Navigation Links
Too much of a good thing? Excess nutrients or water limit biodiversity

Too much of a good thing (nutrients or water) actually decreases the diversity of species in an ecosystem while it increases the productivity of a few species, according to a grassland experiment conducted by University of Minnesota researchers.

The reduction in species diversity occurs because increasing the amounts of limiting resources, such as nitrogen and water, makes an ecosystem more homogeneous and consequently reduces the number of opportunities for competing species to coexist. Put another way, it reduces the number of niches, allowing a few species to dominate.

The study, conducted by David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology, and Stanley Harpole will be published March 25 in the online version of the journal Nature. Harpole, who is now a postdoctoral associate at the University of California, Irvine, was a graduate student at the University of Minnesota when the research was carried out.

"In essence, the data in the article strongly supports a new explanation for why the world contains so many species," said Tilman. "It shows that plant diversity is directly related to the number of limiting factors (such as soil moisture, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and water)."

It also helps explain why grasslands, lakes and rivers that are polluted with nitrogen and phosphorous (usually from agriculture) have fewer species. The reduction of species where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico is one of the best known examples of this phenomenon.

The findings are based on experiments carried out at the University of California’s Sedgwick Reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley, where the researchers applied combinations of nutrients and water to plots of grassland. Plots that received all of the resources had the fewest species and highest productivity. They combined this with analysis of the 150 year old Rothamsted Park Grass Experiment. Both supported their hypothesis.

"Our results show that
'"/>

Source:University of Minnesota


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. How exactly does the brain control breathing?
2. Excess liver gene protects against high-fat diet
3. Mechanism for the captation of nutrients in plants- unknown to date
4. Fish extinctions alter critical nutrients in water, study shows
5. Anti-bacterial additive widespread in U.S. waterways
6. Unprecedented water level rise in Somalia
7. Microbial fuel cell: High yield hydrogen source and wastewater cleaner
8. Survey finds silver contamination in North Pacific waters
9. Researchers discover underwater volcano
10. Too much water may be as dangerous as too little during long-distance athletic events
11. Radio-tracking associated with dramatic shift in water vole sex ratio
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Too much good thing Excess nutrients water limit biodiversity

(Date:6/19/2013)... the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, Massachusetts, ... by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). ... and the scientists who worked there that have ... microbiology. A ceremony unveiling the plaque that ... June 22, 2013, at 4:30 pm in the ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... 2013 AT&T * and NEC ... of the ultimate workhorse among ruggedized 4G ... of the most ruggedized phones equipped with ... toughened versatility and business-ready features.  Its design is ... moving forward, while also keeping up with daily ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... of canary seeds bred specifically for human consumption qualifies ... people with celiac disease (CD), scientists have confirmed in ... and Food Chemistry . , Joyce Irene Boye ... people in the United States alone have CD. They ... rye and other grains that contain gluten-related proteins. Boye,s ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Microbial diversity course designated as a 'Milestones in Microbiology' site 2AT&T and NEC Introduce Ultra-Rugged Smartphone Designed for Hard Work, Real Life 2AT&T and NEC Introduce Ultra-Rugged Smartphone Designed for Hard Work, Real Life 3AT&T and NEC Introduce Ultra-Rugged Smartphone Designed for Hard Work, Real Life 4AT&T and NEC Introduce Ultra-Rugged Smartphone Designed for Hard Work, Real Life 5
... shrimp Lysmata amboinensis usually live in monogamous pairs, ... in BioMed Central,s open access journal Frontiers in Zoology ... two, viciously attack and kill each other until only a ... simultaneous hermaphrodites. This means that they start out as males ...
... a massive set of mammal data accessed through the ... quantify the influence of various environmental factors on which ... team of Israeli scientists based at the Technion Institute, ... coordinates in the ,lower 48, states of the continental ...
... Applications of the technology include the ability to ... that is difficult to counterfeit. Printers can reduce ... advertising agencies can create striking packages that are ... gift wrappings, which can be made more decorative ...
Cached Biology News:Violent passions -- jealous cleaner shrimp murder their rivals 2Use of GBIF helps clarify environment-species links 2Ecological light scattering film for brand protection, packages and consumer products 2
(Date:6/19/2013)... San Diego, CA (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 ... quality pipettes, Pipette.com is now stocked with Simport’s Dropette® ... , all aimed at the customer doing basic biology, ... blood work, and serology). , For over 35 years, ... and disposable plastic labware - products like the Simport ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... York, NY (PRWEB) June 18, 2013 ... innovation and sustainability, the Consulate General of Switzerland in ... solar boat, Switzerland’s MS Tûranor PlanetSolar , to ... part of its DeepWater Expedition 2013 tour with scientists ... led by Capitain Gérard d’Aboville, runs exclusively on energy ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... The human skin is the largest organ, yet many ... part. Similar to the liver, or heart, the skin must ... grow. Recent reports from the mankatofreepress.com explained how caring for ... as other life supporting organs. The article suggests several types ... increase the appearance of skin, and fight off acne causing ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... 2013 The Pistoia Alliance ... HELM biomolecular representation standard software toolkit and editor ... HELM (Hierarchical Editing Language for Macromolecules) enables ... (e.g. proteins, nucleotides, antibody drug conjugates) whose size ... methodologies impractical or unusable. HELM solves this problem ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Leading Pipette Distributor Pipette.com Now Stocks Transfer Pipettes: Simport’s Dropette and Heathrow Scientific Disposable Plastic Transfer Pipettes 2Switzerland’s MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the World’s Largest Solar Boat, Arrives in New York City 2Switzerland’s MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the World’s Largest Solar Boat, Arrives in New York City 3Switzerland’s MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the World’s Largest Solar Boat, Arrives in New York City 4Natural Acne Remedies Through Diet, Probiotic Action Shares New Insight on What Foods May Help Lead to Clear Skin 2The Pistoia Alliance Releases HELM Biomolecular Representation Standard Open Source Tools 2
... Milwaukee, Wis. - A Milwaukee-area producer of brain ... help expand its market share, and it did not ... , a company specializing in functional magnetic resonance imaging ... with Racine-based Ad-Tech Medical Instrument Co. to ...
... - Madison's five-month-old citywide wireless Internet system has ... reaching coffee shop regulars. , , Mad City Broadband ... Madison's Wi-Fi system, which was launched in the downtown ... a subscription-based service in June. There is plenty of ...
... in the Chippewa Valley are vying for up to $10,000 ... dose of public awareness as part of the 2006 "Create ... Claire Area Economic Development Corporation . , ,From a total ... been invited to submit full business plans for the competition. ...
Cached Biology Technology:Some Madisonians content without city wireless 2Some Madisonians content without city wireless 3Some Madisonians content without city wireless 4Some Madisonians content without city wireless 5Eau Claire business contest down to 7 applicants 2
... Microarrays designed for genome-wide microRNA ... flexible and powerful Paraflo microfluidic on-chip ... as part of our comprehensive microRNA ... Content The Rice microRNA Microarray ...
... FP-6500 is the research-grade spectrofluorometer with a ... sensitivity S/N ratio 200 or greater for ... is especially designed to keep in mind ... as kinetics, stopped-flow, titration, or anisotropic measurements. ...
... genome-wide microRNA expression profiling and built ... microfluidic on-chip synthesis platform. These microarrays ... comprehensive microRNA Expression Profiling Service. ... microRNA Microarray contains all known fish ...
... designed for genome-wide microRNA expression profiling ... powerful Paraflo microfluidic on-chip synthesis platform. ... of our comprehensive microRNA Expression Profiling ... The Viruses microRNA Microarray contains all ...
Biology Products: