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openCC0Mar 2018View details →

Effects of Salicaceae species litter type and moisture at 10 paired wetland by upland plots:Specialization, maintenance of diversity and ecosystem consequences of growth defense trade-offs in a model system: the hyper-diverse willow communities of Cedar Creek

Cedar Creek includes a diversity of habitats, which support an astonishing number of species (15) from a single evolutionary lineage: the willow family (Salicaceae). The physiological tolerances and abiotic mechanisms that maintain natural diversity in this hyper-diverse system are beginning to be understood; the role of biotic interactions, however, remains a major gap in understanding. We hypothesize that insect herbivory plays a critical role in niche partitioning, providing an important explanation for high willow diversity. Using a replicated series of common gardens and insect herbivore manipulations in resource rich and resource poor habitats, we are testing for evolved trade-offs between defense investment and growth rate. We expect specialized plant syndromes to emerge along the continuum from ???herbivore escape??? via fast growth in high resource environments to ???anti-herbivore protection??? via heavy investment in defense in low resource environments. Evolved growth/defense strategies that promote diversity are also likely to have ecosystem consequences due to foliar chemical influences on decomposition and the composition and diversity of the insect communities they support. The proposed research takes advantage of natural diversity, providing an important model system at Cedar Creek.

openCC0Mar 2018View details →

Initial Salicaceae species litter chemistry:Specialization, maintenance of diversity and ecosystem consequences of growth defense trade-offs in a model system: the hyper-diverse willow communities of Cedar Creek

openCC0Oct 2020View details →

2012 growing season water table depth in common gardens:Specialization, maintenance of diversity and ecosystem consequences of growth defense trade-offs in a model system, the hyper-diverse willow communities of Cedar Creek

openCC0Oct 2020View details →

Percent carbon and nitrogen in leaf tissue:Specialization, maintenance of diversity and ecosystem consequences of growth defense trade-offs in a model system, the hyper-diverse willow communities of Cedar Creek

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2020View details →

Figure 2 from: Heintz-Buschart A, Guerra C, Djukic I, Cesarz S, Chatzinotas A, Patoine G, Sikorski J, Buscot F, Küsel K, Wegner C-E, Eisenhauer N (2020) Microbial diversity-ecosystem function relationships across environmental gradients. Research Ideas and Outcomes 6: e52217. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.6.e52217

Figure 2 Overview of the sample collection. Decomposition, as a central soil function, and the biodiversity of involved microbial communities will be studied in a large, international monitoring network (sampling locations indicated in a) to assess the generality of microbial biodiversity-function relationships across climates (mean annual air temperature and annual precipitation in b) and land use and cover types (c).

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2020View details →

Figure 1 from: Heintz-Buschart A, Guerra C, Djukic I, Cesarz S, Chatzinotas A, Patoine G, Sikorski J, Buscot F, Küsel K, Wegner C-E, Eisenhauer N (2020) Microbial diversity-ecosystem function relationships across environmental gradients. Research Ideas and Outcomes 6: e52217. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.6.e52217

Figure 1 A Environmental change and heterogeneity determine the biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems (modified after Eisenhauer et al. 2016). In addition, changes in biodiversity can have significant effects on ecosystem functioning, which can be masked by strong environmental gradients. Only by accounting for environmental heterogeneity can the role of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning be wholly realized (Grace et al. 2016). B Hypothesized positive relationship between microbial diversity and decomposition (overall positive relationship with confidence intervals; no real data was used to create this figure). The diversity gradient in soil microbes is supposed to be caused by different environmental conditions. The different grey lines indicate BEF relationships across different experimental and environmental gradients.

