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Plant and soil biodiversity have non-substitutable stabilizing effects on biomass production
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  • Gaowen Yang,
  • Masahiro Ryo,
  • Julien Roy,
  • Stefan Hempel,
  • Matthias Rillig
Gaowen Yang
Freie Universität Berlin

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Masahiro Ryo
Freie Universität Berlin
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Julien Roy
Freie Universität Berlin
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Stefan Hempel
Freie Universität Berlin
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Matthias Rillig
Freie Universitaet Berlin
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Abstract

The stability of plant biomass production in the face of environmental change is fundamental for maintaining terrestrial ecosystem functioning, as plant biomass is the ultimate source of energy for nearly all life forms. However, most studies have focused on the stabilizing effect of plant diversity, neglecting the effect of soil biodiversity, the largest reservoirs of biodiversity on Earth. Here we investigated the effects of plant and soil biodiversity on the temporal stability of biomass production under varying simulated precipitation in grassland microcosms. Soil biodiversity loss reduced temporal stability by suppressing asynchronous responses of plant functional groups. Greater plant diversity, especially in terms of functional diversity, promoted temporal stability, but this effect was independent of soil biodiversity loss. Moreover, multitrophic biodiversity, plant and soil biodiversity combined, was positively associated with temporal stability. Our study highlights the importance of maintaining the biodiversity of multiple trophic levels for sustainable biomass production.
05 Jan 2021Submitted to Ecology Letters
06 Jan 2021Submission Checks Completed
06 Jan 2021Assigned to Editor
12 Jan 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
21 Feb 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
23 Feb 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Major
02 Mar 20211st Revision Received
03 Mar 2021Submission Checks Completed
03 Mar 2021Assigned to Editor
04 Mar 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
30 Mar 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 Mar 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
01 Apr 20212nd Revision Received
01 Apr 2021Submission Checks Completed
01 Apr 2021Assigned to Editor
02 Apr 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
05 Apr 2021Editorial Decision: Accept