Richard Strittmatter

ENVL-2205-001

April 25th, 2020

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function

Introduction:

Biodiversity is defined as the total amount of different species in the world as well as the

genetic diversity within those species. The actions that promote the well-being of an ecosystem

are categorized as different services such as provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting

services. Biodiversity alters and often improves these services and promotes the well-being of an

ecosystem. Promoting biodiversity in an ecosystem can lead to important benefits (Duffy, 2009).

Well-being can be considered an ecosystem’s ability to cycle nutrients, energy, and other organic

matter through its trophic levels without hindrance. Soil biodiversity plays a crucial role in the

processes that drive the services mentioned (Barrett-Mold, 2010). This is because having a range

of soils, as well as organisms adapted to those soils, encourages resilience to disturbances

allowing them to recover more quickly. Furthermore, having various species that each respond

differently to disturbances can help stabilize ecosystem functions (Hooper et al., 2005). An

example of this phenomena would take place if one species disappeared from an ecosystem.

Possessing other species that fill the same role, who are resistant to the cause(s) of the

disappearance, would ensure that the ecosystem doesn’t collapse.

 Biodiversity is important in croplands because it can increase the yield of the crops

through genetic diversity and pest control. Genetic diversity phases out the genes that make

plants susceptible to diseases while intercropping utilizes some plants as natural repellants. Crop

rotations and intercropping can make crops more resilient to pests and diseases while conserving

their harvest (Diaz et al., 2005). However, we limit the amount of biodiversity that is in

croplands to the species of crops that grow the fastest and produce the most. With our current

agricultural systems, croplands benefit from a controlled amount of biodiversity.

In this experiment I tested the hypothesis that a mixture of crops planted together will

exhibit better growth than a monoculture. Specifically, I predicted that planting mustard, lima

beans, and sunflowers together would facilitate better growth for them compared to a

monoculture of each plant. To test this prediction, we conducted an experiment in which we

planted a monoculture of each species along with a mixture of the three species. At the end of the

experiment my Professor measured the dry mass of the plants after we let them grow for two

months.

Methods:

The species of plants we used in the experiment were mustard (Brassicaceae nigra),

sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus). Mustard grows best in soil

that’s well-drained and has a pH of at least 6.0. It prefers cool climates with constant moisture

(Zotta, L. A., 2009). The location that mustard originated from is difficult to determine. It was

used as a spice in ancient Egyptian and Greek cultures, and was a common crop during

Hellenistic and Roman times. However, it may have been used or cultivated even earlier as seeds
dating back to the Bronze Age and to 5000 B.C.E. were found in Switzerland and Northwestern

China respectively (Newworldencyclopedia, 2008). Sunflowers are native to North America.

They grow best in areas that receive ample sunlight (six to eight hours per day) and are

nutrient-rich. Sunflowers also prefer soil that is loose, drains well, and has a pH of 6-7.5

(Boeckmann). Lima beans are native to Peru and grow best in climates of 60-70 degrees

Fahrenheit. They thrive in sunny areas with well-drained soil that has a pH 6.0-6.8. It is

recommended that they are grown in soil without much nitrogen (Carberry et al., 2020).

For this experiment several others and I created four different treatments, three

monocultures of each seed, and three mixtures of the seeds. We created three replicates for each

treatment for a total of twelve replicates across every treatment. In each replicate of the

monocultures, we planted one seed one inch down in the center of the planter. In the mixtures,

we planted the seeds at the same depth in a triangle formation with lima beans at the top,

sunflowers in the bottom right corner, and mustard in the bottom left corner. The planters had an

opening of four square inches and a three inch depth. After four weeks we transferred the plants

into round plastic containers with a ten-inch opening and five-inch depth as well as round plastic

containers with a two-inch opening and ten-inch depth.

