title: Comment on "Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness".
abstract: Fraser et al. (Reports, 17 July 2015, p. 302) report a unimodal relationship between productivity and species richness at regional and global scales, which they contrast with the results of Adler et al. (Reports, 23 September 2011, p. 1750). However, both data sets, when analyzed correctly, show clearly and consistently that productivity is a poor predictor of local species richness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main, Logan, UT 84322, USA. atredenn@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Andrew T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Tredennick
authors.affiliation: Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 700 Cajundome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70506, USA.
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: W Stanley
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Harpole
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Borer
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Seabloom
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Box 7325 Reynolda Station, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA.
authors.forename: T Michael
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, 3501 NE 41st Street, Box 354115, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.affiliation: Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
authors.forename: Lori A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Biederman
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, 307 University Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Zoology, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Yvonne M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Xingang Xi Road 135, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
authors.forename: Chengjin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
authors.forename: Scott L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Crawley
authors.affiliation: Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, TX 76502, USA.
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
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authors.affiliation: School of Earth, Environmental and Biological 42 Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Gardens Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 4001.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Firn
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Sciences, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gruner
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 1 Carbis Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201, South Africa.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hagenah
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity group, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hautier
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hector
authors.affiliation: Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382 Wihlhemshaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hillebrand
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 1 Carbis Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201, South Africa.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kirkman
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 211 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
authors.forename: Johannes M H
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authors.lastname: Knops
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Doane College, 1014 Boswell Avenue, Crete, NE 68333, USA.
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laungani
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: MacDougall
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Kentucky, N-222D Ag Science North, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: McCulley
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3280, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Joslin L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora 3086, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Orrock
authors.affiliation: Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Water, Southern Patagonia National University-INTA-CONICET, CC 332 (CP 9400), Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina.
authors.forename: Pablo L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Peri
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Land and Water, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia.
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Prober
authors.affiliation: Community Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anita C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Risch
authors.affiliation: Community Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schütz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNCO), Quintral 1250, Bariloche (8400), Rio Negro, Argentina.
authors.forename: Karina L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Speziale
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, 90 South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150.
authors.forename: Rachel J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Standish
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building, A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Glenda M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Wardle
authors.affiliation: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Louie H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D065948:Grassland; D063245:Plant Development