The Experts below are selected from a list of 360 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Manuel Delgadobaquerizo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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rare microbial taxa as the major drivers of ecosystem Multifunctionality in long term fertilized soils
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2020Co-Authors: Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, Qinglin Chen, Jing Ding, Dong Zhu, Yongguan ZhuAbstract:Abstract Soil microbial communities play an essential role in driving multiple functions (i.e., Multifunctionality) that are central to the global biogeochemical cycles. Long-term fertilization has been reported to reduce the soil microbial diversity, however, the impact of fertilization on Multifunctionality and its relationship with soil microbial diversity remains poorly understood. We used amplicon sequencing and high-throughput quantitative-PCR array to characterize the microbial community compositions and 70 functional genes in a long-term experimental field station with multiple inorganic and organic fertilization treatments. Compared with inorganic fertilization, the application of organic fertilizer improved the soil Multifunctionality, which positively correlated with the both bacterial and fungal diversity. Random Forest regression analysis indicated that rare microbial taxa (e.g. Cyanobacteria and Glomeromycota) rather than the dominant taxa (e.g. Proteobacteria and Ascomycota) were the major drivers of Multifunctionality, suggesting that rare taxa had an over-proportional role in biological processes. Therefore, preserving the diversity of soil microbial communities especially the rare microbial taxa could be crucial to the sustainable provision of ecosystem functions in the future.
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diversifying livestock promotes multidiversity and Multifunctionality in managed grasslands
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2019Co-Authors: Ling Wang, Forest Isbell, Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, Deli Wang, Jun Liu, Chao Feng, Jushan Liu, Zhiwei Zhong, Hui ZhuAbstract:Increasing plant diversity can increase ecosystem functioning, stability, and services in both natural and managed grasslands, but the effects of herbivore diversity, and especially of livestock diversity, remain underexplored. Given that managed grazing is the most extensive land use worldwide, and that land managers can readily change livestock diversity, we experimentally tested how livestock diversification (sheep, cattle, or both) influenced multidiversity (the diversity of plants, insects, soil microbes, and nematodes) and ecosystem Multifunctionality (including plant biomass production, plant leaf N and P, above-ground insect abundance, nutrient cycling, soil C stocks, water regulation, and plant-microbe symbiosis) in the world's largest remaining grassland. We also considered the potential dependence of ecosystem Multifunctionality on multidiversity. We found that livestock diversification substantially increased ecosystem Multifunctionality by increasing multidiversity. The link between multidiversity and ecosystem Multifunctionality was always stronger than the link between single diversity components and functions. Our work provides insights into the importance of multitrophic diversity to maintain Multifunctionality in managed ecosystems and suggests that diversifying livestock could promote both multidiversity and ecosystem Multifunctionality in an increasingly managed world.
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cascading effects from plants to soil microorganisms explain how plant species richness and simulated climate change affect soil Multifunctionality
Global Change Biology, 2018Co-Authors: Victoria Ochoa, Beatriz Gozalo, Jose Luis Quero, Nicolas Gross, Enrique Valencia, Carlos P Carmona, Manuel DelgadobaquerizoAbstract:Despite their importance, how plant communities and soil microorganisms interact to determine the capacity of ecosystems to provide multiple functions simultaneously (Multifunctionality) under climate change is poorly known. We conducted a common garden experiment using grassland species to evaluate how plant functional structure and soil microbial (bacteria and protists) diversity and abundance regulate soil Multifunctionality responses to joint changes in plant species richness (one, three and six species) and simulated climate change (3°C warming and 35% rainfall reduction). The effects of species richness and climate on soil Multifunctionality were indirectly driven via changes in plant functional structure and their relationships with the abundance and diversity of soil bacteria and protists. More specifically, warming selected for the larger and most productive plant species, increasing the average size within communities and leading to reductions in functional plant diversity. These changes increased the total abundance of bacteria that, in turn, increased that of protists, ultimately promoting soil Multifunctionality. Our work suggests that cascading effects between plant functional traits and the abundance of multitrophic soil organisms largely regulate the response of soil Multifunctionality to simulated climate change, and ultimately provides novel experimental insights into the mechanisms underlying the effects of biodiversity and climate change on ecosystem functioning.
