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Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relations in European forests depend on environmental context

Journal Article · · Ecology Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12849· OSTI ID:1479924
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  1. University of Leipzig (Germany)
  2. University of Leipzig (Germany); German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig (Germany); Max‐Planck‐Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena (Germany)
  3. Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom); CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, WA (Australia)
  4. University of Bern (Switzerland); Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt (Germany)
  5. University of Freiburg (Germany)
  6. Ghent University, Melle‐Gontrode (Belgium)
  7. University of Bern (Switzerland)
  8. MNCN‐CSIC, Madrid (Spain)
  9. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig (Germany); Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) (Germany)
  10. Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC (Canada)
  11. INRA, UMR EEF, Champenoux (France)
  12. Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Suceava (Romania)
  13. University of Firenze (Italy)
  14. University of Liège (Belgium)
  15. INRA, UMR, Cestas (France)
  16. University of Warsaw, Białowieża (Poland)
  17. Wollo University, Dessie (Ethiopia)
  18. University of Leuven (Belgium)
  19. Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Joensuu (Finland)
  20. Forest Research Institute of Thessaloniki, Greek Agricultural Organization‐Dimitra, Thessaloniki (Greece)
  21. Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf (Switzerland)
  22. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  23. INRA, UMR, Cestas (France); University Bordeaux, BIOGECO, Pessac (France)
  24. University of Freiburg (Germany); Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
  25. University of Montpellier – University Paul‐Valery Montpellier – EPHE) (France)
  26. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig (Germany); Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) (Germany); Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle (Germany)
  27. Forest Research Institute Baden Wuerttemberg, Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany)
  28. Royal Holloway University of London, Egham (United Kingdom)
  29. University of Leipzig (Germany); German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig (Germany)
  30. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala (Sweden); Uppsala University (Sweden)
  31. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig (Germany)
  32. Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Nea Orestiada (Greece)
  33. University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
  34. University of Gothenburg, Göteborg (Sweden)
  35. Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid (Spain)
  36. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna (Austria)
  37. Université du Québec, Trois‐Rivières, QC (Canada); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
  38. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala (Sweden)
+ Show Author Affiliations
The importance of biodiversity in supporting ecosystem functioning is generally well accepted. However, most evidence comes from small-scale studies, and scaling-up patterns of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (B-EF) remains challenging, in part because the importance of environmental factors in shaping B-EF relations is poorly understood. In this study, using a forest research platform in which 26 ecosystem functions were measured along gradients of tree species richness in six regions across Europe, we investigated the extent and the potential drivers of context dependency of B-EF relations. Despite considerable variation in species richness effects across the continent, we found a tendency for stronger B-EF relations in drier climates as well as in areas with longer growing seasons and more functionally diverse tree species. Finally, the importance of water availability in driving context dependency suggests that as water limitation increases under climate change, biodiversity may become even more important to support high levels of functioning in European forests.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1479924
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--17-28670
Journal Information:
Ecology Letters, Journal Name: Ecology Letters Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 20; ISSN 1461-023X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (46)

Impacts of climate on the biodiversity-productivity relationship in natural forests journal December 2018
Global evidence of positive biodiversity effects on spatial ecosystem stability in natural grasslands journal July 2019
Plant diversity maintains multiple soil functions in future environments journal November 2018
Forest Fragmentation Modulates Effects of Tree Species Richness and Composition on Ecosystem Multifunctionality
  • Hertzog, Lionel R.; Boonyarittichaikij, Roschong; Dekeukeleire, Daan
  • The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Vol. 100, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1550
journal May 2019
Trade-offs between temporal stability and level of forest ecosystem services provisioning under climate change journal September 2018
How do trees respond to species mixing in experimental compared to observational studies? journal September 2019
Water availability drives aboveground biomass and bird richness in forest restoration plantings to achieve carbon and biodiversity cobenefits journal November 2019
Forest fragmentation modulates effects of tree species richness and composition on ecosystem multifunctionality journal February 2019
Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services journal November 2017
Biodiversity across trophic levels drives multifunctionality in highly diverse forests journal July 2018
Multiple forest attributes underpin the supply of multiple ecosystem services journal November 2018
Consistent effects of biodiversity loss on multifunctionality across contrasting ecosystems journal December 2017
A plant biodiversity effect resolved to a single chromosomal region journal November 2018
Drought and plant neighbourhood interactively determine herbivore consumption and performance journal April 2018
Structural diversity as a predictor of ecosystem function journal October 2019
Positive biodiversity–productivity relationships in forests: climate matters journal April 2018
Community-wide scan identifies fish species associated with coral reef services across the Indo-Pacific journal July 2018
Identifying the tree species compositions that maximize ecosystem functioning in European forests journal December 2018
Anti-herbivore defences and insect herbivory: Interactive effects of drought and tree neighbours journal March 2018
Plant functional trait shifts explain concurrent changes in the structure and function of grassland soil microbial communities journal May 2019
Functional diversity promotes phytoplankton resource use efficiency journal May 2019
Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence journal September 2019
Demographic performance of European tree species at their hot and cold climatic edges journal November 2020
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in naturally assembled communities journal February 2019
Effects of plant diversity on soil carbon in diverse ecosystems: a global meta‐analysis journal October 2019
Effects of plant functional group removal on structure and function of soil communities across contrasting ecosystems journal April 2019
Scaling‐up biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning research journal April 2020
Trade‐offs between carbon stocks and biodiversity in European temperate forests journal November 2018
Productivity does not correlate with species and functional diversity in Australian reforestation plantings across a wide climate gradient journal June 2019
Spatial variation in climate modifies effects of functional diversity on biomass dynamics in natural forests across Canada journal January 2020
Having the right neighbors: how tree species diversity modulates drought impacts on forests journal January 2019
Species richness influences the spatial distribution of trees in European forests journal December 2019
Linking forest diversity and tree health: preliminary insights from a large-scale survey in Italy journal March 2018
Belowground Biodiversity Relates Positively to Ecosystem Services of European Forests journal March 2019
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Białowieża Forest—A Relic of the High Naturalness of European Forests journal September 2019
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How do trees respond to species mixing in experimental compared to observational studies? text January 2019
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Multiple forest attributes underpin the supply of multiple ecosystem services text January 2018
A plant biodiversity effect resolved to a single chromosomal region text January 2018
Multiple forest attributes underpin the supply of multiple ecosystem services text January 2018
Identifying the tree species compositions that maximize ecosystem functioning in European forests text January 2019
Landscape-Scale Mixtures of Tree Species are More Effective than Stand-Scale Mixtures for Biodiversity of Vascular Plants, Bryophytes and Lichens text January 2019
How do trees respond to species mixing in experimental compared to observational studies? text January 2019

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
FunDivEUROPE
Functional diversity
growing season length
multifunctionality
resource heterogeneity
species richness
water availability