Higher levels of multiple ecosystem services are found in forests with more tree species

Lars Gamfeldt (), Tord Snäll, Robert Bagchi, Micael Jonsson, Lena Gustafsson, Petter Kjellander, María C. Ruiz-Jaen, Mats Fröberg, Johan Stendahl, Christopher D. Philipson, Grzegorz Mikusiński, Erik Andersson, Bertil Westerlund, Henrik Andrén, Fredrik Moberg, Jon Moen and Jan Bengtsson
Additional contact information
Lars Gamfeldt: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Tord Snäll: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Robert Bagchi: Durham University
Micael Jonsson: Umeå University
Lena Gustafsson: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Petter Kjellander: Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
María C. Ruiz-Jaen: Environmental Change Institute
Mats Fröberg: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7082, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Johan Stendahl: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7014, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
Christopher D. Philipson: Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich
Grzegorz Mikusiński: Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Erik Andersson: Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 49, SE-23053 Alnarp, Sweden
Bertil Westerlund: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7001, SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden
Henrik Andrén: Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Fredrik Moberg: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
Jon Moen: Umeå University
Jan Bengtsson: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Forests are of major importance to human society, contributing several crucial ecosystem services. Biodiversity is suggested to positively influence multiple services but evidence from natural systems at scales relevant to management is scarce. Here, across a scale of 400,000 km2, we report that tree species richness in production forests shows positive to positively hump-shaped relationships with multiple ecosystem services. These include production of tree biomass, soil carbon storage, berry production and game production potential. For example, biomass production was approximately 50% greater with five than with one tree species. In addition, we show positive relationships between tree species richness and proxies for other biodiversity components. Importantly, no single tree species was able to promote all services, and some services were negatively correlated to each other. Management of production forests will therefore benefit from considering multiple tree species to sustain the full range of benefits that the society obtains from forests.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2328

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