Data from: Species asynchrony and response diversity determine multifunctional stability of natural grasslands

1. A growing body of empirical evidence has suggested that biodiversity
affects the simultaneous performance of multiple ecosystem functions (that
is, ecosystem multifunctionality). Given increasing environmental
variability and uncertainty under global change, an emerging question is
how biodiversity influences the stability of multiple functions (that is,
multifunctional stability). We currently know little, however, about the
determinants and mechanisms of multifunctional stability, which is of
practical importance for ensuring the sustainable provision of multiple
functions. 2. Here we examined mechanisms contributing to stability
(quantified as the ratio of the mean to the standard deviation) of
multiple functions related to ecosystem productivity and carbon
sequestration, including plant aboveground and belowground productivity,
litter production, gross primary productivity, and ecosystem respiration,
in a large grassland biodiversity experiment in Inner Mongolia. 3. We
found that community-wide species asynchrony was a strong driver to
stabilize multiple functions. Community-wide asynchrony mediated the
positive effects of species richness and response diversity (describing
how species with similar effects on ecosystem function respond differently
to environmental change) on multifunctional stability. However, species
richness had a negative direct effect on multifunctional stability
because, although it increased the averaged temporal mean of multiple
functions, it strongly increased the averaged temporal standard deviation
of multiple functions. The overall effects of species richness on
multifunctional stability were thus negative, whereas those of response
diversity were positive. 4. Synthesis. The studied ecosystem functions
related to ecosystem productivity and carbon sequestration are important
in natural grasslands across the world. We conclude that species
asynchrony and response diversity, rather than species richness, are key
to the ecosystem multifunctional stability. The loss of response diversity
and compensatory mechanisms would likely reduce the long-term
sustainability of grasslands in the face of global change.