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A major question in the field of ecology is how plant species richness is related to grassland biomass production. Ecologists have studied this question from two perspectives, namely the perspective in which biomass production drives variation in plant species richness (Productivity Richness Relationships or PRR), or where a reverse causality is assumed and plant richness drives variation in plant productivity (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning or BEF perspective) (Fig. 1). While PRR and BEF mechanisms may jointly operate and are inherently related, they are typically studied in separation by different researchers representing different schools of thought. However, PRR relationships cannot be fully understood without accounting for BEF relationships, and vice versa, thus limiting our understanding of how both plant diversity and biomass production are driven in grasslands.


The aim of the BEF-Loops project is to compare the relative strength of BEF and PRR associations in driving overall relationships between plant diversity and biomass production in agricultural grasslands. This will be done by combining experiments and comparative observations along a land-use intensity gradient in Germany. In the reduced land-use intensity experiments (REX) and land-use experiments (LEX), factors related to standing biomass removal (grazing and mowing), biomass production (fertilisation) as well as plant diversity (sowing of new species) are manipulated within the same fields, and the relative strength of the effects of these manipulations will be assessed. Within the same fields, data from unmanipulated grasslands will be collected and analysed using structural equation models in order to study the direct and indirect relationships between standing biomass, plant productivity and plant species richness, as well as covarying factors (e.g., soil fertility, light interception, grassland management).

In both the experiments and in the unmanipulated grasslands, data will be collected during multiple seasons and years, which will help to distinguish between cause (changes occurring earlier in time) and effect (changes occurring later in time).

Picture: The diagram shows the relationship of the elements biodiversity, land use and ecosystem function. The three elements are symbolized as circles and placed in the form of a triangle. The upper center circle represents biodiversity and contains colored picture symbols for different plants. The lower left circle represents land use. Within the circle are the terms mowing, grazing, fertilization and soil texture. The lower right circle represents ecosystem function. Within the circle are the terms biomass production and standing biomass. From the circle for land use an arrow goes to the circle for biodiversity and to the circle for ecosystem function. From the circle for biodiversity an arrow goes to the circle for ecosystem function and from there an arrow goes back to the circle for biodiversity.
Fig. 1. Biodiversity responds to both ecosystem functions and their environment, and influences ecosystem function. However, the relative strength of relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) and productivity richness (PRR) among themselves, and in relation to environmental effects on biodiversity and ecosystem function, is still poorly understood in natural systems. Adapted from van der Plas (Biological Reviews, 2019) and the overall conceptual figure of Biodiversity Exploratories.

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Andraczek K., Weigelt A., Hinderling J., Kretz L., Prati D., van der Plas F. (2023): Biomass removal promotes plant diversity after short-term de-intensification of managed grasslands. PLoS ONE 18 (6): e0287039. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287039
More information:  doi.org
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Andraczek K., Weigelt A., Prati P., Hinderling J., Rauwolf E., Cantuarias C., Wirth C., van der Plas F. (2023): Relationships between species richness and biomass production are context dependent in grasslands differing in land-use and seed addition. Scientific Reports 13 : 19663. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47020-z
More information:  doi.org

Scientific assistants

Dr. Fons van der Plas
Project manager
Dr. Fons van der Plas
Wageningen University and Research
Karl Andraczek
Karl Andraczek
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