Plant litter strengthens positive biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships over time

Zhang, Weiping; Fornara, Dario; Yang, Hao; Yu, Rui-Peng; Callaway, Ragan M.; Li, Long

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2022.12.008

Cited by 43 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…This suggests that variation in plant traits among tree communities can shape fungal communities and promote productivity of mixed tree communities. Perhaps, acquisitive species are able to shift to beneficial fungal communities through greater allocation to fungal mutualists or through deposition of higher quality litter; however, additional research would be needed to parse out the mechanism involved (Zhang et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil fungal communities contribute to the positive diversity–productivity relationship of tree communities under contrasting water availability

et al. 2023

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Plant diversity has often been linked to increased productivity; however, this apparent diversity–productivity relationship may rely on intertrophic interactions such as those between plants and soil microbes. Soil fungi can create complementarity between plant species via altered plant resource partitioning, facilitation via fungal networks or biotic feedbacks, thereby promoting plant diversity–productivity relationships. Furthermore, these relationships are likely to be context dependent in response to resource availability. We used a biodiversity–ecosystem function experiment with trees exposed to high and low water availability treatments to determine the contribution of soil fungal communities to the diversity–productivity relationship in tree communities. We used amplicon sequencing of soil fungi to assess fungal richness, community composition and richness of functional guilds. We then applied structural equation modelling to determine relationships between tree diversity, fungal communities and tree productivity and the role of water availability in these relationships. Tree species richness and functional diversity both increased above‐ground tree productivity and influenced soil fungal community composition. Fungal community composition had a direct impact on tree productivity and enhanced net diversity effects on productivity. Therefore, fungal communities mediated a positive, indirect effect of tree richness on productivity. While total fungal richness was not associated with tree diversity, pathogen richness decreased and mycorrhizal richness increased with tree richness. Pathogen and mycorrhizal richness had either no impact or a weak negative effect on productivity. Tree species traits strongly affected fungal communities and these changes promoted productivity. Finally, water availability greatly influenced fungal communities but did not interact with tree diversity to affect productivity; indicating possible resilience of tree communities to altered precipitation regimes and associated changes in fungal communities. Synthesis: Our study highlights the crucial role that fungal communities play in shaping the relationship between tree diversity, traits and productivity, and resilience to altered water availability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil fungal communities contribute to the positive diversity–productivity relationship of tree communities under contrasting water availability

et al. 2023

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“…Plant diversity plays an essential role in creating soil fertility through fixation of carbon and nitrogen, root chemical liberation of unavailable forms of soil minerals and their movement from deep to surface soils, and through the uptake and retention of nutrients (Lang et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2018). Besides, plants can indirectly affect soil properties via affecting soil biomes by providing litter and micro-habitat (Zhang et al, 2019(Zhang et al, , 2023. Our PLS-PM (GOF = 0.5188) explored significant positive effects of the biodiversity and bio-thermodynamic statue of the tree layer on soil fertilities, both directly (PC = 0.4329) and indirectly via soil microbes (PC = 0.2718, Figure 8).…”

Section: F I G U R Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term effects of intercropping on multi‐trophic structure and bio‐thermodynamic health of mixed Eucalyptus‐native tree plantations

