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Addition of multiple limiting resources reduces grassland diversity

Journal Article · · Nature (London)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19324· OSTI ID:1337928
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  1. Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig (Germany); German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig (Germany); Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany); USDA Forest Service-Savannah River
  2. University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN (United States)
  3. Queensland University of Technology (Australia)
  4. Utah State University, Logan, UT (United States)
  5. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig (Germany); Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany)
  6. USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Lab, Temple, TX (United States)
  7. Utrecht University (The Netherlands)
  8. University of Oldenburg (Germany)
  9. University of Guelph, Ontario (Canada)
  10. Iowa State University, Ames, IA (United States)
  11. University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
  12. University of Toronto – Scarborough (Canada)
  13. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 (C1417DSE) (Argentina)
  14. Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (China)
  15. University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA (United States)
  16. University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
  17. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
  18. University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
  19. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg (South Africa)
  20. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States)
  21. University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
  22. University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States)
  23. Monash University, Victoria (Australia)
  24. La Trobe University, Victoria (Australia)
  25. CSIRO Land and Water, Western Australia (Australia)
  26. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Birmensdorf (Switzerland)
  27. Lancaster University (United Kingdom)
  28. Yale University, New Haven, CT (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Niche dimensionality provides a general theoretical explanation for biodiversity—more niches, defined by more limiting factors, allow for more ways that species can coexist. Because plant species compete for the same set of limiting resources, theory predicts that addition of a limiting resource eliminates potential trade-offs, reducing the number of species that can coexist. Multiple nutrient limitation of plant production is common and therefore fertilization may reduce diversity by reducing the number or dimensionality of belowground limiting factors. At the same time, nutrient addition, by increasing biomass, should ultimately shift competition from belowground nutrients towards a one-dimensional competitive trade-off for light. Here we show that plant species diversity decreased when a greater number of limiting nutrients were added across 45 grassland sites from a multi-continent experimental network. The number of added nutrients predicted diversity loss, even after controlling for effects of plant biomass, and even where biomass production was not nutrient-limited. We found that elevated resource supply reduced niche dimensionality and diversity and increased both productivity and compositional turnover. Our results point to the importance of understanding dimensionality in ecological systems that are undergoing diversity loss in response to multiple global change factors.
Research Organization:
US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)., New Ellenton, SC (United States). Forest Service
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security (AU), Office of Security (AU-50)
Grant/Contract Number:
AI09-00SR22188
OSTI ID:
1337928
Report Number(s):
16--16-P
Journal Information:
Nature (London), Journal Name: Nature (London) Journal Issue: 7618 Vol. 537; ISSN 0028-0836
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (3)

General destabilizing effects of eutrophication on grassland productivity at multiple spatial scales journal October 2020
The dimensions of species diversity posted_content August 2018
Disentangling climate from soil nutrient effects on plant biomass production using a multispecies phytometer text January 2021

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Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
Grassland diversity