Transgenerational coexistence history attenuates negative direct interactions and strengthens facilitation
Open access
Date
2024-02Type
- Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
Interactions among species are a fundamental aspect of biodiversity and drive ecosystem functioning and services. Species interactions include direct (pairwise) interactions among two species and indirect interactions that occur when a third species interacts and changes the pairwise direct interaction. In a three-species interaction network, these interactions can be transitive (where one species outperforms all others) or intransitive (where each species outperforms another). Here, we investigate how direct and indirect interactions influence ecosystem functions in crop systems and how diversification and evolutionary adaptation can influence those interactions and therefore ecosystem functions.A common garden experiment was conducted with crop communities in monocultures, 2- and 3-species mixtures that had either a common or no coexistence history (i.e. co-adaptation) for the three previous years. Net, direct and indirect interaction intensities were estimated and compared between the diversity levels and coexistence histories. Furthermore, species interaction networks were inspected for transitive/intransitive interactions.We found evidence for less intense competition in mixtures and for reduced negative direct interaction intensity and enhanced facilitative effects upon co-adaptation. We could further show that indirect interactions were generally less important for co-adaptation than direct interactions. Additionally, we showed that co-adaptation has the potential to shift interactions in the species interaction networks from competitive intransitive into pairwise competitive interactions where interactions occurred mainly between two species.Synthesis. Co-adapted crop species with reduced negative interactions might have the potential to enhance productivity, especially in more diverse cropping systems. This supports the notion that intercropping is a vital part towards a more sustainable agriculture and one with further yield potential when developing cultivars optimised for growth in mixtures. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000649065Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Journal of EcologyVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellSubject
agriculture; breeding; coexistence history; competition; crops; direct interactions; facilitation; indirect interactions; intransitivity; plant-plant interactionsFunding
ETH-28 19-2 - Coevolution of plant-plant interactions: A neglected driver of species coexistence, resource partitioning and ecosystem functioning? (ETHZ)
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ETH Bibliography
yes
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