Wang,

Lin,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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The intercropping approach of Eucalyptus and native trees has been widely recommended, as an ideal replacement for monoculture Eucalyptus plantations (EUs), to ameliorate global biodiversity loss and mitigate environmental change. However, both suitable native tree species (NS) and the best intercropping ratio between Eucalyptus and native trees have not been determined. To fill this gap, a four‐level intercropping gradient of Eucalyptus urophylla planted with eight NS was set up (i.e., 20%NS, 30%NS, 40%NS, 50%NS), monitored and compared with a monoculture E. urophylla plantation (EU) and a randomly mixed plantation of nine NS in southern China. The results showed that, the intercropping ratio of Eucalyptus and native trees had a long‐term effect on tree layer structure and health status, and a cascading effect on the thermodynamic health state of soil microbes. Shade‐tolerant woody species are more suitable for intercropping with Eucalyptus. Intercropping plantations with not less than 30% native trees were more favourable for long‐term survival and growth of both planted Eucalyptus and native trees, and provided much more favourable conditions for the natural immigration of other native trees, which leads to a healthy plant community with significantly higher eco‐exergy than EU. The initial mixing ratio between Eucalyptus and high diversity native trees affected soil fertility through its long‐term effects on the biodiversity and bio‐thermodynamic state of trees and soil microbes. Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight the long‐term positive effect of the intercropping ratio of Eucalyptus and high diversity native trees on multi‐trophic biodiversity conservation, bio‐thermodynamic health development and soil fertility conservation. In the conversion of monoculture EUs to multi‐species plantations, it is recommended to mix more than 30% NS, which have different ecological niches with Eucalyptus.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Decomposition of senesced organic material is an essential ecosystem process, facilitating the recycling of resources (Suseela & Tharayil, 2018; Wu et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2023), including nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), which often limit productivity in terrestrial ecosystems (Du et al., 2020). Decomposition is one mechanism suggested to facilitate plant productivity increases with diversity, that is, overyielding (Zhang et al., 2023). While there is strong evidence precipitation (Epstein et al., 2002; Knops et al., 2001; Wu et al., 2020), litter identity (Hector et al., 2000) and diversity of litter types (Kou et al., 2020; Xiao et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2023) alter decomposition, experiments exploring whether the diversity of planted species accelerates decomposition generate inconsistent results (Hättenschwiler et al., 2005; Knops et al., 2001; Milcu et al., 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home‐field advantage, N‐priming and precipitation independently govern litter decomposition in a plant diversity manipulation

Podzikowski,

Duell,

Burrill

et al. 2024

Functional Ecology

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Litter decomposition facilitates the recycling of often limiting resources, which may promote plant productivity responses to diversity, that is, overyielding. However, the direct relationship between decomposition, k, and overyielding remains underexplored in grassland diversity manipulations. We test whether local adaptation of microbes, that is, home‐field advantage (HFA), N‐priming from plant inputs or precipitation drive decomposition and whether decomposition generates overyielding. Within a grassland diversity‐manipulation, altering plant richness (1, 2, 3 and 6 species), composition (communities composed of plants from a single‐family or multiple‐families) and precipitation (50% and 150% ambient growing season precipitation), we conducted a litter decomposition experiment. In spring 2020, we deployed four replicate switchgrass, Panicum virgatum, litter bags (1.59 mm mesh opening), collecting them over 7 months to estimate litter k. Precipitation was a strong, independent driver of decomposition. Switchgrass decomposition accelerated with grass richness and decelerated as phylogenetic dissimilarity from switchgrass increased, suggesting decomposition is fastest at ‘home’. However, decomposition slowed with switchgrass density. In plots that contained switchgrass, we observed no relationship between decomposition and fungal saprotroph dissimilarity from switchgrass. However, in plots without switchgrass, decomposition slowed with increasing saprotroph dissimilarity from switchgrass. Combined these findings suggest that HFA is strongest when closely related neighbours, that is, heterospecific neighbours, are present in the community, rather than other individuals of the same species, that is, conspecifics. Legumes accelerated decomposition with more litter N remaining in those plots, suggesting that N‐inputs from planted legumes are priming decomposition of litter C. However, decomposition and overyielding were unrelated in legume communities. While in grass communities, overyielding and decomposition were positively related and the relationship was strongest in plots with low densities of switchgrass, that is, with heterospecific neighbours. Combined these findings suggest that plant species richness and community composition stimulate litter decomposition through multiple mechanisms, including N‐priming, but only HFA from local adaptation of microbes on closely related species correlates with overyielding, likely through resource recycling. Our results link diversity with ecosystem processes facilitating above‐ground productivity. Whether diversity loss will affect litter decomposition, productivity or both is contingent on resident plant traits and whether a locally adapted soil microbiome is maintained. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Plant litter strengthens positive biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships over time

Cited by 43 publications

References 98 publications

Soil fungal communities contribute to the positive diversity–productivity relationship of tree communities under contrasting water availability

Soil fungal communities contribute to the positive diversity–productivity relationship of tree communities under contrasting water availability

Long‐term effects of intercropping on multi‐trophic structure and bio‐thermodynamic health of mixed Eucalyptus‐native tree plantations

Home‐field advantage, N‐priming and precipitation independently govern litter decomposition in a plant diversity manipulation

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