More biodiversity does not always mean that an ecosystem functions better. A wide variety of plant species does not result in one on one that more biomass is formed. Biomass is seen as the most important indicator for plant growth.
That is the conclusion that scientists from the University of Gotenberg and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel draw from a study, published in the journal Ecology Letters, into the importance of biodiversity. "Increased biodiversity does not necessarily correlate positively with the functioning of an ecosystem. Usually it is one or a few species that are competitive and function well or better. Those species become dominant over time."
According to the researchers, the fact that more species does not lead to higher production does not mean that biodiversity is unimportant. If conditions change and are unfavorable for a more dominant species, it is important that a reservoir of other species is present to fill that 'empty' spot. In the conclusion, the scientists caution that even if local species diversity does not decline, the loss of local species-pool diversity (eg through regional extinction and habitat fragmentation) is likely to have negative long-term consequences for ecosystem functioning. But to what extent and on what scale this effect occurs is currently underexposed.
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[url = https: // www.boerenbusiness.nl/akkerbouw/ artikel/10896012/biodiversiteit-not-altijd-beter-voor-ecosysteem]Biodiversity not always better for ecosystem[/url]