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Producer–decomposer co-dependency influences biodiversity effects

Author

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  • Shahid Naeem

    (University of Washington)

  • Daniel R. Hahn

    (University of Washington)

  • Gregor Schuurman

    (University of Washington)

Abstract

Producers, such as plants and algae, acquire nutrients from inorganic sources that are supplied primarily by decomposers whereas decomposers, mostly fungi and bacteria, acquire carbon from organic sources that are supplied primarily by producers. This producer–decomposer co-dependency is important in governing ecosystem processes1,2,3,4, which implies that the impacts of declining biodiversity on ecosystem functioning5,6,7 should be strongly infuenced by this process. Here we show, by simultaneously manipulating producer (green algal) and decomposer (heterotrophic bacterial) diversity in freshwater microcosms, that algal biomass production varies considerably among microcosms (0.0–0.67 mg ml-1), but that neither algal nor bacterial diversity by itself can explain this variation. Instead, production is a joint function of both algal and bacterial diversity. Furthermore, the range in algal production in microscosms in which bacterial diversity was manipulated was nearly double (1.82 times) that of microcosms in which bacterial diversity was not manipulated. Measures of organic carbon use by bacteria in these microcosms indicate that carbon usage is the mechanism responsible for these results. Because both producer8 and microbial diversity9 respond to disturbance and habitat modification, the main causes of biodiversity loss8, these results suggest that ecosystem response to changing biodiversity is likely to be more complex than other studies5,6,7 have shown.

Suggested Citation

  • Shahid Naeem & Daniel R. Hahn & Gregor Schuurman, 2000. "Producer–decomposer co-dependency influences biodiversity effects," Nature, Nature, vol. 403(6771), pages 762-764, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:403:y:2000:i:6771:d:10.1038_35001568
    DOI: 10.1038/35001568
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    Cited by:

    1. Miaomiao Yan & Shengnan Chen & Tinglin Huang & Baoqin Li & Nan Li & Kaiwen Liu & Rongrong Zong & Yutian Miao & Xin Huang, 2020. "Community Compositions of Phytoplankton and Eukaryotes during the Mixing Periods of a Drinking Water Reservoir: Dynamics and Interactions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-28, February.
    2. Khurana, Swamini & Abramoff, Rose & Bruni, Elisa & Dondini, Marta & Tupek, Boris & Guenet, Bertrand & Lehtonen, Aleksi & Manzoni, Stefano, 2023. "Interactive effects of microbial functional diversity and carbon availability on decomposition – A theoretical exploration," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 486(C).
    3. Gabriela Woźniak & Monika Malicka & Jacek Kasztowski & Łukasz Radosz & Joanna Czarnecka & Jaco Vangronsveld & Dariusz Prostański, 2022. "How Important Are the Relations between Vegetation Diversity and Bacterial Functional Diversity for the Functioning of Novel Ecosystems?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Wojciech Bierza & Joanna Czarnecka & Agnieszka Błońska & Agnieszka Kompała-Bąba & Agnieszka Hutniczak & Bartosz Jendrzejek & Jawdat Bakr & Andrzej M. Jagodziński & Dariusz Prostański & Gabriela Woźnia, 2023. "Plant Diversity and Species Composition in Relation to Soil Enzymatic Activity in the Novel Ecosystems of Urban–Industrial Landscapes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, April.

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