Plant diversity loss has limited effects on below-ground biomass and traits but alters community short-term root production in a species-rich grassland

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00636355" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00636355 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/67985939:_____/25:00636355 RIV/60076658:12310/25:43909741

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14488" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14488</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14488" target="_blank" >10.1111/1365-2745.14488</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Plant diversity loss has limited effects on below-ground biomass and traits but alters community short-term root production in a species-rich grassland

Original language description

Many biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments have shown enhanced productivity with biodiversity, often explained by niche differentiation and complementarity effects. Yet, most of these results are based on artificial plant assemblages, with a major focus on above-ground productivity. Consequently, our comprehension of the BEF relationship in natural ecosystem and for below-ground functions remains largely unknown. In this study, we simulated a long-term non-random species loss in a naturally diverse temperate meadow. We created a richness gradient spanning from 1 to more than 20 species per plot, removing the rare and sub-ordinate species from the vegetation. After 3 and 6 years of experimental manipulation, soil cores were collected to investigate the effects of species removal on below-ground biomass, vertical distribution of roots and root traits. We also used ingrowth cores to quantify the short-term root production of plant communities. We investigated the consistency of below- and above-ground responses to species removal. Consistent with above-ground responses, species removal had little effect on root biomass and community root traits, except for a decrease in biomass in the uppermost soil layer (0-5 cm) found only after 6 years. Similarly, the vertical distribution of root biomass and traits was largely unaffected by diversity loss, suggesting little evidence for vertical niche differentiation. Nevertheless, species loss decreased the root production in spring (3 months), albeit this lower short-term root production was diluted after a year, when monocultures of dominants almost matched the annual root production of controls. Synthesis. Our results from a non-random species removal experiment revealed minimal impact of a realistic diversity loss on root biomass and traits, but a decrease in short-term fine root production. These results challenge traditional BEF theory and the niche differentiation hypothesis, suggesting that dominant species primarily determine below-ground biomass structure and characteristics. High diversity may only temporarily increase short-term root production.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA23-07087S" target="_blank" >GA23-07087S: Effects of plant diversity loss on ecosystem carbon cycling in a changing world</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Ecology

ISSN

0022-0477

e-ISSN

1365-2745

Volume of the periodical

113

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

10

Pages from-to

662-671

UT code for WoS article

001408981500001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85216452661