Soil biota diversity and plant diversity both contributed to ecosystem stability in grasslands

Understanding the effects of diversity on ecosystem stability in the
context of global change has become an important goal of recent ecological
research. However, the effects of diversity at multiple scales and trophic
levels on ecosystem stability across environmental gradients remain
unclear. Here, we conducted a field survey of α-, β-, and γ-diversity of
plants and soil biota (bacteria, fungi, and nematodes) and estimated the
temporal ecosystem stability of NDVI in 132 plots on the Mongolian
Plateau. After climate and soil environmental variables were controlled
for, both the α- and β-diversity of plants and soil biota (mainly via
nematodes) together with precipitation explained most variation in
ecosystem stability. These findings evidence that the diversity of both
soil biota and plants contributes to ecosystem stability. Model
predictions of the future effects of global changes on terrestrial
ecosystem stability will require field observations of diversity of both
plants and soil biota.