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microbial richness and composition independently drive soil Multifunctionality
Functional Ecology, 2017Co-Authors: Peter B. Reich, Thomas C. Jeffries, Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, David J Eldridge, Pankaj Trivedi, Chanda Trivedi, Brajesh K. SinghAbstract:Soil microbes provide multiple ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, decomposition and climate regulation. However, we lack a quantitative understanding of the relative importance of microbial richness and composition in controlling Multifunctionality. This knowledge gap limits our capacity to understand the influence of biotic attributes in the provision of services and functions on which humans depend. We used two independent approaches (i.e. experimental and observational), and applied statistical modeling to identify the role and relative importance of bacterial richness and composition in driving Multifunctionality (here defined as seven measures of respiration and enzyme activities). In the observational study we measured soil microbial communities and functions in both tree- and bare soil-dominated microsites at 22 locations across a 1200 km transect in southeastern Australia. In the experimental study we used soils from two of those locations and developed gradients of bacterial diversity and composition through inoculation of sterilized soils. Microbial richness and the relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were positively related to Multifunctionality in both the observational and experimental approaches; however, only Bacteroidetes was consistently selected as a key predictor of Multifunctionality across all experimental approaches and statistical models used here. Moreover, our results, from two different approaches, provide evidence that microbial richness and composition are both important, yet independent, drivers of multiple ecosystem functions. Overall, our findings advance our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning relationships between microbial diversity and ecosystem functionality in terrestrial ecosystems, and further suggest that information on microbial richness and composition needs to be considered when formulating sustainable management and conservation policies, and when predicting the effects of global change on ecosystem functions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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soil microbial communities drive the resistance of ecosystem Multifunctionality to global change in drylands across the globe
Ecology Letters, 2017Co-Authors: Brajesh K. Singh, Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, David J Eldridge, Victoria Ochoa, Beatriz Gozalo, Fernando T. MaestreAbstract:The relationship between soil microbial communities and the resistance of multiple ecosystem functions linked to C, N and P cycling (Multifunctionality resistance) to global change has never been assessed globally in natural ecosystems. We collected soils from 59 dryland ecosystems worldwide to investigate the importance of microbial communities as predictor of Multifunctionality resistance to climate change and nitrogen fertilisation. Multifunctionality had a lower resistance to wetting–drying cycles than to warming or N deposition. Multifunctionality resistance was regulated by changes in microbial composition (relative abundance of phylotypes) but not by richness, total abundance of fungi and bacteria or the fungal: bacterial ratio. Our results suggest that positive effects of particular microbial taxa on Multifunctionality resistance could potentially be controlled by altering soil pH. Together, our work demonstrates strong links between microbial community composition and Multifunctionality resistance in dryland soils from six continents, and provides insights into the importance of microbial community composition for buffering effects of global change in drylands worldwide.
