TY - JOUR

T1 - From competition to facilitation

T2 - how tree species respond to neighbourhood diversity

AU - Fichtner, Andreas

AU - Härdtle, Werner

AU - Li, Ying

AU - Bruelheide, Helge

AU - Kunz, Matthias

AU - von Oheimb, Goddert

PY - 2017/7/1

Y1 - 2017/7/1

N2 - Studies on tree communities have demonstrated that species diversity can enhance forest productivity, but the driving mechanisms at the local neighbourhood level remain poorly understood. Here, we use data from a large-scale biodiversity experiment with 24 subtropical tree species to show that neighbourhood tree species richness generally promotes individual tree productivity. We found that the underlying mechanisms depend on a focal tree's functional traits: For species with a conservative resource-use strategy diversity effects were brought about by facilitation, and for species with acquisitive traits by competitive reduction. Moreover, positive diversity effects were strongest under low competition intensity (quantified as the total basal area of neighbours) for acquisitive species, and under high competition intensity for conservative species. Our findings demonstrate that net biodiversity effects in tree communities can vary over small spatial scales, emphasising the need to consider variation in local neighbourhood interactions to better understand effects at the community level.

AB - Studies on tree communities have demonstrated that species diversity can enhance forest productivity, but the driving mechanisms at the local neighbourhood level remain poorly understood. Here, we use data from a large-scale biodiversity experiment with 24 subtropical tree species to show that neighbourhood tree species richness generally promotes individual tree productivity. We found that the underlying mechanisms depend on a focal tree's functional traits: For species with a conservative resource-use strategy diversity effects were brought about by facilitation, and for species with acquisitive traits by competitive reduction. Moreover, positive diversity effects were strongest under low competition intensity (quantified as the total basal area of neighbours) for acquisitive species, and under high competition intensity for conservative species. Our findings demonstrate that net biodiversity effects in tree communities can vary over small spatial scales, emphasising the need to consider variation in local neighbourhood interactions to better understand effects at the community level.

KW - BEF-China

KW - biodiversity

KW - complementarity

KW - ecosystem functioning

KW - forests

KW - functional traits

KW - productivity

KW - species interactions

KW - Sustainability Science

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020732134&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/ele.12786

DO - 10.1111/ele.12786

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 28616871

AN - SCOPUS:85020732134

VL - 20

SP - 892

EP - 900

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

SN - 1461-023X

IS - 7

ER -