Critical role of multidimensional biodiversity in contributing to ecosystem sustainability under global change

The 21st century has seen an acceleration of global change,including climate change,elevated carbon dioxide,nitrogen deposition,and land-use intensification,which poses a significant threat to ecosystem functioning.Nev-ertheless,studies on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning(BEF)have consistently demonstrated that biodiversity enhances ecosystem functioning and its stability,even in variable environmental conditions.These findings potentially indicate the critical role of biodiversity in promoting sustainable provi-sioning of ecosystem functioning under global change.Our paper provides a comprehensive review of current BEF research and the response of BEF to multiple global change factors.We demonstrate that(1)assessing the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning requires consideration of multiple dimensions of diversity,such as diversity across multiple trophic levels(plants,animals,and microbes),multiple facets(taxonomy,functional traits,and phylogeny),and multiple spatial scales(local,regional,and landscape scales).(2)The interaction of multiple global change factors may lead to a greater reduction in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning than a single global change factor.(3)Multidimensional biodiversity regulates the response of ecosystem functioning to global change factors,indicating that high levels of multidimensional biodiversity can mitigate the negative impacts of global change on ecosystem functioning.Overall,we emphasize that recognizing the importance of multidimensional biodiversity is critical for sustaining ecosystem functioning.Therefore,prioritizing conserva-tion efforts to maintain and enhance all dimensions of biodiversity is essential to address the challenges of future global change.

Different responses of soil respiration and its components to nitrogen and phosphorus addition in a subtropical secondary forest

Background:Nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)deposition have largely affected soil respiration(Rs)in forest ecosystems.However,few studies have explored how N and P individually or in combination to influence Rs and its components(autotrophic respiration,Ra;heterotrophic respiration,Rh),especially in highly P-limited subtropical forests.To address this question,we conducted a field manipulation experiment with N and/or P addition in a 50-year-old subtropical secondary forest.Results:We found that N addition on average reduced Rs,Ra,and Rh by 15.2%,15%,and 11.7%,respectively during 2-year field study.P addition had an inconsistent effect on Ra,with Ra increasing by 50.5%in the first year but reducing by 26.6%in the second year.Moreover,P addition on average decreased Rh by 8.9%–30.9%and Rs by 6.7%–15.6%across 2 years.In contrast,N and P co-addition on average increased Rs,Ra,and Rh by 1.9%,7.9%,and 2.1%during the experimental period.Though Rs and Rh were significantly correlated with soil temperature,their temperature sensitivities were not significantly changed by fertilization.Ra was predominantly regulated by soil nitrogen availability(NH4+and NO3−),soil dissolved organic carbon(DOC),and enzyme activities,while the variation in Rh was mainly attributable to changes in soil microbial community composition and soilβ-D-Cellubiosidase(CB)andβ-Xylosidase(XYL)activities.Conclusion:Our findings highlight the contrasting responses of Rs and its components to N or P addition against N and P co-addition,which should be differentially considered in biogeochemical models in order to improve prediction of forest carbon dynamics in the context of N and P enrichment in terrestrial ecosystems.

Moving toward a new era of ecosystem science

Ecosystem is a fundamental organizational unit of the biosphere in which biological communities interact with their non-biological environment through energy flows and material cycles.Ecosystem science is the study of patterns,processes,and services of ecosystems.Since the 1990s,rising concerns regarding global climate change,biodiversity loss,ecosystem degradation,and sustainability of the human-dominated biosphere have stimulated the growth of ecosystem science,which is expected to provide systematic solutions to many of these major issues facing human societies.This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current progress in ecosystem science and identifies some key research challenges facing this discipline.We demonstrate that a key feature of the current progress in ecosystem science is its evolution from primarily theoretical explorations toward more systematic,integrative and application-oriented studies.Specifically,five major changes in the discipline over the past several decades can be identified.These include:(1)the expansion of the primary goal from understanding nature to include human activities;(2)the broadening of the research focus from single ecosystem types to macro-ecosystems comprising multiple regional ecosystems;(3)the shifting of research methods from small-scale observations and experiments to large-scale observations,network experiments,and model simulations;(4)the increasing attention to comprehensive integration of ecosystem components,processes,and scales;and(5)the shifting from a primarily biology-oriented focus to an integrated multi-disciplinary scientific field.While ecosystem science still faces many challenges in the future,these directional changes,along with the rapidly enriched research tools and data acquisition capabilities,lay a promising ground for the discipline’s future as a fundamental scientific basis for solving many environmental challenges facing human societies.

