Data subset and codes for paper 'Trait-based insights into the mechanisms underlying temporal stability in European grasslands'
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The stability of ecosystem functioning is underpinned by multiple mechanisms, including dominant species strategies, compensatory dynamics, and the insurance effect. Functional traits provide a powerful lens for interpreting these mechanisms, yet non-experimental evidence from real-world ecosystems remains limited. Using resurveyed grassland plots with NDVI-based measures of temporal stability of productivity, we found that (1) fast-slow traits, functional dispersion, and functional divergence explained temporal stability more strongly than species richness; (2) the dominant functional strategy was the primary stabilizing mechanism, with acquisitive species enhancing stability by increasing mean productivity; (3) compensatory dynamics contributed more to stability than the insurance effect; and (4) under high-stress conditions, species richness and compensatory dynamics showed stronger positive associations with stability, consistent with the stress-gradient hypothesis. Our results highlight the importance of studying functional traits in understanding grassland stability. They provide deeper insights into how to maintain stable grassland ecosystems under global change.
Source: Figshare
Author: Chang Liu
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7090442955
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