Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback

P M Evans; A C Newton; E Cantarello; P Martin; N Sanderson; D L Jones; N Barsoum; J E Cottrell; S W A'Hara; L Fuller

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-06082-6

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Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback

P M Evans, A C Newton, E Cantarello, P Martin, N Sanderson, D L Jones, N Barsoum, J E Cottrell, S W A'Hara and L Fuller

Scientific reports, Vol.7(1), 6775

2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06082-6

PMCID: PMC5533776

PMID: 28754979

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Abstract

Biodiversity

England

Forests

Species Specificity

Ecological thresholds, which represent points of rapid change in ecological properties, are of major scientific and societal concern. However, very little research has focused on empirically testing the occurrence of thresholds in temperate terrestrial ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a number of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem condition metrics exhibited thresholds in response to a gradient of forest dieback, measured as changes in basal area of living trees relative to areas that lacked recent dieback. The gradient of dieback was sampled using 12 replicate study areas in a temperate forest ecosystem. Our results provide novel evidence of several thresholds in biodiversity (namely species richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, epiphytic lichen and ground flora); for ecological condition (e.g. sward height, palatable seedling abundance) and a single threshold for ecosystem function (i.e. soil respiration rate). Mechanisms for these thresholds are explored. As climate-induced forest dieback is increasing worldwide, both in scale and speed, these results imply that threshold responses may become increasingly widespread.

Details

Title: Thresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback
Authors/Creators: P M Evans - Bournemouth University
A C Newton - Bournemouth University
E Cantarello - Bournemouth University
P Martin - Bournemouth University
N Sanderson - Botanical Survey and Assessment, 3 Green Close, Woodlands, Southampton, UK
D L Jones - Bangor University
N Barsoum - Forest Research
J E Cottrell - Forest Research
S W A'Hara - Forest Research
L Fuller - University of Stirling
Publication Details: Scientific reports, Vol.7(1), 6775
Publisher: Springer Nature
Identifiers: 991005560422207891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.40 Forestry; 3.40.55 Forest Dynamics
Web Of Science research areas: Ecology
ESI research areas: Environment/Ecology