Intense solar radiation constrains plant species richness in global grasslands
Abstract
The search for predictors of plant diversity has challenged scientists for decades. Here we identify intense photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) as a major factor constraining plant species richness in global grasslands. We show that the strength of the negative relationship between species richness and PAR increases with increasing elevation and that species richness is more strongly correlated with intense PAR than with UV-B radiation, climate variables, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition. In addition to species richness, plant biomass was also negatively correlated with PAR at higher elevations, indicating that intense PAR also constrains plant biomass in montane grasslands. Furthermore, we show that the decrease in plant species richness with increasing PAR is mainly caused by a decrease in species richness of forbs, sedges, and rushes. In contrast, species richness of grasses was only negatively correlated with PAR at high elevations, and species richness of legumes was not significantly correlated with PAR. Our results suggest that PAR constrains plant species richness in global grasslands and limits the extent to which plant species of specific functional groups can migrate uphill in response to climate warming.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (35)
Marie Spohn
Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Carlos Alberto Arnillas
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough
Jonathan D. Bakker
School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington
Elizabeth T. Borer
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Kari Anne Bråthen
Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Marc W. Cadotte
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough
Clinton Carbutt
School of Agriculture and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Jane A. Catford
Department of Geography, King’s College London
Mary E. DuPre
MPG Ranch
Ciara Dwyer
Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University
Nico Eisenhauer
Catalina Estrada
Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London
Nicole Hagenah
Sylvia Haider
Vegetation Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Group, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Kyle E. Harms
Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University
Yann Hautier
Erika I. Hersch-Green
Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
Johannes M. H. Knops
Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Lauri Laanisto
Ramesh Laungani
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Marist College
Peter Macek
Chair of Biodiversity and Nature Tourism, Estonian University of Life Sciences
Holly Martinson
Department of Biology, McDaniel College
Jonathan Millett
Department of Geography & Environment, Loughborough University
Meelis Pärtel
Steven C. Pennings
Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston
Pablo L. Peri
Sally A. Power
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University
Anita C. Risch
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL
Christiane Roscher
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Eric W. Seabloom
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Nicholas G. Smith
Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University
Carly Stevens
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Risto Virtanen
Glenda M. Wardle
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, ARC Training Centre in Data Analytics for Resources and Environments, The University of Sydney
Pengfei Zhang