Coupled Above- and Belowground Ecosystem Stability Worldwide

Upholding stable terrestrial ecosystems is integral to supporting climate regulation and planetary security. Yet, while aboveground ecosystem stability is widely described, global-scale patterns in belowground ecosystem stability and how it connects to aboveground stability remain virtually unknown. Here, we assembled a global dataset including high-resolution information on annual estimates of soil respiration from 4,544 communities and associated aboveground ecosystem productivity over the past four decades (1985-2018). We found that ecosystems with greater stability in aboveground productivity had greater long-term stability in soil respiration, with a positive and significant connection between above- and belowground stability being especially strong in arid environments. Stable temperatures played a crucial role in reinforcing the stability and coupling of above- and belowground ecosystems. Our work provides new evidence of, and insights into, the local to global connections of stability of above- and belowground biological activity, and identifies a fundamental role of temperature stability in maintaining this stability under a changing climate.