Nutrient stoichiometry and land use rather than species richness determine plant functional diversity |
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| Authors: | Verena Busch Valentin H. Klaus Caterina Penone Deborah Schäfer Steffen Boch Daniel Prati Jörg Müller Stephanie A. Socher Ülo Niinemets Josep Peñuelas Norbert Hölzel Markus Fischer Till Kleinebecker |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute for Landscape Ecology, Westf?lische Wilhelms‐Universit?t Münster, Muenster, Germany;2. Institute for Agricultural Sciences, Grassland Sciences, ETZ Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland;3. Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland;4. Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland;5. Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany;6. Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria;7. Department of Plant Physiology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia;8. Global Ecology Unit CREAF‐CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain;9. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain |
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| Abstract: | Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have consi‐dered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community‐weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition‐related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf‐economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters. |
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| Keywords: | biodiversity exploratories fertilization leaf economics mowing nutrient availability nutrient ratios phosphorus plant functional traits plant strategies seed mass |
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