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Updated: May 31, 2026
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JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning
Published on: March 21, 2025
Mechanistic links between coexistence, productivity, and stability in experimental grasslands
Pubin Hong1, Bernhard Schmid1, Dylan Craven2,3
1State Key Laboratory of Vegetation Structure, Function and Construction (VegLab), Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Summary
Conserving diverse ecosystems is crucial. Diverse plant communities enhance coexistence, productivity, and stability by linking biodiversity maintenance to ecosystem functioning.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Biodiversity Research
Background:
- Biodiversity loss is a critical global issue.
- Understanding the link between biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem functioning is essential.
- Previous research on species coexistence and ecosystem function has been fragmented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a unified framework linking biodiversity maintenance mechanisms to ecosystem functional consequences.
- To quantify "coexistence potential" and its relationship with ecosystem productivity and stability.
- To investigate the mechanistic explanations for these relationships based on community composition.
Main Methods:
- Utilized long-term data from five grassland biodiversity experiments.
- Quantified "coexistence potential" by comparing niche and fitness differences.
- Assessed biodiversity effects on ecosystem productivity (complementarity, selection effects) and stability (species asynchrony, species stability).
Main Results:
- Positive relationships were observed within the coexistence-productivity-stability triad.
- Phylogenetic and trait composition mechanistically explained these patterns.
- Higher phylogenetic and functional diversity supported greater coexistence potential and productivity.
- Communities with species exhibiting strong root-mycorrhizal collaboration and larger seeds showed enhanced productivity and stability.
Conclusions:
- Integrative empirical evidence links biodiversity maintenance to ecosystem functioning.
- Conserving phylogenetically and functionally diverse communities is key to sustaining biodiverse, productive, and stable ecosystems.
- The inclusion of collaborative species further enhances ecosystem productivity and stability.
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