Functional diversity affects decomposition processes in experimental grasslands
Functional diversity affects decomposition processes in experimental grasslands
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1365-2435.2008.01389.x
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发表时间：
2008-06
影响因子：
5.2
通讯作者：
M. Scherer‐Lorenzen
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
M. Scherer‐Lorenzen
摘要1.许多生物多样性实验表明，植物多样性对生态系统功能发挥着重要作用。然而，多样性的影响，涉及多营养相互作用的过程，如凋落物分解是相当罕见的。在这些实验中，植物多样性通常被归类为分类单位或功能群。相比之下，基于可测量特征的功能多样性的持续测量可能是分析生物多样性功能意义的更灵活的方法。2.凋落物分解是生态系统地球化学的重要过程。为了了解生物多样性改变对生态系统功能的影响，量化分解过程中任何潜在的多样性影响至关重要。3.我在陆地草本生态系统的生物多样性和生态过程（BIODEPTH）实验中进行了几次补充分解试验，该实验建立了植物物种丰富度和功能群数量的梯度。我假设，分解率增加，植物多样性的增加，由于非添加剂凋落物混合的影响和更有利的微环境条件。4.标准材料和社区特有的凋落物的分解率增加的功能组的数量和功能多样性的持续措施。相反，物种丰富度对分解没有或只有很小的积极影响。固氮豆科植物的存在强烈增强分解，通过对凋落物质量和分解微环境的影响。5.功能多样性的优势，而不是物种丰富度的影响表明，深入了解植物物种的功能属性是理解和预测生物多样性分解关系的关键。
Summary 1. A number of biodiversity experiments have shown that plant diversity plays a significant role for ecosystem functioning. However, diversity effects on processes involving multi-trophic interactions such as litter decomposition are rather rare. In these experiments, plant diversity is usually categorized into taxonomic units or functional groups. Continuous measures of functional diversity that are based on measurable traits, in contrast, may be a more flexible way to analyse the functional significance of biodiversity. 2. Litter decomposition is a key process in ecosystem biogeochemistry. To understand the consequences of altered biodiversity for ecosystem functioning, it is thus crucial to quantify any potential diversity effects on decomposition processes. 3. I performed several complementary decomposition trials within the BIODiversity and Ecological Processes in Terrestrial Herbaceous ecosystems (BIODEPTH) experiment, which established a gradient of plant species richness and number of functional groups. I hypothesized that decomposi tion rates increase with increasing plant diversity due to non-additive litter mixing effects and more favourable microenvironmental conditions. 4. Decomposition rates of both standard materials and community-specific litter increased with the number of functional groups and with a continuous measure of functional diversity. Species richness, in contrast, had no or rather small positive effects on decomposition. Presence of nitrogen fixing legumes strongly enhanced decomposition, via effects on both litter quality and on the decomposition microenvironment. 5. The predominance of functional diversity rather than of species richness effects suggests that profound knowledge on functional attributes of plant species is the key to understand and to predict biodiversity-decomposition relationships.