%0 Journal Article %J Journal of Ecology %D 2023 %T Nutrient addition drives declines in grassland species richness primarily via enhanced species loss %A Muehleisen, Andrew J. %A Watkins, Carmen R. E. %A Altmire, Gabriella R. %A Shaw, E. Ashley %A Case, Madelon F. %A Aoyama, Lina %A Brambila, Alejandro %A Reed, Paul B. %A LaForgia, Marina %A Borer, Elizabeth T. %A Seabloom, Eric W. %A Bakker, Jonathan D. %A Amillas, Carlos Alberto %A Biederman, Lori %A Chen, Qingqing %A Cleland, Elsa E. %A Fay, Philip A. %A Hagenah, Nicole %A Harpole, Stan %A Hautier, Yann %A Henning, Jeremiah A. %A Knops, Johannes M. H. %A Kimberly J. Komatsu %A Ladouceur, Emma %A MacDougall, Andrew %A McCulley, Rebecca L. %A Moore, Joslin L. %A Ohlert, Tim %A Power, Sally A. %A Stevens, Carly J. %A Wilfahrt, Peter %A Hallett, Lauren M. %B Journal of Ecology %V 111 %P 552-563 %G eng %U https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.14038 %N 3 %R 10.1111/1365-2745.14038 %0 Journal Article %J Ecosystems %D 2019 %T Belowground biomass response to nutrient enrichment depends on light limitation across globally distributed grasslands %A Cleland, Elsa E. %A Lind, Eric M. %A DeCrappeo, Nicole M. %A DeLorenze, Elizabeth %A Wilkins, Rachel Abbott %A P. Adler %A Bakker, Jonathan D. %A Brown, Cynthia S. %A Davies, Kendi F. %A Esch, Ellen %A Firn, Jennifer %A Gressard, Scott %A Gruner, Daniel S. %A Hagenah, Nicole %A Harpole, W. Stanley %A Hautier, Yann %A Hobbie, Sarah E. %A Hofmockel, Kirsten S. %A Kirkman, Kevin %A Knops, Johannes %A Kopp, Christopher W. %A Kimberly J. La Pierre %A MacDougall, Andrew %A McCulley, Rebecca L. %A Melbourne, Brett A. %A Joslin L. Moore %A Prober, Suzanne M. %A Riggs, Charlotte %A Risch, Anita C. %A Schuetz, Martin %A Stevens, Carly %A Wragg, Peter D. %A Wright, Justin %A E.T. Borer %A Seabloom, Eric W. %K belowground biomass %K Fertilization %K nitrogen %K Nutrient Network %K optimal allocation %K phosphorus roots %X

Anthropogenic activities are increasing nutrient inputs to ecosystems worldwide, with consequences for global carbon and nutrient cycles. Recent meta-analyses show that aboveground primary production is often co-limited by multiple nutrients; however, little is known about how root production responds to changes in nutrient availability. At twenty-nine grassland sites on four continents, we quantified shallow root biomass responses to nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium plus micronutrient enrichment and compared below- and aboveground responses. We hypothesized that optimal allocation theory would predict context dependence in root biomass responses to nutrient enrichment, given variation among sites in the resources limiting to plant growth (specifically light versus nutrients). Consistent with the predictions of optimal allocation theory, the proportion of total biomass belowground declined with N or P addition, due to increased biomass aboveground (for N and P) and decreased biomass belowground (N, particularly in sites with low canopy light penetration). Absolute root biomass increased with N addition where light was abundant at the soil surface, but declined in sites where the grassland canopy intercepted a large proportion of incoming light. These results demonstrate that belowground responses to changes in resource supply can differ strongly from aboveground responses, which could significantly modify predictions of future rates of nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Our results also highlight how optimal allocation theory developed for individual plants may help predict belowground biomass responses to nutrient enrichment at the ecosystem scale across wide climatic and environmental gradients.

%B Ecosystems %V 22 %P 1466–1477 %G eng %U https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10021-019-00350-4 %N 7 %M KNZ001945 %R 10.1007/s10021-019-00350-4 %0 Journal Article %J Ecology Letters %D 2018 %T Spatial heterogeneity in species composition constrains plant community responses to herbivory and fertilisation %A Hodapp, Dorothee %A E.T. Borer %A Harpole, W. Stanley %A Lind, Eric M. %A Seabloom, Eric W. %A P. Adler %A J. Alberti %A Arnillas, Carlos A. %A J.D. Bakker %A L.A. Biederman %A Cadotte, Marc %A Cleland, Elsa E. %A Scott. L. Collins %A Fay, Philip A. %A Firn, Jennifer %A Hagenah, Nicole %A Hautier, Yann %A Iribarne, Oscar %A Knops, Johannes M. H. %A McCulley, Rebecca L. %A MacDougall, Andrew %A Joslin L. Moore %A J.W. Morgan %A Mortensen, Brent %A Kimberly J. La Pierre %A Risch, Anita C. %A Schütz, Martin %A Peri, Pablo %A Stevens, Carly J. %A Wright, Justin %A Hillebrand, Helmut %E Gurevitch, Jessica %X

Environmental change can result in substantial shifts in community composition. The associated immigration and extinction events are likely constrained by the spatial distribution of species. Still, studies on environmental change typically quantify biotic responses at single spatial (time series within a single plot) or temporal (spatial beta diversity at single time points) scales, ignoring their potential interdependence. Here, we use data from a global network of grassland experiments to determine how turnover responses to two major forms of environmental change – fertilisation and herbivore loss – are affected by species pool size and spatial compositional heterogeneity. Fertilisation led to higher rates of local extinction, whereas turnover in herbivore exclusion plots was driven by species replacement. Overall, sites with more spatially heterogeneous composition showed significantly higher rates of annual turnover, independent of species pool size and treatment. Taking into account spatial biodiversity aspects will therefore improve our understanding of consequences of global and anthropogenic change on community dynamics.

%B Ecology Letters %V 21 %P 1364 -1371 %G eng %U https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ele.13102 %N 9 %M KNZ001882 %R 10.1111/ele.13102