Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality
Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been a core ecological research topic over the past decades. Although a key hypothesis is that the diversity of functional traits determines ecosystem functioning, we do not know how much trait diversity is needed to m...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0132 http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0298957 |
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ftczacademyscien:oai:asep.lib.cas.cz:CavUnEpca/0507291 2024-02-04T09:55:32+01:00 Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality Gross, N. Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Y. Liancourt, P. (Pierre) Berdugo, M. Gotelli, N. J. Maestre, F. T. 2017 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0132 http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0298957 eng eng doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0132 urn:pissn: 2397-334x urn:eissn: 2397-334x http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0298957 info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess community structure biodiversity coexistence challenges aridity tree info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2017 ftczacademyscien https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0132 2024-01-09T17:42:31Z Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been a core ecological research topic over the past decades. Although a key hypothesis is that the diversity of functional traits determines ecosystem functioning, we do not know how much trait diversity is needed to maintain multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (multifunctionality). Here, we uncovered a scaling relationship between the abundance distribution of two key plant functional traits (specific leaf area, maximum plant height) and multifunctionality in 124 dryland plant communities spread over all continents except Antarctica. For each trait, we found a strong empirical relationship between the skewness and the kurtosis of the trait distributions that cannot be explained by chance. This relationship predicted a strikingly high trait diversity within dryland plant communities, which was associated with a local maximization of multifunctionality. Skewness and kurtosis had a much stronger impact on multifunctionality than other important multifunctionality drivers such as species richness and aridity. The scaling relationship identified here quantifies how much trait diversity is required to maximize multifunctionality locally. Trait distributions can be used to predict the functional consequences of biodiversity loss in terrestrial ecosystems. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica The Czech Academy of Sciences: Publication Activity (ASEP) Nature Ecology & Evolution 1 5 |
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Open Polar |
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The Czech Academy of Sciences: Publication Activity (ASEP) |
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ftczacademyscien |
language |
English |
topic |
community structure biodiversity coexistence challenges aridity tree |
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community structure biodiversity coexistence challenges aridity tree Gross, N. Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Y. Liancourt, P. (Pierre) Berdugo, M. Gotelli, N. J. Maestre, F. T. Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality |
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community structure biodiversity coexistence challenges aridity tree |
description |
Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been a core ecological research topic over the past decades. Although a key hypothesis is that the diversity of functional traits determines ecosystem functioning, we do not know how much trait diversity is needed to maintain multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (multifunctionality). Here, we uncovered a scaling relationship between the abundance distribution of two key plant functional traits (specific leaf area, maximum plant height) and multifunctionality in 124 dryland plant communities spread over all continents except Antarctica. For each trait, we found a strong empirical relationship between the skewness and the kurtosis of the trait distributions that cannot be explained by chance. This relationship predicted a strikingly high trait diversity within dryland plant communities, which was associated with a local maximization of multifunctionality. Skewness and kurtosis had a much stronger impact on multifunctionality than other important multifunctionality drivers such as species richness and aridity. The scaling relationship identified here quantifies how much trait diversity is required to maximize multifunctionality locally. Trait distributions can be used to predict the functional consequences of biodiversity loss in terrestrial ecosystems. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gross, N. Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Y. Liancourt, P. (Pierre) Berdugo, M. Gotelli, N. J. Maestre, F. T. |
author_facet |
Gross, N. Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Y. Liancourt, P. (Pierre) Berdugo, M. Gotelli, N. J. Maestre, F. T. |
author_sort |
Gross, N. |
title |
Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality |
title_short |
Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality |
title_full |
Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality |
title_fullStr |
Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality |
title_full_unstemmed |
Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality |
title_sort |
functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem multifunctionality |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0132 http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0298957 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica |
op_relation |
doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0132 urn:pissn: 2397-334x urn:eissn: 2397-334x http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0298957 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0132 |
container_title |
Nature Ecology & Evolution |
container_volume |
1 |
container_issue |
5 |
_version_ |
1789959560077770752 |