Santiago Soliveres - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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context dependency in biodiversity Multifunctionality relationships is driven by nitrogen availability and plant functional composition
bioRxiv, 2020Co-Authors: Noemie A Pichon, Santiago Soliveres, Seraina L Cappelli, Tosca Mannall, Thu Zar Nwe, Norbert Holzel, Valentin H Klaus, Till Kleinebecker, Hugo Vincent, Eric AllanAbstract:The ability of an ecosystem to deliver multiple functions at high levels (Multifunctionality) typically increases with biodiversity but there is substantial variation in the strength and direction of biodiversity effects, suggesting context-dependency. However, the drivers of this context dependency have not been identified and understood in comparative meta-analyses or experimental studies. To determine how different factors modulate the effect of diversity on Multifunctionality, we conducted a large grassland experiment with 216 communities, crossing a manipulation of plant species richness (1-20 species) with manipulations of resource availability (nitrogen enrichment), plant functional composition (gradient in mean specific leaf area [SLA] to manipulate abundances of fast vs. slow species), plant functional diversity (variance in SLA) and enemy abundance (fungal pathogen removal). We measured ten functions, above and belowground, related to productivity, nutrient cycling and energy transfer between trophic levels, and calculated Multifunctionality. Plant species richness and functional diversity both increased Multifunctionality, but their effects were context dependent. Species richness increased Multifunctionality, but only when communities were assembled with fast growing (high SLA) species. This was because slow species were more redundant in their functional effects, whereas fast species tended to promote different functions. Functional diversity also increased Multifunctionality but this effect was dampened by nitrogen enrichment, however, unfertilised, functionally diverse communities still delivered more functions than low diversity, fertilised communities. Our study suggests that a shift towards exploitative communities will not only alter ecosystem functioning but also the strength of biodiversity-functioning relationships, which highlights the potentially complex effects of global change on Multifunctionality.
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redefining ecosystem Multifunctionality
Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2018Co-Authors: Peter Manning, Santiago Soliveres, Fernando T. Maestre, Fons Van Der Plas, Eric Allan, Georgina M Mace, Mark J Whittingham, Markus FischerAbstract:Recent years have seen a surge of interest in ecosystem Multifunctionality, a concept that has developed in the largely separate fields of biodiversity-ecosystem function and land management research. Here we discuss the merit of the Multifunctionality concept, the advances it has delivered, the challenges it faces and solutions to these challenges. This involves the redefinition of Multifunctionality as a property that exists at two levels: ecosystem function Multifunctionality and ecosystem service Multifunctionality. The framework presented provides a road map for the development of Multifunctionality measures that are robust, quantifiable and relevant to both fundamental ecological science and ecosystem management.
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plant spatial patterns identify alternative ecosystem Multifunctionality states in global drylands
Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2017Co-Authors: Miguel Berdugo, Santiago Soliveres, Sonia Kefi, Fernando T. MaestreAbstract:The response of drylands to environmental gradients can be abrupt rather than gradual. These shifts largely occur unannounced and are difficult to reverse once they happen; their prompt detection is of crucial importance. The distribution of vegetation patch sizes may indicate the proximity to these shifts, but the use of this metric is hampered by a lack of large-scale studies relating these distributions to the provision of multiple ecosystem functions (Multifunctionality) and comparing them to other ecosystem attributes, such as total plant cover. Here we sampled 115 dryland ecosystems across the globe and related their vegetation attributes (cover and patch size distributions) to Multifunctionality. Multifunctionality followed a bimodal distribution across our sites, suggesting alternative states in the functioning of drylands. Although plant cover was the strongest predictor of Multifunctionality when linear analyses were used, only patch size distributions reflected the bimodal distribution of Multifunctionality observed. Differences in the coupling between nutrient cycles and in the importance of self-organizing biotic processes characterized the two Multifunctionality states observed. Our findings support the use of vegetation patterns as indicators of ecosystem functioning in drylands and pave the way for developing effective strategies to monitor desertification processes.
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locally rare species influence grassland ecosystem Multifunctionality
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 2016Co-Authors: Santiago Soliveres, Vanessa Baumgartner, Julia Binkenstein, Peter Manning, Hartmut Arndt, Klaus Birkhofer, Daniel Prati, Martin M Gossner, Stefan BlaserAbstract:Species diversity promotes the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions (Multifunctionality). However, the relative functional importance of rare and common species in driving the biodiversity–Multifunctionality relationship remains unknown. We studied the relationship between the diversity of rare and common species (according to their local abundances and across nine different trophic groups), and Multifunctionality indices derived from 14 ecosystem functions on 150 grasslands across a land-use intensity (LUI) gradient. The diversity of above- and below-ground rare species had opposite effects, with rare above-ground species being associated with high levels of Multifunctionality, probably because their effects on different functions did not trade off against each other. Conversely, common species were only related to average, not high, levels of Multifunctionality, and their functional effects declined with LUI. Apart from the community-level effects of diversity, we found significant positive associations between the abundance of individual species and Multifunctionality in 6% of the species tested. Species-specific functional effects were best predicted by their response to LUI: species that declined in abundance with land use intensification were those associated with higher levels of Multifunctionality. Our results highlight the importance of rare species for ecosystem Multifunctionality and help guiding future conservation priorities.
