Species pool distributions along functional trade-offs shape plant productivity-diversity relationships.

ABSTRACT: Grasslands deliver the resources for food production and are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems. These characteristics are often in conflict as increasing yield through fertilization can lead to biodiversity loss. Thus, the challenge in grassland management is to sustain both yield and diversity. Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments typically reveal a positive relationship between manipulated species diversity and productivity. In contrast, observations of the effect of increasing productivity via fertilization suggest a negative association with biodiversity. Using a mathematical model simulating species co-existence along a resource gradient, we show that trade-offs and species pool structure (size and trait distribution) determines the shape of the productivity-div

SUBMITTER: Chalmandrier L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5684142 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature