Diversity-enhanced canopy space occupation and leaf functional diversity jointly promote overyielding in tropical tree communities.

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Tama Ray - , Chair of Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle—Jena—Leipzig, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Author)
  • Andreas Fichtner - , Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Author)
  • Matthias Kunz - , Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - German Research Centre for Geosciences (Author)
  • Tobias Proß - , Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle—Jena—Leipzig (Author)
  • Pia Marie Bradler - , Chair of Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Author)
  • Helge Bruelheide - , Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle—Jena—Leipzig (Author)
  • Karl Louis Georgi - , Chair of Biodiversity and Nature Conservation (Author)
  • Sylvia Haider - , Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Author)
  • Michaela Hildebrand - , ThüringenForst AöR (Author)
  • Catherine Potvin - , McGill University, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama (Author)
  • Florian Schnabel - , University of Freiburg (Author)
  • Stefan Trogisch - , Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle—Jena—Leipzig (Author)
  • Goddert von Oheimb - , Chair of Biodiversity and Nature Conservation (Author)

Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms that drive biodiversity-productivity relationships is critical for guiding forest restoration. Although complementarity among trees in the canopy space has been suggested as a key mechanism for greater productivity in mixed-species tree communities, empirical evidence remains limited. Here, we used data from a tropical tree diversity experiment to disentangle the effects of tree species richness and community functional characteristics (community-weighted mean and functional diversity of leaf traits) on canopy space filling, and how these effects are related to overyielding. We found that canopy space filling was largely explained by species identity effects rather than tree diversity effects. Communities with a high abundance of species with a conservative resource-use strategy were those with most densely packed canopies. Across monocultures and mixtures, a higher canopy space filling translated into an enhanced wood productivity. Importantly, most communities (83 %) produced more wood volume than the average of their constituent species in monoculture (i.e. most communities overyielded). Our results show that overyielding increased with leaf functional diversity and positive net biodiversity effects on canopy space filling, which mainly arose due to a high taxonomic diversity. These findings suggest that both taxonomic diversity-enhanced canopy space filling and canopy leaf diversity are important drivers for overyielding in mixed-species forests. Consequently, restoration initiatives should promote stands with functionally diverse canopies by selecting tree species with large interspecific differences in leaf nutrition, as well as leaf and branch morphology to optimize carbon capture in young forest stands.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number175438
Number of pages12
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume951 (2024)
Publication statusPublished - 10 Aug 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85201518001
ORCID /0000-0001-7408-425X/work/168720280

Keywords