@article{MuellerBochPratietal.2018,
  author    = {M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Boch, Steffen and Prati, Daniel and Socher, Stephanie A. and Pommer, Ulf and Hessenm{\"o}ller, Dominik and Schall, Peter and Schulze, Ernst Detlef and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Effects of forest management on bryophyte species richness in Central European forests},
  series = {Forest ecology and management},
  volume    = {432},
  journal   = {Forest ecology and management},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0378-1127},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.foreco.2018.10.019},
  pages     = {850 -- 859},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {We studied the effect of three major forest management types (unmanaged beech, selection beech, and age class forests) and stand variables (SMId, soil pH, proportion of conifers, litter cover, deadwood cover, rock cover and cumulative cover of woody trees and shrubs) on bryophyte species richness in 1050 forest plots in three regions in Germany. In addition, we analysed the species richness of four ecological guilds of bryophytes according to their colonized substrates (deadwood, rock, soil, bark) and the number of woodland indicator bryophyte species. Beech selection forests turned out to be the most species rich management type, whereas unmanaged beech forests revealed even lower species numbers than age-class forests. Increasing conifer proportion increased bryophyte species richness but not the number of woodland indicator bryophyte species. The richness of the four ecological guilds mainly responded to the abundance of their respective substrate. We conclude that the permanent availability of suitable substrates is most important for bryophyte species richness in forests, which is not stringently linked to management type. Therefore, managed age-class forests and selection forests may even exceed unmanaged forests in bryophyte species richness due to higher substrate supply and therefore represent important habitats for bryophytes. Typical woodland indicator bryophytes and their species richness were negatively affected by SMId (management intensity) and therefore better indicate forest integrity than the species richness of all bryophytes. Nature conservation efforts should focus on the reduction of management intensity. Moreover, maintaining and increasing a variability of substrates and habitats, such as coarse woody debris, increasing structural heterogeneity by retaining patches with groups of old, mature to over-mature trees in managed forests, maintaining forest climate conditions by silvicultural methods that assure stand continuity, e.g. by selection cutting rather than clear cutting and shelterwood logging might promote bryophyte diversity and in particular the one of woodland indicator bryophytes.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ScherberEisenhauerWeisseretal.2010,
  author    = {Scherber, Christoph and Eisenhauer, Nico and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Schmid, Bernhard and Voigt, Winfried and Fischer, Markus and Schukze, Ernst-Detlef and Roscher, Christiane and Weigelt, Alexandra and Allan, Eric and Beßler, Holger and Bonkowski, Michael and Buchmann, Nina and Buscot, Fran{\c{c}}ois and Clement, Lars W. and Ebeling, Anne and Engels, Christof and Halle, Stefan and Kertscher, Ilona and Klein, Alexandra Maria and Koller, Robert and K{\"o}nig, Stephan and Kowalski, Esther and Kummer, Volker and Kuu, Annely and Lange, Markus and Lauterbach, Dirk},
  title     = {Bottom-up effects of plant diversity on multitrophic interactions in a biodiversity experiment},
  issn      = {0028-0836},
  year      = {2010},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WillivanBuskirkFischer2005,
  author    = {Willi, Yvonne and van Buskirk, J. and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {A threefold genetic allee effect : Population size affects cross-compatibility, inbreeding depression and drift load in the self-incompatible Ranunculus reptans},
  issn      = {0016-6731},
  year      = {2005},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SeifertFischer2010,
  author    = {Seifert, Birgit and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Experimental establishment of a declining dry-grassland flagship species in relation to seed origin and target environment},
  issn      = {0006-3207},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.biocon.2010.02.028},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Supporting species persistence may involve (re)connecting suitable habitats. However, for many declining species habitat suitability and drivers of establishment are poorly known. We addressed this experimentally for a declining flagship species of dry grasslands in Germany, Armeria maritima subsp. elongata. In three regions, we sowed seeds from each of eight source populations back to their origin and to eight apparently suitable, but currently unoccupied, habitats close to the source populations. Overall, seeds germinated and seedlings established equally well in occupied and potential sites indicating that suitable habitats are available, but lack seed input. Germination and establishment varied among sowing sites. Moreover, seeds from populations of lower current connectivity established less well in new sites, and establishment was more variable among seeds from smaller than from larger populations, possibly reflecting genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation. Further, establishment across different new environments differed between seeds from different populations. As this was neither related to a home-away contrast nor to geographic or environmental distance between sites it could not clearly be attributed to local adaptation. To promote long-term persistence within this dry-grassland meta-population context we suggest increasing the density of suitable habitats and supporting dispersal connecting multiple sites, e.g. by promoting sheep transhumance, to increase current populations and their connectivity, and to colonise suitable habitats with material from different sources. We suggest that sowing experiments with characteristic species, including multiple source populations and multiple recipient sites, should be used regularly to inform connecting efforts in plant conservation.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerPerretGaleuchet2005,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Perret, Catherine and Galeuchet, David J.},
  title     = {Performance of Lychnis flos-cuculi from fragmented populations under experimental competition and pathogen infection, Ecology},
  issn      = {0012-9658},
  year      = {2005},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WilliFischer2005,
  author    = {Willi, Yvonne and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Genetic rescue effect in interconnected populations of small and large size of the self-incompatible Ranunculus reptans},
  year      = {2005},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerWipfRixenetal.2005,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Wipf, S. and Rixen, C. and St{\"o}ckli, V.},
  title     = {Effects of ski piste preparation on alpine vegetation},
  issn      = {0021-8901},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {1. Ski resorts increasingly affect alpine ecosystems through enlargement of ski pistes, machine-grading of ski piste areas and increasing use of artificial snow. 2. In 12 Swiss alpine ski resorts, we investigated the effects of ski piste management on vegetation structure and composition using a pairwise design of 38 plots on ski pistes and 38 adjacent plots off-piste. 3. Plots on ski pistes had lower species richness and productivity, and lower abundance and cover of woody plants and early flowering species, than reference plots. Plots on machine-graded pistes had higher indicator values for nutrients and light, and lower vegetation cover, productivity, species diversity and abundance of early flowering and woody plants. Time since machine-grading did not mitigate the impacts of machine-grading, even for those plots where revegetation had been attempted by sowing. 4. The longer artificial snow had been used on ski pistes (2-15 years), the higher the moisture and nutrient indicator values. Longer use also affected species composition by increasing the abundance of woody plants, snowbed species and late-flowering species, and decreasing wind-edge species. 5. Synthesis and applications. All types of ski piste management cause deviations from the natural structure and composition of alpine vegetation, and lead to lower plant species diversity. Machine-grading causes particularly severe and lasting impacts on alpine vegetation, which are mitigated neither by time nor by revegetation measures. The impacts of artificial snow increase with the period of time since it was first applied to ski piste vegetation. Extensive machine-grading and snow production should be avoided, especially in areas where nutrient and water input are a concern. Ski pistes should not be established in areas where the alpine vegetation has a high conservation value},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MaurerGautschiWeyandetal.2005,