Dynamic carbon-nitrogen coupling under global change

Carbon-nitrogen coupling is a fundamental principle in ecosystem ecology.However,how the coupling responds to global change has not yet been examined.Through a comprehensive and systematic literature review,we assessed how the dynamics of carbon processes change with increasing nitrogen input and how nitrogen processes change with increasing carbon input under global change.Our review shows that nitrogen input to the ecosystem mostly stimulates plant primary productivity but inconsistently decreases microbial activities or increases soil carbon sequestration,with nitrogen leaching and nitrogenous gas emission rapidly increasing.Nitrogen fixation increases and nitrogen leaching decreases to improve soil nitrogen availability and support plant growth and ecosystem carbon sequestration under elevated CO_(2)and temperature or along ecosystem succession.We conclude that soil nitrogen cycle processes continually adjust to change in response to either overload under nitrogen addition or deficiency under CO_(2)enrichment and ecosystem succession to couple with carbon cycling.Indeed,processes of both carbon and nitrogen cycles continually adjust under global change,leading to dynamic coupling in carbon and nitrogen cycles.The dynamic coupling framework reconciles previous debates on the“uncoupling”or“decoupling”of ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycles under global change.Ecosystem models failing to simulate these dynamic adjustments cannot simulate carbonnitrogen coupling nor predict ecosystem carbon sequestration well.

Seed nutrient is more stable than leaf in response to changing multiple resources in an alpine meadow

Background It has been long thought that nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)concentrations and their ratios(N:P)in metabolically active or functional organs(i.e.,leaves)are less responsive to environmental changes.Little attention,however,has been paid to the reproductive organs-seeds,while seeds may maintain their nutrients more stable for the evolutionary fitness of next generation.Methods Here,we conducted a field experiment of N,P addition and drought in an alpine meadow,aiming to compare the difference of leaf and seed nutrients and stoichiometric ratios in response to these resource treatments and their interactions.Four dominant species were selected among grass and forb functional groups,including Elymus nutans,Deschampsia caespitosa,Artemisia roxburghiana and Polygonum viviparum.Results Under natural conditions,leaf N and P concentrations were consistently lower than seed among species.However,leaf nutrients were much more sensitive than seed nutrients to N and P addition.Specifically,N or P addition accordingly increased leaf N or P concentration by 22.20-44.24%and 85.54-93.61%,while only enhanced seed N or P concentration by 5.15-17.20%and 15.17-32.72%,respectively.Leaf N or P concentration was significantly reduced by P or N addition,but seed nutrients remained unchanged.In contrast,drought did not change both organ nutrients.Similarly,nutrient addition and drought had synergistic interactions on leaf nutrients,but not on seed nutrients.Conclusions This study highlights that seed nutrient concentrations could be more stable than metabolically active leaf organ when facing multidimensional resource changes.This complements the traditional view on the‘Stable Leaf Nutrient Hypothesis’with the involvement of reproductive organs.The less responsiveness of seed nutrients suggests the adaptive strategy to ensure the success of next generations and long-term plant demographic stability.

Terrestrial carbon sinks in China and around the world and their contribution to carbon neutrality

