Biodiversity Effects on Soil Processes Explained by Interspecific Functional Dissimilarity

Heemsbergen, D.A.; Berg, Matty P.; Loreau, Michel; Hal, Jurgen van; Faber, J.H.; Verhoef, H.A.

doi:10.1126/science.1101865

Cited by 505 publications

(487 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Ecosystem processes and properties are mainly determined by the mean effect trait value of the species present in the community, weighted by their relative abundance (the so-called community-weighted mean trait value -CWM; Garnier et al (2004)). Alternatively, functional diversity (the degree of dissimilarity in trait values between coexisting species -see Villéger et al (2008)) promotes non-additive effects on ecosystem processes, that is, effects not predictable from singlespecies results due to antagonistic or synergistic interactions among species (Heemsbergen et al 2004). The prevalence of each of these two aspects on ecosystem functioning is likely to depend on the ecosystem process of interest (Mouillot et al 2011;Dias et al 2013a).…”

Section: Evaluating Possible Consequences For Ecosystem Functioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going Back to Basics: Importance of Ecophysiology when Choosing Functional Traits for Studying Communities and Ecosystems

Rosado¹,

Dias²,

Mattos³

2013

NatCon

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Striking progress has been made on conceptual and methodological aspects linking species traits to community and ecosystem responses to environmental change. However, the first step when using a trait-based approach (i.e., choosing the adequate traits reflecting species response to a given environmental driver) deserves much more attention. The first broad comparative studies, using worldwide datasets, have identified a number of traits that are, for example, good indicators of plant responses to water and nutrient availability, or good indicators of plant species defense against herbivory and plant effects on litter decomposition. Due to the successful explanation of global patterns of trait variation and the relatively easy measurements, some functional traits have become widely used. However, it is starting to be questioned whether the status of such "fashionable traits" is always justified; especially considering that particular traits might be the result of underlying traits that respond to distinct environmental factors. Some global trade-offs between traits reflecting contrasting resource use strategies do not hold under changing environmental conditions. Therefore, the choice of traits to up-scale responses of individuals to communities and ecosystems should be based on their adequacy for a specified ecological context. Here, we present a framework that helps identifying objective criteria for the choice of functional traits for studies on community assembly and ecosystem processes and services. This framework comprises five steps: 1) identification of the main environmental drivers; 2) identification of the relevant physiological processes allowing species to cope with the environment; 3) selection of traits that are involved in such physiological processes; 4) validation of the select traits at community level and; 5) evaluation of possible consequences for ecosystem processes/services.

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Section: Evaluating Possible Consequences For Ecosystem Functioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going Back to Basics: Importance of Ecophysiology when Choosing Functional Traits for Studying Communities and Ecosystems

Rosado¹,

Dias²,

Mattos³

2013

NatCon

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“…Infilling of spruce and/or shrubs will change ecosystem nutrient status, snowfall retention, and hydrology (Sturm et al, 2001). Such shifts will likely alter both above-and below-ground biodiversity (Kennedy et al, 2002;Porazinska et al, 2003;Heemsbergen et al, 2004). In addition, the expansion of white spruce into tundra will alter fire frequency and distribution so fire suppression may become an important policy issue in natural resource planning (Flannigan and Van Wagner, 1991).…”

Section: Treeline Advance Into Arctic Tundramentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Burkett

Wilcox

Stottlemyer

et al. 2005

Ecological Complexity

237

177

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Many biological, hydrological, and geological processes are interactively linked in ecosystems. These ecological phenomena normally vary within bounded ranges, but rapid, nonlinear changes to markedly different conditions can be triggered by even small differences if threshold values are exceeded. Intrinsic and extrinsic ecological thresholds can lead to effects that cascade among systems, precluding accurate modeling and prediction of system response to climate change. Ten case studies from North America illustrate how changes in climate can lead to rapid, threshold-type responses within ecological communities; the case studies also highlight the role of human activities that alter the rate or direction of system response to climate change. Understanding and anticipating nonlinear dynamics are important aspects of adaptation planning since responses of biological resources to changes in the physical climate system are not necessarily proportional and sometimes, as in the case of complex ecological systems, inherently nonlinear. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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“…Without loss of generality, the example can be extended to other environmental factors and to multiple species Evol Ecol (2010) 24:617-629 619 possible to make a statement about the plasticity of one species compared to the other, unless particular traits and conditions are specified. The relevance of considering plasticity of functional traits in community ecology has become more urgent since an increasing number of studies turn to trait databases to explain community patterns, both in plant and animal ecology (Heemsbergen et al 2004;Ozinga et al 2007). Trait databases, such as the Globnet leaf economics database (Wright et al 2004) or the LEDA trait database for the Northwest European flora (Kleyer et al 2008), are used extensively to analyse vegetation compositional responses to changing environments.…”

Section: The Relevance Of Considering Plasticity In Functional Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trait plasticity in species interactions: a driving force of community dynamics

Berg¹,

Ellers²

2010

Evol Ecol

140

123

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Evolutionary community ecology is an emerging field of study that includes evolutionary principles such as individual trait variation and plasticity of traits to provide a more mechanistic insight as to how species diversity is maintained and community processes are shaped across time and space. In this review we explore phenotypic plasticity in functional traits and its consequences at the community level. We argue that resource requirement and resource uptake are plastic traits that can alter fundamental and realised niches of species in the community if environmental conditions change. We conceptually add to niche models by including phenotypic plasticity in traits involved in resource allocation under stress. Two qualitative predictions that we derive are: (1) plasticity in resource requirement induced by availability of resources enlarges the fundamental niche of species and causes a reduction of vacant niches for other species and (2) plasticity in the proportional resource uptake results in expansion of the realized niche, causing a reduction in the possibility for coexistence with other species. We illustrate these predictions with data on the competitive impact of invasive species. Furthermore, we review the quickly increasing number of empirical studies on evolutionary community ecology and demonstrate the impact of phenotypic plasticity on community composition. Among others, we give examples that show that differences in the level of phenotypic plasticity can disrupt species interactions when environmental conditions change, due to effects on realized niches. Finally, we indicate several promising directions for future phenotypic plasticity research in a community context. We need an integrative, trait-based approach that has its roots in community and evolutionary ecology in order to face fast changing environmental conditions such as global warming and urbanization that pose ecological as well as evolutionary challenges.

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Biodiversity Effects on Soil Processes Explained by Interspecific Functional Dissimilarity

Cited by 505 publications

References 7 publications

Going Back to Basics: Importance of Ecophysiology when Choosing Functional Traits for Studying Communities and Ecosystems

Going Back to Basics: Importance of Ecophysiology when Choosing Functional Traits for Studying Communities and Ecosystems

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Trait plasticity in species interactions: a driving force of community dynamics

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