Effects of species richness and turnover on ecosystem functioning in heterogeneous environments of two tropical mountains

Aim
Progress has been made in understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) in both experimental and real-world ecosystems. Yet, we have a limited understanding of the extent to which biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning in heterogeneous environments and whether variation in ecosystem functioning between communities is related to variation in species richness or turnover. Here, we quantify the relative contribution of variation in species richness and species turnover to variation in ecosystem functioning between communities (i.e., the diversity effect) along two tropical elevational gradients.
Location
Andes (Ecuador) and Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania).
Taxa studied
Woody plants, springtails, soil arthropods, ants, and frugivorous birds.
Methods
We collected data on seven ecosystem functions, including biomass and process rates, across six ecosystem types along the two elevational gradients. We then combine the ecological Price equation with the ..., Methods: Study area
The Ecuadorian Andes have been formed by tectonic activity whereby the subduction of the Pacific plate under the continental plate uplifted the mountain cahin with its origin in the early Miocene or earlier (Evenstar et al. 2015).
In the Ecuadorian Andes, the data was collected at three sites in southern Ecuador located in and next to the Podocarpus National Park (PNP) (Beck et al., 2019, Bendix et al. 2021). Here, the annual mean temperature ranges between 19°C and 13°C (Richter 2003; Bendix et al. 2006). The study sites experience a tropical humid climate with annual precipitation ranging from approximately 2,300 mm at 1,850 m a.s.l. to over 6,000 mm at 3,100 m a.s.l (Bendix et al. 2006). The wet season, which is exceptionally moist, occurs from April to July, while a period with less precipitation extends from September to December. The central research station is located in the valley of Rio San Francisco (Estación Científica San Francisco; Lat. 3°58’18’’ S (-3.9..., , # Effects of species richness and turnover on ecosystem functioning in heterogeneous environments of two tropical mountains

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.fqz612k2j](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fqz612k2j)

## Description of the data and file structure

***The following environmental variables were assessed:***

* Soil variables:  Soil organic carbon (g/kg soil), Soil C:N ratio (no unit), Soil N:P ratio (no unit)
* Climate variables: average monthly temperature (°C) and monthly mean precipitation (mm)

***The following ecosystem functions were assessed:***

* biomass stock of springtails (g), oribatid mites (g), ants (g), birds (g), and woody plants (mg/ha in Tanzania; m2/ha in Ecuador)
* process rates: seed dispersal by birds (interaction frequency per 25h), resource use by ants (proportion of baits used per 2h) , and litter decomposition by mocroorganisms (mites and springtails; decomposition rate per day)

For all datasets: NA values indicate that values are not available.

### Files ...,