For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about the processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with richness first rising and then declining with increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account for methodological differences among studies. We addressed such concerns by conducting standardized sampling in 48 herbaceous-dominated plant communities on five continents. We found no clear relationship between productivity and fine-scale (meters(-2)) richness within sites, within regions, or across the globe. Ecologists should focus on fresh, mechanistic approaches to understanding the multivariate links between productivity and richness.

The Wuyi Mountains in China are one of the largest and most complete subtropical forest ecosystems at the same latitude in the world. However, our limited understanding of the function of this distinctive ecosystem means that the interrelationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning needs to be investigated if evergreen broadleaf forests (EBLFs) are to be protected. Here, we calculated species richness, the Shannon–Wiener index, and the Pielou index in large-, medium-, and small-scale (20 m × 20 m, 10 m × 10 m, and 5 m × 5 m) forest dynamics plots (FDPs). We also investigated the interrelationships between species diversity and aboveground biomass (AGB)/productivity in FDPs at the different scales using the generalized linear regression model. The results showed that species diversity and AGB positively interrelated with each other, whereas there was no species diversity-productivity interrelationship in the subtropical BLF on the Wuyi Mountains. The structural equation model (SEM) showed that elevation was a key factor directly affecting AGB. These findings lead to the conclusion that productivity is not solely correlated with species diversity and that abiotic factors probably mediate the positive interrelationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning. This study provides theoretical basis that can be used to protect EBLFs in subtropical areas and the results can be used to improve the construction of artificial forest communities and vegetation restoration at the same latitude.

Ecosystem services (ESs) are an essential link between ecosystems and human well-being, and trade-offs/synergies happen in ESs at different temporal and spatial scales. It is crucial to explore patterns of trade-offs/synergies among ESs, and their nonlinear relationships with changes in ESs. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate five ESs in 2000 and 2018: namely, water yield, food production, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat quality in mountainous regions of Southwest China. The mean values of the five ESs increased by 365.8 m3/ha, 13.92 t/hm2, 497.09 TgC/yr2, 138.48 t/km2, and 0.002, respectively. Using spatial statistics and analysis, an ES trade-off synergy model (ESTD) was constructed for the five ESs change values. Overall, soil conservation has a trade-off with all five ESs, except habitat quality; this trade-off is increasing slightly. Water yield is in synergy with all ESs except soil conservation, with decreasing synergy; habitat quality is in synergy with all ESs except food production, with increasing synergy. Finally, the nonlinear relationship between the value of the change in the ES and ESTD was analyzed using a generalized additive model. Changes in water yield showed the greatest impact on ESTD except for food production, wherein changes in all three ESs had minimal impacts on ESTD. Food production dominates its trade-offs/synergies relationship with soil conservation; carbon sequestration is the dominant player in its trade-offs/synergies relationship with soil conservation. Habitat quality has a secondary position of influence, except in the trade-offs/synergies involving food production. By exploring the drivers of trade-offs/synergies among ESs, this study can provide guidance for the effective implementation of policies related to ecological protection and restoration.

Biodiversity experiments have shown that species loss reduces ecosystem functioning in grassland. To test whether this result can be extrapolated to forests, the main contributors to terrestrial primary productivity, requires large-scale experiments. We manipulated tree species richness by planting more than 150,000 trees in plots with 1 to 16 species. Simulating multiple extinction scenarios, we found that richness strongly increased stand-level productivity. After 8 years, 16-species mixtures had accumulated over twice the amount of carbon found in average monocultures and similar amounts as those of two commercial monocultures. Species richness effects were strongly associated with functional and phylogenetic diversity. A shrub addition treatment reduced tree productivity, but this reduction was smaller at high shrub species richness. Our results encourage multispecies afforestation strategies to restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change.Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Over the recent decade, biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality (BEMF) has aroused as an emerging reserach hotspot in the filed of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Ecosystem multifunctionality is defined as the capacity of an ecosystem to provide multiple ecosystem functions simulateneously, it has received broad consideration by community and ecosystem ecologists. In this study, we first conducted a literature review of the research history in biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality. Next, we summarized the major trends in biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality research including the impacts of biodiversity dimensions, global change drivers and spatial-temporal scales on ecosystem multifunctionality. We reviewed the new research methods and research directions emerged in the field. We also defined a new concept, i.e., ecosystem multiserviceability (EMS) based on the distinction between ecosystem functions and ecosystem services. Finally, we briefly summarized the limitations in current research of biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality/multiserviceability (BEMF/BEMS) and presented the outlook for future study.

