Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Plant species richness is not consistently associated with productivity in experimental subalpine meadow plant communities

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Yuan, Z.
    Yu, K.
    Epstein, H.
    Stefanova, Katia
    Zhang, R.
    Date
    2015
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Yuan, Z. and Yu, K. and Epstein, H. and Stefanova, K. and Zhang, R. 2015. Plant species richness is not consistently associated with productivity in experimental subalpine meadow plant communities. Folia Geobotanica. 50 (3): pp. 207-217.
    Source Title
    Folia Geobotanica
    DOI
    10.1007/s12224-015-9216-x
    ISSN
    1211-9520
    School
    Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM)
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68778
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    © 2015, Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The relationship between species richness and productivity has been a central issue in community ecology, and this issue has resulted in much debate in the ecological literature. To evaluate whether species richness is consistently associated with productivity and the underlying mechanisms, a potted experiment with various combinations of three perennial plant species (Elymus nutans, Roegneria nutans and Festuca sinensis) was conducted under three fertilization levels over three years with interannual variation in rainfall in a subalpine meadow on the Tibetan plateau, China. The additive partitioning method was used for measuring net, selection and complementarity effects. The results suggest that species richness, composition and density had significant effects on aboveground biomass, but their effects were much less than abiotic factors (fertility and year). Relative yield total (RYT), net, selection and complementarity effects were not consistently positive or negative across years in the mixed communities. Both the interaction of year and species richness and the interaction of year and composition had significant effects on aboveground biomass, selection and complementarity effects. Fertilization and density had no significant effects on net, selection and complementarity effects. Our results indicate that plant richness is not consistently associated with productivity in these experimental plant communities, considering that selection and complementarity effects can vary with complex environmental conditions, and that these factors influence plant productivity. We suggest that different forms of relationships between species richness and productivity may be exhibited based on biotic or abiotic factors in plant communities.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Developing completion criteria for rehabilitation areas on arid and semi-arid mine sites in Western Australia
      Brearley, Darren (2003)
      Continued expansion of the gold and nickel mining industry in Western Australia during recent years has led to disturbance of larger areas and the generation of increasing volumes of waste rock. Mine operators are obligated ...
    • Oil mallee plantings and arthropod biodiversity in the Western Australian wheatbelt : effects of host species, nutrition, and leaf chemistry
      Lyons, Anita Marie (2008)
      Since European settlement, around 93% of the Western Australian wheatbelt has been cleared for agriculture, leading to a range of environmental problems, including erosion, salinity, and loss of biodiversity. Recently, ...
    • Fire impacts on restored shrublands following mining for heavy minerals near Eneabba, southwestern Australia
      Herath, Dulana Nilupul (2008)
      Following mineral-sand mining in the northern sandplains near Eneabba, southwestern Australia, rehabilitation managers have the difficult task of restoring shrubland communities of exceptional plant species richness. ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.