• Energy Research

AbstractPlant diversity effects on community productivity often increase over time. Whether the strengthening of diversity effects is caused by temporal shifts in species-level overyielding (i.e., higher species-level productivity in diverse communities compared with monocultures) remains unclear. Here, using data from 65 grassland and forest biodiversity experiments, we show that the temporal strength of diversity effects at the community scale is underpinned by temporal changes in the species that yield. These temporal trends of species-level overyielding are shaped by plant ecological strategies, which can be quantitatively delimited by functional traits. In grasslands, the temporal strengthening of biodiversity effects on community productivity was associated with increasing biomass overyielding of resource-conservative species increasing over time, and with overyielding of species characterized by fast resource acquisition either decreasing or increasing. In forests, temporal trends in species overyielding differ when considering above- versus belowground resource acquisition strategies. Overyielding in stem growth decreased for species with high light capture capacity but increased for those with high soil resource acquisition capacity. Our results imply that a diversity of species with different, and potentially complementary, ecological strategies is beneficial for maintaining community productivity over time in both grassland and forest ecosystems.

AbstractPlant diversity effects on community productivity often increase over time. Whether the strengthening of diversity effects is caused by temporal shifts in species-level overyielding (i.e., higher species-level productivity in diverse communities compared with monocultures) remains unclear. