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Multiple processes generate productivity–diversity relationships in experimental wood-fall communities

Multiple processes generate productivity–diversity relationships in experimental wood-fall communities
Multiple processes generate productivity–diversity relationships in experimental wood-fall communities
Energy availability has long been recognized as a predictor of community structure, and changes in both terrestrial and marine productivity under climate change necessitate a deeper understanding of this relationship. The productivity–diversity relationship (PDR) is well explored in both empirical and theoretical work in ecology, but numerous questions remain. Here, we test four different theories for PDRs (More-Individuals Hypothesis, Resource-Ratio Theory, More Specialization Theory, and the Connectivity–Diversity Hypothesis) with experimental deep-sea wood falls. We manipulated productivity by altering wood-fall sizes and measured responses after 5 and 7 years. In November 2006, 32 Acacia sp. logs were deployed at 3203 m in the Northeast Pacific Ocean (Station Deadwood: 36.154098° N, 122.40852° W). Overall, we found a significant increase in diversity with increased wood-fall size for these communities. Increases in diversity with wood-fall size occurred because of the addition of rare species and increases of overall abundance, although individual species responses varied. We also found that limited dispersal helped maintain the positive PDR relationship. Our experiment suggests that multiple interacting mechanisms influence PDRs.
connectivity, deep sea, diversity, energy, productivity, resource availability
0012-9658
885-898
McClain, Craig R.
b9d48057-db8b-4316-8dea-d80ae5490306
Barry, James P.
9300104a-127c-4111-8fa1-8112694c7e07
Eernisse, Douglas
a8870b14-5def-464f-8706-c824a5f5059f
Horton, Tammy
c4b41665-f0bc-4f0f-a7af-b2b9afc02e34
Judge, Jenna
a782a132-53d0-479b-8cff-08b85abe76a9
Kakui, Keiichi
086906fc-4508-457a-b13a-d7be80208073
Mah, Christopher L.
79b67741-158f-4fa3-b6a6-2f5d057a51f8
Warén, Anders
da5c880f-ab35-435f-a1bd-2a03b47e6886
McClain, Craig R.
b9d48057-db8b-4316-8dea-d80ae5490306
Barry, James P.
9300104a-127c-4111-8fa1-8112694c7e07
Eernisse, Douglas
a8870b14-5def-464f-8706-c824a5f5059f
Horton, Tammy
c4b41665-f0bc-4f0f-a7af-b2b9afc02e34
Judge, Jenna
a782a132-53d0-479b-8cff-08b85abe76a9
Kakui, Keiichi
086906fc-4508-457a-b13a-d7be80208073
Mah, Christopher L.
79b67741-158f-4fa3-b6a6-2f5d057a51f8
Warén, Anders
da5c880f-ab35-435f-a1bd-2a03b47e6886

McClain, Craig R., Barry, James P., Eernisse, Douglas, Horton, Tammy, Judge, Jenna, Kakui, Keiichi, Mah, Christopher L. and Warén, Anders (2016) Multiple processes generate productivity–diversity relationships in experimental wood-fall communities. Ecology, 97 (4), 885-898. (doi:10.1890/15-1669.1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Energy availability has long been recognized as a predictor of community structure, and changes in both terrestrial and marine productivity under climate change necessitate a deeper understanding of this relationship. The productivity–diversity relationship (PDR) is well explored in both empirical and theoretical work in ecology, but numerous questions remain. Here, we test four different theories for PDRs (More-Individuals Hypothesis, Resource-Ratio Theory, More Specialization Theory, and the Connectivity–Diversity Hypothesis) with experimental deep-sea wood falls. We manipulated productivity by altering wood-fall sizes and measured responses after 5 and 7 years. In November 2006, 32 Acacia sp. logs were deployed at 3203 m in the Northeast Pacific Ocean (Station Deadwood: 36.154098° N, 122.40852° W). Overall, we found a significant increase in diversity with increased wood-fall size for these communities. Increases in diversity with wood-fall size occurred because of the addition of rare species and increases of overall abundance, although individual species responses varied. We also found that limited dispersal helped maintain the positive PDR relationship. Our experiment suggests that multiple interacting mechanisms influence PDRs.

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Accepted/In Press date: 19 October 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 November 2015
Published date: 8 April 2016
Keywords: connectivity, deep sea, diversity, energy, productivity, resource availability
Organisations: National Oceanography Centre, Ocean Technology and Engineering

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 391614
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/391614
ISSN: 0012-9658
PURE UUID: f7333570-1239-44fa-bb62-5b6cb15e7dd2

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Date deposited: 11 Apr 2016 13:02
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 23:32

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Contributors

Author: Craig R. McClain
Author: James P. Barry
Author: Douglas Eernisse
Author: Tammy Horton
Author: Jenna Judge
Author: Keiichi Kakui
Author: Christopher L. Mah
Author: Anders Warén

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