近10年来, 生物多样性与生态系统多功能性(BEMF)的关系是生物多样性与生态系统功能领域新兴的热点研究方向。生态系统多功能性是指生态系统同时提供多重生态系统功能的能力, 受到群落和生态系统生态学研究者的广泛关注。该文简要回顾了生物多样性与生态系统多功能性关系研究历史, 侧重介绍了生态系统多功能性量化方法发展历程, 并总结了生物多样性与生态系统多功能性研究的主要趋势, 包括生物多样性维度、时空尺度和全球变化驱动因子等对生态系统多功能性的影响。同时, 回顾了近5年生物多样性与生态系统多功能性关系研究的新方法、新方向; 根据生态系统服务和生态系统功能的区别, 提出了生态系统多服务性(ecosystem multiserviceability, EMS)概念。最后简要介绍了生物多样性与生态系统多功能性、生物多样性与生态系统多服务性(BEMS)研究存在的不足及对未来的展望。

Background and Aims: Climate change and biodiversity loss are two major changes that human society is experiencing. Climate change affects all aspects of biodiversity and is a major driver of biodiversity loss; in turn, biodiversity loss exacerbates climate change. Therefore, halting or even reversing climate change and biodiversity loss is a global issue that needs to be addressed by human society. However, we lack a clear understanding of the complex relationships and feedback mechanisms between climate change and biodiversity. Here, we summarize the research on climate and biodiversity change in the last decade by focusing on studies investigating the responses and feedback of biodiversity to climate change at different organizational levels, spatial scales, and diversity dimensions. Progress: Our results showed that most studies focus on the direct impacts of climate change on biodiversity, involving different organizational levels and dimensions and trophic levels of biodiversity. Studies on the indirect impacts of climate change were rare, and we suggested that mechanistic studies need to be strengthened. The mechanisms and quantification of the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem multifunctionality were challenges for current research. There was no consensus on how biodiversity contributes to ecosystem response to climate change; the positive and negative feedback effects of biodiversity in the context of climate change were a blind spot in domestic and international research. Prospects: The future direction and key scientific issues that need to be solved in the field of climate change and biodiversity change are numerous. We identify 4 main areas of future research: understanding (1) the impacts of multi-factor climate change on biodiversity, (2) how mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change can benefit biodiversity conservation, (3) how the theory of biodiversity and ecosystem function can be applied to the real-world ecosystems and (4) what is the contribution of biodiversity conservation to carbon neutrality goals.

气候变化与生物多样性丧失是人类社会正在经历的两大变化。气候变化影响生物多样性的方方面面, 是导致生物多样性丧失的一个主要驱动因子; 反过来, 生物多样性丧失会加剧气候变化。因此, 阻止甚至扭转气候变化和生物多样性丧失是当前人类社会亟需解决的全球性问题，但我们对气候变化与生物多样性之间的复杂关系和反馈机制尚缺乏清晰认识。本文总结了近年气候变化与生物多样性变化的研究进展, 重点概述了不同组织层次、空间尺度和维度的生物多样性对气候变化的响应和反馈等相关领域的研究进展和存在的主要问题。结果发现多数研究关注气候变化对生物多样性的直接影响, 涉及到生物多样性的不同组织层次、维度和营养级, 但针对气候变化间接影响的研究仍然较少, 机理研究同样需要加强; 生物多样性对生态系统功能影响的环境依赖和尺度推演、生物多样性对生态系统多功能性的作用机理和量化方法是当前研究面临的挑战; 生物多样性对生态系统响应气候变化的作用机制尚无统一的认识; 生物多样性对气候变化的正、负反馈效应是国内外研究的盲点。最后, 本文展望了未来发展方向和需要解决的关键科学问题, 包括多因子气候变化对生物多样性的影响; 减缓和适应气候变化的措施如何惠益于生物多样性保护; 生物多样性与生态系统功能的理论如何应用到现实世界; 生物多样性保护对实现碳中和目标的贡献。

