Testing the effects of plant species loss on multiple ecosystem functions based on extinction scenarios

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Yoshihara ◽  
Takehiro Sasaki ◽  
Dashzeveg Nyambayar ◽  
Yu Matsuki ◽  
Yasunori Baba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Species Loss

scholarly journals Homegarden agroecosystems managed by Salar people on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingjing Zhu ◽  
Binsheng Luo ◽  
Ben La ◽  
Ruijie Chen ◽  
Fenggui Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract Background Salar is a Turkic-speaking Islamic ethnic group in China living mainly in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County (Xunhua or Xunhua County), Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Salar people are skilled in horticulture and their homegarden (HG) management. They are regarded as the first people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to practice horticulture, especially manage their HGs, traditional farming systems, and supplementary food production systems. Traditional knowledge of Salar people associated with their HGs always contributes significantly to the local livelihood, food security, ornamental value, and biodiversity conservation. The cultivation of different plants in HGs for self-sufficiency has a long tradition in China’s rural areas, especially in some mountainous areas. However, Salar traditional HGs have not been described. The present paper aims to report the features of Salar HGs mostly based on agrobiodiversity and its ecosystem services. Methods The methods used in this work included semi-structured interviews and participatory observation. A total of 60 households in three townships, 9 villages were surveyed. There are 4–12 family members in each household, aged from 20 to 86 years old. The homestead size is between 200 and 1200 m2. Plant species cultivated in Salar HGs were identified according to Flora of China. Based on a comprehensive survey of Salar HGs and related to background data, we identified and characterized the most important services and functions provided by Salar HGs. Results According to primary production systems, there are 4 different types of Salar HGs, including ornamental focus, product focus, dual-purpose and multi-purpose. In total, 108 (excluding weeds and bonsai) plant species were recorded in Salar HGs, within 43 plant families. The most important and frequently used plants are Rosa chinensis, Armeniaca vulgar, Prunus salicina, and Ziziphus jujuba. About 4 to 32 plant species were recorded in each homegarden. We found that the Salar HGs, as a typical agroecosyste, prossess multiple servcices and functions that directly benefit households according to the field investigation. Conclusion This paper reveals the floristic diversity of Salar HGs. It presents useful information in the homegarden agroecosystem of Salar people, such as HG types and species diversity in Salar HGs. Ecosystem functions and services research suggested that the Salar HG agroecosystem provides agroecosystem services mainly related to supply and culture services. Salar HGs are important as food supplement resources, aesthetics symbol, and cultural spaces.

scholarly journals Plant traits are poor predictors of long-term ecosystem functioning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fons van der Plas ◽  
Thomas Schröder-Georgi ◽  
Alexandra Weigelt ◽  
Kathryn Barry ◽  
Sebastian Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Small Set

ABSTRACTEarth is home to over 350,000 vascular plant species1 that differ in their traits in innumerable ways. Yet, a handful of functional traits can help explaining major differences among species in photosynthetic rate, growth rate, reproductive output and other aspects of plant performance2–6. A key challenge, coined “the Holy Grail” in ecology, is to upscale this understanding in order to predict how natural or anthropogenically driven changes in the identity and diversity of co-occurring plant species drive the functioning of ecosystems7, 8. Here, we analyze the extent to which 42 different ecosystem functions can be predicted by 41 plant traits in 78 experimentally manipulated grassland plots over 10 years. Despite the unprecedented number of traits analyzed, the average percentage of variation in ecosystem functioning that they jointly explained was only moderate (32.6%) within individual years, and even much lower (12.7%) across years. Most other studies linking ecosystem functioning to plant traits analyzed no more than six traits, and when including either only six random or the six most frequently studied traits in our analysis, the average percentage of explained variation in across-year ecosystem functioning dropped to 4.8%. Furthermore, different ecosystem functions were driven by different traits, with on average only 12.2% overlap in significant predictors. Thus, we did not find evidence for the existence of a small set of key traits able to explain variation in multiple ecosystem functions across years. Our results therefore suggest that there are strong limits in the extent to which we can predict the long-term functional consequences of the ongoing, rapid changes in the composition and diversity of plant communities that humanity is currently facing.

