Rights statement: This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Local loss and spatial homogenization of plant diversity reduce ecosystem multifunctionality Yann Hautier, Forest Isbell, […]Andy Hector Nature Ecology & Evolution 2, 50–56 (2017) is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0395-0
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Local loss and spatial homogenization of plant biodiversity reduce ecosystem multifunctionality
AU - Hautier, Yann
AU - Isbell, Forest
AU - Borer, Elizabeth T.
AU - Lind, Eric M.
AU - MacDougall, Andrew S.
AU - Stevens, Carly Joanne
AU - Bakker, Jonathan D.
AU - Brudvig, Lars A.
AU - Buckley, Y.
AU - Cadotte, Marc W.
AU - Caldeira, Maria
AU - Chaneton, Enrique J.
AU - Chu, Chengjin
AU - Daleo, Pedro
AU - Dickman, Chris R.
AU - Dwyer, J.M.
AU - Eskelinen, A.
AU - Fay, Philip A.
AU - Firn, Jennifer
AU - Hagenah, Nicole
AU - Hillebrand, Helmut
AU - Iribarne, Oscar
AU - Kirkman, Kevin P.
AU - Knops, Johannes M. H.
AU - La Pierre, Kimberly J.
AU - McCulley, Rebecca L.
AU - Morgan, J.W.
AU - Pärtel, M
AU - Pascual, J
AU - Price, N
AU - Prober, Suzanne M.
AU - Risch, Anita C.
AU - Sankaran, Mahesh
AU - Schuetz, Martin
AU - Standish, R.J.
AU - Virtanen, R
AU - Wardle, Glenda M.
AU - Yahdjian, L.
AU - Hector, Andy
N1 - This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Local loss and spatial homogenization of plant diversity reduce ecosystem multifunctionality Yann Hautier, Forest Isbell, […]Andy Hector Nature Ecology & Evolution 2, 50–56 (2017) is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0395-0
PY - 2017/12/4
Y1 - 2017/12/4
N2 - Biodiversity is declining in many local communities while also becoming increasingly homogenized across space. Experiments show that local plant species loss reduces ecosystem functioning and services, but the role of spatial homogenization of community composition and the potential interaction between diversity at different scales in maintaining ecosystem functioning remains unclear, especially when many functions are considered (ecosystem multifunctionality). We present an analysis of eight ecosystem functions measured in 65 grasslands worldwide. We find that more diverse grasslands—those with both species-rich local communities (α-diversity) and large compositional differences among localities (β-diversity)—had higher levels of multifunctionality. Moreover, α- and β-diversity synergistically affected multifunctionality, with higher levels of diversity at one scale amplifying the contribution to ecological functions at the other scale. The identity of species influencing ecosystem functioning differed among functions and across local communities, explaining why more diverse grasslands maintained greater functionality when more functions and localities were considered. These results were robust to variation in environmental drivers. Our findings reveal that plant diversity, at both local and landscape scales, contributes to the maintenance of multiple ecosystem services provided by grasslands. Preserving ecosystem functioning therefore requires conservation of biodiversity both within and among ecological communities.
AB - Biodiversity is declining in many local communities while also becoming increasingly homogenized across space. Experiments show that local plant species loss reduces ecosystem functioning and services, but the role of spatial homogenization of community composition and the potential interaction between diversity at different scales in maintaining ecosystem functioning remains unclear, especially when many functions are considered (ecosystem multifunctionality). We present an analysis of eight ecosystem functions measured in 65 grasslands worldwide. We find that more diverse grasslands—those with both species-rich local communities (α-diversity) and large compositional differences among localities (β-diversity)—had higher levels of multifunctionality. Moreover, α- and β-diversity synergistically affected multifunctionality, with higher levels of diversity at one scale amplifying the contribution to ecological functions at the other scale. The identity of species influencing ecosystem functioning differed among functions and across local communities, explaining why more diverse grasslands maintained greater functionality when more functions and localities were considered. These results were robust to variation in environmental drivers. Our findings reveal that plant diversity, at both local and landscape scales, contributes to the maintenance of multiple ecosystem services provided by grasslands. Preserving ecosystem functioning therefore requires conservation of biodiversity both within and among ecological communities.
KW - Biodiversity
KW - Community ecology
KW - Ecosystem services
U2 - 10.1038/s41559-017-0395-0
DO - 10.1038/s41559-017-0395-0
M3 - Journal article
VL - 2
SP - 50
EP - 56
JO - Nature Ecology and Evolution
JF - Nature Ecology and Evolution
ER -