Conclusion
Information on how species diversity influences biomass production are
vital to support forest management and preserve biodiversity. In this
study, we examined the relationships between AGB and multiple diversity
metrics in mixed species stands. We found that (i) AGB was positively
influenced by species richness; (ii) most important predictors of AGB
were functional evenness and structural diversity; (iii) functional
evenness and structural diversity mediate aboveground biomass positive
response to species richness. Our research therefore underlines the
importance of tree species richness as a primary driver of aboveground
biomass. Functionally or morphologically different species have
different specialized strategies to optimize resources uptake and use.
Altogether, our results suggest that resource-use complementarity, the
ability of different species with functional and structural (tree size
and crown) differentiation to efficiently use the limited resources, is
the main mechanism governing positive diversity-biomass relationship in
mixed species stands. The study further suggests that maintaining high
structural diversity and functional diversity would contribute to
preserve biodiversity and enhance biomass stock.