Diversity and Productivity in a Long-Term Grassland Experiment

David Tilman; Peter B. Reich; Johannes M. H. Knops; David A. Wedin; Troy Mielke; Clarence Lehman

doi:10.1126/science.1060391

Abstract

Plant diversity and niche complementarity had progressively stronger effects on ecosystem functioning during a 7-year experiment, with 16-species plots attaining 2.7 times greater biomass than monocultures. Diversity effects were neither transients nor explained solely by a few productive or unviable species. Rather, many higher-diversity plots outperformed the best monoculture. These results help resolve debate over biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, show effects at higher than expected diversity levels, and demonstrate, for these ecosystems, that even the best-chosen monocultures cannot achieve greater productivity or carbon stores than higher-diversity sites.

Keywords

MonocultureBiodiversityEcosystemProductivityEcologyEcosystem diversityBiomass (ecology)GrasslandComplementarity (molecular biology)Diversity (politics)Species diversityPolycultureGrassland ecosystemBiologyEconomicsFisheryFish <Actinopterygii>Aquaculture

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Publication Info

Year: 2001
Type: article
Volume: 294
Issue: 5543
Pages: 843-845
Citations: 2308
Access: Closed

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APA Style

                            
                                
                                    David Tilman, 
                                
                                    Peter B. Reich, 
                                
                                    Johannes M. H. Knops
                                
                                et al.
                            
                            (2001). 
                            Diversity and Productivity in a Long-Term Grassland Experiment. 
                            Science
                            , 294
                            (5543)
                            , 843-845.
                            https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1060391
                        

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1126/science.1060391