  author    = {Maurer, Katrin and Gautschi, B and Weyand, Anne and Stocklin, J and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Isolation and characterization of microsatellite DNA markers in the grass Poa alpina L.},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {The important fodder grass Poa alpina L. occurs at several ploidy levels with common aneuploidy. We isolated and characterized five polymorphic microsatellite markers for the study of molecular genetic variation of this species. As first examples of the value of the developed markers for population genetic analyses, we show that plants with more chromosomes have more microsatellite bands and that isolation by distance plays a small role in shaping microsatellite diversity of P. alpina in the Swiss Alps},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerGaleuchetPerret2005,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Galeuchet, D. and Perret, C.},
  title     = {Microsatellite variation and structure of 28 populations of the common wetland plant Lychnis flos-cuculi L. in a fragemented landscape},
  issn      = {0962-1083},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {Habitat fragmentation is known to cause genetic differentiation between small populations of rare species and decrease genetic variation within such populations. However, common species with recently fragmented populations have rarely been studied in this context. We investigated genetic variation and its relationship to population size and geographical isolation of populations of the common plant species, Lychnis flos-cuculi L., in fragmented fen grasslands. We analysed 467 plants from 28 L. flos-cuculi populations of different sizes (60 000-54 000 flowering individuals) in northeastern Switzerland using seven polymorphic microsatellite loci. Genetic differentiation between populations is small (F-ST = 0.022; AMOVA; P < 0.001), suggesting that gene flow among populations is still high or that habitat fragmentation is too recent to result in pronounced differentiation. Observed heterozygosity (H-O = 0.44) significantly deviates from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and within-population inbreeding coefficient F-IS is high (0.30-0.59), indicating a mixed mating breeding system with substantial inbreeding in L. flos-cuculi. Gene diversity is the only measure of genetic variation which decreased with decreasing population size (R = 0.42; P < 0.05). While our results do not indicate pronounced effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation in the still common L. flos-cuculi, the lower gene diversity of smaller populations suggests that the species is not entirely unaffected},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerPfistererJoshietal.2004,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Pfisterer, A. and Joshi, Jasmin Radha and Schmid, Bernhard},
  title     = {Rapid decay of diversity-productivity relationships after invasion of experimental plant communities},
  year      = {2004},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerStoecklinWeyandetal.2004,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and St{\"o}cklin, J. and Weyand, Anne and Maurer, Katrin},
  title     = {Cultural and biological diversity of grasslands in the Swiss Alps},
  isbn      = {3-7281-2940-2},
  year      = {2004},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerLienert2004,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Lienert, J.},
  title     = {Experimental inbreeding reduces seed production and germination independent of fragmentation of populations of Swertia perennis},
  year      = {2004},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Fischer2003,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Habitat fragmentation affects the common wetland specialist Primula farinosa in north-east Switzerland},
  year      = {2003},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerHockPaschke2003,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Hock, M. and Paschke, Matthias},
  title     = {Low genetic variation reduces cross-compatibility and offspring fitness in populations of a narrow endemic plant with a self-incompatibility system},
  issn      = {1566-0621},
  year      = {2003},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Fischer2003,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Trockenwiesen und die funktionelle Kaskade der Biodiversit{\"a}t},
  issn      = {0405-0282},
  year      = {2003},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{FischerSchuetzBernhardtetal.2003,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Sch{\"u}tz, Wolfgang and Bernhardt, Karl-Georg and Koch, Markus},
  title     = {Special feature : Plant population biology in al multidisciplinary context},
  year      = {2003},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Fischer2003,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Warum wir Schutzgebiete brauchen : die Stimme der Forschung},
  year      = {2003},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{FischerLienertSchnelleretal.2002,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Lienert, J. and Schneller, J. and Diemer, M.},
  title     = {Local extinctions of the wetland specialist Swertia perennis : a revistation study based on herbarium records},
  year      = {2002},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BuschKlausSchaeferetal.2019,
  author    = {Busch, Verena and Klaus, Valentin Helmut and Schaefer, Deborah and Prati, Daniel and Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Chiste, Melanie and Mody, Karsten and Bl{\"u}thgen, Nico and Fischer, Markus and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert and Kleinebecker, Till},
  title     = {Will I stay or will I go? Plant species-specific response and tolerance to high land-use intensity in temperate grassland ecosystems},
  series = {Journal of vegetation science},
  volume    = {30},
  journal   = {Journal of vegetation science},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {1100-9233},
  doi       = {10.1111/jvs.12749},
  pages     = {674 -- 686},
  year      = {2019},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BochMuellerPratietal.2018,
  author    = {Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Prati, Daniel and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Low-intensity management promotes bryophyte diversity in grasslands},
  series = {Tuexenia : Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft},
  journal   = {Tuexenia : Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft},
  number    = {38},
  publisher = {Floristisch-Soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft},
  address   = {G{\"o}ttingen},
  issn      = {0722-494X},
  doi       = {10.14471/2018.38.014},
  pages     = {311 -- 328},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Bryophytes constitute an important and permanent component of the grassland flora and diversity in Europe. As most bryophyte species are sensitive to habitat change, their diversity is likely to decline following land-use intensification. Most previous studies on bryophyte diversity focused on specific habitats of high bryophyte diversity, such as bogs, montane grasslands, or calcareous dry grasslands. In contrast, mesic grasslands are rarely studied, although they are the most common grassland habitat in Europe. They are secondary vegetation, maintained by agricultural use and thus, are influenced by different forms of land use. We studied bryophyte species richness in three regions in Germany, in 707 plots of 16 m(2) representing different land-use types and environmental conditions. Our study is one of the few to inspect the relationships between bryophyte richness and land use across contrasting regions and using a high number of replicates. Among the managed grasslands, pastures harboured 2.5 times more bryophyte species than meadows and mown pastures. Similarly, bryophyte cover was about twice as high in fallows and pastures than in meadows and mown pastures. Among the pastures, bryophyte species richness was about three times higher in sheep grazed plots than in the ones grazed by cattle or horses. In general, bryophyte species richness and cover was more than 50\% lower in fertilized than in unfertilized plots. Moreover, the amount of suitable substrates was linked to bryophyte diversity. Species richness of bryophytes growing on stones increased with stone cover, and the one of bryophytes growing on bark and deadwood increased with larger values of woody plant species and deadwood cover. Our findings highlight the importance of low-intensity land use and high structural heterogeneity for bryophyte conservation. They also caution against an intensification of traditionally managed pastures. In the light of our results, we recommend to maintain low-intensity sheep grazing on sites with low productivity, such as slopes on shallow soils.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchallGossnerHeinrichsetal.2017,
