Biodiversity Production Research Articles

Neighbourhood interactions drive overyielding in mixed-species tree communities

Theory suggests that plant interactions at the neighbourhood scale play a fundamental role in regulating biodiversity–productivity relationships (BPRs) in tree communities. However, empirical evidence of this prediction is rare, as little is known about how neighbourhood interactions scale up to influence community BPRs. Here, using a biodiversity–ecosystem functioning experiment, we provide insights into processes underlying BPRs by demonstrating that diversity-mediated interactions among local neighbours are a strong regulator of productivity in species mixtures. Our results show that local neighbourhood interactions explain over half of the variation in observed community productivity along a diversity gradient. Overall, individual tree growth increased with neighbourhood species richness, leading to a positive BPR at the community scale. The importance of local-scale neighbourhood effects for regulating community productivity, however, distinctly increased with increasing community species richness. Preserving tree species diversity at the local neighbourhood scale, thus seems to be a promising way for promoting forest productivity.

Are Ecosystem Services Complementary or Competitive? An Econometric Analysis of Cost Functions of Private Forests in Vietnam

Forest ecosystem service (FES) provisioning and management in Vietnam is a priority in the Vietnamese environmental agenda. The main rationale of private forest management is to maximise profits from timber and non-timber forest product (NTFP) production. From a social point of view an under-supply of positive forest externalities (or non-marketed ecosystem services) exists. This paper therefore contributes to the ecosystem service (ES) literature by assessing the production cost structure, in other words, the cost of marketed production and provision of carbon and biodiversity, based on a survey of private forest owners in Hoa Binh Province in Vietnam. The econometric analysis was carried out using a dual cost function approach to analyse the trade-off between forestry costs and ecological performance. This is, to our knowledge, the first time such an approach has been used to estimate the production relationship between marketed outputs and non-marketed ES in the forest sector. This approach appears to be appropriate for handling the multiple joint outputs of forest production and allows us to estimate marginal costs and other cost measures such as cost complementarities in the production of multiple ES. Our results indicate that there is complementarity in the provision of timber and carbon sequestration and, consequently, policies that enhance carbon sequestration in private forests in Vietnam can be implemented without additional costs for the forest owner. We also found that keeping deadwood (to favour biodiversity) had no significant cost and was complementary with NTFP (also an indicator of biodiversity in our study), but could increase the marginal cost of producing timber. This means that biodiversity can be enhanced at no additional cost, provided that the quantity of deadwood does not significantly increase.

The influence of on-farm advice on beliefs and motivations for Swiss lowland farmers to implement ecological compensation areas on their farms

ABSTRACTPurpose: Farmers hold a key to reaching biodiversity targets, but will only carry out this service to society if they are sufficiently motivated to do so. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of on-farm advice as a tool for motivating farmers to take action to preserve or even to enhance biodiversity on their farms.Design/methodology/approach: To address this aim, we surveyed 133 farmers (response rate 43.9%), of whom 23 had received on-farm advice about farmland biodiversity conservation over a period of six years.Findings: The results showed that key beliefs and motivations were positively influenced by farmer advisory services. Farmers who had received advice agreed significantly more strongly in the compatibility of biodiversity conservation and production; that biodiversity is important; and that nature conservation on farms is appreciated by society.Practical Implications: These results allow the conclusion that on-farm biodiversity advice might be a useful way of positively influencing the beliefs and enhancing motivations of farmers to contribute to biodiversity conservation on their farms.Theoretical implications: Although several papers have examined the influence of agricultural extension on farmer behaviour, the results of this study contribute to explaining some of the contradictions in the literature about the effectiveness of advisory services. Furthermore, this study addresses [Batary, P., L. V. Dicks, D. Kleijn, and W. J. Sutherland. 2015. “The Role of Agri-Environment Schemes in Conservation and Environmental Management.” Conservation Biology 29: 1006–1016.] challenge that there has been insufficient research on the link between farmer advice and the effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes.Originality/value: This paper is among the first to address these research gaps and is the first to examine the influence of advice on farmer conservation behaviour in the Swiss context.

