Authors:
Callaway, J.C., G. Sullivan and J.B. Zedler
Publication Date:
2003
Abstract/Summary:
Our test of the hypothesis that biomass and nitrogen would increase with more species-rich plantings simultaneously vegetated a salt marsh restoration site and demonstrated that on average, randomly chosen, 6-species plantings accumulated more biomass and nitrogen than the mean for 0- and 1-species assemblages, with the mean for 3-species assemblages being intermediate. Thus, ecosystem function, as measured by biomass and N accumulation, increased with species richness regardless of dominance by the highly productive Sv. We conclude that manipulating the richness and composition of plantings offers ecosystem restorationists an effective tool for accelerating the rate of functional development.
Resource Type:
Peer-reviewed Article
Source:
Ecological Applications
Link:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/02-5144/abstract