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biotic homogenization can decrease landscape scale forest Multifunctionality
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016Co-Authors: Fons Van Der Plas, Santiago Soliveres, Pete Manning, Eric Alla, Michael Schererlorenze, Kris Verheye, Christia Wirth, Miguel A Zavala, Evy Ampoorte, Lande AeteAbstract:Many experiments have shown that local biodiversity loss impairs the ability of ecosystems to maintain multiple ecosystem functions at high levels (Multifunctionality). In contrast, the role of biodiversity in driving ecosystem Multifunctionality at landscape scales remains unresolved. We used a comprehensive pan-European dataset, including 16 ecosystem functions measured in 209 forest plots across six European countries, and performed simulations to investigate how local plot-scale richness of tree species (α-diversity) and their turnover between plots (β-diversity) are related to landscape-scale Multifunctionality. After accounting for variation in environmental conditions, we found that relationships between α-diversity and landscape-scale Multifunctionality varied from positive to negative depending on the Multifunctionality metric used. In contrast, when significant, relationships between β-diversity and landscape-scale Multifunctionality were always positive, because a high spatial turnover in species composition was closely related to a high spatial turnover in functions that were supported at high levels. Our findings have major implications for forest management and indicate that biotic homogenization can have previously unrecognized and negative consequences for large-scale ecosystem Multifunctionality.
Fernando T. Maestre - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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functional rarity and evenness are key facets of biodiversity to boost Multifunctionality
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2021Co-Authors: Fernando T. Maestre, Nicolas Gross, Yoann Le Bagoussepinguet, Hugo Saiz, Sonia Ruiz, Marina DacalAbstract:The functional traits of organisms within multispecies assemblages regulate biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning. Yet how traits should assemble to boost multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (Multifunctionality) remains poorly explored. In a multibiome litter experiment covering most of the global variation in leaf trait spectra, we showed that three dimensions of functional diversity (dispersion, rarity, and evenness) explained up to 66% of variations in Multifunctionality, although the dominant species and their traits remained an important predictor. While high dispersion impeded Multifunctionality, increasing the evenness among functionally dissimilar species was a key dimension to promote higher Multifunctionality and to reduce the abundance of plant pathogens. Because too-dissimilar species could have negative effects on ecosystems, our results highlight the need for not only diverse but also functionally even assemblages to promote Multifunctionality. The effect of functionally rare species strongly shifted from positive to negative depending on their trait differences with the dominant species. Simultaneously managing the dispersion, evenness, and rarity in multispecies assemblages could be used to design assemblages aimed at maximizing Multifunctionality independently of the biome, the identity of dominant species, or the range of trait values considered. Functional evenness and rarity offer promise to improve the management of terrestrial ecosystems and to limit plant disease risks.
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redefining ecosystem Multifunctionality
Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2018Co-Authors: Peter Manning, Santiago Soliveres, Fernando T. Maestre, Fons Van Der Plas, Eric Allan, Georgina M Mace, Mark J Whittingham, Markus FischerAbstract:Recent years have seen a surge of interest in ecosystem Multifunctionality, a concept that has developed in the largely separate fields of biodiversity-ecosystem function and land management research. Here we discuss the merit of the Multifunctionality concept, the advances it has delivered, the challenges it faces and solutions to these challenges. This involves the redefinition of Multifunctionality as a property that exists at two levels: ecosystem function Multifunctionality and ecosystem service Multifunctionality. The framework presented provides a road map for the development of Multifunctionality measures that are robust, quantifiable and relevant to both fundamental ecological science and ecosystem management.
