Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1007/s00442-015-3395-2
Title (Primary) Mechanisms driving diversity–productivity relationships differ between exotic and native communities and are affected by gastropod herbivory
Author Korell, L.; Schmidt, R.; Bruelheide, H.; Hensen, I.; Auge, H. ORCID logo
Source Titel Oecologia
Year 2016
Department BZF; iDiv
Volume 180
Issue 4
Page From 1025
Page To 1036
Language englisch
Keywords Arion vulgaris; Complementarity effect; Evenness; Functional groups; Selection effect
UFZ wide themes RU1;
Abstract Biodiversity experiments have shown that productivity usually increases with plant species richness. However, most of those studies disregarded the importance of trophic interactions to the diversity–productivity relationship, and focused on the loss of native species while ignoring invasions by exotic species. Yet, as functional complementarity and the impact of plant antagonists are likely to differ between native and exotic communities, the diversity–productivity relationship may change when native communities are invaded by exotic species. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to test how diversity effects, evenness, and productivity differed between exotic and native assemblages of grassland plants, and how these communities were influenced by slug herbivory. In line with other experiments, we found higher productivity in exotic than in native communities. However, different mechanisms (complementarity vs. selection effect) contributed to the positive diversity–productivity relationships in exotic vs. native communities. Against expectations, native communities showed much lower evenness and a greater selection effect, suggesting that competitive dominance among native species may be even stronger than among exotic species. Slug herbivory decreased productivity independently of species origin and species diversity. However, exotic communities showed a threefold higher complementarity effect than native communities in the absence of slugs, which was mainly driven by differences in the responses of native and exotic legumes and nonleguminous herbs. Our results imply that underlying mechanisms for the positive diversity–productivity relationship differ between native and exotic communities in the early stages of community development, and that differential responses of plant functional groups to generalist herbivory can contribute to this pattern.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=16425
Korell, L., Schmidt, R., Bruelheide, H., Hensen, I., Auge, H. (2016):
Mechanisms driving diversity–productivity relationships differ between exotic and native communities and are affected by gastropod herbivory
Oecologia 180 (4), 1025 - 1036 10.1007/s00442-015-3395-2