Speaker
Description
Anthropogenic activities are driving dramatic biodiversity loss that reverberates to the functioning of ecosystems. Correlative observations and artificially assembled communities have been the primary methods to study how ecosystem functioning responds to species loss. However, the most direct way to test the consequences of species loss on ecosystem functions is by experimentally removing species and measuring the outcomes. While theory suggests that the impacts of species loss on ecosystems can vary depending on how species coexist in a community, empirical results from removal experiments still leave uncertainty about the intensity and magnitude of these effects. Here, we synthesize results from 38 plant species removal experiments (172 effect sizes) across grassland sites worldwide. Despite 10% of studies showing increases and 50% no change in productivity, we found an overall negative effect of species loss on ecosystem functioning. Using a subset of studies where raw data were available, comprising 7482 observations in 971 plots, we found a loss of 50% of species reduced plant productivity by more than 45% on average. We also found that the effects of species loss on productivity were exacerbated by drought. The combined effects of nutrient addition and warming with species loss resulted in weaker effects on productivity, although the 95% credible intervals overlapped zero. By incorporating these findings into our understanding of how biodiversity loss translates into loss of ecosystem functions, we can better predict future ecosystem scenarios.
| Status Group | Postdoctoral Researcher |
|---|---|
| Poster Presentation Option | No, I prefer to present only as a talk. |
