Do microbial and plant diversity interact to regulate multifunctionality?

本项目旨在量化植物和微生物群落对生态系统功能速率、稳定性和恢复力的相对贡献及其相互作用。植物和土壤微生物群落有助于陆地生态系统的功能，推动碳和养分循环等关键过程。该项目将采用现有的理论，即更大的植物多样性可以改善生态系统的功能、稳定性和恢复。预期的结果是一个统一的框架来确定不同生态系统类型和环境干扰（如快速气候变化）的功能变化。对脆弱生态系统的深入了解将有助于利益相关者（政府、保护、土地管理）优先关注保护并减少生态系统服务的风险。

This project aims to quantify the relative contribution of plant and microbial communities and their interactions on the rate, stability and resilience of ecosystem functions. Plant and soil microbial communities contribute to the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, driving key processes such as carbon and nutrient cycling. This project will adapt established theories which indicate that greater plant diversity improves ecosystem functions, stability and recovery. The expected outcome is a unifying framework for determining variation in functions across different ecosystem types and environmental disturbance such as rapid climate change.The insight gained into vulnerable ecosystems will help stakeholders (government, conservation, land management) to prioritise the focus on conservation and reduce risks to ecosystem services.