Abstract

In light of global change and its consequences for plant and animal communities, exploring and quantifying the link between Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functionality (B-EF) has become a priority for ecologists and stakeholders alike. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how biodiversity might enhance ecosystem functioning. However, the literature is full of idiosyncratic results which strongly limit our ability to make robust predictions. In terms of B-EF studies in plant systems, a strong bias towards experimental grassland communities has meant that confounding effects such as spatial and temporal scales of observation, as well as the role of environmental heterogeneity, have received little attention.

FunDivEurope is a large scale, multidisciplinary projects aiming to quantify the relationship between biodiversity and a variety of ecosystem functions and services in major European forest types. Within this framework, I focus on how forest diversity, structure and dynamics relate to aboveground productivity measured through wood cores and LiDAR remote sensing. Specifically, I will present preliminary results of modeling tree growth in a Mediterranean forest within the context of B-EF research. Furthermore, I will discuss work aiming to understand how environmental heterogeneity influences the strength of the B-EF relationship.