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Integrative modelling reveals mechanisms linking productivity and plant species richness

Overview of attention for article published in Nature, January 2016
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About this Attention Score

  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (98th percentile)
  • Good Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (66th percentile)

Citations

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1022 Mendeley
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1 CiteULike
Title
Integrative modelling reveals mechanisms linking productivity and plant species richness
Published in
Nature, January 2016
DOI 10.1038/nature16524
Pubmed ID
Authors

James B. Grace, T. Michael Anderson, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Peter B. Adler, W. Stanley Harpole, Yann Hautier, Helmut Hillebrand, Eric M. Lind, Meelis Pärtel, Jonathan D. Bakker, Yvonne M. Buckley, Michael J. Crawley, Ellen I. Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Philip A. Fay, Jennifer Firn, Daniel S. Gruner, Andy Hector, Johannes M. H. Knops, Andrew S. MacDougall, Brett A. Melbourne, John W. Morgan, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, Melinda D. Smith

Abstract

How ecosystem productivity and species richness are interrelated is one of the most debated subjects in the history of ecology. Decades of intensive study have yet to discern the actual mechanisms behind observed global patterns. Here, by integrating the predictions from multiple theories into a single model and using data from 1,126 grassland plots spanning five continents, we detect the clear signals of numerous underlying mechanisms linking productivity and richness. We find that an integrative model has substantially higher explanatory power than traditional bivariate analyses. In addition, the specific results unveil several surprising findings that conflict with classical models. These include the isolation of a strong and consistent enhancement of productivity by richness, an effect in striking contrast with superficial data patterns. Also revealed is a consistent importance of competition across the full range of productivity values, in direct conflict with some (but not all) proposed models. The promotion of local richness by macroecological gradients in climatic favourability, generally seen as a competing hypothesis, is also found to be important in our analysis. The results demonstrate that an integrative modelling approach leads to a major advance in our ability to discern the underlying processes operating in ecological systems.

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X Demographics

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 1,022 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United States 12 1%
Spain 3 <1%
France 2 <1%
Switzerland 2 <1%
Austria 2 <1%
Canada 2 <1%
Brazil 2 <1%
Argentina 2 <1%
Sweden 1 <1%
Other 11 1%
Unknown 983 96%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 233 23%
Researcher 207 20%
Student > Master 150 15%
Student > Bachelor 74 7%
Student > Doctoral Student 49 5%
Other 140 14%
Unknown 169 17%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 408 40%
Environmental Science 295 29%
Earth and Planetary Sciences 30 3%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 12 1%
Engineering 5 <1%
Other 49 5%
Unknown 223 22%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 161. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 09 May 2023.
All research outputs
#248,551
of 25,099,766 outputs
Outputs from Nature
#14,227
of 96,730 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#4,295
of 407,315 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Nature
#318
of 945 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,099,766 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 96,730 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 102.3. This one has done well, scoring higher than 85% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 407,315 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 945 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 66% of its contemporaries.