Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland
Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland
复制标题
DOI：
10.1038/nature02850
复制
发表时间：
2004-09-09
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Li, LH
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bai, YF;Han, XG;Li, LH
许多研究表明，生物多样性通过补偿效应减少了生态系统生产力的变异性(1-6)；也就是说，在波动的环境中，一个物种的丰富度随着另一个物种的减少而增加(1，7)。但这一观点在几个方面受到了挑战(8-10)。由于大多数研究都是基于短期的人工草地，因此需要对自然生态系统进行长期的研究。在对内蒙古草原长达24年的研究基础上，我们提出了三个重要发现。首先，1-7月降水是引起群落生物量生产波动的主要气候因子；其次，生态系统的稳定性(与群落生物量生产的变异性相反)沿组织层次(即从物种到功能组再到整个群落)逐渐增加；最后，群落水平的稳定性似乎源于物种和功能组两个层面上主要组成部分之间的补偿性相互作用。从等级的角度来看，我们的结果证实了先前关于补偿效应的一些发现(1，4，7，11)。未受干扰的成熟草原生态系统似乎同时具有高生物多样性、生产力和生态系统稳定性。由于这些关系是相互关联的，因此有必要进行进一步的研究来验证这些因素之间的因果关系。我们的研究为更好地管理和恢复快速退化的内蒙古草原提供了新的见解。
Numerous studies have suggested that biodiversity reduces variability in ecosystem productivity through compensatory effects(1-6); that is, a species increases in its abundance in response to the reduction of another in a fluctuating environment(1,7). But this view has been challenged on several grounds(8-10). Because most studies have been based on artificially constructed grasslands with short duration, long-term studies of natural ecosystems are needed. On the basis of a 24-year study of the Inner Mongolia grassland, here we present three key findings. First, that January-July precipitation is the primary climatic factor causing fluctuations in community biomass production; second, that ecosystem stability (conversely related to variability in community biomass production) increases progressively along the hierarchy of organizational levels (that is, from species to functional group to whole community); and finally, that the community-level stability seems to arise from compensatory interactions among major components at both species and functional group levels. From a hierarchical perspective, our results corroborate some previous findings of compensatory effects(1,4,7,11). Undisturbed mature steppe ecosystems seem to culminate with high biodiversity, productivity and ecosystem stability concurrently. Because these relationships are correlational, further studies are necessary to verify the causation among these factors. Our study provides new insights for better management and restoration of the rapidly degrading Inner Mongolia grassland.