The employment of ethanol as solvent to extract Brazil nut oil

Abstract The use of ethanol for oil extraction, focusing on the recovery of the residual oil from marc, is an alternative to increase the yield and also optimize the use of non-timber forest products of Brazilian biodiversity. For this reason, the liquid-liquid equilibrium data for pseudoternary systems containing Brazil nut oil + anhydrous ethanol + water and solid-liquid equilibrium data for semi-defatted Brazil nut marc + anhydrous ethanol were determined experimentally from 323.15 to 343.15 K. The adjusted NRTL parameters described the liquid-liquid equilibrium with average deviation between experimental and calculated compositions equal to 0.8271 % and the critical solution temperatures with correlation coefficient of 0.9986. Yield and solubility diagrams were obtained with the solid-liquid equilibrium data. When comparing in the same temperature and water content, the alcoholic phase (AP) from liquid-liquid equilibrium with the liquid phase (LP) from solid-liquid equilibrium, it was observed that the oil content in the alcoholic phase (AP) was always higher than that in the liquid phase (LP). This fact reinforces that the miscella oil concentration is influenced by the oil retention in the solid phase (SP). These data indicated the best conditions to use the ethanol to extract Brazil nut oil.

ECONOMIC OF GREEN HOUSE ROSE PRODUCTION IN KRISHNAGIRI DISTRICT, INDIA

Horticulture crops play a unique role in economy of a country and its farmers. The conventional open field crops production generates and unremunerated production and cause of biodiversity. In order to overcome the problem, protected cultivation technology (green house) is need of the hour. Protected cultivation technology can be an effective mechanism for conserving agro-biodiversity. Greenhouse rose cultivation, an investment intensive and which need specific knowledge, skill and thoroughness in production, increases the income level of the farmer. Hence an attempt was made to study the economics of greenhouse cultivation. Krishnagiri district is the major producer of flower crops in Tamil nadu. There are 10 blocks, they are arranged in descending order and top two blocks viz., Hosur and Thalli were selected. Greenhouse growers list of the selected blocks were prepared and 60 respondents were randomly selected from the list. The study found that the average greenhouse size was at 1.76unit. (1 unit =1000sq. m). It found that gross return from greenhouse unit per year was at Rs.10, 95000 and the net return was at Rs.6, 33,797.95. BCR was 1.46 at 15 per cent discount rate.

Below‐ground complementarity effects in a grassland biodiversity experiment are related to deep‐rooting species

Abstract Below‐ground resource partitioning is often proposed as the underlying mechanism for the positive relationship between plant species richness and productivity. For example, if species have different root distributions, a mixture of plant species may be able to use the available resources more completely than the individual species in a monoculture. However, there is little experimental evidence for differentiation in vertical root distributions among species and its contribution to biodiversity effects. We determined species‐specific root standing biomass over depth using molecular techniques (real‐time qPCR) in a large grassland biodiversity experiment (one to eight plant species mixtures), in 2 years. Species‐specific root biomass data were used to disentangle the effects of positive interactions between species (complementarity effects) and effects due to dominance of productive species (selection effects) on root biomass in mixtures. In a next step, these biodiversity effects were linked to the diversity of rooting depths and the averaged rooting depth of the community. Root biomass increased with species richness. This was mainly due to positive interactions (the complementarity effect), which increased with species richness below‐ground. In contrast, the selection effect decreased with species richness. Although there was considerable variation in vertical root distribution between species in monocultures, the diversity of rooting strategies did not explain the complementarity effect. Rather, the abundance of deep‐rooting species in mixtures (i.e. high community‐weighted mean) was significantly related to the complementarity effect. Comparing the “predicted” root distribution (based on monocultures) to the actual distribution in mixtures, we found that mixtures rooted deeper than expected, but this did not better explain the complementarity effect. Synthesis. This study demonstrates that vertical root distributions of species provide only subtle evidence for resource partitioning. We found no evidence that functional diversity in vertical rooting patterns was important for the complementarity effect, in contrast to our expectation that the enhancement of productivity was due to resource partitioning. Alternatively, we found significant but weak relationships between the complementarity effect and deep‐rooting communities, based on the community‐weighted mean root distribution. This suggests that factors other than below‐ground resource partitioning alone may drive the biodiversity–productivity relationship.

