Addressing global biodiversity loss requires an expanded focus on multiple dimensions of biodiversity. While most studies have focused on the consequences of plant interspecific diversity, our mechanistic understanding of how the diversity within a given plant species (genetic diversity) affects plant productivity remains limited. Here, we use a tree species × genetic diversity experiment to disentangle the effects of species diversity and genetic diversity, and how they are related to tree functional diversity and trophic feedbacks. Tree species as well as genetic diversity increased tree productivity via increased tree functional diversity, reduced soil fungal diversity and marginally reduced herbivory. The effect of tree genetic diversity on productivity was partly different between tree species monocultures and mixtures: the functional diversity effect resulting from tree genetic diversity was only found in tree species monocultures, but the trophic feedbacks via herbivory were similar in species monocultures and mixtures. Given the complexity of interactions between tree species and genetic diversity, tree functional diversity and trophic feedbacks on productivity, we suggest that both tree species and genetic diversity should be considered in reforestation.
1. Traits have become a crucial part of ecological and evolutionary sciences, helping researchers understand the function of an organism's morphology, physiology, growth and life-history, with effects on fitness, behaviour, interactions with the environment, and ecosystem processes. However, compiling and analysing trait data comes with data-scientific challenges due to the complex nature of trait data.2. We offer 10 (mostly) simple rules, with some detailed extensions, as a guide in making critical decisions that consider the entire life cycle of trait data.3. This article is particularly motivated by its last rule, i.e. to propagate the good practices, and has the intention of bringing awareness of the different facets of a trait's life cycle to the community.4. When it comes to working with trait data, we gain particularly as an interdisciplinary community of field biologists, synthesis ecologists, computer scientists and database managers. We hope these basic guidelines can be useful as a starter for active communication in disseminating such integrative knowledge and how to make trait data future-proof.
<p>In many terrestrial ecosystems, earthworms operate at the interface between plants and soil. Their incidence and abundance depends on several soil properties, yet simultaneously they also impact soil properties themselves. The existence of a positive feedback loop in which earthworm activity maintains their own niche &#8212; by promoting turnover rate in the forest floor, thereby increasing topsoil pH and creating suitable living conditions for themselves &#8212; has been suggested before, yet lacks supporting evidence. In our European study we found that in forests where moisture is not limiting, soil acidity is an important factor determining the context of belowground interactions, and we were able to confirm the hypothesized feedback loop for forest ecosystems with soil pH &#8804; 5. This indicates that the activity of burrowing earthworms is pivotal in belowground functioning, amplifying external drivers (e.g. tree species effects) on biochemical cycling and triggering potential regime shifts in the abiotic compartment. In acidified soils (e.g. pH &#8804; 5), forest management is often focused on counteracting acidification and restoring the soil nutrient status. In that regard, managing soil fauna is a promising avenue to steer belowground functioning and may even be necessary upon restoration.</p>
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