Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

What is Biodiversity?

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

Biodiversity and Human Values

Biodiversity and Human Values

Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.

What is an Ecosystem?

What is an Ecosystem?

The Soil Ecosystem

The Soil Ecosystem

Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:

Relationship Formation

Relationship Formation

What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Neighbours rewire plant-soil feedback patterns via reshaping root microbiomes.

Nature plants·2026

Same author

Steering root-associated microbiomes via direct and soil legacy effects of neighbors.

Microbiome·2026

Same author

A soil food web approach to integrate soil fauna into multitrophic biogeochemistry.

Communications earth & environment·2026

Same author

Planting food forests can increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes of Northwest Europe.

npj biodiversity·2026

Same author

Connectivity and Age of Restored Atlantic Forest Fragments Drives Composition and Functionality of the Fungal Community in the Leaf Litter Layer.

Molecular ecology·2026

Same author

Insect herbivores reduce plant biomass loss and enhance plant recovery in response to extreme drought.

Ecology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 9, 2026

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in a long-term non-weeded field experiment.

G F Veen¹, Wim H van der Putten^1,2, T Martijn Bezemer¹

¹Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, P.O. Box 50, Wageningen, 6700 AB, The Netherlands.

|May 31, 2018

Summary

Initial sowing of plant species in restoration affects long-term diversity and ecosystem function. Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships can be weak or negative, with plant dominance playing a key role.

Keywords:

diversity-productivity diversity-stability ecosystem functioning functional divergence functional richness grassland long-term species diversity

More Related Videos

A Field Primer for Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems Using Structure-From-Motion Photogrammetry

A Field Primer for Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems Using Structure-From-Motion Photogrammetry

Published on: April 15, 2021

Protocols for Robust Herbicide Resistance Testing in Different Weed Species

Protocols for Robust Herbicide Resistance Testing in Different Weed Species

Published on: July 2, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 9, 2026

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

A Field Primer for Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems Using Structure-From-Motion Photogrammetry

A Field Primer for Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems Using Structure-From-Motion Photogrammetry

Published on: April 15, 2021

Protocols for Robust Herbicide Resistance Testing in Different Weed Species

Protocols for Robust Herbicide Resistance Testing in Different Weed Species

Published on: July 2, 2015

Area of Science:

Ecological restoration
Plant community ecology
Ecosystem functioning

Background:

Grassland biodiversity experiments often show positive biodiversity-ecosystem functioning links.
These experiments typically prevent natural colonization, unlike real-world restoration scenarios.
The impact of initial diversity manipulations on long-term plant community development and ecosystem functioning is poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the long-term effects (16 years) of initial plant diversity manipulations on taxonomic and functional diversity.
To examine the relationships between plant diversity, biomass production, and stability in naturally colonizing plant communities.
To understand how initial sowing treatments influence secondary succession in grassland ecosystems.

Main Methods:

Established non-weeded plots with initial sowing of 15 species, four species, or no sowing.
Monitored plant community composition, taxonomic diversity, and functional diversity over 16 years.
Assessed biomass production and its stability over the study period.

Main Results:

Sown plant communities converged functionally with naturally colonized communities over time.
Initial sowing treatments had persistent effects on species composition and taxonomic diversity.
Few, predominantly negative, relationships were found between diversity (taxonomic or functional) and biomass production or stability.
Dominant plant species cover was positively correlated with biomass production and stability.

Conclusions:

Early-stage plant species introductions can have lasting impacts on secondary succession.
In naturally colonizing systems, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships may be weak or negative.
Plant dominance, rather than diversity, might be a key driver of ecosystem functioning in these contexts.