Ali Hamada E, Al-Wahaibi Ahmed M
Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud 123, Muscat, Oman.
Life Science Unit, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud 123, Muscat, Oman.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 May 20;16:1563585. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1563585. eCollection 2025.
Climate change, including drought, threatens ecosystems across the globe. The current study investigated the effects of species diversity and biochar application on the performance and productivity of five native Omani species under control and drought conditions.
A fully controlled greenhouse experiment was conducted in which five native species of three different diversities (one, two, and four species) were grown under four different treatments: biochar+drought, biochar, drought, and control. Productivity was measured through total biomass and root-to-shoot ratio), while performance was assessed in the form of plant functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area (SLA), and specific root length (SRL). Nutrient availability in the soil was measured using soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN). Soil microbial content was determined using soil microbial biomass "Cmic" and soil microbial basal respiration. Biodiversity effects were analyzed using the complementarity effect (CE), selection effect (SE), and net biodiversity effect (NBE).
The study indicated that high diversity and biochar resulted in: 1. species with 66.6% greater total biomass and a 3% reduction in RSR, 2. enhanced species performance, with plants growing 25% taller, 50% higher SLA, and 25% higher SRL, 3. more fertile soil, with SOC and STN increasing by 40% and 33.3%, respectively, and 4. improved microbial content, with Cmic rising by 15% and basal respiration increasing by one-third under drought conditions compared to monoculture. These results highlight the intricate interactions between climate change and biodiversity, which are crucial for predicting the impact of changes in functional composition on ecosystem processes and, subsequently, for restoring arid ecosystems in Oman.
气候变化，包括干旱，正威胁着全球的生态系统。当前的研究调查了物种多样性和生物炭施用对五种阿曼本土物种在对照和干旱条件下的性能和生产力的影响。
进行了一项完全受控的温室实验，其中三种不同多样性（一种、两种和四种物种）的五种本土物种在四种不同处理下生长：生物炭+干旱、生物炭、干旱和对照。通过总生物量和根冠比来衡量生产力，而性能则以植物功能性状（株高、比叶面积（SLA）和比根长（SRL））的形式进行评估。使用土壤有机碳（SOC）和土壤总氮（STN）来测量土壤中的养分有效性。使用土壤微生物生物量“Cmic”和土壤微生物基础呼吸来确定土壤微生物含量。使用互补效应（CE）、选择效应（SE）和净生物多样性效应（NBE）来分析生物多样性效应。
研究表明，高多样性和生物炭导致了以下结果：1. 物种的总生物量增加66.6%，根冠比降低3%；2. 物种性能增强，植株高度增加25%，比叶面积增加50%，比根长增加25%；3. 土壤肥力提高，土壤有机碳和土壤总氮分别增加40%和33.3%；4. 微生物含量改善，与单作相比，干旱条件下土壤微生物生物量碳增加15%，基础呼吸增加三分之一。这些结果突出了气候变化与生物多样性之间复杂的相互作用，这对于预测功能组成变化对生态系统过程的影响至关重要，进而对于恢复阿曼的干旱生态系统也至关重要。
