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Generic Protocol for Optimization of Heterologous Protein Production Using Automated Microbioreactor Technology

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Published on: December 15, 2017

Resource-use efficiency drives overyielding via enhanced complementarity.

Norman W H Mason¹, Kate H Orwin², Suzanne Lambie³

¹Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand. MasonN@landcareresearch.co.nz.

|August 27, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Biodiversity overyielding in grasslands is driven by species complementarity, leading to increased productivity and resource-use efficiency. Mixtures enhance water, nitrogen, and light use, offering a sustainable alternative to intensive agriculture.

Keywords:

Agriculture Forage Functional diversity Functional groups Nutrient addition

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Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm

Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm

Published on: December 9, 2012

Area of Science:

Ecology
Ecosystem Science
Plant Ecology

Background:

Overyielding, a key biodiversity metric, is often analyzed using complementarity and selection, but lacks insight into resource use and trait plasticity.
Understanding how biodiversity influences ecosystem functions like productivity and resource use is crucial for sustainable agriculture.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate overyielding in a five-species grassland mixture under varying nitrogen levels and seasons.
To assess the roles of resource use (light, water, nitrogen), resource-use efficiency, and trait plasticity in driving overyielding.

Main Methods:

Compared productivity of a five-species mixture against its monocultures across six nitrogen addition levels (0-500 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹).
Measured light, water, and nitrogen use, resource-use efficiency, and functional traits (leaf nitrogen content, specific leaf area, leaf area ratio).
Analyzed data across four distinct seasons to capture temporal dynamics.

Main Results:

Observed strong evidence for non-transgressive overyielding, with peak productivity in spring (20 kg dry matter ha⁻¹ day⁻¹ above expected).
Overyielding was primarily driven by enhanced complementarity, particularly from non-N₂-fixing forb species.
Mixtures exhibited higher water use and enhanced resource-use efficiency (water, nitrogen, light) during peak overyielding.

Conclusions:

Complementarity is a key driver of overyielding in grassland mixtures, facilitated by increased water and nutrient uptake and efficiency.
Grassland mixtures provide a sustainable compromise, balancing high productivity with improved resource-use efficiency and reduced environmental impact (e.g., nitrate leaching).
Trait plasticity showed limited influence on overyielding or resource use in this study.