Synthesis and future research directions linking tree diversity to growth, survival, and damage in a global network of tree diversity experiments

Abstract

Despite considerable research demonstrating that biodiversity increases productivity in forests and regulates herbivory and pathogen damage, there remain gaps in our understanding of the shape, magnitude, and generality of these biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships. Here, we review findings from TreeDivNet, a global network of 25 tree diversity experiments, on relationships between levels of biodiversity and (a) tree growth and survival and (b) damage to trees from pests and pathogens. Tree diversity often improved the survival and above-and belowground growth of young trees. The mechanistic bases of the diversity effects on tree growth and survival include both selection effects (i.e., an increasing impact of particular species in more species-rich communities) and complementary effects (e.g. related to resource differentiation and facilitation). Plant traits and abiotic stressors may mediate these relationships. Studies of the responses of invertebrate and vertebrate herbivory and pathogen damage have demonstrated that trees in more diverse experimental plots may experience more, less, or similar damage compared to conspecific trees in less diverse plots. Documented mechanisms producing these patterns include changes in concentration, frequency, and apparency of hosts; herbivore and pathogen diet breadth; the spatial scale of interactions; and herbivore and pathogen regulation by natural enemies. Our review of findings from TreeDivNet indicates that tree diversity experiments are extending BEF research across systems and scales, complementing previous BEF work in grasslands by providing opportunities to use remote sensing and spectral approaches to study BEF dynamics, integrate belowground and aboveground approaches, and trace the consequences of tree physiology for ecosystem functioning. This extension of BEF research into tree-dominated systems is improving ecologists' capacity to understand the mechanistic bases behind BEF relationships. Tree diversity experiments also present opportunities for novel research. Since experimental tree diversity plantations enable measurements at tree, neighbourhood and plot level, they allow for explicit consideration of temporal and spatial scales in BEF dynamics. Presently, most TreeDivNet experiments have run for less than ten years. Given the longevity of trees, exciting results on BEF relationships are expected in the future.

Mycorrhiza in tree diversity–ecosystem function relationships: conceptual framework and experimental implementation

“…Cross experiment comparisons will provide tests of tree diversity effects on ecosystem functioning in different environmental contexts and will enable local truths to be separated from general patterns in BEF relationships (Grossman et al. ). The network currently consists of 25 experiments comprised of >1,100,000 trees across four biomes (Paquette et al.…”

Effects of tree species diversity on insect herbivory and leaf defences in Cordia dodecandra

“…Distance between plots is 6 m and distance between plants within plots is 3 m. Plot size, planting density, and the separation between plots fall within the range of design features of other tree diversity experiments that have measured effects on productivity and plant-insect interactions (Scherer-Lorenzen et al, 2005;Grossman et al, 2018), and significant effects of diversity have been found previously for insect communities associated with this system (e.g. Distance between plots is 6 m and distance between plants within plots is 3 m. Plot size, planting density, and the separation between plots fall within the range of design features of other tree diversity experiments that have measured effects on productivity and plant-insect interactions (Scherer-Lorenzen et al, 2005;Grossman et al, 2018), and significant effects of diversity have been found previously for insect communities associated with this system (e.g.…”

A tale of scale: Plot but not neighbourhood tree diversity increases leaf litter ant diversity

“…Diversity at one trophic level affects the diversity in other trophic levels (Scherber et al, ) and can have wide‐ranging implications for ecosystem functioning (Schuldt et al, ; Tilman, Isbell, & Cowles, ). While a general positive cross‐taxon relationship between plant diversity and the diversity of other taxa is firmly established through biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments for both grassland (Scherber et al, ) and forest ecosystems (Grossman et al, ), the scale (Wiens, ) at which plant diversity effects operate remains unclear (Bruelheide et al, ). While BEF experiments usually manipulate plot (i.e.…”