10.5061/DRYAD.HM6NR2C
Dolezal, Jiri
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
Lanta, Vojtech
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
Mudrak, Ondrej
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Leps, Jan
Biology Centre
Institute of Entomology
Data from: Seasonality promotes grassland diversity: interactions with
mowing, fertilization and removal of dominant species
Dryad
dataset
2019
water use efficiency
grassland management
diversity-productivity relationship
biodiversity decline
Specific leaf area
plant resource-use strategy
seasonal dynamics
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
Czech Science Foundation (GACR 17-05506S and 17-19376S)
2019-05-04T00:00:00Z
2019-05-04T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13007
72821 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Current biodiversity declines in species-rich grasslands are connected
with the cessation of management, eutrophication and the expansion of
dominant grass species. One of the theoretical mechanisms limiting
biodiversity loss is the ability of subordinate species to avoid
competitive exclusion by seasonal niche separation from dominant species.
Here we explore how seasonality underpins the maintenance of diversity in
temperate meadows under different management regimes and competition
intensities in relation to species functional traits. 2. We studied eight
different communities in a long-term meadow experiment that manipulated
mowing, fertilization and dominant species (Molinia caerulea) removal. In
each community, species-specific trait and biomass data were taken five
times during the year to test whether seasonal variation in species
composition and functional strategies enable species to coexist. 3. Mown
unfertlized meadows exhibited pronounced seasonal variations in community
composition and structure, linked to differences in resource-use
strategies between mid-summer dominants and the spring and autumn
subordinates. Higher specific leaf area and foliar nitrogen concentration
in the fast-growing dominants, and increased water use (δ13C) and nutrient
acquisition (δ15N) efficiency in resource-retentive subordinates, best
predicted their temporal niche separation. Seasonal segregation of species
with contrasting strategies increased after mowing cessation, and the
resulting summer dominance of Molinia. Conversely, the seasonal dynamics
were markedly reduced by fertilization, promoting tall grasses over sedges
and forbs throughout the entire year, thereby decreasing the overall
taxonomic and functional diversity. When Molinia was removed the
compositional changes during the season became less pronounced, being
significant only in mown unfertilized plots. 4. Seasonal shifts in
community composition reduced the competitive interactions and promoted
the coexistence of dominant and subordinate species. Seasonality reversed
the negative mid-summer diversity-productivity relationship to a positive
one during the spring and autumn, and seasonality only prevented diversity
loss in unfertilized conditions possibly because competition is most
intense in summer. In fertilized meadows, subordinate species are not able
to escape competitive exclusion by shifting their phenological peaks to
the spring or autumn periods because asymmetric competition is intense
over the entire growing season. Studying seasonal dynamics is key to
understanding the maintenance of grassland diversity under ongoing land
use change.
Dolezal_JEcol-2018 SeasonalityData were collected in the field in eight
different communities in a long-term meadow fully-factorial experiment
that manipulated mowing, fertilization and dominant species (Molinia
caerulea) removal. In each community, species-specific trait and biomass
data were taken five times during the year. We collected vegetation data
in each permanent plot (24 in total) by clipping the aboveground biomass
in April 2004, June 2004, August 2004, October 2004 and March 2005. We
measured several plant traits relevant to competitive ability (plant
height), nutrient acquisition (δ15N), water use efficiency (δ13C) and
allocation (SLA - specific leaf area, LNC - leaf nitrogen concentration,
LDMC and StDMC - leaf and stem dry matter content,
respectively).Dolezal_JEcol-2018.xlsx
Central Europe