Author
HARPOLE, W. - Helmholtz Centre For Environmental Research | |
SULLIVAN, LAUREN - University Of Minnesota | |
LIND, ERIC - University Of Minnesota | |
FIRN, JENNIFER - Queensland University Of Technology | |
ADLER, PETER - Utah State University | |
BORER, ELIZABETH - University Of Minnesota | |
CHASE, JONATHAN - Martin Luther University | |
Fay, Philip | |
HAUTIER, YANN - Utrecht University | |
HILLEBRAND, HELMUT - Carl von Ossietzky University Of Oldenburg | |
MACDOUGALL, ANDREW - University Of Guelph | |
SEABLOOM, ERIC - University Of Minnesota | |
WILLIAMS, RYAN - University Of Minnesota | |
BAKKER, JONATHAN - University Of Washington | |
CADOTTE, MARC - University Of Toronto | |
CHANETON, ENRIQUE - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET) | |
CHU, CHENGJIN - Lanzhou University | |
CLELAND, ELSA - University Of California | |
D'ANTONIO, CARLA - University Of California | |
DAVIES, KENDI - University Of Colorado | |
GRUNER, DANIEL - University Of Maryland | |
HAGENAH, NICOLE - University Of Kwazulu-Natal | |
KIRKMAN, KEVIN - University Of Kwazulu-Natal | |
KNOPS, JOHANNES - University Of Nebraska | |
LA PIERRE, KIMBERLY - University Of California | |
MCCULLEY, REBECCA - University Of Kentucky | |
MOORE, JOSLIN - Monash University | |
MORGAN, JOHN - La Trobe University | |
PROBER, SUZANNE - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) | |
RISCH, ANITA - Swiss Federal Research Institute Wsl | |
SCHUETZ, MARTIN - Swiss Federal Research Institute Wsl | |
STEVENS, CARLY - Lancaster University | |
WRAGG, PETER - Yale University |
Submitted to: Nature
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 7/21/2016 Publication Date: 9/1/2016 Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/63145 Citation: Harpole, W.S., Sullivan, L., Lind, E., Firn, J., Adler, P., Borer, E., Chase, J., Fay, P.A., Hautier, Y., Hillebrand, H., MacDougall, A.S., Seabloom, E., Williams, R., Bakker, J.D., Cadotte, M., Chaneton, E., Chu, C., Cleland, E.E., D'Antonio, C.D., Davies, K.F., Gruner, D.S., Hagenah, N., Kirkman, K., Knops, J.M., La Pierre, K.J., McCulley, R.L., Moore, J., Morgan, J.W., Prober, S., Risch, A.C., Schuetz, M., Stevens, C., Wragg, P. 2016. Addition of multiple limiting resources reduces grassland diversity. Nature. 537:93-96. doi:10.1038/nature19324. Interpretive Summary: A critical basic question related to the sustainability of agroecosystem goods and services provision is whether sustainability can be better attained through use of simple systems based on one or a few plant species, or through the use of mixtures with many species. Underlying this question is a fundamental ecological hypothesis- the coexistence of many species implies the presence of many niches. To test the connection between the number of niches and the number of plant species present in grasslands, we experimentally eliminated fundamental nutrient niches of plants (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, or N, P and K availability) by fertilizing with each nutrient singly or pairwise combinations of each nutrient (i.e., N and P together, N and K together, etc.) at 45 grassland sites around the world. We found that adding multiple nutrients reduced diversity whether or not multiple nutrients limited plant productivity. This result is important because nutrient inputs, for example from atmospheric deposition or intentional fertilization, reduce the ability of ecosystems to support many species. The results highlight the negative consequences of nutrient inputs where they are not needed. Technical Abstract: Niche dimensionality is the most general theoretical explanation for biodiversity: more niches allow for more ecological tradeoffs between species and thus greater opportunities for coexistence. Resource competition theory predicts that removing resource limitations, by increasing resource availability, should reduce niche dimensionality and species coexistence opportunities. Using a worldwide experimental network of 45 grassland sites, we found general support for these theoretical predictions: species diversity decreased with greater numbers of resources that were increased artificially. The number of added resources predicted loss of diversity even after controlling for potential indirect effects of increased biomass, even at sites with no evidence of nutrient limitation of biomass. Our results provide evidence that multiple resource limitation can affect species coexistence and biomass production differently. |