Phenotypic diversity influences ecosystem functioning in an oak sandhills community
2002
Madritch, Michael D. | Hunter, Mark D.
Given the drastic decline in biodiversity at all levels, it is imperative that we consider the potential effects of diversity within single species on ecosystem functioning. However, empirical data describing the relationship between intraspecific diversity and ecosystem functioning are lacking. We present field data demonstrating that the litter phenotype of individual trees affects carbon and nitrogen fluxes during decomposition, and that single‐phenotype treatments differ in ecosystem processes from a phenotypic mix. Since nutrient dynamics are related to the chemistry of the litter, we then used the strength of the relationship between genetic distance and litter chemistry to infer the existence of genotypic effects on ecosystem functioning. In combination, our results provide the first evidence that losses in intraspecific diversity can affect the ecosystem processes of carbon and nitrogen cycling.
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