Introduction to Diversity-Interactions models
Welcome to the Diversity-Interactions (DI) models website. Here you will find out all the latest news and research developments related to DI models. You will also find training resources and guides to fitting and interpreting DI models.
What is a Diversity-Interactions model?In biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) studies, usually there are a range of communities varying in species diversity. For example, selecting from a pool of species, the communities may vary in:
- the number of species,
- the identities of the species, and
- the proportions of each species
In a BEF experiment, usually these species diversity variables are manipulated across all experimental units and an ecosystem function is recorded at a later point in time. Models of the BEF relationship assess how species diversity affects an ecosystem function, but should account for all of these variations in species diversity, not just a subset of them. This is what Diversity-Interactions models will do!
DI models jointly assess the effects of species richness, composition and evenness on an ecosystem function in a regression modelling framework.