Spring-flowering herbaceous plant species of the deciduous forests of eastern Canada and 20th century climate warming

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 505-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Houle
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Plant Phenology ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Local Conditions

Increases in the emission of greenhouse gases, particularly during the second half of the 20th century, have been associated with climate warming at the global scale. High latitude areas have been reported to be particularly sensitive to such changes, with significant impacts on plant phenology. The objectives of the present study were to (i) estimate changes in the flowering dates of 18 spring-flowering herbaceous plant species typical of the deciduous forests of eastern North America in three areas of eastern Canada (Gatineau–Ottawa, Montréal, and Québec) from 1900 to 2000 and (ii) associate these changes with those of annual and spring local temperatures. My results show a 2–6 days advance in flowering date over 100 years, depending on the region considered (corresponding to a ~2–3 days advance per 1 °C); these values are somewhat lower than those published in other studies, but still support the increasing body of literature on the effects of climate warming on plant phenology. Shifts in flowering phenology were particularly evident for Montréal, a large metropolitan region; this suggests that global climate warming, and its effects on plant phenology, may be exacerbated by local conditions, particularly those associated with large urban areas. Furthermore, species-specific responses to climate warming, as those presented here, might lead to significant changes in community composition and ecosystem functions.

scholarly journals Consistent drivers of plant biodiversity across managed ecosystems

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1694) ◽  
pp. 20150284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Minden ◽  
Christoph Scherber ◽  
Miguel A. Cebrián Piqueras ◽  
Juliane Trinogga ◽  
Anastasia Trenkamp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Real World ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Managed Ecosystems

Ecosystems managed for production of biomass are often characterized by low biodiversity because management aims to optimize single ecosystem functions (i.e. yield) involving deliberate selection of species or cultivars. In consequence, considerable differences in observed plant species richness and productivity remain across systems, and the drivers of these differences have remained poorly resolved so far. In addition, it has remained unclear if species richness feeds back on ecosystem functions such as yield in real-world systems. Here, we establish N = 360 experimental plots across a broad range of managed ecosystems in several European countries, and use structural equation models to unravel potential drivers of plant species richness. We hypothesize that the relationships between productivity, total biomass and observed species richness are affected by management intensity, and that these effects differ between habitat types (dry grasslands, grasslands, and wetlands). We found that local management was an important driver of species richness across systems. Management caused system disturbance, resulting in reduced productivity yet enhanced total biomass. Plant species richness was directly and positively driven by management, with consistently negative effects of total biomass. Productivity effects on richness were positive, negative or neutral. Our study shows that management and total biomass drive plant species richness across real-world managed systems.

scholarly journals Effect of plant species loss on aphid-parasitoid communities

2010 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 709-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana S. Petermann ◽  
Christine B. Müller ◽  
Alexandra Weigelt ◽  
Wolfgang W. Weisser ◽  
Bernhard Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Species Loss ◽  
Aphid Parasitoid

scholarly journals Litterfall Chemistry Is Modulated by Wet-Dry Seasonality and Leaf Phenology of Dominant Species in the Tropics

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan M. Tonin ◽  
Laís S. Lima ◽  
Paulino Bambi ◽  
Monique L. Figueiredo ◽  
Renan S. Rezende ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Generalized Additive Models ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Riparian Ecosystems ◽  
Litter Traits ◽  
Dominant Plant Species ◽  
The Tropics

