ORCID Profile
0000-0001-6108-5720
Current Organisation
University of Münster
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-07-2023
Abstract: Experimental evidence shows that grassland plant ersity enhances ecosystem functioning. Yet, the transfer of results from controlled bio ersity experiments to naturally assembled ‘real world’ ecosystems remains challenging due to environmental variation among sites , confounding bio ersity ecosystem functioning relations in observational studies. To bridge the gap between classical bio ersity‐ecosystem functioning experiments and observational studies of naturally assembled and managed ecosystems, we created regionally replicated, within‐site gradients of species richness by seeding across agricultural grasslands differing in land‐use intensity (LUI) and abiotic site conditions. Within each of 73 grassland sites, we established a full‐factorial experiment with high‐ ersity seeding and topsoil disturbance and measured 12 ecosystem functions related to productivity, and carbon and nutrient cycling after 4 years. We then analysed the effects of plant ersity (seeded richness as well as realized richness), functional community composition, land use and abiotic conditions on the ecosystem functions within (local scale) as well as among grassland sites (landscape scale). Despite the successful creation of a within‐site gradient in plant ersity (average increase in species richness in seeding treatments by 10%–35%), we found that only one to two of the 12 ecosystem functions responded to realized species richness, resulting in more closed nitrogen cycles in more erse plant communities. Similar results were found when analysing the effect of the seeding treatment instead of realized species richness. Among sites , ecosystem functioning was mostly driven by environmental conditions and LUI. Also here, the only functions related to plant species richness were those associated with a more closed nitrogen cycle under increased ersity. The minor effects of species enrichment we found suggest that the functionally‐relevant niche space is largely saturated in naturally assembled grasslands, and that competitive, high‐functioning species are already present. Synthesis : While nature conservation and cultural ecosystem services can certainly benefit from plant species enrichment, our study indicates that restoration of plant ersity in naturally assembled communities may deliver only relatively weak increases in ecosystem functioning, such as a more closed nitrogen cycle, within the extensively to moderate intensively managed agricultural grasslands of our study.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-03-2021
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.17240
Abstract: The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are a globally distributed group of soil organisms that play critical roles in ecosystem function. However, the ecological niches of in idual AM fungal taxa are poorly understood. We collected 300 soil s les from natural ecosystems worldwide and modelled the realised niches of AM fungal virtual taxa (VT approximately species‐level phylogroups). We found that environmental and spatial variables jointly explained VT distribution worldwide, with temperature and pH being the most important abiotic drivers, and spatial effects generally occurring at local to regional scales. While dispersal limitation could explain some variation in VT distribution, VT relative abundance was almost exclusively driven by environmental variables. Several environmental and spatial effects on VT distribution and relative abundance were correlated with phylogeny, indicating that closely related VT exhibit similar niche optima and widths. Major clades within the Glomeraceae exhibited distinct niche optima, Acaulosporaceae generally had niche optima in low pH and low temperature conditions, and Gigasporaceae generally had niche optima in high precipitation conditions. Identification of the realised niche space occupied by in idual and phylogenetic groups of soil microbial taxa provides a basis for building detailed hypotheses about how soil communities respond to gradients and manipulation in ecosystems worldwide.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
Location: No location found
Location: Switzerland
No related grants have been discovered for Lena Neuenkamp.