Landscape context explains ecosystem multifunctionality in restored grasslands better than plant diversity

Abstract

There is strong evidence for a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at local spatial scales. However, how different aspects of biodiversity relate to multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality) across heterogeneous landscapes, and how the magnitude of biodiversity, dominant species, and environmental effects on functioning compare, remain poorly understood. We compared relationships between plant phylogenetic, functional, and taxonomic diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality across 29 restored grasslands. Functional diversity was positively associated with multifunctionality, more strongly than other diversity measures; however, landscape composition explained nearly four times more variation in multifunctionality than did functional diversity, with plots within human-modified landscapes supporting lower multifunctionality. Individual functions were typically more strongly correlated with environmental variables than with diversity. We also found that abundance of the dominant species, Andropogon gerardii, was positively correlated with multifunctionality. Plant diversity, dominant species, and underlying environmental conditions underpin ecosystem multifunctionality in grasslands, but how biodiversity is measured matters for the strength and direction of biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships. Finally, in natural systems environmental variation unrelated to local biodiversity is important for determining ecosystem functioning.

Above‐ and below‐ground biodiversity jointly regulate temperate forest multifunctionality along a local‐scale environmental gradient

“…For example, wood biomass and non-timber forest products cannot be simultaneously increased in Swedish forests (Gamfeldt et al, 2013). In addition, ecosystem multifunctionality may be driven by different individual functions that respond strongly to diversity or environmental conditions or by all functions increasing together (Zirbel, Grman, Bassett, & Brudvig, 2019). Thus, identifying how different ecosystem functions respond to biodiversity and environmental conditions, as well as their relative contributions to multifunctionality, is critical to formulating sustainable management and conservation policies (Baeten et al, 2018;Felipe-Lucia et al, 2018; van der Plas, 2019).…”

Thinning enhances ecosystem multifunctionality via increase of functional diversity in a Pinus yunnanensis natural secondary forest

“…Phylogenetic diversity, the strongest expected predictor of EMF, was not significantly related to EMF, perhaps because the phylogenetic signal of functional traits related to each EF might not always be present (Davies et al 2016). Zirbel et al (2019) suggested that if the functional traits that determined an EF were not phylogenetically conserved, phylogenetic diversity might not be a good predictor of that EF. We suspected that some species, functional traits, and phylogenetic signals were lost during thinning.…”

“…Scientists pointed out that species richness was not a particularly good metric for biodiversity because species richness does not provide direct information about traits like functional or phylogenetic diversity does (Gamfeldt and Roger 2017;Zirbel et al 2019). Functional diversity might be a better predictor of ecosystem function or multifunctionality (Díaz and Cabido 2001;Gross et al 2017).…”

Selective logging enhances ecosystem multifunctionality via increase of functional diversity in a Pinus yunnanensis forest in Southwest China

“…Phylogenetic diversity, supposed to be the most expected predictor of EMF, was not signi cantly related to EMF, perhaps because the phylogenetic signal of functional traits related to each ecosystem function might not always be present (Davies et al 2016). Zirbel et al (2019) suggested that if the functional traits that determined an ecosystem function were not phylogenetically conserved, phylogenetic diversity might not be a good predictor of that ecosystem function. We concluded that some species, functional traits, and phylogenetic signals were lost during logging.…”

“…species richness as a metric of biodiversity, since it is a simple metric to study and could be extended to other diversity metrics (Isbell et al 2011;Maestre et al 2012;Gamfeldt and Roger 2017). Scientists pointed out that species richness was not a particularly good metric for biodiversity because species richness does not provide direct information about traits like functional or phylogenetic diversity does (Gamfeldt and Roger 2017;Zirbel et al 2019). Plant functional traits are the characteristics of morphological, phenological and physiological, which could re ect how plants respond to environmental changes, and in uence other trophic levels and different ecosystem processes (Pérez-Harguindeguy et al 2013).…”