Working Group Goals

Human disturbances are causing the loss of plant species at an alarming rate, resulting in the degradation of ecosystem function. A compelling number of biodiversity manipulation experiments have collectively suggested that higher tree diversity can lead to greater accumulation of carbon and nutrients in the soil, which helps sustain soil fertility and mitigate global climate change. However, it remains uncertain whether such conclusions hold in natural forest ecosystems.  We used Canadian National Forest Inventory (NFI) to investigate the potential relationship between tree diversity and changes in soil carbon and nutrients in natural forests.

Publications

Chen, X., Hisano, M., Taylor, A. R., & Chen, H. Y. (2022). The effects of functional diversity and identity (acquisitive versus conservative strategies) on soil carbon stocks are dependent on environmental contexts. Forest Ecology and Management, 503, 119820.

Chen, X., Taylor, A. R., Reich P. B., Hisano, M., Chen, H. Y. H, Chang S. X. (2023) Tree diversity increases decadal forest soil carbon and nitrogen accrual. Nature. 

Researchers Involved