Direct and indirect effects of dominant plants on ecosystem multifunctionality

• DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1117903
• Publication Date: 2023-03-02T05:58:10Z
• Authors: Jingwei Chen; Ziyang Liu; Hanwen Cui; Hongxian Song; Jiajia Wang; Haining Gao; Shuyan Chen; Kun Liu; Zi Yang; Yajun Wang; Xiangtai Wang; Xiaoli Yang; Lihua Meng; Lizhe An; Sa Xiao; Yoann Le Bagousse...
• Keywords: Ecosystem engineer

Biodiversity is essential for the provision of multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously (ecosystem multifunctionality EMF). Yet, it remains unclear whether and how dominant plant species impact EMF. Here, we aimed at disentangling direct from indirect above- belowground pathways by which influence We evaluated effects two (Dasiphora fruticosa, toxic perennial Ligularia virgaurea) with expected positive negative impacts on abiotic environment (soil water content pH), surrounding biological communities (plant nematode richness, biomass, abundance in vicinity), EMF alpine meadows, respectively. found that plants enhanced EMF, a effect L. virgaurea greater than D. fruticosa. also observed impacted through changes soil pH (indirect effects), but not biodiversity nematodes biotic pathway). Our study suggests may play an important role promoting thus expanding pervasive mass-ratio hypothesis originally framed individual functions, could mitigate vegetation meadows.