nico Eisenhauer: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Daniel S. Gruner: University of Maryland
Sylvia Haider: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Anke Jentsch: University of Bayreuth
Johannes M. H. Knops: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Ylva Lekberg: MPG Ranch and University of Montana, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation
Rebecca L. McCulley: University of Kentucky
Joslin L. Moore: University of Melbourne
Brent Mortensen: Benedictine College
Timothy Ohlert: Colorado State University
Meelis Pärtel: University of Tartu
Pablo L. Peri: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA)- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA) -CONICET. Río Gallegos
Sally A. Power: Western Sydney University
Anita C. Risch: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Community Ecology
Camila Rocca: UNMDP—CONICET, CC 1260 Correo Central
Nicholas G. Smith: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University
Carly Stevens: Lancaster University
Riin Tamme: University of Tartu
G. F. (Ciska) Veen: Netherlands Institute of Ecology
Peter A. Wilfahrt: University of Minnesota
Yann Hautier: Utrecht University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Plant productivity varies due to environmental heterogeneity, and theory suggests that plant diversity can reduce this variation. While there is strong evidence of diversity effects on temporal variability of productivity, whether this mechanism extends to variability across space remains elusive. Here we determine the relationship between plant diversity and spatial variability of productivity in 83 grasslands, and quantify the effect of experimentally increased spatial heterogeneity in environmental conditions on this relationship. We found that communities with higher plant species richness (alpha and gamma diversity) have lower spatial variability of productivity as reduced abundance of some species can be compensated for by increased abundance of other species. In contrast, high species dissimilarity among local communities (beta diversity) is positively associated with spatial variability of productivity, suggesting that changes in species composition can scale up to affect productivity. Experimentally increased spatial environmental heterogeneity weakens the effect of plant alpha and gamma diversity, and reveals that beta diversity can simultaneously decrease and increase spatial variability of productivity. Our findings unveil the generality of the diversity-stability theory across space, and suggest that reduced local diversity and biotic homogenization can affect the spatial reliability of key ecosystem functions.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37395-y

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