%A Wei Xu, Zhiyuan Ma, Xin Jing, Jin-Sheng He %T Biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality: advances and perspectives %0 Journal Article %D 2016 %J Biodiv Sci %R 10.17520/biods.2015091 %P 55- %V 24 %N 1 %U {https://www.biodiversity-science.net/CN/abstract/article_8479.shtml} %8 2016-01-20 %X

As global biodiversity losses accelerate, there is increasing evidence shows that there may be negative impacts on ecosystem functioning, such as declines in plant primary productivity and imbalances in nutrient cycling. Thus, it is critical to understand the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF). However, ecosystems can provide multiple functions simultaneously (ecosystem multifunctionality, EMF). Since 2007, the quantification of relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality (BEMF) has generated additional questions and controversies, such as the lack of consensus in appropriate multifunctionality indices and uncertain trade-offs among ecosystem functions. In this review, we briefly summarize the history of BEMF studies and the methods of EMF quantification, then outline the mechanisms of EMF maintenance and current research progress. We emphasize the importance of optimizing EMF quantifications and investigating the relationship between different dimensions of biodiversity and EMF. We also provide suggestions and directions for future research on BEMF.