Data and code from: Will a large complex system be productive?

While the relationship between food web complexity and stability has been
well documented, how complexity affects productivity remains elusive. In
this study, we combine food web theory and a dataset of 149 aquatic food
webs to investigate the effect of complexity (i.e., species richness,
connectance, and average interaction strength) on ecosystem productivity.
We find that more complex ecosystems tend to be more productive, although
different facets of complexity have contrasting effects. A higher species
richness and/or average interaction strength increases productivity,
whereas a higher connectance often decreases it. These patterns hold not
only between realized complexity and productivity but also characterize
responses of productivity to simulated declines of complexity. Our model
also predicts a negative association between productivity and stability
along gradients of complexity. Empirical analyses support our predictions
on positive complexity-productivity relationships and negative
productivity-stability relationships. Our study provides a step forward
toward reconciling ecosystem complexity, productivity and stability.