TY - JOUR

T1 - Tree diversity increases robustness of multi-trophic interactions

AU - Fornoff, Felix

AU - Klein, Alexandra Maria

AU - Blüthgen, Nico

AU - Staab, Michael

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society.

PY - 2019/3/13

Y1 - 2019/3/13

N2 - Multi-trophic interactions maintain critical ecosystem functions. Biodiversity is declining globally, while responses of trophic interactions to biodiversity change are largely unclear. Thus, studying responses of multi-trophic interaction robustness to biodiversity change is crucial for understanding ecosystem functioning and persistence. We investigate plant-Hemiptera (antagonism) and Hemiptera-ant (mutualism) interaction networks in response to experimental manipulation of tree diversity. We show increased diversity at both higher trophic levels (Hemiptera and ants) and increased robustness through redundancy of lower level species of multi-trophic interactions when tree diversity increased. Hemiptera and ant diversity increased with tree diversity through non-additive diversity effects. Network analyses identified that tree diversity also increased the number of tree and Hemiptera species used by Hemiptera and ant species, and decreased the specialization on lower trophic level species in both mutualistic and antagonist interactions. Our results demonstrate that bottom-up effects of tree diversity ascend through trophic levels regardless of interaction type. Thus, local tree diversity is a key driver of multi-trophic community diversity and interaction robustness in forests.

AB - Multi-trophic interactions maintain critical ecosystem functions. Biodiversity is declining globally, while responses of trophic interactions to biodiversity change are largely unclear. Thus, studying responses of multi-trophic interaction robustness to biodiversity change is crucial for understanding ecosystem functioning and persistence. We investigate plant-Hemiptera (antagonism) and Hemiptera-ant (mutualism) interaction networks in response to experimental manipulation of tree diversity. We show increased diversity at both higher trophic levels (Hemiptera and ants) and increased robustness through redundancy of lower level species of multi-trophic interactions when tree diversity increased. Hemiptera and ant diversity increased with tree diversity through non-additive diversity effects. Network analyses identified that tree diversity also increased the number of tree and Hemiptera species used by Hemiptera and ant species, and decreased the specialization on lower trophic level species in both mutualistic and antagonist interactions. Our results demonstrate that bottom-up effects of tree diversity ascend through trophic levels regardless of interaction type. Thus, local tree diversity is a key driver of multi-trophic community diversity and interaction robustness in forests.

KW - BEF-China

KW - bottom-up

KW - insect-plant interactions

KW - redundancy

KW - stability

KW - tri-trophic

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062614549&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2018.2399

DO - 10.1098/rspb.2018.2399

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 30836869

AN - SCOPUS:85062614549

VL - 286

JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

SN - 0962-8452

IS - 1898

M1 - 20182399

ER -