(Press-News.org) Two wrongs may not make a right. But when it comes to grassland plant species diversity, it just might. Two impacts often controlled by humans — being fertilized and being eaten — can combine to the benefit of biodiversity, according to an innovative international study led by U of M researchers Elizabeth Borer and Eric Seabloom.
The findings, published March 9 in the online edition of Nature in advance of print publication, are important in a world where humans are changing both herbivore distribution and the supply of nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus, and where understanding the interplay among nutrients, herbivores and plant growth is critical to our capacity to feed a growing human population and protect threatened species and ecosystems.
To conduct the study, Borer and Seabloom enlisted the help of the Nutrient Network, or NutNet, a collaborative international experiment they and a few colleagues founded in 2005 as a resource for understanding how grasslands around the world will respond to a changing environment. NutNet scientists at 40 sites on six continents set up research plots with and without added fertilizer and with and without fences to keep out the local herbivores such as deer, kangaroos, sheep or zebras. Every year since then, they have measured the amount of plant material grown, light reaching the ground, and number of species of plants growing in the plots.
When the researchers compared data across the 40 study sites, they found that fertilizing reduced the number of plant species in the plots as species less able to tolerate a lack of light were literally overshadowed by fast-growing neighbors. On both fertilized and unfertilized plots, where removal of vegetation by herbivores increased the amount of light that struck the ground, plant species diversity increased. And these results held true whether the grassland was in Minnesota, Argentina or China, and whether the herbivores involved were rabbits, sheep, elephants or something else.
"Biodiversity benefits humans and the environments that sustain us. Understanding how human actions control biodiversity is important for maintaining a healthy environment," says Borer. "What this suggests is that these two impacts, which are ubiquitous globally, dovetail with changes in light availability at the ground level, and that appears to be a big factor in maintaining or losing biodiversity in grasslands. In short, where we see a change in light, we see a change in diversity."
The findings add a key piece to the puzzle of how human impacts affect prairies, savannas, alpine meadows and other grasslands. Biodiversity plays an important role in how resilient communities of plants and animals are in the face of change. By showing how fertilization, grazing, and biodiversity are linked, the research moves us one step closer to understanding what we can do to help keep grassland ecosystems and all of the services they provide healthy and thriving in a changing world.
"Global patterns of biodiversity have largely defied explanation due to many interacting, local driving forces," says Henry Gholz, program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the coordination of this research. "These results show that grassland biodiversity is likely largely determined by the offsetting influences of nutrition and grazing on light capture by plants." INFORMATION:
Yann Hautier, a Marie Curie Fellow associated with both the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich and U of M research scientist Eric Lind were co-authors of the study along with researchers from universities and government agencies around the world.
U of M-led study finds herbivores can offset loss of plant biodiversity in grassland
Research spanning 6 continents sheds light on important interactions among nutrients, grazers, and plants
2014-03-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
UNC researchers create new tool to unravel the mysteries of metastasis
2014-03-09
VIDEO:
When the drug analog of rapamycin binds to and activates the Src kinase, the cell reacts in real time, revealing Src's role in metastasis.
Click here for more information.
March 10, 2014
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have devised a new biochemical technique that will allow them and other scientists to delve much deeper than ever before into the specific cellular circuitry that keeps us healthy or causes disease.
The method – developed ...
Stem cell study opens door to undiscovered world of biology
2014-03-09
DALLAS – March 9, 2014 – For the first time, researchers have shown that an essential biological process known as protein synthesis can be studied in adult stem cells – something scientists have long struggled to accomplish. The groundbreaking findings from the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) also demonstrate that the precise amount of protein produced by blood-forming stem cells is crucial to their function.
The discovery, published online today in Nature, measures protein production, a process known as translation, and shows that ...
The Crab Run & Seafood Festival is the Official Season Kickoff of Pacific Fisheries LLC and is an Annual Toast of the Seafood Season in America.
2014-03-09
Announcing the annual Crab Run & Seafood Festival with stops in 6 metro cities throughout the United States. The festival opens to the West Coast in late April.
The Crab Run & Seafood Festival is the official season kickoff of Pacific Fisheries LLC and is an annual toast of the seafood season in America. It is a one-day sensational crab tasting, mainly crab with chef demos, educational events and family fun. Opening weekend takes place Saturday, April 26, 2014 and will be held, rain or shine, at the Engelmann Cellars 3275 N Rolinda Ave, Fresno, CA. Event runs12:00 ...
