Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any issues.

loading page

Effects of climate variability and soil environment on plant diversity drive ecosystem stability in intact natural forests
  • +10
  • Anchi Wu,
  • Guoyi Zhou,
  • Yann Hautier,
  • Honglin He,
  • Xuli Tang,
  • Juxiu Liu,
  • Qianmei Zhang,
  • Silong Wang,
  • Anzhi Wang,
  • Luxiang Lin,
  • Yi-Ping Zhang,
  • Zong-Qiang Xie,
  • Ruiying Chang
Anchi Wu
South China Botanical Garden
Author Profile
Guoyi Zhou
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Yann Hautier
Universiteit Utrecht
Author Profile
Honglin He
Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institution of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, University of Chinese Academy of Science
Author Profile
Xuli Tang
South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Juxiu Liu
South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Qianmei Zhang
South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Silong Wang
Institution of Applied Soil Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Anzhi Wang
Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Luxiang Lin
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Yi-Ping Zhang
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Zong-Qiang Xie
State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Ruiying Chang
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile

Abstract

A substantial body of evidence sustains that biodiversity enhances ecological stability in changing environments, but the underlying mechanisms in intact natural forest ecosystems remain unresolved. Using data from seven permanent plots, we test the influence and driving factors of plant diversity on stability and variability of diameter at breast height (DBH). We show that species richness under different soils and climate variability indirectly increases stability by species asynchrony rather than a direct influence. Beta diversity (plant species composition dissimilarities over time) has a strong positive effect on stability and soils indirectly increase stability by beta diversity. Soils and climate variability cause a larger effect on variation in standard deviation of DBH by species richness, beta diversity and species asynchrony relative to mean DBH. The study provides a new insight into how plant species diversity affects the process of ecosystem stability under various soil conditions and climatic variability.