  author    = {Schall, Peter and Gossner, Martin M. and Heinrichs, Steffi and Fischer, Markus and Boch, Steffen and Prati, Daniel and Jung, Kirsten and Baumgartner, Vanessa and Blaser, Stefan and B{\"o}hm, Stefan and Buscot, Francois and Daniel, Rolf and Goldmann, Kezia and Kaiser, Kristin and Kahl, Tiemo and Lange, Markus and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg Hans and Overmann, J{\"o}rg and Renner, Swen C. and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Sikorski, Johannes and Tschapka, Marco and T{\"u}rke, Manfred and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Wemheuer, Bernd and Wubet, Tesfaye and Ammer, Christian},
  title     = {The impact of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on regional biodiversity of multiple taxa in European beech forests},
  series = {Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society},
  volume    = {55},
  journal   = {Journal of applied ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {0021-8901},
  doi       = {10.1111/1365-2664.12950},
  pages     = {267 -- 278},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {1. For managed temperate forests, conservationists and policymakers favour fine-grained uneven-aged (UEA) management over more traditional coarse-grained even-aged (EA) management, based on the assumption that within-stand habitat heterogeneity enhances biodiversity. There is, however, little empirical evidence to support this assumption. We investigated for the first time how differently grained forest management systems affect the biodiversity of multiple above- and below-ground taxa across spatial scales. 2. We sampled 15 taxa of animals, plants, fungi and bacteria within the largest contiguous beech forest landscape of Germany and classified them into functional groups. Selected forest stands have been managed for more than a century at different spatial grains. The EA (coarse-grained management) and UEA (fine-grained) forests are comparable in spatial arrangement, climate and soil conditions. These were compared to forests of a nearby national park that have been unmanaged for at least 20years. We used diversity accumulation curves to compare -diversity for Hill numbers D-0 (species richness), D-1 (Shannon diversity) and D-2 (Simpson diversity) between the management systems. Beta diversity was quantified as multiple-site dissimilarity. 3. Gamma diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for at least one of the three Hill numbers for six taxa (up to 77\%), while eight showed no difference. Only bacteria showed the opposite pattern. Higher -diversity in EA forests was also found for forest specialists and saproxylic beetles. 4. Between-stand -diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for one-third (all species) and half (forest specialists) of all taxa, driven by environmental heterogeneity between age-classes, while -diversity showed no directional response across taxa or for forest specialists. 5. Synthesis and applications. Comparing EA and uneven-aged forest management in Central European beech forests, our results show that a mosaic of different age-classes is more important for regional biodiversity than high within-stand heterogeneity. We suggest reconsidering the current trend of replacing even-aged management in temperate forests. Instead, the variability of stages and stand structures should be increased to promote landscape-scale biodiversity.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BuschKlausPenoneetal.2017,
  author    = {Busch, Verena and Klaus, Valentin H. and Penone, Caterina and Sch{\"a}fer, Deborah and Boch, Steffen and Prati, Daniel and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie A. and Niinemets, {\"U}lo and Penuelas, Josep and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert and Fischer, Markus and Kleinebecker, Till},
  title     = {Nutrient stoichiometry and land use rather than species richness determine plant functional diversity},
  series = {Ecology and evolution},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Ecology and evolution},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {2045-7758},
  doi       = {10.1002/ece3.3609},
  pages     = {601 -- 616},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have consi-dered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community-weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition-related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf-economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MeyerPtacnikHillebrandetal.2017,
  author    = {Meyer, Sebastian Tobias and Ptacnik, Robert and Hillebrand, Helmut and Bessler, Holger and Buchmann, Nina and Ebeling, Anne and Eisenhauer, Nico and Engels, Christof and Fischer, Markus and Halle, Stefan and Klein, Alexandra-Maria and Oelmann, Yvonne and Roscher, Christiane and Rottstock, Tanja and Scherber, Christoph and Scheu, Stefan and Schmid, Bernhard and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Temperton, Vicky M. and Tscharntke, Teja and Voigt, Winfried and Weigelt, Alexandra and Wilcke, Wolfgang and Weisser, Wolfgang W.},
  title     = {Biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships depend on identity and number of measured functions},
  series = {Nature Ecology \& Evolution},
  volume    = {2},
  journal   = {Nature Ecology \& Evolution},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Nature Publ. Group},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2397-334X},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41559-017-0391-4},
  pages     = {44 -- 49},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Biodiversity ensures ecosystem functioning and provisioning of ecosystem services, but it remains unclear how biodiversity-ecosystem multifunctionality relationships depend on the identity and number of functions considered. Here, we demonstrate that ecosystem multifunctionality, based on 82 indicator variables of ecosystem functions in a grassland biodiversity experiment, increases strongly with increasing biodiversity. Analysing subsets of functions showed that the effects of biodiversity on multifunctionality were stronger when more functions were included and that the strength of the biodiversity effects depended on the identity of the functions included. Limits to multifunctionality arose from negative correlations among functions and functions that were not correlated with biodiversity. Our findings underline that the management of ecosystems for the protection of biodiversity cannot be replaced by managing for particular ecosystem functions or services and emphasize the need for specific management to protect biodiversity. More plant species from the experimental pool of 60 species contributed to functioning when more functions were considered. An individual contribution to multifunctionality could be demonstrated for only a fraction of the species.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PenoneAllanSoliveresetal.2019,
  author    = {Penone, Caterina and Allan, Eric and Soliveres, Santiago and Felipe-Lucia, Maria R. and Gossner, Martin M. and Seibold, Sebastian and Simons, Nadja K. and Schall, Peter and van der Plas, Fons and Manning, Peter and Manzanedo, Ruben D. and Boch, Steffen and Prati, Daniel and Ammer, Christian and Bauhus, Juergen and Buscot, Francois and Ehbrecht, Martin and Goldmann, Kezia and Jung, Kirsten and Mueller, Joerg and Mueller, Joerg C. and Pena, Rodica and Polle, Andrea and Renner, Swen C. and Ruess, Liliane and Schoenig, Ingo and Schrumpf, Marion and Solly, Emily F. and Tschapka, Marco and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Wubet, Tesfaye and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Specialisation and diversity of multiple trophic groups are promoted by different forest features},
  series = {Ecology letters},
  volume    = {22},
  journal   = {Ecology letters},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {1461-023X},
  doi       = {10.1111/ele.13182},
