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Nutrient stoichiometry and land use rather than species richness determine plant functional diversity
Busch, Verena (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. Institut für Landschaftsökologie)
Klaus, Valentin H. (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. Institut für Landschaftsökologie)
Penone, Caterina (Universität Bern. Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften)
Schäfer, Deborah (Universität Bern. Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften)
Boch, Steffen (Universität Bern. Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften)
Prati, Daniel (Universität Bern. Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften)
Müller, Jörg (Universität Potsdam. Institut für Biochemie und Biologie)
Socher, Stephanie A. (Universität Salzburg. Institute for Ecology and Evolution)
Niinemets, Ülo (Eesti Maaülikool. Department of Plant Physiology)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Hölzel, Norbert (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. Institut für Landschaftsökologie)
Fischer, Markus (Universität Bern. Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften)
Kleinebecker, Till (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. Institute for Landscape Ecology)

Date: 2018
Abstract: Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have consi-dered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community-weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition-related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf-economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters.
Note: Ajuts: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Grant Numbers: FI 1246/6-1, HO 3830/2-1, KL 2265/5-1 - TRY initiative on plant traits DIVERSITAS/Future Earth and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig - Open Access Publication Fund of University of Muenster.
Rights: Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. Creative Commons
Language: Anglès
Document: Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject: Biodiversity exploratories ; Fertilization ; Leaf economics ; Mowing ; Nutrient availability ; Nutrient ratios ; Phosphorus ; Plant functional traits ; Plant strategies ; Seed mass
Published in: Ecology and evolution, Vol. 8, issue 1 (Jan. 2018) , p. 601-616, ISSN 2045-7758

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3609
PMID: 29321897


16 p, 1.2 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles

 Record created 2018-09-17, last modified 2024-03-18



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