Biodiversity effects in crops
Higher biodiversity goes along with more and improved ecosystem services. In experimental and natural plant communities, it has been shown that higher species richness increases productivity. This positive biodiversity effect has been attributed to so-called sampling and complementarity effects. The idea is that higher diversity increases the complementarity of species, which may reduce competition and allow facilitative interactions among them. However, the respective contribution of competition and facilitation in explaining biodiversity effects is largely unexplored. In this project, we study plant–plant interactions as drivers for biodiversity effects in experimental crop plant communities. We grow monocultures and mixtures of crop species and assess their interactions under different environmental conditions and in an evolutionary context. The broader aim of this research is not only to get a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying biodiversity effects, but also to provide basic knowledge on how biodiversity could benefit a sustainable and productive agriculture.
Project link: external page http://p3.snf.ch/project-170645
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