Patterns and drivers of biodiversity–stability relationships under climate extremes

Abstract

Interactions between biodiversity loss and climate change present significant challenges for research, policy and management of ecosystems. Evidence suggests that high species diversity tends to increase plant community stability under interannual climate fluctuations and mild dry and wet events, but the overall pattern of diversity–stability relationships under climate extremes is unclear. We comprehensively review results from observational and experimental studies to assess the importance of diversity effects for ecosystem function under climate extremes. Both the broad literature review and a meta‐analysis focused on the effects of extreme precipitation events on above‐ground biomass reveal no significant interaction between species richness and climate extremes. Causes for variation in diversity effects under climate extremes are explored, from stress thresholds to biotic interactions and community assembly, and we consider how these may modulate the outcomes of biodiversity–stability relationships. We also examine how specific characteristics of climate extremes and timing of measurements may interact with mechanisms of diversity–stability relationships. Synthesis. Hypotheses tailored to the complexity of diversity effects, the implementation of standardised experiments and the use of trait‐based biodiversity measures rather than species richness should lead to better causal understanding of whether and how biodiversity may protect ecosystems from adverse effects of climate extremes.

Nitrogen deposition magnifies the sensitivity of desert steppe plant communities to large changes in precipitation

“…Overall, we proposed an integration that drives ANPP as a consequence of plant community shift mainly by precipitation changes (Figure ). Additionally, as previously mentioned, the distinguishing ecosystem community responses to climate extremes, if the responses agree with the ecological adaptive theory, might be mainly due to the high degrees of heterogeneity in these ecosystems’ resistance and resilience or sensitivity to the magnitude, duration or timing of a climate driver alone and multifactor interactions (Bai et al, ; De Boeck et al, ; Rudgers et al, ; Smith et al, ). These aspects need to be explored further.…”

“…Anthropogenic activities have caused unprecedented changes in global biogeochemical environments, such as nitrogen (N) deposition and shifts in precipitation regimes (Galloway et al, ; Trenberth, ). High frequencies of extreme precipitation events (long‐term droughts or short‐term heavy rainfalls) and increased intra‐/inter‐annual precipitation variabilities are expected to continue (De Boeck et al, ; IPCC, ). These environmental changes threaten terrestrial ecosystems world‐wide, especially the drylands that cover approximately one‐third of the Earth's land surface (Maestre, Salguero‐Gómez, & Quero, ; Smith, Knapp, & Collins, ).…”

Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate

“…While some species are affected by drought even in mixtures, many others are less stressed, show no response, or recover more quickly than in pure stands. This suggests greater ecosystem stability to climate extremes in mixed forests, as has been found for grasslands (Isbell et al ., ; but see De Boeck et al ., ). This also supports the recent trend of conversion of pure into mixed stands (von Lüpke et al ., ; Ammer et al ., ; Knoke et al ., ) and to enrichment planting, an approach used in tropical forest restoration (Tuck et al ., ).…”

Joint forcing by heat waves and mowing poses a threat to grassland ecosystems: Evidence from a manipulative experiment

“…Meanwhile, laboratory‐based studies of HWs have mainly focused on the characteristics and phenological variations among individual plant species, with plant communities being relatively ignored (Ameye et al, ; Bauweraerts et al, ). Plants may respond very differently to climate change when growing in a community because of the occurrence of interspecific interactions (De Boeck et al, ; Isbell et al, ), such as the presence of nitrogen‐fixing legumes that can increase the speed at which neighbouring plants recover after an extreme climate event (Hoekstra, Suter, Finn, Husse, & Lüscher, ; Kreyling et al, ). Here, we acknowledge the importance of such community‐scale effects in this study and focus on the mechanisms underlying the effects of HWs on different ecological levels and how these are connected.…”