  pages     = {170 -- 180},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {While forest management strongly influences biodiversity, it remains unclear how the structural and compositional changes caused by management affect different community dimensions (e.g. richness, specialisation, abundance or completeness) and how this differs between taxa. We assessed the effects of nine forest features (representing stand structure, heterogeneity and tree composition) on thirteen above- and belowground trophic groups of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria in 150 temperate forest plots differing in their management type. Canopy cover decreased light resources, which increased community specialisation but reduced overall diversity and abundance. Features increasing resource types and diversifying microhabitats (admixing of oaks and conifers) were important and mostly affected richness. Belowground groups responded differently to those aboveground and had weaker responses to most forest features. Our results show that we need to consider forest features rather than broad management types and highlight the importance of considering several groups and community dimensions to better inform conservation.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HeinrichsAmmerMundetal.2019,
  author    = {Heinrichs, Steffi and Ammer, Christian and Mund, Martina and Boch, Steffen and Budde, Sabine and Fischer, Markus and Mueller, Joerg and Schoening, Ingo and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Schmidt, Wolfgang and Weckesser, Martin and Schall, Peter},
  title     = {Landscape-Scale Mixtures of Tree Species are More Effective than Stand-Scale Mixtures for Biodiversity of Vascular Plants, Bryophytes and Lichens},
  series = {Forests},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Forests},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {MDPI},
  address   = {Basel},
  issn      = {1999-4907},
  doi       = {10.3390/f10010073},
  pages     = {34},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Tree species diversity can positively affect the multifunctionality of forests. This is why conifer monocultures of Scots pine and Norway spruce, widely promoted in Central Europe since the 18th and 19th century, are currently converted into mixed stands with naturally dominant European beech. Biodiversity is expected to benefit from these mixtures compared to pure conifer stands due to increased abiotic and biotic resource heterogeneity. Evidence for this assumption is, however, largely lacking. Here, we investigated the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens at the plot (alpha diversity) and at the landscape (gamma diversity) level in pure and mixed stands of European beech and conifer species (Scots pine, Norway spruce, Douglas fir) in four regions in Germany. We aimed to identify compositions of pure and mixed stands in a hypothetical forest landscape that can optimize gamma diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens within regions. Results show that gamma diversity of the investigated groups is highest when a landscape comprises different pure stands rather than tree species mixtures at the stand scale. Species mainly associated with conifers rely on light regimes that are only provided in pure conifer forests, whereas mixtures of beech and conifers are more similar to beech stands. Combining pure beech and pure conifer stands at the landscape scale can increase landscape level biodiversity and conserve species assemblages of both stand types, while landscapes solely composed of stand scale tree species mixtures could lead to a biodiversity reduction of a combination of investigated groups of 7 up to 20\%.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischervanKleunenSchmid2004,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and van Kleunen, Mark and Schmid, Bernhard},
  title     = {Experimental life-history evolution: selection on the growth form of a clonal plant on its plasticity},
  issn      = {1010- 061x},
  year      = {2004},
  abstract  = {The growth form along the continuum from compact phalanx plants to more loosely packed guerilla plants is an important life-history trait in clonal plants. Prerequisite for its evolution is heritable genetic variation. Starting with 102 genotypes of the stoloniferous herb Ranunculus reptans, we performed one selection experiment on spatial spread per rosette as measure of guerillaness (broad-sense heritability 0.198) and another on plasticity in this trait in response to competition (broad-sense heritability 0.067). After two generations, spatial spread was 36.9\% higher in the high line than in the low line (realized heritability +/- SE 0.149 +/- 0.039). Moreover, compared with the low line genotypes of the high line had fewer rosettes, a lower proportion of flowering rosettes, a higher proportion of rooted rosettes, more branches per rosette, longer internodes and longer leaves. In the second experiment, we found no significant direct response to selection for high and low plasticity in spatial spread (realized heritability +/- SE - 0.029 +/- 0.063), despite a significant correlated response in plasticity in the length of the first three stolon internodes. Our study indicates a high potential for further evolution of the clonal growth form in R. reptans, but not for its plasticity, and it demonstrates that the clonal growth form does not evolve independently of other clonal life- history characteristics},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{VanKleunenWeberFischer2010,
  author    = {Van Kleunen, Mark and Weber, Ewald and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {A meta-analysis of trait differences between invasive and non-invasive plant species},
  issn      = {1461-023X},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {A major aim in ecology is identifying determinants of invasiveness. We performed a meta-analysis of 117 field or experimental-garden studies that measured pair-wise trait differences of a total of 125 invasive and 196 non-invasive plant species in the invasive range of the invasive species. We tested whether invasiveness is associated with performance-related traits (physiology, leaf-area allocation, shoot allocation, growth rate, size and fitness), and whether such associations depend on type of study and on biogeographical or biological factors. Overall, invasive species had significantly higher values than non-invasive species for all six trait categories. More trait differences were significant for invasive vs. native comparisons than for invasive vs. non-invasive alien comparisons. Moreover, for comparisons between invasive species and native species that themselves are invasive elsewhere, no trait differences were significant. Differences in physiology and growth rate were larger in tropical regions than in temperate regions. Trait differences did not depend on whether the invasive alien species originates from Europe, nor did they depend on the test environment. We conclude that invasive alien species had higher values for those traits related to performance than non-invasive species. This suggests that it might become possible to predict future plant invasions from species traits.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{vanKleunenFischer2003,
  author    = {van Kleunen, Mark and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Effects of four generations of density-dependent selection on life history traits and their plasticity in a clonally propagated plant},
  issn      = {1010- 061X},
  year      = {2003},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{vanKleunenLenssenFischeretal.2004,
  author    = {van Kleunen, Mark and Lenssen, J. P. M. and Fischer, Markus and de Kroon, H.},
  title     = {Local adaption of the clonal plant Ranunculus reptans to flooding along a small-scale gradient.},
  year      = {2004},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerBurkartPasqualettoetal.2010,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Burkart, Michael and Pasqualetto, Vanessa and van Kleunen, Mark},
  title     = {Experiment meets biogeography : plants of river corridor distribution are not more stress tolerant but benefit less from more benign conditions elsewhere},
  issn      = {1752-9921},
