Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness

Fraser, Lauchlan H.; Pither, Jason; Jentsch, Anke; Sternberg, Marcelo; Zobel, Martin; Askarizadeh, Diana; Bartha, Sandor; Beierkuhnlein, Carl; Bennett, Jonathan A.; Bittel, Alex; Boldgiv, Bazartseren; Boldrini, Ilsi I.; Bork, Edward; Brown, Leslie; Cabido, Marcelo; Cahill, James; Carlyle, Cameron N.; Campetella, Giandiego; Chelli, Stefano; Cohen, Ofer; ... (2015). Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness. Science, 349(6245), pp. 302-305. American Association for the Advancement of Science 10.1126/science.aab3916

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The search for predictions of species diversity across environmental gradients has challenged ecologists for decades. The humped-back model (HBM) suggests that plant diversity peaks at intermediate productivity; at low productivity few species can tolerate the environmental stresses, and at high productivity a few highly competitive species dominate. Over time the HBM has become increasingly controversial, and recent studies claim to have refuted it. Here, by using data from coordinated surveys conducted throughout grasslands worldwide and comprising a wide range of site productivities, we provide evidence in support of the HBM pattern at both global and regional extents. The relationships described here provide a foundation for further research into the local, landscape, and historical factors that maintain biodiversity.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Plant Ecology
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)

UniBE Contributor:

Manning, Peter

Subjects:

500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

0036-8075

Publisher:

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

17 Jul 2015 16:13

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:48

Publisher DOI:

10.1126/science.aab3916

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.70337

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/70337

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