Print PagePatterns between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity are an important research topic in ecology. However, many different patterns have been observed both naturally and experimentally, likely caused by spatial variability of environmental factors and species composition. In this study we examined the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity along an environment gradient of natural sandy grassland in a semiarid area. We used a linear structural equation model (SEM) to examine the relationship between community composition, environment heterogeneity, plant diversity and productivity.
Results/Conclusions
We found a positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity in sandy grasslands. Secondly, spatial environment gradients in soil properties and topography features, greatly influenced patterns of plant diversity, community composition and productivity. The SEM supports the hypothesis that environmental factors determine species compositions, and species compositions further drive plant diversity independently from productivity. Environment gradients in soil and topography are a good predictor of plant diversity and productivity in these sandy grasslands. However, the positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is not direct, but indirectly driven by differences in species compositions of plant communities determined by environment gradients in soil and topography.