Novel fine-scale aerial mapping approach quantifies grassland weed cover dynamics and response to management.

Invasive weeds threaten the biodiversity and forage productivity of grasslands worldwide. However, management of these weeds is constrained by the practical difficulty of detecting small-scale infestations across large landscapes and by limits in understanding of landscape-scale invasion dynamics, including mechanisms that enable patches to expand, contract, or remain stable. While high-end hyperspectral remote sensing systems can effectively map vegetation cover, these systems are currently too costly and limited in availability for most land managers. We demonstrate application of a more accessible and cost-effective remote sensing approach, based on simple aerial imagery, for quantifying weed cover dynamics over time. In California annual grasslands, the target communities of interest include invasive weedy grasses (Aegilops triuncialis and Elymus caput-medusae) and desirable forage grass species (primarily Avena spp. and Bromus spp.). Detecting invasion of annual grasses into an annual-dominated community is particularly challenging, but we were able to consistently characterize these two communities based on their phenological differences in peak growth and senescence using maximum likelihood supervised classification of imagery acquired twice per year (in mid- and end-of season). This approach permitted us to map weed-dominated cover at a 1-m scale (correctly detecting 93% of weed patches across the landscape) and to evaluate weed cover change over time. We found that weed cover was more pervasive and persistent in management units that had no significant grazing for several years than in those that were grazed, whereas forage cover was more abundant and stable in the grazed units. This application demonstrates the power of this method for assessing fine-scale vegetation transitions across heterogeneous landscapes. It thus provides means for small-scale early detection of invasive species and for testing fundamental questions about landscape dynamics.

Aspectos socioeconômico dos agricultores familiares extrativistas do cumbaru no município de Poconé - Pantanal Mato-Grossense

O Dipteryx alata Vogel (cumbaru) é uma espécie arbórea de importância econômica, em virtude dos atributos do seu fruto como alimento humano e animal. Atraiu atenção nos círculos de discussão da conservação como alternativa de exploração sustentável e composição das cadeias produtivas da biodiversidade. É de importância econômico-social para a comunidade pesquisada, pois apresenta uma alternativa de ocupação e renda para agricultores familiares rurais. Intentou-se traçar o perfil socioeconômico dos agricultores familiares que desenvolvem atividade extrativista do fruto de cumbaru no município de Poconé-MT. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de entrevistas, com formulário semiestruturado, a vinte e dois agricultores, selecionados por amostragem não probabilística, pela técnica “snowball”, no primeiro semestre de 2014. Constatou-se que o agente extrativista é representado por comunidades tradicionais, descendentes de índios e quilombolas, destarte pequenos agricultores rurais. A atividade extrativista é predominantemente feminina, cuja idade varia entre 29 e 68 anos, e o percentual de analfabetismo é de 31%. O extrativismo do fruto do cumbaru está presente entre as três principais fontes de renda para 82% das famílias e contribui para pagamento das despesas básicas, como vestuário e alimentação. A atividade extrativista no meio rural de Poconé contribui para a permanência dos agricultores na terra, demonstrando princípios de desenvolvimento econômico, social e ambiental.

Soil biota suppress positive plant diversity effects on productivity at high but not low soil fertility

