10.5061/DRYAD.0CFXPNW31
Grossiord, Charlotte
0000-0002-9113-3671
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Walde, Manuel
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Allan, Eric
University of Bern
Cappelli, Seraina L.
University of Bern
Didion‐Gency, Margaux
0000-0001-8967-3655
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Gessler, Arthur
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Lehmann, Marco M.
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Pichon, Noémie A.
0000-0003-2972-1912
University of Bern
Both diversity and functional composition affect productivity and water
use efficiency in experimental temperate grasslands
Dryad
dataset
2021
Ecology
Swiss National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/00yjd3n13
PZ00P2_179978,PZ00P3_174068
2021-09-03T00:00:00Z
2021-09-03T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13765
146957 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Many experiments have shown that biodiversity promotes ecosystem
functioning and stability and that this relationship varies with resource
availability. However, we still have a poor understanding of the
underlying physiological and ecological mechanisms driving diversity
effects and how they may interact with soil nutrient availability. We
collected data in a grassland experiment factorially manipulating
fertilization, species richness, functional composition (slow-growing vs.
fast-growing species), and functional diversity in resource economic
traits. We measured aboveground productivity, nitrogen (N) uptake,
photosynthesis, and water use efficiency by combining a 15N labelling
approach with productivity, gas exchange, and stable isotope measurements
in three years differing in rainfall. We found that sown species richness
increased aboveground productivity, N uptake and photosynthesis,
suggesting that species richness is the most important driver of ecosystem
productivity and nutrient cycling. Similarly, photosynthesis was affected
by functional composition but not by functional diversity. Water use
efficiency was reduced by sown species richness for communities dominated
by slow growing species but not for communities dominated by fast growing
species. Fertilization increased productivity, N uptake and water use
efficiency. The positive effects of high species richness on ecosystem
functions were independent of fertility levels. Synthesis. Our results
provide evidence that high species richness in temperate grasslands could
enhance productivity and reduce the negative impacts of drought events.
Multiple factors and community characteristics are important in driving
enhanced ecosystem functioning in biodiverse grasslands and seem to affect
functioning and stability through different mechanisms.
The data collection and processing is described in full in the manuscript.