opencc-zeroAug 2020View details →

Determinants of ecosystem stability in a diverse temperate forest

<p><span>Understanding how diversity affects ecosystem stability is crucial for predicting the consequences of continued habitat and biodiversity loss on ecosystem functions and services. Long-term productivity stability in plant communities is often associated with greater species, phylogenetic or functional diversity, more complex size and age structures, or higher asynchrony in species fluctuations (compensatory dynamics), all potentially increasing community resistance to perturbations. However, the relative importance of these stabilizing pathways is still poorly understood, especially in old-growth species-rich forests. Here we explore how compensatory dynamics and multiple facets of diversity underpin temporal stability of wood biomass production over forty years in a Japanese temperate forest, based on more than 45,500 stem increments from 15 species. Whereas the effect of species richness and phylogenetic diversity was small, the old-growth structural attributes markedly increased community stability via increased asynchrony in the performance of co-occurring species. Greater standing tree volume, stem density and interspecific variation in growth rates enhanced productivity stability both directly and indirectly via increased asynchrony. This corroborates the predictions of increased compensatory dynamics with increased asymmetric competition for light in a more productive environment. Asymmetric competition in old-growth patches, between dominant oaks and sub-canopy shade-tolerant firs and maples, is a major driver of productivity stability over time via compensatory dynamics. Overall productivity remains relatively constant in old-growth patches, as abundant firs and maples in the lower canopy layers compensate for biomass losses in canopy oaks caused by aging, wind and snow disturbances. Younger forest patches, composed of fast-growing, shade-intolerant species, had a lower stability of productivity, with reduced stem basal area and tree density due to higher understory bamboo coverage preventing tree regeneration and growth. We provide new insights into mechanisms underlying the stability of ecosystem functioning in diverse forest ecosystems, and emphasize the importance of preserving and supporting old-growth forests and their structural complexity.</span></p>

opencc-zeroAug 2019View details →

Data from: Alpha and beta diversity of connected benthic–subsurface invertebrate communities respond to drying in dynamic river ecosystems

Drying disturbances are the primary determinant of aquatic community biodiversity in dynamic river ecosystems. Research exploring how communities respond to disturbance has focused on benthic invertebrates in surface sediments, inadequately representing a connected community that extends into the subsurface. We compared subsurface and benthic invertebrate responses to drying, to identify common and context-dependent spatial patterns. We characterized community composition, alpha diversity and beta diversity across a gradient of drying duration. Subsurface communities responded to drying, but these responses were typically less pronounced than those of benthic communities. Despite compositional changes and in contrast to reductions in benthic alpha diversity, the alpha diversity of subsurface communities remained stable except at long drying durations. Some primarily benthic taxa were among those whose subsurface frequency and abundance responded positively to drying. Collectively, changing composition, stable richness and taxon-specific increases in occurrence provide evidence that subsurface sediments can support persistence of invertebrate communities during drying disturbances. Beta-diversity patterns varied and no consistent patterns distinguished the total diversity, turnover or nestedness of subsurface compared to benthic communities. In response to increasing drying duration, beta diversity increased or remained stable for benthic communities, but remained stable or decreased for subsurface communities, likely reflecting contrasts in the influence of mass effects, priority effects and environmental filtering. Dissimilarity between subsurface and benthic communities remained stable or increased with drying duration, suggesting that subsurface communities maintain distinct biodiversity value while also supporting temporary influxes of benthic taxa during drying events. As temporary rivers increase in extent due to global change, we highlight that recognizing the connected communities that extend into the subsurface sediments can enable holistic understanding of ecological responses to drying, the key determinant of biodiversity in these dynamic ecosystems.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Trait identity and functional diversity co-drive response of ecosystem productivity to nitrogen enrichment

1. Exploring the mechanisms underlying the change in ecosystem productivity under anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs is of fundamental ecological interest. It has been proposed that functional traits, environmental factors, and species richness are central drivers linking ecosystem productivity with environmental change. However, few studies have considered the joint effects of functional traits, environmental factors, and species richness on ecosystem productivity under increasing N inputs. 2. We established a N-manipulation experiment in a Tibetan alpine steppe in 2013. Using structural equation models, we assessed the effects of N-induced changes in environmental factors, species richness, and trait metrics (the mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis of trait distribution) on gross ecosystem productivity as well as three resource use efficiencies (water, light, and phosphorus (P) use efficiencies), based on measurements during the peak growing season in 2016. 3. We found that both light and P use efficiencies decreased under N enrichment, largely due to the N-induced decline in functional diversity of leaf P concentration. However, both gross ecosystem productivity and water use efficiency exhibited initial increases and subsequent slight decreases with N addition. These nonlinear patterns were closely associated with both the increased morphological trait (i.e., mean-leaf area) and decreased diversity of leaf P concentration. 4. Synthesis. Our results illustrate how N-induced changes in functional traits may have dual effects on ecosystem productivity: the stimulating effects of the dominant trait identity via increasing canopy light interception vs. the inhibiting effect of decreasing trait diversity via declining resource use efficiencies. Our results highlight the importance of including functional traits in land surface models to improve predictions of the response of ecosystem function to N inputs.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Deciphering the associations between soil microbial diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality driven by long-term fertilization management