SummaryPlant community productivity commonly increases with increasing plant diversity, which is explained by complementarity among plant species in resource utilization (complementarity effect), or by selection of particularly productive plant species in diverse plant communities (selection effect). Recent studies have also shown that soil biota can drive the positive plant diversity–productivity relationship by suppressing productivity more in low‐ than in high‐diversity plant communities. However, much remains unknown about whether soil fertility plays a role in determining how soil biota affect plant diversity–productivity relationships.We hypothesized that under high soil fertility conditions, negative soil biota effects dominate, which reduces plant monoculture biomass more than that of high‐diversity plant communities. Conversely, under low soil fertility conditions, we hypothesized positive soil biota effects dominate, which facilitates plant resource partitioning and enhances community‐level biomass in high‐diversity plant communities. Hence, we expected positive plant diversity–community productivity relationships under low and high soil fertility conditions but caused by different mechanisms.We tested these hypotheses using woody seedlings and set up plant assemblages with four species richness levels (one, two, four and eight species), and grew them in sterilized and unsterilized (sterilized soil + living soil inoculum) soils at two nutrient levels (low versus high fertility).We found that at high fertility negative soil biota effects dominated and suppressed plant community biomass more in high‐diversity plant communities than in monocultures, resulting in reduced complementarity effects of diverse plant communities and a non‐significant plant species richness–community biomass relationship in unsterilized soil. Whereas at low fertility soil biota had net neutral to positive effects on plant community biomass but the beneficial effects did not increase with increasing plant species richness. Instead, soil biota neutrally affected the positive plant species richness–community biomass relationship, presumably due to non‐specific effects of beneficial soil biota.Synthesis. Soil biota and soil fertility interactively determine plant species richness–community biomass relationships. Moreover, soil biota modulate the complementary resource use among plant species. These findings suggest that environmental context plays an important role in determining whether and how soil biota generate the biodiversity–productivity relationship. Future studies would benefit from revealing the mechanisms underlying the interactive effects of soil biota, soil fertility, and plant diversity on ecosystem functioning.

Can niche plasticity promote biodiversity-productivity relationships through increased complementarity?

Most experimental biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research to date has addressed herbaceous plant communities. Comparably little is known about how forest communities will respond to species losses, despite their importance for global biogeochemical cycling. We studied tree species interactions in experimental subtropical tree communities with 33 distinct tree species mixtures and one, two, or four species. Plots were either exposed to natural light levels or shaded. Trees grew rapidly and were intensely competing above ground after 1.5 growing seasons when plots were thinned and the vertical distribution of leaves and wood determined by separating the biomass of harvested trees into 50cm height increments. Our aim was to analyze effects of species richness in relation to the vertical allocation of leaf biomass and wood, with an emphasis on bipartite competitive interactions among species. Aboveground productivity increased with species richness. The community-level vertical leaf and wood distribution depended on the species composition of communities. Mean height and breadth of species-level vertical leaf and wood distributions did not change with species richness. However, the extra biomass produced by mixtures compared to monocultures of the component species increased when vertical leaf distributions of monocultures were more different. Decomposition of biodiversity effects with the additive partitioning scheme indicated positive complementarity effects that were higher in light than in shade. Selection effects did not deviate from zero, irrespective of light levels. Vertical leaf distributions shifted apart in mixed stands as consequence of competition-driven phenotypic plasticity, promoting realized complementarity. Structural equation models showed that this effect was larger for species that differed more in growth strategies that were characterized by functional traits. In 13 of the 18 investigated two-species mixtures, both species benefitted relative to intraspecific competition in monoculture. In the remaining five pairwise mixtures, the relative yield gain of one species exceeded the relative yield loss of the other species, resulting in a relative yield total (RYT) exceeding 1. Overall, our analysis indicates that richness-productivity relationships are promoted by interspecific niche complementarity at early stages of stand development, and that this effect is enhanced by architectural plasticity.

What are the socioeconomic implications of the value chain of biodiversity products? A case study in Northeastern Brazil.

The trade in biodiversity products has gained increasing importance in conservation and livelihood strategies. The aim of this study is to describe and analyze the socioeconomic aspects and dynamics of the production and commercialization of two important products of Brazilian biodiversity from the fruits of Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. and Dimorphandra gardneriana Tul. Interviews were conducted with who were involved in the various stages of value chains. Data were analyzed under an analytical/descriptive approach. It was found that the two value chains under study, although they share the same production environment and workforce, are different models of the commercial appropriation of the forest environment: one is related to local traditions, whereas the other seeks to meet an industry-related demand originating from a multinational pharmaceutical company. Harvesters become highly dependent on the trends imposed by these markets. Thus, it is clear that promoting these products as a conservation strategy requires an understanding of how their value chains arise, are established, and operate.