  doi       = {10.1093/Jpe/Rtq013},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Aims: Factors limiting distributions of species are fundamental to ecology and evolution but have rarely been addressed experimentally for multiple species. The conspicuous linear distribution patterns of plant species confined to river corridors in the Central European lowlands constitute an especially long-standing distribution puzzle. We experimentally tested our novel hypothesis that the tolerance of species to river corridor conditions is independent of the degree of confinement to river corridor habitats, but that species not confined to river corridors are better able to take advantage of the more benign non-river corridor conditions. Methods: We grew 42 herbaceous species differing in their confinement to river corridors in a common garden experiment on loamy soil typical for river corridor areas and sandy soil typical for non-river corridor areas, and with and without a flooding period. For a subset of species, we grew plants of both river corridor and non-river corridor origin to test for adaptation to river corridor conditions. Important findings: Species more confined to river corridor areas benefited less from the more benign non-flooded and non-river corridor soil conditions than species of wider distributional range did. For subsets of 7 and 12 widespread species, the response to flooding and soil origin, respectively, did not differ between plants from river corridor sites and plants from other sites, suggesting that the habitat tolerance of widespread species is clue to phenotypic plasticity rather than to local adaptation. Overall, we found clear support for our novel hypothesis that species not confined to river corridors are more able to take advantage of the more benign non-river corridor conditions. Our study provides a general hypothesis on differences between species confined to stressful habitats and widespread species out for test in further multispecies comparative experiments.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{vanKleunenFischerSchmid2005,
  author    = {van Kleunen, Mark and Fischer, Markus and Schmid, Bernhard},
  title     = {Three generations under low versus high neighborhood density affect the life history of a clonal plant through differential selection and genetic drift},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {We tested whether neighborhood density affects the clonal life history of the stoloniferous plant Ranunculus reptans through selection and genetic drift. After three generations of sexual reproduction of 16 low- and 16 high- density lines, we studied traits related to growth form and reproduction in a common competition free environment. A 7.7\% lower branching frequency and slightly longer internodes indicated an evolutionary shift towards a less compact growth form under high neighborhood density, but because stolons grew also more vertically, horizontal spread per ramet was slightly decreased. Neighborhood density had no directional effects on the evolution of allocation to sexual and vegetative reproduction in R. reptans. Variation among replicated high-density lines was significantly lower than among replicated low-density lines in both growth form and reproductive characteristics, indicating less pronounced genetic drift under high neighborhood density. This study demonstrates that a clonal plant can respond to selection imposed by neighborhood density. Moreover, it shows that the effect of random genetic drift increases with decreasing neighborhood density. In a declining species, such as R. reptans in central Europe, this may lower the potential for adaptive evolutionary change and increase extinction risk},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{vanKleunenFischer2005,
  author    = {van Kleunen, Mark and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Constraints on the evolution of adaptive phenotypic plasticity in plants},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {The high potential fitness benefit of phenotypic plasticity tempts us to expect phenotypic plasticity as a frequent adaptation to environmental heterogeneity. Examples of proven adaptive plasticity in plants, however, are scarce and most plastic responses actually may be 'passive' rather than adaptive. This suggests that frequently requirements for the evolution of adaptive plasticity are not met or that such evolution is impeded by constraints. Here we outline requirements and potential constraints for the evolution of adaptive phenotypic plasticity, identify open questions, and propose new research approaches. Important open questions concern the genetic background of plasticity, genetic variation in plasticity, selection for plasticity in natural habitats, and the nature and occurrence of costs and limits of plasticity. Especially promising tools to address these questions are selection gradient analysis, meta-analysis of studies on genotype-by-environment interactions, QTL analysis, cDNA-microarray scanning and quantitative PCR to quantify gene expression, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to quantify protein expression. Studying plasticity along the pathway from gene expression to the phenotype and its relationship with fitness will help us to better understand why adaptive plasticity is not more universal, and to more realistically predict the evolution of plastic responses to environmental change},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SocherPratiBochetal.2013,
  author    = {Socher, Stephanie A. and Prati, Daniel and Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Baumbach, Henryk and Gockel, Sonja and Hemp, Andreas and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Wells, Konstans and Buscot, Francois and Kalko, Elisabeth K. V. and Linsenmair, Karl Eduard and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Interacting effects of fertilization, mowing and grazing on plant species diversity of 1500 grasslands in Germany differ between regions},
  series = {Basic and applied ecology : Journal of the Gesellschaft f{\"u}r {\"O}kologie},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Basic and applied ecology : Journal of the Gesellschaft f{\"u}r {\"O}kologie},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Jena},
  issn      = {1439-1791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.baae.2012.12.003},
  pages     = {126 -- 136},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The relationship of different types of grassland use with plant species richness and composition ( functional groups of herbs, legumes, and grasses) has so far been studied at small regional scales or comprising only few components of land use. We comprehensively studied the relationship between abandonment, fertilization, mowing intensity, and grazing by different livestock types on plant diversity and composition of 1514 grassland sites in three regions in North-East, Central and South-West Germany. We further considered environmental site conditions including soil type and topographical situation. Fertilized grasslands showed clearly reduced plant species diversity (-15\% plant species richness, -0.1 Shannon diversity on fertilized grasslands plots of 16m(2)) and changed composition (-3\% proportion of herb species), grazing had the second largest effects and mowing the smallest ones. Among the grazed sites, the ones grazed by sheep had higher than average species richness (+27\%), and the cattle grazed ones lower (-42\%). Further, these general results were strongly modulated by interactions between the different components of land use and by regional context: land-use effects differed largely in size and sometimes even in direction between regions. This highlights the importance of comparing different regions and to involve a large number of plots},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BochMuellerPratiletal.2013,
  author    = {Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Pratil, Daniel and Blaser, Stefan and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Up in the tree - the overlooked richness of bryophytes and lichens in Tree Crowns},
  series = {PLoS one},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {PLoS one},
  number    = {12},
  publisher = {PLoS},
  address   = {San Fransisco},
  issn      = {1932-6203},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0084913},
  pages     = {8},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Assessing diversity is among the major tasks in ecology and conservation science. In ecological and conservation studies, epiphytic cryptogams are usually sampled up to accessible heights in forests. Thus, their diversity, especially of canopy specialists, likely is underestimated. If the proportion of those species differs among forest types, plot-based diversity assessments are biased and may result in misleading conservation recommendations. We sampled bryophytes and lichens in 30 forest plots of 20 m x 20 m in three German regions, considering all substrates, and including epiphytic litter fall. First, the sampling of epiphytic species was restricted to the lower 2 m of trees and shrubs. Then, on one representative tree per plot, we additionally recorded epiphytic species in the crown, using tree climbing techniques. Per tree, on average 54\% of lichen and 20\% of bryophyte species were overlooked if the crown was not been included. After sampling all substrates per plot, including the bark of all shrubs and trees, still 38\% of the lichen and 4\% of the bryophyte species were overlooked if the tree crown of the sampled tree was not included. The number of overlooked lichen species varied strongly among regions. Furthermore, the number of overlooked bryophyte and lichen species per plot was higher in European beech than in coniferous stands and increased with increasing diameter at breast height of the sampled tree. Thus, our results indicate a bias of comparative studies which might have led to misleading conservation recommendations of plot-based diversity assessments.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerMatthies1998,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Matthies, D.},
