Arthropod and plant responses to resource availability and heterogeneity

Abstract

Species diversity is one of the central topics of ecological research, and there is still uncertainty about what shapes diversity in communities. These studies explore the responses of plant and arthropod communities to alterations of nutrients and disturbance. Three broad questions are addressed: 1) How does manipulation of nitrogen and phosphorus affect the composition and diversity of a grassland plant community? 2) How do nutrient availability and disturbance interact to influence the arthropod community of a cool-season grass system? 3) How does nutrient heterogeneity affect plant and arthropod communities? The first study, on experimental restoration of tallgrass prairie, shows that nutrient availability can influence plant communities. The second study shows that nutrient manipulation by fertilization affects both the plant and arthropod communities. Finally, the third study on the effects of heterogeneity leaves the question unanswered, as the timespan was too brief to allow the treatments to take effect.