We used ProMix Mycorrhizal soil and our Professor ordered the seeds from Carolina

Biological Supply. He watered the plants twice per week starting in late January continuing into

late March. During the winter months we kept the plants in a greenhouse at 71.5 degrees

Fahrenheit or 21.94 degrees Celsius. On March 27th he removed the roots and shoots of the

plants from their containers and placed them in a drying oven to obtain their dry mass.
Results

Individual lima bean plants obtained less mass in a monoculture than they did in a mixture

(F=7.71, P= 1.31x10^-3).

We found no significant difference in the mass of mustard seeds grown in mixture and

monoculture (F=5.98, P=2.24x10^-1).

Individual sunflowers obtained less mass in a monoculture than in a mixture (F=5.98,

P=1.60x10^-3).

Discussion

The results of the experiment partially supported my hypothesis that plants would grow

better in a mixture than in a monoculture. This is reflected in figure one where lima beans

obtained an average mass of 4.89g in the mixture whereas they obtained an average mass of

2.43g in the monoculture. Sunflowers obtained an average mass of 2.47g in the mixture and an

average mass of 0.419g in the monoculture. The results of the mustard plants disproved my

hypothesis. The average mass of mustard grown in the mixture was 0.461g compared to 0.270g

in the monoculture. This was determined to not be significantly different.

Mustard may not have exhibited a significant difference in growth between the two

treatments because of its preference for constant moisture in the soil. In the mixture the mustard
plant had to compete for water against two different species of plants that both preferred well

drained soil. This means that the lima bean and sunflower plants could better hold water in their

roots than mustard could. In the monoculture the mustard plant would not have had the same

competition for water. The efficiency of which the plants could take in nutrients may have also

contributed to the results. Since the monoculture was composed of similar individuals, it is likely

that they had the same relative efficiency of acquiring nutrients. In the mixture the mustard plant

may have faced greater competition for nutrients as the lima bean and sunflower could have been

better at acquiring them than the mustard.

I do not believe that changing the temperature of the greenhouse would have greatly

affected the outcome of the experiment, if at all, if the same plants were used. Since both

treatments were kept at the same temperature, the mustard in both would have likely experienced

the same amounts of moisture loss. The same could be assumed if the temperature were

increased or decreased. It is possible that changing the soil could have altered the experiment.

Changing it to a soil that had a different amount of nutrients could have let the mustard obtain

what it needed to grow properly. Consequently, there could have also been less nutrients

available for the sunflower and lima beans if this were performed.

Changing just one or all three plants in the composition would have likely altered the

results of the experiment. The plants used all had at least some differences in their preference of

soil type, moisture level, temperature, sun exposure, and nutrient availability. They also could

have varying synergies with each other depending on the composition. Following the results of
this experiment, it is likely that we chose a plant that did not work as efficiently with lima beans

and sunflowers as another plant.

Citations:

· Barrett-Mold, H. (2010). Biodiversity. The Horticulturist, 19(3), 2-5. doi:10.2307/45197937,

March 18, 2020.

· Boeckmann, C. (n.d.). Sunflowers. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from

https://www.almanac.com/plant/sunflowers#

· Carberry, A. (2020, January 8). How to Grow Lima Beans. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from

https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Lima-Beans

· Dıaz, S., Tilman, D., Fargione, J., Chapin III, F. S., Dirzo, R., & Ktzberber, T. (2005).

Biodiversity regulation of ecosystem services. Trends and conditions, 279-329, March 19, 2020.

· Duffy, J. E. (2009). Why biodiversity is important to the functioning of real‐world

ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 7(8), 437-444, March 19, 2020.

· Hooper, D., Chapin, F., Ewel, J., Hector, A., Inchausti, P., Lavorel, S., . . . Wardle, D. (2005).

Effects of Biodiversity on Ecosystem Functioning: A Consensus of Current Knowledge.

Ecological Monographs, 75(1), 3-35. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from

www.jstor.org/stable/4539083

· Mustard. (2008, August 20). New World Encyclopedia, . Retrieved 23:53, March 22, 2020

from //www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Mustard&oldid=787330.
Zotta, L. A. (2009, January 23). How to Grow Mustard. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from

https://www.finegardening.com/article/how-to-grow-mustard