Enhancing the terrestrial ecosystem carbon sink(referred to as terrestrial C sink) is an important way to slow down the continuous increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) concentration and to achieve carbon neutrality target.To better understand the characteristics of terrestrial C sinks and their contribution to carbon neutrality,this review summarizes major progress in terrestrial C budget researches during the past decades,clarifies spatial patterns and drivers of terrestrial C sources and sinks in China and around the world,and examines the role of terrestrial C sinks in achieving carbon neutrality target.According to recent studies,the global terrestrial C sink has been increasing from a source of (-0.2±0.9) Pg C yr^(-1)(1 Pg=1015g)in the 1960s to a sink of (1.9±1.1) Pg C yr^(-1) in the 2010s.By synthesizing the published data,we estimate terrestrial C sink of 0.20–0.25 Pg C yr^(-1) in China during the past decades,and predict it to be 0.15–0.52 Pg C yr^(-1) by 2060.The terrestrial C sinks are mainly located in the mid-and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere,while tropical regions act as a weak C sink or source.The C balance differs much among ecosystem types:forest is the major C sink;shrubland,wetland and farmland soil act as C sinks;and whether the grassland functions as C sink or source remains unclear.Desert might be a C sink,but the magnitude and the associated mechanisms are still controversial.Elevated atmospheric CO_(2) concentration,nitrogen deposition,climate change,and land cover change are the main drivers of terrestrial C sinks,while other factors such as fires and aerosols would also affect ecosystem C balance.The driving factors of terrestrial C sink differ among regions.Elevated CO_(2) concentration and climate change are major drivers of the C sinks in North America and Europe,while afforestation and ecological restoration are additionally important forcing factors of terrestrial C sinks in China.For future studies,we recommend the necessity for intensive and long-term ecosystem C monitoring over broad geographic scale to improve terrestrial biosphere models for accurately evaluating terrestrial C budget and its dynamics under various climate change and policy scenarios.

Warming changes plant competitive hierarchy in a temperate steppe in northern China

Aims Quantifying changes in plant growth and interspecific interactions,both of which can alter dominance of plant species,will facilitate explanation and projection of the shifts in species composition and community structure in terrestrial biomes expected under global warming.We used an experimental warming treatment to examine the potential influence of global warming on plant growth and interspecific interactions in a temperate steppe in northern China.Materials and methods Six dominant plant species were grown in monoculture and all 15 two-species mixtures for one growing season under ambient and elevated temperatures in the field.Temperature was manipulated with infrared radiators.Important findings Total biomass of all the six plant species was increased by 34–63%in monocultures and 20–76%in mixtures.The magnitude of the warming effect on biomass was modified by plant interactions.Experimental warming changed the hierarchies of both competitive response and competitive effect.The competitive ability(in terms of response and effect)of one C4 grass(Pennisetum centrasiaticum)was suppressed,while the competitive abilities of one C3 forb(Artemisia capillaris)and one C3 grass(Stipa krylovii)were enhanced by experimental warming.The demonstrated alterations in growth and plant interactions may lead to changes in community structure and biodiversity in the temperate steppe in a warmer world in the future.

Species-specific Response of Photosynthesis to Burning and Nitrogen Fertilization

The present study was conducted to examine photosynthetic characteristics of three dominant grass species （Agropyron cristatum, Leymus chinensis, and Cleistogenes squarrosa） and their responses to burning and nitrogen fertilization in a semiarid grassland in northern China. Photosynthetic rate （Pn）, stomatal conductance （gs）, and water use efficiency （WUE） showed strong temporal variability over the growing season. C. squarrosa showed a significantly higher Pn and WUE than A. cristatum and L. chinensis. Burning stimulated Pn of A. cristatum and L. chinensis by 24-59% （P 〈 0.05） in the early growing season, but not during other time periods. Light-saturated photosynthetic rate （Pmax） in A. cristatum and the maximum apparent quantum yield （Фmax） in A. cristatum and L. chinensis were significantly enhanced by burning （16-67%） in both the fertilized and unfertilized plots. The main effect of burning on Pn, Pmax and Фmax was not significant in C. squarrosa. The burning-induced changes in soil moisture could explain 51% （P= 0.01） of the burning-induced changes in Pn of the three species. All three species showed positive responses to N fertilization in terms of Pn, Pmax, and Фmax. The stimulation of Pn under N fertilization was mainly observed in the early growing season when the soil extractable N content was significantly higher in the fertilized plots. The N fertilization-induced changes in soil extractable N content could explain 66% （P = 0.001） of the changes in Pn under N fertilization. The photosynthetic responses of the three species indicate that burning and N fertilization will potentially change the community structure and ecosystem productivity in the semiarid grasslands of northern China.

