Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness

Abstract

The search for predictions of species diversity across environmental gradients has challenged ecologists for decades. The humped-back model (HBM) suggests that plant diversity peaks at intermediate productivity; at low productivity few species can tolerate the environmental stresses and at high productivity a few highly competitive species dominate. Over time the HBM has become increasingly controversial, and recent studies claim to have refuted it. Here, using data from coordinated surveys conducted throughout grasslands worldwide, and comprising a wide range of site productivities, we provide strong evidence in support of the HBM pattern, at both global and regional extents. The relationships described here provide a strong foundation for further research into the local, landscape, and historical factors that ensure the maintenance of biodiversity.