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soil microbial communities drive the resistance of ecosystem Multifunctionality to global change in drylands across the globe
Ecology Letters, 2017Co-Authors: Brajesh K. Singh, Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, David J Eldridge, Victoria Ochoa, Beatriz Gozalo, Fernando T. MaestreAbstract:The relationship between soil microbial communities and the resistance of multiple ecosystem functions linked to C, N and P cycling (Multifunctionality resistance) to global change has never been assessed globally in natural ecosystems. We collected soils from 59 dryland ecosystems worldwide to investigate the importance of microbial communities as predictor of Multifunctionality resistance to climate change and nitrogen fertilisation. Multifunctionality had a lower resistance to wetting–drying cycles than to warming or N deposition. Multifunctionality resistance was regulated by changes in microbial composition (relative abundance of phylotypes) but not by richness, total abundance of fungi and bacteria or the fungal: bacterial ratio. Our results suggest that positive effects of particular microbial taxa on Multifunctionality resistance could potentially be controlled by altering soil pH. Together, our work demonstrates strong links between microbial community composition and Multifunctionality resistance in dryland soils from six continents, and provides insights into the importance of microbial community composition for buffering effects of global change in drylands worldwide.
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plant spatial patterns identify alternative ecosystem Multifunctionality states in global drylands
Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2017Co-Authors: Miguel Berdugo, Santiago Soliveres, Sonia Kefi, Fernando T. MaestreAbstract:The response of drylands to environmental gradients can be abrupt rather than gradual. These shifts largely occur unannounced and are difficult to reverse once they happen; their prompt detection is of crucial importance. The distribution of vegetation patch sizes may indicate the proximity to these shifts, but the use of this metric is hampered by a lack of large-scale studies relating these distributions to the provision of multiple ecosystem functions (Multifunctionality) and comparing them to other ecosystem attributes, such as total plant cover. Here we sampled 115 dryland ecosystems across the globe and related their vegetation attributes (cover and patch size distributions) to Multifunctionality. Multifunctionality followed a bimodal distribution across our sites, suggesting alternative states in the functioning of drylands. Although plant cover was the strongest predictor of Multifunctionality when linear analyses were used, only patch size distributions reflected the bimodal distribution of Multifunctionality observed. Differences in the coupling between nutrient cycles and in the importance of self-organizing biotic processes characterized the two Multifunctionality states observed. Our findings support the use of vegetation patterns as indicators of ecosystem functioning in drylands and pave the way for developing effective strategies to monitor desertification processes.
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Functional trait diversity maximizes ecosystem Multifunctionality
Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2017Co-Authors: Nicolas Gross, Miguel Berdugo, Nicholas J Gotelli, Yoann Le Bagousse-pinguet, Pierre Liancourt, Fernando T. MaestreAbstract:Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been a core ecological research topic over the last 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.
