The loss of plant functional groups increased arthropod diversity in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Plant species loss, driven by global changes and human activities, can have cascading effects on other trophic levels, such as arthropods, and alter the multitrophic structure of ecosystems. While the relationship between plant diversity and arthropod communities has been well-documented, few studies have explored the effects of species composition variation or plant functional groups. In this study, we conducted a long-term plant removal experiment to investigate the impact of plant functional group loss (specifically targeting tall grasses and sedges, as well as tall or short forbs) on arthropod diversity and their functional groups. Our findings revealed that the removal of plant functional groups resulted in increased arthropod richness, abundance and the exponential of Shannon entropy

SUBMITTER: Lu N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10904612 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature