scholarly journals Tropical tree diversity mediates foraging and predatory effects of insectivorous birds

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1890) ◽  
pp. 20181842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen S. Nell ◽  
Luis Abdala-Roberts ◽  
Victor Parra-Tabla ◽  
Kailen A. Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Attack Rate ◽  
Tree Diversity ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Insectivorous Birds ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Tree Species Richness

Biodiversity affects the structure of ecological communities, but little is known about the interactive effects of diversity across multiple trophic levels. We used a large-scale forest diversity experiment to investigate the effects of tropical tree species richness on insectivorous birds, and the subsequent indirect effect on predation rates by birds. Diverse plots (four tree species) had higher bird abundance (61%), phylogenetic diversity (61%), and functional diversity (55%) than predicted based on single-species monocultures, which corresponded to higher attack rates on artificial caterpillars (65%). Tree diversity effects on attack rate were driven by complementarity among tree species, with increases in attack rate observed on all tree species in polycultures. Attack rates on artificial caterpillars were higher in plots with higher bird abundance and diversity, but the indirect effect of tree species richness was mediated by bird diversity, providing evidence that diversity can interact across trophic levels with consequences tied to ecosystem services and function.

Tree species richness modulates water supply in the local tree neighbourhood: evidence from wood δ 13 C signatures in a large-scale forest experiment

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1946) ◽  
pp. 20203100
Author(s):  
Kirstin Jansen ◽  
Goddert von Oheimb ◽  
Helge Bruelheide ◽  
Werner Härdtle ◽  
Andreas Fichtner
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Tree Diversity ◽  
Tree Species Richness ◽  
Neighbourhood Scale

Biodiversity is considered to mitigate the adverse effects of changing precipitation patterns. However, our understanding of how tree diversity at the local neighbourhood scale modulates the water use and leaf physiology of individual trees remains unclear. We made use of a large-scale tree diversity experiment in subtropical China to study eight tree species along an experimentally manipulated gradient of local neighbourhood tree species richness. Twig wood carbon isotope composition ( δ 13 C wood ) was used as an indicator for immediate leaf-level responses to water availability in relation to local neighbourhood conditions and a target tree's functional traits. Across species, a target tree's δ 13 C wood signatures decreased progressively with increasing neighbourhood species richness, with effects being strongest at high neighbourhood shading intensity. Moreover, the δ 13 C wood -shading relationship shifted from positive (thin-leaved species) or neutral (thick-leaved species) in conspecific to negative in heterospecific neighbourhoods, most likely owing to a lower interspecific competition for water and microclimate amelioration. This suggests that promoting tree species richness at the local neighbourhood scale may improve a tree's local water supply with potential effects for an optimized water-use efficiency of tree communities during drought. This assumption, however, requires validation by further studies that focus on mechanisms that regulate the water availability in mixtures.

Towards quantifying tropical tree species richness in tropical forests

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1629-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. W. Gillespie ◽  
S. Saatchi ◽  
S. Pau ◽  
S. Bohlman ◽  
A. P. Giorgi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Tree Species Richness

scholarly journals Evaluating the potential of full‐waveform lidar for mapping pan‐tropical tree species richness

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1799-1816
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. Marselis ◽  
Katharine Abernethy ◽  
Alfonso Alonso ◽  
John Armston ◽  
Timothy R. Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Full Waveform ◽  
Tree Species Richness ◽  
Waveform Lidar ◽  
Full Waveform Lidar

scholarly journals Neither global nor consistent: a technical comment on the tree diversity-productivity analysis of Liang et al. (2016)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten F. Dormann ◽  
Helge Schneider ◽  
Jonas Gorges
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Productivity ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Tree Diversity ◽  
Productivity Analysis ◽  
Combine Data ◽  
Relative Measure ◽  
Tree Species Richness ◽  
Global Consistency

AbstractThe publication of Liang et al. (2016, Science) seems to demonstrate very clearly that increasing tree species richness substantially increases forest productivity. To combine data from very different ecoregions, the authors constructed a relative measure of tree species richness. This relative richness however confounds plot-level tree species richness and the polar-tropical gradient of tree species richness. We re-analysed their orginal data, computing a regional measure of tree species richness and addressing several other issues in their analysis. We find that there is virtually no effect of relative tree species richness on productivity when computing species richness at the local scale. Also, different ecoregions have very different relationships between tree species richness and productivity. Thus, neither the “global” consistency nor the actual effect can be confirmed.

scholarly journals Tree species richness attenuates the positive relationship between mutualistic ant–hemipteran interactions and leaf chewer herbivory

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1862) ◽  
pp. 20171489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Schuldt ◽  
Felix Fornoff ◽  
Helge Bruelheide ◽  
Alexandra-Maria Klein ◽  
Michael Staab
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Tree Species Richness ◽  
Species Richness Gradient ◽  
Herbivore Communities

Interactions across trophic levels influence plant diversity effects on ecosystem functions, but the complexity of these interactions remains poorly explored. For example, the interplay between different interactions (e.g. mutualism, predation) might be an important moderator of biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships. We tested for relationships between trophobioses (facultative ant–hemipteran mutualism) and leaf chewer herbivory in a subtropical forest biodiversity experiment. We analysed trophobiosis and herbivory data of more than 10 000 trees along a tree species richness gradient. Against expectations, chewing damage was higher on trees with trophobioses. However, the net positive relationship between trophobioses and overall herbivory depended on tree species richness, being most pronounced at low richness. Our results point to indirect, positive effects of ant-tended sap suckers on leaf chewers, potentially by altering plant defences. Direct antagonistic relationships of trophobiotic ants and leaf-chewing herbivores—frequently reported to drive community-wide effects of trophobioses in other ecosystems—seemed less relevant. However, antagonistic interactions likely contributed to the attenuating effect of tree species richness, because trophobiotic ant and herbivore communities changed from monocultures to species-rich mixtures. Our findings, therefore, suggest that biodiversity loss might lead to complex changes in higher trophic level effects on ecosystem functions, mediated by both trophic and non-trophic interactions.

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