Journal Article

PreJuSER-56256

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Aboveground overyielding in grassland mixtures is associated with reduced biomass partitioning to belowground organs

Bessler, H. ; Temperton, V. M.FZJ* ; Roscher, C. ; Buchmann, N. ; Schmid, B. ; Schulze, E.-D. ; Weisser, W. W. ; Engels, C.

2009
ESA Washington, DC

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1890/08-0867.1

Abstract: We investigated effects of plant species richness in experimental grassland plots on annual above- and belowground biomass production estimated from repeated harvests and ingrowth cores, respectively. Aboveground and total biomass production increased with increasing plant species richness while belowground production remained constant. Root to shoot biomass production ratios (R/S) in mixtures were lower than expected from monoculture performance of the species present in the mixtures, showing that interactions among species led to reduced biomass partitioning to belowground organs. This change in partitioning to belowground organs was not confined to mixtures with legumes, but also measured in mixtures without legumes, and correlated with aboveground overyielding in mixtures. It is suggested that species-rich communities invest less in belowground biomass than do monocultures to extract soil resources, thus leading to increased investment into aboveground organs and overyielding.

Keyword(s): J ; aboveground productivity (auto) ; belowground productivity (auto) ; biodiversity (auto) ; grasslands (auto) ; Jena Experiment (auto) ; plant functional group identity (auto) ; plant functional group richness (auto) ; root/shoot ratio (auto)

Note: The Jena Experiment is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, FOR 456). Financial support of the root project by the DFG (En 342/7) is acknowledged. B. Schmid was additionally supported by grant 31-65224.01 from the Swiss Science Foundation. We are grateful to the many people who helped with the management of the experiment, especially the gardeners S. Eismann, S. Junghans, B. Lenk, H. Schef. er, and U. Wehmeier. Many helpers, in particular, M. Barwolff, I. Eckardt, M. Kalmus, F. Krause, C. Moller, R. Reiche, P. Theuring, F. Walsh, C. Winkler, and K. Wurfel, assisted in harvests and plant sample preparation. Many thanks also to all the helpers during the weeding campaigns.

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Research Program(s):

1. Terrestrische Umwelt (P24)

Appears in the scientific report 2009

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