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Genetic richness affects trait variation but not community productivity in a tree diversity experiment
Author(s) -
Bongers Franca J.,
Schmid Bernhard,
Durka Walter,
Li Shan,
Bruelheide Helge,
Hahn Christoph Z.,
Yan Haoru,
Ma Keping,
Liu Xiaojuan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.16567
Subject(s) - species richness , biology , biodiversity , ecology , trait , genetic variation , species diversity , genetic diversity , biomass (ecology) , productivity , population , demography , biochemistry , macroeconomics , sociology , computer science , economics , gene , programming language
Summary Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning experiments found that productivity generally increases with species richness, but less is known about effects of within‐species genetic richness and potential interactions between the two. While functional differences between species can explain species richness effects, empirical evidence regarding functional differences between genotypes within species and potential consequences for productivity is largely lacking. We therefore measured within‐ and among‐species variation in functional traits and growth and determined stand‐level tree biomass in a large forest experiment factorially manipulating species and genetic richness in subtropical China. Within‐species variation across genetic seed families, in addition to variation across species, explained a substantial amount of trait variation. Furthermore, trait responses to species and genetic richness varied significantly within and between species. Multivariate trait variation was larger among individuals from species mixtures than those from species monocultures, but similar among individuals from genetically diverse vs genetically uniform monocultures. Correspondingly, species but not genetic richness had a positive effect on stand‐level tree biomass. We argue that identifying functional diversity within and among species in forest communities is necessary to separate effects of species and genetic diversity on tree growth and community productivity.