Scale‐dependent effects of species diversity on aboveground biomass and productivity in a subtropical broadleaved forest on Mt. Huangshan

A positive relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning exists in subtropical broadleaved forests, but this effect varies with scale. Research on Mount Huangshan found that while species richness correlates positively with productivity at medium and large scales, other diversity indices show ambiguous relationships. Elevation emerged as a key abiotic factor influencing biomass and productivity, suggesting that biodiversity's impact on ecosystem functioning is mediated by environmental conditions. The study used generalized linear regression and structural equation modeling to analyze these scale-dependent effects, revealing that species diversity alone does not determine biomass or productivity.

Xie, L., Chen, H., Wei, L., Chen, S., Wang, L., Xu, B., Yi, X., Wang, X., Ding, H., & Fang, Y. (2023). Scale‐dependent effects of species diversity on aboveground biomass and productivity in a subtropical broadleaved forest on Mt. Huangshan. Ecology and Evolution, 13(2). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9786