Plant diversity yields higher productivity in prairie and forest stands. Every additional species in a plot contributed to an increase in soil fertility and biomass production over a 14-year period.
While the research study used long-lived prairie plants, it also is a model system for all vegetation, whether prairie, forest, or row crop.
Long-term studies at the National Science Foundation's Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research site in Minnesota found that each species plays a role in maintaining a productive ecosystem, especially when a long time horizon is considered.
While the research study used long-lived prairie plants, it also is a model system for all vegetation, whether prairie, forest, or row crop.
Long-term studies at the National Science Foundation's Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research site in Minnesota found that each species plays a role in maintaining a productive ecosystem, especially when a long time horizon is considered.
Matt Kane, program director states, "This study reveals what short-term experiments have missed: that the effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystems are more complex, severe and unpredictable than previously thought. The work shows the importance of doing long-term research, in this case documenting for the first time the critical importance of biodiversity for ecosystem health and sustainability."
Read the Science Daily article HERE.
Read the full Science article HERE.
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