Characteristics of Soils in Highland Wetlands as a Subsidy to Identifying and Setting their Limits

ABSTRACT Palustrine areas and wetlands in particular are fragile ecosystems, with high biodiversity and high ecological productivity, and they provide benefits to society. The aim of this study was to describe and classify the main soils occurring in the wetlands of the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina, and propose criteria for identification of hydromorphic environments as an aid in demarcation of their boundaries. Soils of four wetlands, in the municipalities of Bom Jardim da Serra, Bom Retiro, Lages, and Painel [...]

Mapping plant community ecology

Plant communities form the structural and functional basis for nearly all terrestrial ecosystems. Good knowledge about plant communities is therefore necessary to understand and protect life on our planet. Journal of Vegetation Science publishes papers on all aspects of plant community ecology with an emphasis on articles that develop new concepts and methods, test theory, or identify general patterns. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Fungal biodiversity and natural products discovery: perspectives and prospects

Fungal biodiversity and natural products discovery: perspectives and prospects

Spatial Differentiation of Arable Land and Permanent Grassland to Improve a Land Management Model for Nutrient Balancing

Agroecosystems play an important role in providing economic and ecosystem services, which directly impact society. Inappropriate land use and unsustainable agricultural management with associated nutrient cycles can jeopardize important soil functions such as food production, livestock feeding, and conservation of biodiversity. The objective of this study was to integrate remotely sensed land cover information into a regional land management model (LMM) to improve the assessment of spatially explicit nutrient balances for agroecosystems. Remotely sensed data and an optimized parameter set contributed to an improved LMM output, allowing for a better land allocation within the model. The best input parameter combination was based on two different land cover classifications with overall accuracies of 98%, improving the land allocation performance compared with using nonspatially explicit input. We conclude that the combined use of remote sensing data and the LMM has the potential to provide valuable guidance for farm practices. It further helps to generate a spatial description of farm-level nutrient balance, a crucial ability when choosing policy options related to sustainable management of agricultural soils.

Quantitative conservation genetics of wild and managed bees

Quantitative genetic traits provide insights into the evolutionary potential of populations, as heritability estimates measure the population’s ability to respond to global changes. Although wild and managed bees are increasingly threatened by the degradation of natural habitats and climate change, risking plant biodiversity and agriculture production, no study has yet performed a systematic review of heritability estimates across the group. Here we help fill this knowledge gap, gathering all available heritability estimates for ants, bees, and wasps, evaluating which factors affect these estimates and assessing the reported genetic correlations between traits. Using a model selection approach to analyze a dataset of more than 800 heritability estimates, we found that heritability is influenced by trait type, with morphological traits exhibiting the highest heritability estimates, and defense and metabolism-related traits showing the lowest estimates. Study system, sociality degree, experimental design, estimation type (narrow or broad-sense heritability), and sample size were not found to affect heritability estimates. Results remained unaltered when correcting for phylogenetic inertia, and when analyzing social bees separately. Genetic correlations between honeybee traits revealed both positive coefficients, usually for traits in the same category, and negative coefficients, suggesting trade-offs among other traits. We discuss these findings and highlight the importance of maintaining genetic variance in fitness-related traits. Our study shows the importance of considering heritability estimates and genetic correlations when designing breeding and conservation programs. We hope this meta-analysis helps identify sustainable breeding approaches and conservation strategies that help safeguard the evolutionary potential of wild and managed bees.

Recent pasture management determines biodiversity and productivity, and past management determines forage quality

ABSTRACTAgro-ecosystem management focuses on developing grassland systems that meet sustainable productivity and biodiversity targets. Pasture management affects productivity and biodiversity, but the effects of previous management impacts are difficult to predict. Our objective was to identify the effects of key management factors and their timing on current biodiversity and productivity in public pastures in northeastern Japan. We surveyed pasture management histories (stocking rate, mowing frequency, fertilizer application and pasture renovation by plowing) from 1991 to 2010. We divided the data into periods and examined productivity, forage quality and biodiversity (plants and burrowing rodents). We included these parameters into generalized linear models, and found that recent fertilization level, mowing frequency and renovation were the most important factors affecting plant species diversity. In contrast, recent and past stocking rates were the dominant factors for productivity and forage quality, respectively. Thus, biodiversity and productivity were affected by different factors, suggesting that pasture management can balance the competing goals of biodiversity conservation and productivity improvement. From the effects of pasture management on biodiversity, forage productivity and quality, avoiding intensive pasture management is a practical application. In addition, a time lag effect of grazing pressure on forage quality should be considered during future pasture management.