Fons Van Der Plas - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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towards the development of general rules describing landscape heterogeneity Multifunctionality relationships
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2019Co-Authors: Fons Van Der Plas, Julia Binkenstein, Stefan Blaser, Hartmut Arndt, Eric Allan, Markus Fischer, Fabian Alt, Nico Bluthgen, Stefan BohmAbstract:1.Rapid growth of the world's human population has increased pressure on landscapes to deliver high levels of multiple ecosystem services, including food and fibre production, carbon storage, biodiversity conservation and recreation. However, we currently lack general principles describing how to achieve this landscape Multifunctionality. 2.We combine theoretical simulations and empirical data on 14 ecosystem services measured across 150 grasslands in three German regions. In doing so, we investigate the circumstances under which spatial heterogeneity in a driver of ecosystem functioning (an ‘ecosystem‐driver,’ e.g. the presence of keystone species, land‐use intensification or habitat types) increases landscape‐level ecosystem Multifunctionality. 3.Simulations based on theoretical data demonstrated that relationships between heterogeneity and landscape Multifunctionality are highly variable and can range from non‐significant to strongly positive. Despite this variability, we could identify criteria under which heterogeneity‐landscape Multifunctionality relationships were most strongly positive: this happened when multiple ecosystem services responded contrastingly (both positively and negatively) to an ecosystem‐driver. 4.These findings were confirmed using empirical data, which showed that heterogeneity in land‐use intensity promoted landscape Multifunctionality in cases where functions with both positive (e.g. plant biomass) and negative (e.g. flower cover) responses to land use intensification were included. For example, the simultaneous provisioning of ecosystem functions related to forage production (generally profiting from land‐use intensification), biodiversity conservation and recreation (generally decreasing with land‐use intensification) was highest in landscapes consisting of sites varying in land‐use intensity. 5.Synthesis and applications. Our findings show that there are general principles governing landscape Multifunctionality. A knowledge of these principles may support land management decisions. For example, knowledge of relationships between ecosystem services and their drivers, such as land use type, can help estimate the consequences of increasing or decreasing heterogeneity for landscape‐level ecosystem service supply, although interactions between landscape units (e.g. the movement of pollinators) must also be considered.
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Plant diversity maintains multiple soil functions in future environments.
eLife, 2018Co-Authors: Nico Eisenhauer, Jes Hines, Forest Isbell, Fons Van Der Plas, Sarah E. Hobbie, Clare E. Kazanski, Annika Lehmann, Mengyun Liu, Alfred Lochner, Matthias C. RilligAbstract:Biodiversity increases ecosystem functions underpinning a suite of services valued by society, including services provided by soils. To test whether, and how, future environments alter the relationship between biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions, we measured grassland plant diversity effects on single soil functions and ecosystem Multifunctionality, and compared relationships in four environments: ambient conditions, elevated atmospheric CO2, enriched N supply, and elevated CO2 and N in combination. Our results showed that plant diversity increased three out of four soil functions and, consequently, ecosystem Multifunctionality. Remarkably, biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships were similarly significant under current and future environmental conditions, yet weaker with enriched N supply. Structural equation models revealed that plant diversity enhanced ecosystem Multifunctionality by increasing plant community functional diversity, and the even provision of multiple functions. Conserving local plant diversity is therefore a robust strategy to maintain multiple valuable ecosystem services in both present and future environmental conditions.
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redefining ecosystem Multifunctionality
Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2018Co-Authors: Peter Manning, Santiago Soliveres, Fernando T. Maestre, Fons Van Der Plas, Eric Allan, Georgina M Mace, Mark J Whittingham, Markus FischerAbstract:Recent years have seen a surge of interest in ecosystem Multifunctionality, a concept that has developed in the largely separate fields of biodiversity-ecosystem function and land management research. Here we discuss the merit of the Multifunctionality concept, the advances it has delivered, the challenges it faces and solutions to these challenges. This involves the redefinition of Multifunctionality as a property that exists at two levels: ecosystem function Multifunctionality and ecosystem service Multifunctionality. The framework presented provides a road map for the development of Multifunctionality measures that are robust, quantifiable and relevant to both fundamental ecological science and ecosystem management.
