Premium
Stabilizing effects of diversity on aboveground wood production in forest ecosystems: linking patterns and processes
Author(s) -
Jucker Tommaso,
Bouriaud Olivier,
Avacaritei Daniel,
Coomes David A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12382
Subject(s) - productivity , ecology , ecosystem , forest ecology , range (aeronautics) , wood production , asynchrony (computer programming) , biology , species diversity , agroforestry , forest management , asynchronous communication , computer network , materials science , macroeconomics , computer science , economics , composite material
Abstract Both theory and evidence suggest that diversity stabilises productivity in herbaceous plant communities through a combination of overyielding, species asynchrony and favourable species interactions. However, whether these same processes also promote stability in forest ecosystems has never been tested. Using tree ring data from permanent forest plots across Europe, we show that aboveground wood production is inherently more stable through time in mixed‐species forests. Faster rates of wood production (i.e. overyielding), decreased year‐to‐year variation in productivity through asynchronous responses of species to climate, and greater temporal stability in the growth rates of individual tree species all contributed strongly to stabilising productivity in mixed stands. Together, these findings reveal the central role of diversity in stabilising productivity in forests, and bring us closer to understanding the processes which enable diverse forests to remain productive under a wide range of environmental conditions.