  title     = {Effects of population size on performance in the rare plant Gentianella germanica},
  year      = {1998},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerMatthies1998,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Matthies, D.},
  title     = {Experimental demography of the rare Gentianella germanica: seed bank formation and microsite effects on seedling etasblishment},
  year      = {1998},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerMatthies1998,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Matthies, D.},
  title     = {RAPD variation in relation to population size and plant performance in the rare Gentianella germanica (Gentianceae)},
  year      = {1998},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerSchlaepfer1998,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Schl{\"a}pfer, F.},
  title     = {An isozyme study of clone diversity and relative importance of sexual and vegetative reproduction in the grass Brachypodium pinnatum},
  year      = {1998},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LeimuMutikainenKorichevaetal.2006,
  author    = {Leimu, Roosa and Mutikainen, Pia and Koricheva, Julia and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {How general are positive relationships between plant population size, fitness and genetic variation?},
  issn      = {0022-0477},
  doi       = {10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01150.x},
  year      = {2006},
  abstract  = {1 Relationships between plant population size, fitness and within-population genetic diversity are fundamental for plant ecology, evolution and conservation. We conducted meta-analyses of studies published between 1987 and 2005 to test whether these relationships are generally positive, whether they are sensitive to methodological differences among studies, whether they differ between species of different life span, mating system or rarity and whether they depend on the size ranges of the studied populations. 2 Mean correlations between population size, fitness and genetic variation were all significantly positive. The positive correlation between population size and female fitness tended to be stronger in field studies than in common garden studies, and the positive correlation between genetic variation and fitness was significantly stronger in DNA than in isoenzyme studies. 3 The strength and direction of correlations between population size, fitness and genetic variation were independent of plant life span and the size range of the studied populations. The mean correlations tended to be stronger for the rare species than for common species. 4 Expected heterozygosity, the number of alleles and the number or proportion of polymorphic loci significantly increased with population size, but the level of inbreeding F-IS was independent of population size. The positive relationship between population size and the number of alleles and the number or proportion of polymorphic loci was stronger in self- incompatible than in self-compatible species. Furthermore, fitness and genetic variation were positively correlated in self-incompatible species, but independent of each other in self-compatible species. 5 The close relationships between population size, genetic variation and fitness suggest that population size should always be taken into account in multipopulation studies of plant fitness or genetic variation. 6 The observed generality of the positive relationships between population size, plant fitness and genetic diversity implies that the negative effects of habitat fragmentation on plant fitness and genetic variation are common. Moreover, the stronger positive associations observed in self- incompatible species and to some degree in rare species, suggest that these species are most prone to the negative effects of habitat fragmentation},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MaurerWeyandFischeretal.2006,
  author    = {Maurer, Katrin and Weyand, Anne and Fischer, Markus and St{\"o}cklin, J{\"u}rg},
  title     = {Old cultural traditions, in addition to land use and topography, are shaping plant diversity of grasslands in the Alps},
  issn      = {0006-3207},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.biocon.2006.01.005},
  year      = {2006},
  abstract  = {Socio-economically motivated land use changes are a major threat for species diversity of grasslands throughout the world. Here, we comprehensively explore how plant species diversity of grasslands in the species-rich cultural landscape of the Swiss Alps depends on recent land use changes, and, neglected in previous studies, on old cultural traditions. We studied diversity in 216 grassland parcels at three altitudinal levels in 12 villages of three cultural traditions (Romanic, Germanic, and Walser). In valleys of Romanic villages more different parcel types tended to occur than in those of Germanic and Walser villages, suggesting that socio-economic differences among cultural traditions still play a role in shaping landscape diversity. Moreover, at the village level, higher man-made landscape diversity was associated with higher plant species richness. All observed changes in land use reduced the farmers' workload. Plant species richness was lower in fertilized than in unfertilized parcels and in abandoned compared with used parcels. Grazing slightly reduced species richness compared with mowing among unfertilized parcels, while in fertilized parcels it had a positive influence. The highest species diversity was found in mown unfertilized subalpine grasslands. Nevertheless, moderate grazing of former meadows can be a valuable alternative to abandonment. We conclude that the ongoing changes in land use reduce plant species richness within parcels and at the landscape level. To preserve plant species diversity at the landscape level a high diversity of land use types has to be maintained.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerBossdorfGockeletal.2010,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Bossdorf, Oliver and Gockel, Sonja and Haensel, Falk and Hemp, Andreas and Hessenmoeller, Dominik and Korte, Gunnar and Nieschulze, Jens and Pfeiffer, Simone and Prati, Daniel and Renner, Swen and Schoening, Ingo and Schumacher, Uta and Wells, Konstans and Buscot, Francois and Kalko, Elisabeth K. V. and Linsenmair, Karl Eduard and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Weisser, Wolfgang W.},
  title     = {Implementing large-scale and long-term functional biodiversity research : the biodiversity exploratories},
  issn      = {1439-1791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.baae.2010.07.009},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Functional biodiversity research explores drivers and functional consequences of biodiversity changes Land use change is a major driver of changes of biodiversity and of biogeochemical and biological ecosystem processes and services However, land use effects on genetic and species diversity are well documented only for a few taxa and trophic networks We hardly know how different components of biodiversity and their responses to land use change are interrelated and very little about the simultaneous, and interacting, effects of land use on multiple ecosystem processes and services Moreover, we do not know to what extent land use effects on ecosystem processes and services are mediated by biodiversity change Thus, overall goals are on the one hand to understand the effects of land use on biodiversity and on the other to understand the modifying role of biodiversity change for land-use effects on ecosystem processes, including biogeochemical cycles To comprehensively address these Important questions, we recently established a new large-scale and long-term project for functional biodiversity, the Biodiversity Exploratories (www biodiversity-exploratories de) They comprise a hierarchical set of standardized field plots in three different regions of Germany covering manifold management types and intensities in grasslands and forests They serve as a joint research platform for currently 40 projects involving over 300 people studying various aspects of the relationships between land use biodiversity and ecosystem processes through monitoring, comparative observation and experiments We introduce guiding questions, concept and design of the Biodiversity Exploratories - including main aspects of selection and implementation of field plots and project structure - and we discuss the significance of this approach for further functional biodiversity research This includes the crucial relevance of a common study design encompassing variation in both drivers and outcomes of biodiversity change and ecosystem processes, the interdisciplinary integration of biodiversity and ecosystem researchers, the training of a new generation of integrative biodiversity researchers, and the stimulation of functional biodiversity research in real landscape contexts, in Germany and elsewhere.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BochPratiMuelleretal.2013,
