TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus
A1  - Römermann, Christine
A1  - Patta Pillar, Valério de
A1  - Kudernatsch, Thomas
A1  - Fischer, Anton
T1  - High functional diversity is related to high nitrogen availability in a deciduous forest - evidence from a functional trait approach
T2  - Folia geobotanica
N2  - The current study tested the assumption that floristic and functional diversity patterns are negatively related to soil nitrogen content. We analyzed 20 plots with soil N-contents ranging from 0.63% to 1.06% in a deciduous forest near Munich (Germany). To describe species adaptation strategies to different nitrogen availabilities, we used a plant functional type (PFT) approach. Each identified PFT represents one realized adaptation strategy to the current environment. These were correlated, next to plant species richness and evenness, to soil nitrogen contents. We found that N-efficient species were typical for low soil nitrogen contents, while N-requiring species occur at high N-contents. In contrast to our initial hypotheses, floristic and functional diversity measures (number of PFTs) were positively related to nitrogen content in the soil. Every functional group has its own adaptation to the prevailing environmental conditions; in consequence, these functional groups can co-exist but do not out-compete one another. The increased number of functional groups at high N-contents leads to increased species richness. Hence, for explaining diversity patterns we need to consider species groups representing different adaptations to the current environmental conditions. Such co-existing ecological strategies may even overcome the importance of competition in their effect on biodiversity.
Y1  - 2010
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/30005
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-300050
SN  - 1874-9348
SN  - 1211-9520
N1  - Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
VL  - 45
SP  - 111
EP  - 124
PB  - Springer
CY  - Dordrecht [u.a.]
ER  -