Nature Communications (Aug 2020)

An excess of niche differences maximizes ecosystem functioning

  • Oscar Godoy,
  • Lorena Gómez-Aparicio,
  • Luis Matías,
  • Ignacio M. Pérez-Ramos,
  • Eric Allan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17960-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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It is unclear how biodiversity-ecosystem functioning and species coexistence mechanisms are linked. Here, Godoy and colleagues combine field-parameterised competition models with a BEF experiment to show that mechanisms leading to more stable species coexistence lead to greater productivity, but not necessarily to enhanced functions other than primary production.