Precipitation regulates plant gas exchange and its long-term response to climate change in a temperate grassland

Aims Climate change largely impacts ecosystem carbon and water cycles by changing plant gas exchange,which may further cause positive or negative feedback to global climate change.However,long-term global change manipulative experiments are seldom conducted to reveal plant ecophysiological responses to climatic warming and altered precipitation regimes.Methods An 8-year field experiment with both warming and increased precipitation was conducted in a temperate grassland in northern China.We measured leaf gas exchange rates(including plant photosynthesis,transpiration and instantaneous water use efficiency[WUE])of two dominant plant species(Stipa sareptana var.krylovii and Agropyron cristatum)from 2005 to 2012(except 2006 and 2010)and those of other six species from 2011 to 2012.Important Findings Increased precipitation significantly stimulated plant photosynthetic rates(A)by 29.5%and 19.9%and transpiration rates(E)by 42.2%and 51.2%for both dominant species S.sareptana var.krylovii and A.cristatum,respectively,across the 8 years.Similarly,A and E of the six plant functional types were all stimulated by increased precipitation in 2011 and 2012.As the balance of A and E,the instantaneous WUEs of different plant species had species-specific responses to increased precipitation.In contrast,neither warming nor its interaction with increased precipitation significantly affected plant leaf gas exchange rates.Furthermore,A and E of the two dominant species and their response magnitudes to water treatments positively correlated with rainfall amount in July across years.We did not find any significant difference between the short-term versus long-term responses of plant photosynthesis,suggesting the flexibility of leaf gas exchange under climate change.The results suggest that changing precipitation rather than global warming plays a prominent role in determining production of this grassland in the context of climate change.

Integrative ecology in the era of big data——From observation to prediction

Most ecological and environmental issues faced by human society can only be solved at the ecosystem,watershed,regional and even global scale.Thus,ecological research is developing rapidly towards macro-scale studies.With the rapid development of observational networks and information technology,the spaceborne-aircraft-ground based observation system is becoming an important feature of ecosystem monitoring in the new era.With the gradual formation of the global new-generation observational systems and the rapid expansion of massive multi-source heterogeneous data,ecology has entered the era of big data,big science,and big theory.How to integrate ecological big data,discover valuable ecological laws and mechanisms,and further expand them to solve eco-environmental issues that closely relate to human development are the major opportunities and challenges in this field.In this paper,we systematically summarized the research progresses in ecological big data,reviewed the opportunity and demand of integrative ecology,and further discussed the main approaches of ecological big data integration by using meta-analysis,data mining,and data-model fusion.Finally,we proposed the prospects and research directions of integrative ecology and suggested that future researches need to integrate big data into land models so as to improve the accuracy of ecological forecasting.It can be foreseen that under the background of global change and the rapid development of big data in the future,integrative ecology will be extensively applied and developed to serve the sustainable development of human society.

Divergent apparent temperature sensitivity of terrestrial ecosystem respiration

Aims Recent studies revealed convergent temperature sensitivity of ecosys-tem respiration(Re)within aquatic ecosystems and between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.We do not know yet whether various terres-trial ecosystems have consistent or divergent temperature sensitivity.Here,we synthesized 163 eddy covariance flux sites across the world and examined the global variation of the apparent activation energy(Ea),which characterizes the apparent temperature sensitivity of and its interannual variability(IAV)as well as their controlling factors.Methods We used carbon fluxes and meteorological data across FLUXNET sites to calculate mean annual temperature,tempera-ture range,precipitation,global radiation,potential radiation,gross primary productivity and Re by averaging the daily values over the years in each site.Furthermore,we analyzed the sites with>8 years data to examine the IAV of Ea and calculated the standard deviation of Ea across years at each site to character-ize IAV.Important Findings The results showed a widely global variation of Ea,with significantly lower values in the tropical and subtropical areas than in temperate and boreal areas,and significantly higher values in grasslands and wetlands than that in deciduous broadleaf forests and evergreen for-ests.Globally,spatial variations of Ea were explained by changes in temperature and an index of water availability with differing contribution of each explaining variable among climate zones and biomes.IAV and the corresponding coefficient of variation of Ea decreased with increasing latitude,but increased with radiation and corresponding mean annual temperature.The revealed patterns in the spatial and temporal variations of Ea and its controlling factors indicate divergent temperature sensitivity of Re,which could help to improve our predictive understanding of Re in response to climate change.

