Data from: Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in long-term time series and palaeoecological records: deep sea as a test bed

The link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) over long temporal scales is poorly understood. Here, we investigate biological monitoring and palaeoecological records on decadal, centennial and millennial time scales from a BEF framework, by using deep-sea, soft-sediment environments as a test bed. Results generally show positive BEF relationships, in agreement with BEF studies based on present-day spatial analyses and short-term manipulative experiments. However, the deep-sea BEF relationship is much noisier across longer time scales compared with modern observational studies. We also demonstrate with palaeoecological time-series data that a larger species pool does not enhance ecosystem stability through time, whereas abundance, as an indicator of higher ecosystem functioning, may enhance ecosystem stability. These results suggest that BEF relationships are potentially timescale-dependent. Environmental impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning may be much stronger than biodiversity impacts on ecosystem functioning at long, decadal–millennial, time scales. Longer time-scale perspectives, including palaeoecological and ecosystem monitoring data, are critical for predicting future BEF relationships on a rapidly changing planet.生物多样性与生态系统功能（biodiversity and ecosystem functioning，BEF）在长时间尺度下的关联机制目前仍未得到充分解析。本研究以深海软沉积环境作为研究平台，基于BEF框架，对年代际、百年至千年尺度的生物监测与古生态记录展开系统性探究。研究结果总体呈现出正向的BEF关联，这与基于当代空间分析及短期操控实验的BEF研究结论相一致。不过相较于现代观测研究，深海BEF关联在更长时间尺度上的离散程度显著更高。本研究同时通过古生态时间序列数据证实，物种库规模更大并不会随时间推移提升生态系统稳定性；而作为更高生态系统功能的指示指标，种群丰度或许能够增强生态系统稳定性。上述结果表明，BEF关联可能存在显著的时间尺度依赖性。在年代际至千年的长时间尺度下，环境因素对生物多样性与生态系统功能的影响，可能远强于生物多样性本身对生态系统功能的影响。在地球正经历快速变化的当下，包含古生态与生态系统监测数据在内的长时间尺度研究视角，对于预测未来的BEF关联至关重要。