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Plant Assemblage Composition Explains And Predicts How Biodiversity Affects Salt Marsh Functioning, Gary Sullivan, John Callaway, Joy B. Zedler

Environmental Science

Knowing that diverse plantings enhanced biomass and nitrogen (N) accumulation in a restored California salt marsh, we asked if the “biodiversity effect” was due to species selection or complementarity. In a two-year greenhouse experiment, we found positive biodiversity effects on total, root, and shoot biomass, total and root N crop, and on biomass and N allocation; negative effects on root and shoot N concentration; and no effect on shoot N crop. Overyielding among trios and sextets was supported by significant deviations in observed yield from that expected relative to solo yields (D_T). However, both trios and sextets …