Tree genetics strongly affect forest productivity, but intraspecific diversity–productivity relationships do not

Summary Numerous studies have demonstrated biodiversity–productivity relationships in plant communities, and analogous genetic diversity–productivity studies using genotype mixtures of single species may show similar patterns. Alternatively, competing individuals among genotypes within a species are less likely to exhibit resource‐use complementarity, even when they exhibit large differences in their effects on ecosystem function. In this study, we test the impact of genotype diversity and genetic identity on ecosystem function using an ecosystem‐scale common garden experiment. Distinct tree genotypes were collected across the entire natural range of the riparian tree Populus fremontii in the USA, and grown in 1–16 genotype combination forest stands. Due to the warm climate and irrigation of the planting location along the Colorado River (AZ, USA), mature forest physiognomy with trees up to 19 m tall was achieved in just five years. Several key patterns emerged: (i) genotype richness did not predict forest productivity, suggesting a lack of net biodiversity effects; (ii) we found differences among genotype monoculture stands comparable to differences in average productivity across all forest biomes on Earth; (iii) productivity was predicted based on genetic marker similarity in trees; (iv) genetic‐based differences in leaf phenology (early leaf‐on and late leaf‐fall timing) were correlated with >80% of the variation in tree and forest productivity irrespective of home‐site conditions. Large differences in productivity among genotypes can result in dramatic differences in forest productivity without resulting in diversity–productivity relationships that are present in species‐scale biodiversity studies.

THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF VILLAGE COMMUNITIES IN EASTERN PART OF BOTSWANA

Traditional knowledge on local biodiversity has sustained traditional economies for centuries across the world. While it is threatened by modern ecological knowledge, it remains very important in some regions, especially among poor communities in both less developed and industrialized nations. Among such communities, it is valued and treasured at varying extent throughout the year. In other communities, it is valued and utilized in seasonal livelihoods. It is therefore, treasured and passed from one generation to the next. In some cases, it almost competes with modern technological or scientific knowledge on the use and management of biodiversity. This case study is based on a research conducted in the Eastern part of Botswana among 14 villages where knowledge of species of edible and medicinal plants remains relevant. The researchers used observations, individual interviews and focus group discussions to generate data over a period of twenty months. It became apparent that local ecological knowledge is still valued, especially by poor people, who use it to enhance their wellbeing and to protect biodiversity. Some respondents said they value it since they are beneficiaries of those who possess it since they need and utilize the products sold by those who still have a wealth of knowledge of local biodiversity. Other respondents felt it (local knowledge) was as valuable as modern scientific knowledge and suggested that it should be legislated and taught in schools as it is slowly eroded or disappearing. This paper recommends the sustenance of the existing traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) while reconstructing it in preparation for curriculum development. The paper recommends that further research be carried out to document the type or nature of people who are TEK holders, the methods they use to manage and utilize local biodiversity products, the extent of success of their practices, up-to-date contacts of these people (communication channels) and suggest a policy to develop enabling social and economic conditions within which TEK practitioners work. Article visualizations:

Per capita interactions and stress tolerance drive stress-induced changes in biodiversity effects on ecosystem functions.

Environmental stress changes the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Because species interactions shape biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships, changes in per capita interactions under stress (as predicted by the stress gradient hypothesis) can be an important driver of stress-induced changes in these relationships. To test this hypothesis, we measure productivity in microalgae communities along a diversity and herbicide gradient. On the basis of additive partitioning and a mechanistic community model, we demonstrate that changes in per capita interactions do not explain effects of herbicide stress on the biodiversity–productivity relationship. Instead, assuming that the per capita interactions remain unaffected by stress, causing species densities to only change through differences in stress tolerance, suffices to predict the stress-induced changes in the biodiversity–productivity relationship and community composition. We discuss how our findings set the stage for developing theory on how environmental stress changes biodiversity effects on ecosystem functions.