Diversity and Productivity in a Long-Term Grassland Experiment | Zendy

David Tilman | Zendy; Peter B. Reich | Zendy; Johannes M. H. Knops | Zendy; David A. Wedin | Zendy; Troy Mielke | Zendy; Clarence Lehman | Zendy

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Diversity and Productivity in a Long-Term Grassland Experiment

Author(s) -

David Tilman,

Peter B. Reich,

Johannes M. H. Knops,

David A. Wedin,

Troy Mielke,

Clarence Lehman

Publication year - 2001

Publication title -

science

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 12.556

H-Index - 1186

eISSN - 1095-9203

pISSN - 0036-8075

DOI - 10.1126/science.1060391

Subject(s) - monoculture , biodiversity , ecosystem , productivity , ecology , ecosystem diversity , biomass (ecology) , grassland , complementarity (molecular biology) , diversity (politics) , species diversity , polyculture , grassland ecosystem , biology , economics , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , aquaculture , genetics , sociology , anthropology , macroeconomics

Plant diversity and niche complementarity had progressively stronger effects on ecosystem functioning during a 7-year experiment, with 16-species plots attaining 2.7 times greater biomass than monocultures. Diversity effects were neither transients nor explained solely by a few productive or unviable species. Rather, many higher-diversity plots outperformed the best monoculture. These results help resolve debate over biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, show effects at higher than expected diversity levels, and demonstrate, for these ecosystems, that even the best-chosen monocultures cannot achieve greater productivity or carbon stores than higher-diversity sites.

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