Involved members of MultiTroph: Georg Albert, Helge Bruelheide
Ecology Letters, Volume27, Issue1, January 2024, e14338, https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14338
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms behind the positive relationship between tree diversity and productivity (DPRs) by analyzing data from a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China. The research demonstrated that changes in individual tree productivity were driven by species-specific pairwise interactions. It was found that a positive difference between inter- and intra-specific interactions was a critical factor for the emergence of positive DPRs. The study also surprisingly found that the condition for positive DPRs corresponded to the condition for species coexistence.
Conclusion: The results provide a novel insight into how pairwise tree interactions regulate DPRs, and they have implications for identifying optimal tree mixtures to guide forest restoration and reforestation efforts. The findings indicate that the identity of neighboring trees is an essential factor in shaping individual tree productivity.