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biotic homogenization can decrease landscape scale forest Multifunctionality
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016Co-Authors: Fons Van Der Plas, Santiago Soliveres, Pete Manning, Eric Alla, Michael Schererlorenze, Kris Verheye, Christia Wirth, Miguel A Zavala, Evy Ampoorte, Lande AeteAbstract:Many experiments have shown that local biodiversity loss impairs the ability of ecosystems to maintain multiple ecosystem functions at high levels (Multifunctionality). In contrast, the role of biodiversity in driving ecosystem Multifunctionality at landscape scales remains unresolved. We used a comprehensive pan-European dataset, including 16 ecosystem functions measured in 209 forest plots across six European countries, and performed simulations to investigate how local plot-scale richness of tree species (α-diversity) and their turnover between plots (β-diversity) are related to landscape-scale Multifunctionality. After accounting for variation in environmental conditions, we found that relationships between α-diversity and landscape-scale Multifunctionality varied from positive to negative depending on the Multifunctionality metric used. In contrast, when significant, relationships between β-diversity and landscape-scale Multifunctionality were always positive, because a high spatial turnover in species composition was closely related to a high spatial turnover in functions that were supported at high levels. Our findings have major implications for forest management and indicate that biotic homogenization can have previously unrecognized and negative consequences for large-scale ecosystem Multifunctionality.
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jack of all trades effects drive biodiversity ecosystem Multifunctionality relationships in european forests
Nature Communications, 2016Co-Authors: Fons Van Der Plas, Peter Manning, Andy Hector, Eric Allan, Miguel A Zavala, Michael Schererlorenzen, Kris Verheyen, Christian Wirth, Evy Ampoorter, Lander BaetenAbstract:There is considerable evidence that biodiversity promotes multiple ecosystem functions (Multifunctionality), thus ensuring the delivery of ecosystem services important for human well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are poorly understood, especially in natural ecosystems. We develop a novel approach to partition biodiversity effects on Multifunctionality into three mechanisms and apply this to European forest data. We show that throughout Europe, tree diversity is positively related with Multifunctionality when moderate levels of functioning are required, but negatively when very high function levels are desired. For two well-known mechanisms, ‘complementarity’ and ‘selection’, we detect only minor effects on Multifunctionality. Instead a third, so far overlooked mechanism, the ‘jack-of-all-trades’ effect, caused by the averaging of individual species effects on function, drives observed patterns. Simulations demonstrate that jack-of-all-trades effects occur whenever species effects on different functions are not perfectly correlated, meaning they may contribute to diversity–Multifunctionality relationships in many of the world’s ecosystems.
Brajesh K. Singh - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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microbial richness and composition independently drive soil Multifunctionality
Functional Ecology, 2017Co-Authors: Peter B. Reich, Thomas C. Jeffries, Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, David J Eldridge, Pankaj Trivedi, Chanda Trivedi, Brajesh K. SinghAbstract:Soil microbes provide multiple ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, decomposition and climate regulation. However, we lack a quantitative understanding of the relative importance of microbial richness and composition in controlling Multifunctionality. This knowledge gap limits our capacity to understand the influence of biotic attributes in the provision of services and functions on which humans depend. We used two independent approaches (i.e. experimental and observational), and applied statistical modeling to identify the role and relative importance of bacterial richness and composition in driving Multifunctionality (here defined as seven measures of respiration and enzyme activities). In the observational study we measured soil microbial communities and functions in both tree- and bare soil-dominated microsites at 22 locations across a 1200 km transect in southeastern Australia. In the experimental study we used soils from two of those locations and developed gradients of bacterial diversity and composition through inoculation of sterilized soils. Microbial richness and the relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were positively related to Multifunctionality in both the observational and experimental approaches; however, only Bacteroidetes was consistently selected as a key predictor of Multifunctionality across all experimental approaches and statistical models used here. Moreover, our results, from two different approaches, provide evidence that microbial richness and composition are both important, yet independent, drivers of multiple ecosystem functions. Overall, our findings advance our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning relationships between microbial diversity and ecosystem functionality in terrestrial ecosystems, and further suggest that information on microbial richness and composition needs to be considered when formulating sustainable management and conservation policies, and when predicting the effects of global change on ecosystem functions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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soil microbial communities drive the resistance of ecosystem Multifunctionality to global change in drylands across the globe
Ecology Letters, 2017Co-Authors: Brajesh K. Singh, Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, David J Eldridge, Victoria Ochoa, Beatriz Gozalo, Fernando T. MaestreAbstract:The relationship between soil microbial communities and the resistance of multiple ecosystem functions linked to C, N and P cycling (Multifunctionality resistance) to global change has never been assessed globally in natural ecosystems. We collected soils from 59 dryland ecosystems worldwide to investigate the importance of microbial communities as predictor of Multifunctionality resistance to climate change and nitrogen fertilisation. Multifunctionality had a lower resistance to wetting–drying cycles than to warming or N deposition. Multifunctionality resistance was regulated by changes in microbial composition (relative abundance of phylotypes) but not by richness, total abundance of fungi and bacteria or the fungal: bacterial ratio. Our results suggest that positive effects of particular microbial taxa on Multifunctionality resistance could potentially be controlled by altering soil pH. Together, our work demonstrates strong links between microbial community composition and Multifunctionality resistance in dryland soils from six continents, and provides insights into the importance of microbial community composition for buffering effects of global change in drylands worldwide.
