Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe

Several experiments have shown that aboveground net primary productivity increases with plant species richness. The main mechanism proposed to explain this relationship is niche complementarity, which is determined by differences in plant traits that affect resource use. We combined field and labora...

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Autor principal: Flombaum, Pedro
Publicado: 2012
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Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00129658_v93_n2_p227_Flombaum
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00129658_v93_n2_p227_Flombaum
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spelling paper:paper_00129658_v93_n2_p227_Flombaum2023-06-08T14:35:37Z Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe Flombaum, Pedro Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) Niche complementarity Rooting depth Soil nitrification Soil thermal amplitude Trait diversity nitrogen abundance complementarity experimental study net primary production nitrification resource use rooting species richness steppe Argentina article classification ecosystem plant plant root soil species difference temperature Argentina Ecosystem Nitrogen Plant Roots Plants Soil Species Specificity Temperature Patagonia Several experiments have shown that aboveground net primary productivity increases with plant species richness. The main mechanism proposed to explain this relationship is niche complementarity, which is determined by differences in plant traits that affect resource use. We combined field and laboratory experiments using the most abundant species of the Patagonian steppe to identify which are the traits that determine niche complementarity in this ecosystem. We estimated traits that affect carbon, water, microclimate, and nitrogen dynamics. The most important traits distinguishing among species, from the standpoint of their effects on ecosystem functioning, were potential soil nitrification, rooting depth, and soil thermal amplitude. Additionally, we explored the relationship between trait diversity and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) using a manipulative field experiment. ANPP and the fraction of ANPP accounted for by trait diversity increased with number of traits. The effect of trait diversity decreased as the number of traits increased. Here, the use of traits gave us a mechanistic understanding of niche complementarity in the Patagonian steppe. © 2012 by the Ecological Society of America. Fil:Flombaum, P. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. 2012 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00129658_v93_n2_p227_Flombaum http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00129658_v93_n2_p227_Flombaum
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Aboveground net primary production (ANPP)
Niche complementarity
Rooting depth
Soil nitrification
Soil thermal amplitude
Trait diversity
nitrogen
abundance
complementarity
experimental study
net primary production
nitrification
resource use
rooting
species richness
steppe
Argentina
article
classification
ecosystem
plant
plant root
soil
species difference
temperature
Argentina
Ecosystem
Nitrogen
Plant Roots
Plants
Soil
Species Specificity
Temperature
Patagonia
spellingShingle Aboveground net primary production (ANPP)
Niche complementarity
Rooting depth
Soil nitrification
Soil thermal amplitude
Trait diversity
nitrogen
abundance
complementarity
experimental study
net primary production
nitrification
resource use
rooting
species richness
steppe
Argentina
article
classification
ecosystem
plant
plant root
soil
species difference
temperature
Argentina
Ecosystem
Nitrogen
Plant Roots
Plants
Soil
Species Specificity
Temperature
Patagonia
Flombaum, Pedro
Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe
topic_facet Aboveground net primary production (ANPP)
Niche complementarity
Rooting depth
Soil nitrification
Soil thermal amplitude
Trait diversity
nitrogen
abundance
complementarity
experimental study
net primary production
nitrification
resource use
rooting
species richness
steppe
Argentina
article
classification
ecosystem
plant
plant root
soil
species difference
temperature
Argentina
Ecosystem
Nitrogen
Plant Roots
Plants
Soil
Species Specificity
Temperature
Patagonia
description Several experiments have shown that aboveground net primary productivity increases with plant species richness. The main mechanism proposed to explain this relationship is niche complementarity, which is determined by differences in plant traits that affect resource use. We combined field and laboratory experiments using the most abundant species of the Patagonian steppe to identify which are the traits that determine niche complementarity in this ecosystem. We estimated traits that affect carbon, water, microclimate, and nitrogen dynamics. The most important traits distinguishing among species, from the standpoint of their effects on ecosystem functioning, were potential soil nitrification, rooting depth, and soil thermal amplitude. Additionally, we explored the relationship between trait diversity and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) using a manipulative field experiment. ANPP and the fraction of ANPP accounted for by trait diversity increased with number of traits. The effect of trait diversity decreased as the number of traits increased. Here, the use of traits gave us a mechanistic understanding of niche complementarity in the Patagonian steppe. © 2012 by the Ecological Society of America.
author Flombaum, Pedro
author_facet Flombaum, Pedro
author_sort Flombaum, Pedro
title Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe
title_short Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe
title_full Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe
title_fullStr Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe
title_full_unstemmed Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: Experiments in the Patagonian steppe
title_sort effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: experiments in the patagonian steppe
publishDate 2012
url https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00129658_v93_n2_p227_Flombaum
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00129658_v93_n2_p227_Flombaum
work_keys_str_mv AT flombaumpedro effectsofplantspeciestraitsonecosystemprocessesexperimentsinthepatagoniansteppe
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