Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29237812›Full record

SynthesisBiology letters2017

Species richness alters spatial nutrient heterogeneity effects on above-ground plant biomass.

Nianxun Xi, Chunhui Zhang, Juliette M G Bloor

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Biology letters, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Nianxun XiCentre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, Yunnan, People's Republic of China xinianxun@xtbg.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1711-3875
Chunhui ZhangState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, Qinghai, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1500-4114
Juliette M G BloorINRA, VetAgro-Sup, UREP, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that spatial nutrient heterogeneity promotes plant nutrient capture and growth. However, little is known about how spatial nutrient heterogeneity interacts with key community attributes to affect plant community production. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate how nitrogen heterogeneity effects vary with species richness and plant density. Effect size was calculated using the natural log of the ratio in plant biomass between heterogeneous and homogeneous conditions. Effect sizes were significantly above zero, reflecting positive effects of spatial nutrient heterogeneity on community production. However, species richness decreased the magnitude of heterogeneity effects on above-ground biomass. The magnitude of heterogeneity effects on below-ground biomass did not vary with species richness. Moreover, we detected no modification in heterogeneity effects with plant density. Our results highlight the importance of species richness for ecosystem function. Asynchrony between above- and below-ground responses to spatial nutrient heterogeneity and species richness could have significant implications for biotic interactions and biogeochemical cycling in the long term.

Indexed as

BiodiversityBiomassPlant Physiological PhenomenaSoilSpatial AnalysisSoilbiodiversitycommunity biomassenvironmental heterogeneityvegetation density

Identifiers

PMID29237812
PMCPMC5746533

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.