1.An increasing number of studies indicate that microbial diversity plays a crucial role in the mediation of ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) in natural ecosystems. However, this point remains mostly overlooked in managed ecosystems, especially in agriculture. 2.Here, we compiled promising strategies for the targeted exploitation of the associations between microbial diversity and EMF of agricultural soils using samples from two long-term (more than 30 years) experimental field sites in southern China. The two sites experienced a similar subtropical monsoon climate and fertilization management practices. We used high-throughput amplicon sequencing, structural equation modeling (SEM), and random forest analysis, to analyze our data and validate our hypotheses. 3.We found that soil physiochemical properties and the C-, N-, P- and S-cycle enzyme activities were increased with the increase of microbial diversity. Specifically, a positive linear relationship was observed between microbial diversity and EMF, which was mediated by long-term fertilization management via changes in soil microbial communities and physiochemical properties. Random forest analysis and SEM showed that the important role of microbial diversity on EMF was maintained even when simultaneously taking multiple multifunctionality drivers (soil physiochemical properties, soil aggregation and enzymatic patterns) into account. In addition, microbial diversity, C-cycle enzyme activity and pH value are feasible predictors of EMF; these factors were shown to be the main drivers of EMF of arable soils. 4. Our findings suggest that there may be a limited degree of multifunctional redundancy in arable soils. The relationship we observed between microbial diversity and EMF suggests that management practices that foster more diverse soil microbial communities may have the potential to improve the functioning of agroecosystems.

opencc-zeroJun 2019View details →

Data from: Multi-trophic β-diversity mediates the effect of environmental gradients on the turnover of multiple ecosystem functions

1. Much effort has been devoted to better understanding the effects of environment and biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. However, few studies have moved beyond measuring biodiversity as species richness of a single group and/or focusing on a single ecosystem function. While there is a growing recognition that along environmental gradients, the compositional turnover of multiple trophic groups influences not only productivity but multiple ecosystem functions, we do not know yet which components of multi-trophic β-diversity influence which ecosystem functions. 2. Here, we captured the biodiversity found in soils using environmental DNA to study total soil multi-trophic β-diversity (between all taxa regardless of their trophic group association), horizontal β-diversities (β-diversities within trophic groups) and vertical β-diversity (β-diversity across trophic groups) along a 1000-m elevational gradient in the French Alps. Using path analyses, we quantified how these β-diversity components mediate the effects of environmental turnover on the turnover of multiple ecosystem functions (i.e. productivity, N-cycling, N-leaching) and overall multifunctionality. 3. While we found a strong direct effect of soil properties on the turnover of multiple ecosystem functions, we also found an indirect effect of climate and soil properties through multi-trophic β-diversity. More specifically, only total multi-trophic β-diversity and the horizontal β-diversity of saprophytic fungi were strongly related to the turnover of multifunctionality and, to a lower extent, the turnover of productivity and N-cycling. Our results suggest that decomposition processes and resulting nutrient availability are key to understand how ecosystem functions change along soil properties and climatic gradients in alpine ecosystems. 4. Beyond alpine systems, our study stresses the paramount importance of considering the mediating role of multi-trophic diversity in environmental change impacts on different ecosystem functions and their multifunctionality.

FIGURE 21 in The diversity of a snake community in a karst forest ecosystem in the central Truong Son, Vietnam, with an identification key

FIGURE 21. Relation of forest and open landscape dwelling snake species in Phong Nha - Ke Bang.

FIGURE 19 in The diversity of a snake community in a karst forest ecosystem in the central Truong Son, Vietnam, with an identification key

FIGURE 19. Distribution pattern of snake species recorded from Phong Nha - Ke Bang.

FIGURE 13 in The diversity of a snake community in a karst forest ecosystem in the central Truong Son, Vietnam, with an identification key

FIGURE 13. Dorsal view of Lycodon sp. from Phong Nha - Ke Bang (ZFMK 86453). Photo: Ralf Hendrix

FIGURE 4 in The diversity of a snake community in a karst forest ecosystem in the central Truong Son, Vietnam, with an identification key

FIGURE 4. Amphiesma sp. from Phong Nha - Ke Bang in dorsal view (ZFMK 86457). Photo: Ralf Hendrix

FIGURE 5 in The diversity of a snake community in a karst forest ecosystem in the central Truong Son, Vietnam, with an identification key

FIGURE 5. Amphiesma sp. from Phong Nha - Ke Bang in ventral view (ZFMK 86457). Photo: Ralf Hendrix

FIGURE 2 in The diversity of a snake community in a karst forest ecosystem in the central Truong Son, Vietnam, with an identification key

FIGURE 2. Golden tree snake (Chrysopelea ornata) from Phong Nha - Ke Bang. Photo: Bernhard Forster