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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 10, 2025

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

Temporal complexity of terrestrial ecosystem functioning and its drivers.

Marcos Fernández-Martínez¹, Ivan A Janssens², Michael Obersteiner^3,4

¹CREAF, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain. m.fernandez@creaf.uab.cat.

Nature Communications

|August 19, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Ecosystem carbon fluxes exhibit complex dynamics, influenced by weather and increasing over time. This complexity enhances ecosystem stability and responsiveness, offering insights beyond traditional measurements.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Non-linear Dynamics
Ecosystem Functioning

Background:

Non-linear dynamics theory reveals complexity in natural systems.
Ecosystem-level energy and matter flux dynamics remain poorly understood.
Previous studies highlight non-linear dynamics in various taxa populations.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate drivers and trends in temporal complexity of ecosystem functioning.
Analyze carbon fluxes (GPP, respiration, NEP) across diverse biomes.
Determine if ecosystem fluxes exhibit non-linear dynamics and their complexity.

Main Methods:

Calculated correlation dimension for Gross Primary Production (GPP), ecosystem respiration, and Net Ecosystem Production.
Utilized long-term eddy-covariance C flux data from 57 terrestrial ecosystems.
Analyzed data from boreal, temperate, and Mediterranean biomes.

Main Results:

Ecosystems with complex weather patterns show more complex carbon fluxes.
Larger carbon fluxes generally increase temporal complexity.
Increased flux complexity correlates with reduced interannual variability, indicating higher resistance to perturbations.
Observed a positive trend in GPP complexity over time, linked to increasing GPP.

Conclusions:

Short-term temporal complexity of ecosystem functioning reveals properties missed by longer timescales.
Increasing GPP complexity suggests heightened ecosystem responsiveness.
The underlying biological mechanisms for observed trends require further investigation.