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identity of biocrust species and microbial communities drive the response of soil Multifunctionality to simulated global change
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2017Co-Authors: Yurong Liu, Manuel Delgadobaquerizo, Pankaj Trivedi, Juntao Wang, Brajesh K. SinghAbstract:Abstract Increasing N inputs and changing rainfall regimes will lead to drastic changes in multiple ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition and gas exchange in dryland ecosystems. As fundamental components of drylands, biological soil crusts (biocrusts) play important roles in the regulation of responses of multiple ecosystem functions to global environmental changes. Biocrusts are home to highly functional microbial communities; however little is known on the role of microbial communities associated with different biocrust species in regulating the response of multiple ecosystem functions to global change. Here, we conducted a microcosm experiment to evaluate the roles of biocrust-forming lichens (Diploschistes thunbergianus, Psora crystallifera and Xanthoparmelia reptans) in mediating the effects of simulated changes in rainfall frequency and nitrogen (N) addition on soil Multifunctionality involving nutrient availability, greenhouse gas flux and enzyme activities. The three biocrust species supported different levels of soil bacterial diversity, and specific community composition as revealed by MiSeq sequencing. Biocrust species always promoted multiple functions related to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling compared to bare ground, with X. reptans having the highest effect on Multifunctionality. Most importantly, the relative abundance of specific microbial communities associated with different lichen species modulates the response of Multifunctionality to impacts of water frequency (negative) and N addition (positive). Our results suggest that biocrust species could regulate global change impacts on soil Multifunctionality in drylands, although the strength and direction vary among the biocrust species. These findings highlight the importance of preserving biocrusts as hotspots of microbial genetic resources and ecosystem functioning in drylands.
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Microbial diversity drives Multifunctionality in terrestrial ecosystems
Nature communications, 2016Co-Authors: Manuel Delgado-baquerizo, Fernando T. Maestre, Peter B. Reich, Thomas C. Jeffries, Juan J. Gaitán, Daniel Encinar, Miguel Berdugo, Colin D. Campbell, Brajesh K. SinghAbstract:Despite the importance of microbial communities for ecosystem services and human welfare, the relationship between microbial diversity and multiple ecosystem functions and services (that is, Multifunctionality) at the global scale has yet to be evaluated. Here we use two independent, large-scale databases with contrasting geographic coverage (from 78 global drylands and from 179 locations across Scotland, respectively), and report that soil microbial diversity positively relates to Multifunctionality in terrestrial ecosystems. The direct positive effects of microbial diversity were maintained even when accounting simultaneously for multiple Multifunctionality drivers (climate, soil abiotic factors and spatial predictors). Our findings provide empirical evidence that any loss in microbial diversity will likely reduce Multifunctionality, negatively impacting the provision of services such as climate regulation, soil fertility and food and fibre production by terrestrial ecosystems.