Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication.
Human activities have increased the availability of nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In grasslands, this eutrophication causes loss of plant species diversity, but the mechanism of this loss has been difficult to determine. Using experimental grassland plant communities, we found tha...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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2009
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| _version_ | 1797078230782443520 |
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| author | Hautier, Y Niklaus, P Hector, A |
| author_facet | Hautier, Y Niklaus, P Hector, A |
| author_sort | Hautier, Y |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Human activities have increased the availability of nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In grasslands, this eutrophication causes loss of plant species diversity, but the mechanism of this loss has been difficult to determine. Using experimental grassland plant communities, we found that addition of light to the grassland understory prevented the loss of biodiversity caused by eutrophication. There was no detectable role for competition for soil resources in diversity loss. Thus, competition for light is a major mechanism of plant diversity loss after eutrophication and explains the particular threat of eutrophication to plant diversity. Our conclusions have implications for grassland management and conservation policy and underscore the need to control nutrient enrichment if plant diversity is to be preserved. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:29:06Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:7f2654b0-3c52-4de5-bab8-e0c9230fa77d |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:29:06Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:7f2654b0-3c52-4de5-bab8-e0c9230fa77d2022-03-26T21:14:57ZCompetition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:7f2654b0-3c52-4de5-bab8-e0c9230fa77dEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2009Hautier, YNiklaus, PHector, AHuman activities have increased the availability of nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In grasslands, this eutrophication causes loss of plant species diversity, but the mechanism of this loss has been difficult to determine. Using experimental grassland plant communities, we found that addition of light to the grassland understory prevented the loss of biodiversity caused by eutrophication. There was no detectable role for competition for soil resources in diversity loss. Thus, competition for light is a major mechanism of plant diversity loss after eutrophication and explains the particular threat of eutrophication to plant diversity. Our conclusions have implications for grassland management and conservation policy and underscore the need to control nutrient enrichment if plant diversity is to be preserved. |
| spellingShingle | Hautier, Y Niklaus, P Hector, A Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication. |
| title | Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication. |
| title_full | Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication. |
| title_fullStr | Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication. |
| title_short | Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication. |
| title_sort | competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hautiery competitionforlightcausesplantbiodiversitylossaftereutrophication AT niklausp competitionforlightcausesplantbiodiversitylossaftereutrophication AT hectora competitionforlightcausesplantbiodiversitylossaftereutrophication |