Regional and local patterns in plant species richness with respect to resource availability

Abstract

The hump‐shaped relationship between plant species richness and productivity is a well‐established and important paradigm. While plot‐based species richness patterns on local scales have received much attention, little is currently known about species‐based patterns on a regional scale. Using Ellenberg's indicator values for 1802 plant species in central Europe, we assess the patterns in regional species richness with respect to light, water, and mineral nutrient availability – three variables that strongly influence productivity. The results of this analysis are compared to those of published studies on smaller scales leading to the following conclusions:On a regional scale in central Europe there is a hump‐shaped relationship between soil nutrient supply and plant species richness within a given biome.The peak in species richness for grasslands and wetlands occurs on nutrient‐poor soils, while the peak for forests is on nutrient‐rich soils.Gradients in plant productivity controlled by different variables (i.e. water, nutrients, or disturbance) have dissimilar effects on plant species richness.