Divergent biomass partitioning to aboveground and belowground across forests in China

Aims Belowground to aboveground biomass(BGB/AGB)ratio is a highly valued parameter of the terrestrial carbon cycle and productivity.However,it remains far from clear whether plant biomass partition-ing to aboveground and belowground is isometric(equal partition-ing)or allometric(unequal partitioning)at community levels and what factors are necessary in order to regulate the partitioning.This study aimed to comprehensively find out the patterns of biomass partitioning and their regulatory factors across forests in China.Methods The data of AGB and BGB were compiled from 1542 samples for communities across forests in China.Standardized major axis regression was conducted to examine whether AGB and BGB were allocated isometrically or allometrically at a community level.Redundancy analysis was used to analyze the relationships of BGB/AGB ratio with climatic factors and soil properties.Important Findings We found that the slopes of the relationship between logAGB and logBGB were not always comparable to 1.0(isometric allocation)at community levels,including primary forest,secondary forest,and planted forest.Meanwhile,samples in clay,loam,and sand soil types also presented the same phenomenon.Furthermore,the radically different allocations of AGB and BGB were found in northern and southern China.Environmental factors totally explained 3.86%of the variations in the BGB/AGB ratio at the community level,which include the mean annual precipitation,mean annual temperature,potential water deficit index,soil car-bon content,soil nitrogen content,soil clay,soil loam,soil sand,soil pH,and soil bulk density.In addition,the environmental fac-tors also have effects on the BGB/AGB ratio in other categories.The patterns revealed in this study are helpful for better under-standing biomass partitioning and spreading the carbon circle models.

Nitrogen use efciency of terrestrial plants in China: geographic patterns, evolution, and determinants

Background:Plant nitrogen use efciency(NUE)is an important ecological indicator that refects the capacity of a plant to transform nitrogen into production,which is essential for further elucidating plant growth and terrestrial ecosystem productivity.Although there are a growing number of studies that address NUE changes at local scales,the variations of NUE over large spatial scales remain unclear.In this study,we analyzed the geographic patterns of NUE and explored its phylogenic and environmental drivers across 1452 species at 1102 sites in China.Results:NUE tended to decrease with latitude(r=−0.56),whereas it increased with longitude(r=0.54),and varied widely in diferent ecosystems and plant life forms.Furthermore,NUE was negatively correlated with plant foliar phosphorus concentration(r=−0.53),soil pH(r=−0.10),soil total phosphorus(r=−0.13)and available phosphorus(r=−0.05),but positively with the mean annual temperature(r=0.32),annual precipitation(r=0.27),and aridity index(r=0.26).NUE was signifcantly altered with phylogeny and evolved toward a lower value(r=−0.28),which may have been due to increasing nitrogen deposition and fxation in biogeochemical evolution.Overall,the combination of foliar phosphorus concentration,phylogeny,climate,and soil properties accounted for 52.7%of the total variations of NUE.In particular,foliar phosphorus concentration was the most important factor,whereas plant evolutionary history was second in contributing to NUE variations.Conclusions:Our study emphasizes the pivotal role of plant stoichiometry and phylogeny in nitrogen cycling and suggests incorporating them into earth system models to better understanding plant growth and nitrogen cycling in the context of environmental changes.

Experimental warming shifts coupling of carbon and nitrogen cycles in an alpine meadow

Aims Terrestrial ecosystem carbon(C)uptake is remarkably regulated by nitrogen(N)availability in the soil.However,the coupling of C and N cycles,as reflected by C:N ratios in different components,has not been well explored in response to climate change.Methods Here,we applied a data assimilation approach to assimilate 14 datasets collected from a warming experiment in an alpine meadow in China into a grassland ecosystem model.We attempted to evaluate how experimental warming affects C and N coupling as indicated by constrained parameters under ambient and warming treatments separately.Important Findings The results showed that warming increased soil N availability with decreased C:N ratio in soil labile C pool,leading to an increase in N uptake by plants.Nonetheless,C input to leaf increased more than N,leading to an increase and a decrease in the C:N ratio in leaf and root,respectively.Litter C:N ratio was decreased due to the increased N immobilization under high soil N availability or warming-accelerated decomposition of litter mass.Warming also increased C:N ratio of slow soil organic matter pool,suggesting a greater soil C sequestration potential.As most models usually use a fixed C:N ratio across different environments,the divergent shifts of C:N ratios under climate warming detected in this study could provide a useful benchmark for model parameterization and benefit models to predict C-N coupled responses to future climate change.