NKSJ Holdings Awarded "Bronze Class" in RobecoSAM's Sustainability Rating
2014-03-09
NKSJ Holdings, Inc has received the RobecoSAM Bronze Class distinction in RobecoSAMfs Corporate Sustainability Assessment.
Having earned the RobecoSAM Bronze Class distinction in 2013, NKSJ Holdings has been recognised for the fourth consecutive year since the company was founded in April 2010, and for the seventh consecutive year including distinctions received by its subsidiary, Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. (hereinafter gSompo Japanh).
NKSJ Holdings will continue to play an active role in efforts to resolve social issues and contribute to the building of a sustainable ...
"Chevalier: The Queen's Mouseketeer" Re-imagines The Classic Fairy Tale Fantasy Adventure For Kids
2014-03-09
Writer/creator Darryl Hughes and artist Monique MacNaughton, the creative team of the 2007 Glyph Comic Award nominated ("Rising Star" category) alien invasion adventure "G.A.A.K: Groovy Ass Alien Kreatures" and the 2011 and 2012 Drunk Duck Award nominated (Best mystery/crime noir" category) mystery adventure "The Continentals", are very proud to tell you that we have a brand new offering. A fairy tale fantasy adventure book for kids ages 4 to 10 entitled "Chevalier The Queen's Mouseketeer: The Hither and Yon", which is best describe ...
Alberta Handmade Soap Co to Participate in Luxury Gift Lounge in Honour of The 2014 MTV Movie Awards Nominees and Presenters
2014-03-09
We are pleased to announce Alberta Handmade Soap Co., in association with The Artisan Group , will participate in an invitation-only luxury celebrity gift lounge hosted by GBK Productions on April 11-12, 2014 at an exclusive location in Beverly Hills, California, in honour of The 2014 MTV Movie Awards Nominees and Presenters.
All attending celebrities will receive our Bergamot & Tarragon Leaves Handmade Soap in their swag bags. We provided 100 gifts for this event; the same soap will be available for the general public to purchase in mid-April 2014, on our website. ...
Akyumen Partners with Recording Artists Guild to Offer Musicians Video and Music Promotions
2014-03-09
Akyumen, the award winning innovative company that's the producer of the patent pending Projector Phone technology, announce today a five-year partnership with the Recording Artists Guild (RAG). This agreement will allow the more than twelve thousand RAG artists the opportunity to have their songs and videos projected in front of millions of music fans who are posed to purchase the world's first and fully integrated mobile Projector Phone . Not only will RAG members have the promotional push of Akyumen (worth millions), they will also have their content pre-sold allowing ...
Travel To Go Receives 2014 GNEX Award for Best Membership Program
2014-03-09
Travel To Go, a San Diego-based company celebrating 23 years in the vacation and travel industry, received the " Best Membership Program" award at the GNEX 2014 Meeting of the Minds conference held recently in Sarasota, FL.
Travel To Go was selected from a field of industry leaders as a result of its rigorous adherence to its mission of "Making Dreams Come True." Because the company emphasizes personal/concierge type service with its members, each agent is empowered to helping clients get the very best accommodations and travel arrangements possible ...
Leading PEO Infiniti HR Selects HiringThing as Exclusive Online Recruitment Partner
2014-03-09
Infiniti HR, a leading payroll and benefits company, has selected HiringThing as the exclusive provider of recruiting software to the company's payroll clients.
HiringThing is an employee recruiting solution that integrates directly with HRPyramid and helps small and medium businesses effectively post jobs online, manage applicants and hire great employees. Its features include:
Online job board syndication and premium paid job placements
Ability to post jobs through social media sites
Company careers page that integrates easily into existing company website
A ...
benefitsCONNECT Announces Real-Time Integration with Transamerica
2014-03-09
benefitsCONNECT, a leading provider of web-based software applications for the health and benefits industry, today announces the real-time integration of Transamerica insurance products on the benefitsCONNECT platform. benefitsCONNECT provides an easy-to-use technology solution for benefits enrollment and administration with fully automated EDI data exchange connectivity among employer groups, insurance carriers, TPAs, payroll vendors, and brokers. With a few clicks, employees can now seamlessly enroll in a broad suite of Transamerica's insurance products -- including Universal ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Cercus electric stimulation enables cockroach with trajectory control and spatial cognition training
Day-long conference addresses difficult to diagnose lung disease
First-ever cardiogenic shock academy features simulation lab
Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
[Press-News.org] U of M-led study finds herbivores can offset loss of plant biodiversity in grasslandResearch spanning 6 continents sheds light on important interactions among nutrients, grazers, and plants