Multiple plant diversity components drive consumer communities across ecosystems.
- Schuldt A German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. andreas.schuldt@forst.uni-goettingen.de.
- Ebeling A Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Dornburger Strasse 159, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- Kunz M Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität Dresden, PF 1117, 01735, Tharandt, Germany.
- Staab M University of Freiburg, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
- Guimarães-Steinicke C Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Bachmann D ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätsstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Buchmann N ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätsstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Durka W German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Fichtner A Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology, Universitätsallee 1, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany.
- Fornoff F University of Freiburg, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
- Härdtle W Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology, Universitätsallee 1, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany.
- Hertzog LR Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Gent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Gent, Belgium.
- Klein AM University of Freiburg, Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
- Roscher C German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Schaller J University Bayreuth, Environmental Geochemistry, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany.
- von Oheimb G German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Weigelt A German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Weisser W Technical University of Munich, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany.
- Wirth C German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Zhang J Key Lab of Wildlife Biotechnology, Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, 321004, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, China.
- Bruelheide H German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Eisenhauer N German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- 2019-03-31
Published in:
- Nature communications. - 2019
English
Humans modify ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide, with negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Promoting plant diversity is increasingly suggested as a mitigation strategy. However, our mechanistic understanding of how plant diversity affects the diversity of heterotrophic consumer communities remains limited. Here, we disentangle the relative importance of key components of plant diversity as drivers of herbivore, predator, and parasitoid species richness in experimental forests and grasslands. We find that plant species richness effects on consumer species richness are consistently positive and mediated by elevated structural and functional diversity of the plant communities. The importance of these diversity components differs across trophic levels and ecosystems, cautioning against ignoring the fundamental ecological complexity of biodiversity effects. Importantly, plant diversity effects on higher trophic-level species richness are in many cases mediated by modifications of consumer abundances. In light of recently reported drastic declines in insect abundances, our study identifies important pathways connecting plant diversity and consumer diversity across ecosystems.
- Language
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- English
- Open access status
- gold
- Identifiers
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- DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-09448-8
- PMID 30926809
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/188366
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