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2013 • Using the biomass-ratio hypothesis to predict mixed-species litter decomposition

Authors: Tardif, Antoine

Abstract: Understanding ecosystem functioning is a key goal in ecology, especially in the context of global changes. To better predict ecosystem processes, I tested the accuracy and the limits of Grime's biomass-ratio (BMRH) hypothesis and a novel idiosyncratic annulment (IAH) hypothesis. I applied the biomass-ratio to functional traits, using the community-weighted means (CWM) to estimate the global response of species in mixtures. I studied the decomposition of litter species mixtures as a biological model and asked the following questions : (1) does t (...) Understanding ecosystem functioning is a key goal in ecology, especially in the context of global changes. To better predict ecosystem processes, I tested the accuracy and the limits of Grime's biomass-ratio (BMRH) hypothesis and a novel idiosyncratic annulment (IAH) hypothesis. I applied the biomass-ratio to functional traits, using the community-weighted means (CWM) to estimate the global response of species in mixtures. I studied the decomposition of litter species mixtures as a biological model and asked the following questions : (1) does the BMRH predict well the decomposition rates of mixed species litters ? ; (2) does the degree of variability of these rates decrease with increasing species richness (SR) beyond that expected from purely mathematical causes (IAH) ? ; (3) does the variability of rates between mixtures decrease with less favourable abiotic conditions for decomposition ? ; (4) as more functionally contrasted mixtures are expected to develop more interactions, does the deviation from prediction increase with increasing functional dispersion in mixtures (" FDis ", Laliberté & Legendre 2010) ? This study involves two decomposition experiments using litterbags : (1) at Sherbrooke (QC, Canada), in microcosms, involving litters from six tree species, decomposed alone and in mixtures and (2) in three climatically contrasted sites in the region of Clermont-Ferrand (France) with litters from four herbaceous species, decomposed alone and in mixtures. Despite both positive and negative deviations from expectation occurring at all levels of SR, the BMRH well described the average response of mixed species litters. Although I rejected the IAH, the results showed a convergence to the predicted values based on CWM with (1) increasing the SR in mixtures, (2) increasing the spatial scale of the study and (3) a less favourable climate to decomposition. Finally, although there was a correlation between litter interactions and functional divergence, this relationship was not generalizable and I rejected the hypothesis of a positive correlation between FDis and the deviations from BMRH. (Read More)

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