Data from: Plant and soil biodiversity have non-substitutable stabilizing effects on biomass production

The stability of plant biomass production in the face of environmental change is fundamental for maintaining terrestrial ecosystem functioning, as plant biomass is the ultimate source of energy for nearly all life forms. However, most studies have focused on the stabilizing effect of plant diversity, neglecting the effect of soil biodiversity, the largest reservoir of biodiversity on Earth. Here we investigated the effects of plant and soil biodiversity on the temporal stability of biomass production under varying simulated precipitation in grassland microcosms. Soil biodiversity loss reduced temporal stability by suppressing asynchronous responses of plant functional groups. Greater plant diversity, especially in terms of functional diversity, promoted temporal stability, but this effect was independent of soil biodiversity loss. Moreover, multitrophic biodiversity, plant and soil biodiversity combined, was positively associated with temporal stability. Our study highlights the importance of maintaining both plant and soil biodiversity for sustainable biomass production.<br>面对环境变化时，植物生物量生产的稳定性是维持陆地生态系统功能的核心基础，因为植物生物量几乎是所有生命形式的终极能量来源。然而，绝大多数研究均聚焦于植物多样性的稳定效应，却忽略了土壤生物多样性——地球生物多样性最大的储存库——所发挥的作用。本研究以草地微宇宙实验体系为对象，探究了不同模拟降水条件下，植物与土壤生物多样性对生物量生产时间稳定性的影响。研究发现，土壤生物多样性丧失会通过抑制植物功能群的异步响应，降低时间稳定性；更高的植物多样性，尤其是功能多样性，可提升时间稳定性，但该效应与土壤生物多样性丧失并无关联。此外，由植物与土壤生物多样性共同组成的多营养级生物多样性，与时间稳定性呈显著正相关。本研究强调了同时维持植物与土壤生物多样性对实现可持续生物量生产的重要意义。