Lange, Markus; Sierra, Carlos A.; Mellado-Vazquez, Perla G.; Malik, Ashish A.; Steinbeiss, Sibylle; Trumbore, Susan E.; Gleixner, Gerd Max Planck Inst Biogeochem, D-07701 Jena, Germany. Eisenhauer, Nico Univ Jena, Inst Ecol, D-07743 Jena, Germany. Eisenhauer, Nico German Ctr Integrat Biodivers Res (iDiv) Halle Je, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. Eisenhauer, Nico Univ Leipzig, Inst Biol, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. Bessler, Holger; Engels, Christoph Humboldt Univ, Fac Life Sci, Div Plant Nutr, D-10099 Berlin, Germany. Griffiths, Robert I.; Thomson, Bruce C. Ctr Ecol & Hydrol, Wallingford OX10 8BB, Oxon, England. Roy, Jacques Ctr Natl Rech Sci, Ecotron UPS 3248, F-34980 Montferrier Sur Lez, France. Scheu, Stefan Univ Gottingen, JF Blumenbach Inst Zool & Anthropol, D-37073 Gottingen, Germany.

This study reviews the conditions under which a positive link between biodiversity and economic value may hold.

Ecological restoration is widely used to reverse the environmental degradation caused by human activities. However, the effectiveness of restoration actions in increasing provision of both biodiversity and ecosystem services has not been evaluated systematically. A meta-analysis of 89 restoration assessments in a wide range of ecosystem types across the globe indicates that ecological restoration increased provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services by 44 and 25%, respectively. However, values of both remained lower in restored versus intact reference ecosystems. Increases in biodiversity and ecosystem service measures after restoration were positively correlated. Results indicate that restoration actions focused on enhancing biodiversity should support increased provision of ecosystem services, particularly in tropical terrestrial biomes.

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem services is one of the hot topics in ecological research. The ways that the relationship is applied to the development of ecosystem management and policy have gradually gained attention after the Millennium Ecosystem Services Assessment in 2005. However, applying theoretical understanding of the relationship into practical management still faces challenges. Examining recent progresses may help to guide practices and po-licies. We summarized recent progress in researches on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem services in terms of the impacts of biodiversity on single ecosystem service, ecosystem multifunctionality and trade-offs of ecosystem services, as well as how environmental changes affected these relationships. Moreover, we outlined the application of these relationships in nature reserve management, forest management, degraded ecosystem restoration, and agro-ecosystem improvement. We further analyzed the shortcomings in relationship studies and then emphasized that future research and practice trends are the interaction of different biodiversity components and multiple trophic levels on ecosystem services, the coupling effects of environmental changes on the relationships, and practical approaches to biodiversity for improving ecosystem services.

生物多样性与生态系统服务关系是当前生态学研究的热点之一,2005年千年生态系统评估之后如何将两者关系应用到生态系统管理和政策制定中逐渐受到重视。然而,从理论上的两者关系认知到应用上的管理实践仍面临着严峻挑战,梳理已有研究成果有利于更好地指导管理实践。本文基于近年生物多样性与生态系统服务关系的主要研究成果,从生物多样性对生态系统单种服务、多种服务、生态系统服务权衡的影响以及环境变化如何影响这些关系等方面,总结了两者关系的主要研究进展,概述了两者关系在自然保护区管理、森林生态系统管理、退化生态系统恢复和农业生态系统改善等领域中的应用,分析了两者关系研究中依然存在的不足之处,强调未来需加强的研究方向主要包括: 生物多样性不同组分相互作用和多营养级生物多样性相互关系对生态系统服务的影响、环境耦合变化对两者关系的复合效应以及生物多样性改善生态系统服务的实践途径。