  author    = {Boch, Steffen and Prati, Daniel and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie and Baumbach, Henryk and Buscot, Francois and Gockel, Sonja and Hemp, Andreas and Hessenm{\"o}ller, Dominik and Kalko, Elisabeth K. V. and Linsenmair, K. Eduard and Pfeiffer, Simone and Pommer, Ulf and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Seilwinder, Claudia and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Wells, Konstans and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {High plant species richness indicates management-related disturbances rather than the conservation status of forests},
  series = {Basic and applied ecology : Journal of the Gesellschaft f{\"u}r {\"O}kologie},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Basic and applied ecology : Journal of the Gesellschaft f{\"u}r {\"O}kologie},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Jena},
  issn      = {1439-1791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.baae.2013.06.001},
  pages     = {496 -- 505},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {There is a wealth of smaller-scale studies on the effects of forest management on plant diversity. However, studies comparing plant species diversity in forests with different management types and intensity, extending over different regions and forest stages, and including detailed information on site conditions are missing. We studied vascular plants on 1500 20 m x 20 m forest plots in three regions of Germany (Schwabische Alb, Hainich-Dun, Schorfheide-Chorin). In all regions, our study plots comprised different management types (unmanaged, selection cutting, deciduous and coniferous age-class forests, which resulted from clear cutting or shelterwood logging), various stand ages, site conditions, and levels of management-related disturbances. We analyzed how overall richness and richness of different plant functional groups (trees, shrubs, herbs, herbaceous species typically growing in forests and herbaceous light-demanding species) responded to the different management types. On average, plant species richness was 13\% higher in age-class than in unmanaged forests, and did not differ between deciduous age-class and selection forests. In age-class forests of the Schwabische Alb and Hainich-Dun, coniferous stands had higher species richness than deciduous stands. Among age-class forests, older stands with large quantities of standing biomass were slightly poorer in shrub and light-demanding herb species than younger stands. Among deciduous forests, the richness of herbaceous forest species was generally lower in unmanaged than in managed forests, and it was even 20\% lower in unmanaged than in selection forests in Hainich-Dun. Overall, these findings show that disturbances by management generally increase plant species richness. This suggests that total plant species richness is not suited as an indicator for the conservation status of forests, but rather indicates disturbances.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AllanWeisserFischeretal.2013,
  author    = {Allan, Eric and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Fischer, Markus and Schulze, Ernst-Detlef and Weigelt, Alexandra and Roscher, Christiane and Baade, Jussi and Barnard, Romain L. and Bessler, Holger and Buchmann, Nina and Ebeling, Anne and Eisenhauer, Nico and Engels, Christof and Fergus, Alexander J. F. and Gleixner, Gerd and Gubsch, Marlen and Halle, Stefan and Klein, Alexandra Maria and Kertscher, Ilona and Kuu, Annely and Lange, Markus and Le Roux, Xavier and Meyer, Sebastian T. and Migunova, Varvara D. and Milcu, Alexandru and Niklaus, Pascal A. and Oelmann, Yvonne and Pasalic, Esther and Petermann, Jana S. and Poly, Franck and Rottstock, Tanja and Sabais, Alexander C. W. and Scherber, Christoph and Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael and Scheu, Stefan and Steinbeiss, Sibylle and Schwichtenberg, Guido and Temperton, Vicky and Tscharntke, Teja and Voigt, Winfried and Wilcke, Wolfgang and Wirth, Christian and Schmid, Bernhard},
  title     = {A comparison of the strength of biodiversity effects across multiple functions},
  series = {Oecologia},
  volume    = {173},
  journal   = {Oecologia},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {New York},
  issn      = {0029-8549},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00442-012-2589-0},
  pages     = {223 -- 237},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {In order to predict which ecosystem functions are most at risk from biodiversity loss, meta-analyses have generalised results from biodiversity experiments over different sites and ecosystem types. In contrast, comparing the strength of biodiversity effects across a large number of ecosystem processes measured in a single experiment permits more direct comparisons. Here, we present an analysis of 418 separate measures of 38 ecosystem processes. Overall, 45 \% of processes were significantly affected by plant species richness, suggesting that, while diversity affects a large number of processes not all respond to biodiversity. We therefore compared the strength of plant diversity effects between different categories of ecosystem processes, grouping processes according to the year of measurement, their biogeochemical cycle, trophic level and compartment (above- or belowground) and according to whether they were measures of biodiversity or other ecosystem processes, biotic or abiotic and static or dynamic. Overall, and for several individual processes, we found that biodiversity effects became stronger over time. Measures of the carbon cycle were also affected more strongly by plant species richness than were the measures associated with the nitrogen cycle. Further, we found greater plant species richness effects on measures of biodiversity than on other processes. The differential effects of plant diversity on the various types of ecosystem processes indicate that future research and political effort should shift from a general debate about whether biodiversity loss impairs ecosystem functions to focussing on the specific functions of interest and ways to preserve them individually or in combination.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KlausKleinebeckerPratietal.2013,
  author    = {Klaus, Valentin H. and Kleinebecker, Till and Prati, Daniel and Gossner, Martin M. and Alt, Fabian and Boch, Steffen and Gockel, Sonja and Hemp, Andreas and Lange, Markus and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Oelmann, Yvonne and Pasalic, Esther and Renner, Swen C. and Socher, Stephanie A. and T{\"u}rke, Manfred and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Fischer, Markus and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert},
  title     = {Does organic grassland farming benefit plant and arthropod diversity at the expense of yield and soil fertility?},
  series = {Agriculture, ecosystems \& environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere},
  volume    = {177},
  journal   = {Agriculture, ecosystems \& environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0167-8809},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.agee.2013.05.019},
  pages     = {1 -- 9},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Organic management is one of the most popular strategies to reduce negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture. However, little is known about benefits for biodiversity and potential worsening of yield under organic grasslands management across different grassland types, i.e. meadow, pasture and mown pasture. Therefore, we studied the diversity of vascular plants and foliage-living arthropods (Coleoptera, Araneae, Heteroptera, Auchenorrhyncha), yield, fodder quality, soil phosphorus concentrations and land-use intensity of organic and conventional grasslands across three study regions in Germany. Furthermore, all variables were related to the time since conversion to organic management in order to assess temporal developments reaching up to 18 years. Arthropod diversity was significantly higher under organic than conventional management, although this was not the case for Araneae, Heteroptera and Auchenorrhyncha when analyzed separately. On the contrary, arthropod abundance, vascular plant diversity and also yield and fodder quality did not considerably differ between organic and conventional grasslands. Analyses did not reveal differences in the effect of organic management among grassland types. None of the recorded abiotic and biotic parameters showed a significant trend with time since transition to organic management, except soil organic phosphorus concentrations which decreased with time. This implies that permanent grasslands respond slower and probably weaker to organic management than crop fields do. However, as land-use intensity and inorganic soil phosphorus concentrations were significantly lower in organic grasslands, overcoming seed and dispersal limitation by re-introducing plant species might be needed to exploit the full ecological potential of organic grassland management. We conclude that although organic management did not automatically increase the diversity of all studied taxa, it is a reasonable and useful way to support agro-biodiversity.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RaabovaMuenzbergovaFischer2009,