Litterfall has a large influence on carbon and nutrient cycling of ecosystems, particularly in light-limited forested streams, as most nutrients return in the form of litter. Although recent evidence points to the prevalence of seasonal litterfall in species-rich and evergreen tropical riparian forests, there is a limited understanding of how riparian plant diversity intersects with stream and riparian ecosystem functions. To explore this question, we investigate litterfall chemistry across wet and dry seasons and the congruence between litter traits and plant species composition of litterfall in the wet-dry tropics. Using generalized additive models, we observed consistent seasonal patterns of litterfall chemistry over 2 years, mostly influenced by dominant species in litterfall. While drier seasons showed litter lower in nutrients and structural compounds and higher in polyphenols, litter from wetter seasons were nutrient rich but lower in polyphenols. We also found contrasting seasonal patterns in litterfall chemistry, one showing that litterfall nutrient, structural compounds, and secondary metabolite concentrations declined in drier seasons while the other showed that mass-based litterfall inputs increased markedly in drier seasons. Our findings suggest that litterfall chemistry may be altered by shifts in the identity of dominant plant species and seasonality, possibly leading to changes in carbon and nutrient fluxes in tropical riparian ecosystems.

scholarly journals Restoration ecologists might not get what they want: Global change shifts trade-offs among ecosystem functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Fiedler ◽  
José A.F. Monteiro ◽  
Kristin B. Hulvey ◽  
Rachel J. Standish ◽  
Michael P. Perring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
List Type ◽  
Trade Offs

ABSTRACTEcological restoration increasingly aims at improving ecosystem multifunctionality and making landscapes resilient to future threats, especially in biodiversity hotspots such as Mediterranean-type ecosystems. Successful realisation of such a strategy requires a fundamental mechanistic understanding of the link between ecosystem plant composition, plant traits and related ecosystem functions and services, as well as how climate change affects these relationships. An integrated approach of empirical research and simulation modelling with focus on plant traits can allow this understanding.Based on empirical data from a large-scale restoration project in a Mediterranean-type climate in Western Australia, we developed and validated the spatially explicit simulation model ModEST, which calculates coupled dynamics of nutrients, water and individual plants characterised by traits. We then simulated all possible combinations of eight plant species with different levels of diversity to assess the role of plant diversity and traits on multifunctionality, the provision of six ecosystem functions (covering three ecosystem services), as well as trade-offs and synergies among the functions under current and future climatic conditions.Our results show that multifunctionality cannot fully be achieved because of trade-offs among functions that are attributable to sets of traits that affect functions differently. Our measure of multifunctionality was increased by higher levels of planted species richness under current, but not future climatic conditions. In contrast, single functions were differently impacted by increased plant diversity. In addition, we found that trade-offs and synergies among functions shifted with climate change.Synthesis and application. Our results imply that restoration ecologists will face a clear challenge to achieve their targets with respect to multifunctionality not only under current conditions, but also in the long-term. However, once ModEST is parameterized and validated for a specific restoration site, managers can assess which target goals can be achieved given the set of available plant species and site-specific conditions. It can also highlight which species combinations can best achieve long-term improved multifunctionality due to their trait diversity.

scholarly journals FLORISTIC CHANGE IN NEW ENGLAND AND NEW YORK: REGIONAL PATTERNS OF PLANT SPECIES LOSS AND DECLINE

Rhodora ◽  
10.3119/18-04 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (985) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie ◽  
Glen Mittelhauser ◽  
Abraham J. Miller-Rushing ◽  
Richard B. Primack
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Species Loss ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Floristic Change

Plant species loss and communication

IAVS Bulletin ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Diekmann
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Species Loss

scholarly journals Climate and land use change impacts on plant distributions in Germany

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 564-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Pompe ◽  
Jan Hanspach ◽  
Franz Badeck ◽  
Stefan Klotz ◽  
Wilfried Thuiller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Species Loss ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
Spatially Varying

We present niche-based modelling to project the distribution of 845 European plant species for Germany using three different models and three scenarios of climate and land use changes up to 2080. Projected changes suggested large effects over the coming decades, with consequences for the German flora. Even under a moderate scenario (approx. +2.2°C), 15–19% (across models) of the species we studied could be lost locally—averaged from 2995 grid cells in Germany. Models projected strong spatially varying impacts on the species composition. In particular, the eastern and southwestern parts of Germany were affected by species loss. Scenarios were characterized by an increased number of species occupying small ranges, as evidenced by changes in range-size rarity scores. It is anticipated that species with small ranges will be especially vulnerable to future climate change and other ecological stresses.

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