  author    = {Raabov{\´a}, Jana and Muenzbergov{\´a}, Zuzana and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Consequences of near and far between-population crosses for offspring fitness in a rare herb},
  issn      = {1435-8603},
  doi       = {10.1111/j.1438-8677.2008.00186.x},
  year      = {2009},
  abstract  = {Crosses between plants from different populations may result in heterosis or outbreeding depression. However, despite its importance for conservation, little is known about the spatial scale over which these effects may arise. To investigate the consequences of between-population crosses at two distinct spatial scales, we conducted reciprocal crosses between four populations from two regions in the rare perennial herb Aster amellus. We assessed seed set and offspring fitness in a common garden experiment. Overall, between-population crosses within regions (10 km) resulted in 8\% lower seed set than within-population crosses, while between-region crosses (70 km) resulted in 17\% higher seed set than within-population crosses. Moreover, offspring from between-population crosses produced 18\% more flower heads than offspring from within-population crosses. We conclude that hybridisation between A. amellus plants from different populations did not lead to immediate outbreeding depression and, thus, could represent a valid conservation option to increase genetic diversity. Moreover, our results suggest that the distance between populations affects the outputs of between-population crosses and therefore needs to be taken into account when promoting gene flow between populations.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerWinklerSchmid1999,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Winkler, Eckart and Schmid, Bernhard},
  title     = {Modelling the competitiveness of clonal plants by complementary analytical and simulation approaches},
  year      = {1999},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerMatthies1997,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Matthies, D.},
  title     = {Mating structure and inbreeding and outbreeding depression in the rare plant Gentianella germanica (Gentianaceae)},
  year      = {1997},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FischerMatthiesSchmid1997,
  author    = {Fischer, Markus and Matthies, D. and Schmid, Bernhard},
  title     = {Responses of rare calcareous grassland plants to elevated CO2: a field experiment with Gentianella germanica and Gentiana cruciata},
  year      = {1997},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchmidtkeRottstockGaedkeetal.2010,
  author    = {Schmidtke, Andrea and Rottstock, Tanja and Gaedke, Ursula and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Plant community diversity and composition affect individual plant performance},
  issn      = {0029-8549},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00442-010-1688-z},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Effects of plant community diversity on ecosystem processes have recently received major attention. In contrast, effects of species richness and functional richness on individual plant performance, and their magnitude relative to effects of community composition, have been largely neglected. Therefore, we examined height, aboveground biomass, and inflorescence production of individual plants of all species present in 82 large plots of the Jena Experiment, a large grassland biodiversity experiment in Germany. These plots differed in species richness (1-60), functional richness (1-4), and community composition. On average, in more species-rich communities, plant individuals grew taller, but weighed less, were less likely to flower, and had fewer inflorescences. In plots containing legumes, non-legumes were higher and weighed more than in plots without legumes. In plots containing grasses, non-grasses were less likely to flower than in plots without grasses. This indicates that legumes positively and grasses negatively affected the performance of other species. Species richness and functional richness effects differed systematically between functional groups. The magnitude of the increase in plant height with increasing species richness was greatest in grasses and was progressively smaller in legumes, small herbs, and tall herbs. Individual aboveground biomass responses to increasing species richness also differed among functional groups and were positive for legumes, less pronouncedly positive for grasses, negative for small herbs, and more pronouncedly negative for tall herbs. Moreover, these effects of species richness differed strongly between species within these functional groups. We conclude that individual plant performance largely depends on the diversity of the surrounding community, and that the direction and magnitude of the effects of species richness and functional richness differs largely between species. Our study suggests that diversity of the surrounding community needs to be taken into account when interpreting drivers of the performance of individual plants.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KlausHoelzelBochetal.2013,
  author    = {Klaus, Valentin H. and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert and Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, Jorg and Socher, Stephanie A. and Prati, Daniel and Fischer, Markus and Kleinebecker, Till},
  title     = {Direct and indirect associations between plant species richness and productivity in grasslands regional differences preclude simple generalization of productivity-biodiversity relationships},
  series = {Preslia : the journal of the Czech Botanical Society},
  volume    = {85},
  journal   = {Preslia : the journal of the Czech Botanical Society},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Czech Botanical Soc.},
  address   = {Praha},
  issn      = {0032-7786},
  pages     = {97 -- 112},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Plant species richness of permanent grasslands has often been found to be significantly associated with productivity. Concentrations of nutrients in biomass can give further insight into these productivity-plant species richness relationships, e.g. by reflecting land use or soil characteristics. However, the consistency of such relationships across different regions has rarely been taken into account, which might significantly compromise our potential for generalization. We recorded plant species richness and measured above-ground biomass and concentrations of nutrients in biomass in 295 grasslands in three regions in Germany that differ in soil and climatic conditions. Structural equation modelling revealed that nutrient concentrations were mostly indirectly associated with plant species richness via biomass production. However, negative associations between the concentrations of different nutrients and biomass and plant species richness differed considerably among regions. While in two regions, more than 40\% of the variation in plant species richness could be attributed to variation in biomass, K, P. and to some degree also N concentrations, in the third region only 15\% of the variation could be explained in this way. Generally, highest plant species richness was recorded in grasslands where N and P were co-limiting plant growth, in contrast to N or K (co-) limitation. But again, this pattern was not recorded in the third region. While for two regions land-use intensity and especially the application of fertilizers are suggested to be the main drivers causing the observed negative associations with productivity, in the third region the little variance accounted for, low species richness and weak relationships implied that former intensive grassland management, ongoing mineralization of peat and fluctuating water levels in fen grasslands have overruled effects of current land-use intensity and productivity. Finally, we conclude that regional replication is of major importance for studies seeking general insights into productivity-diversity relationships.},
  language  = {en}
}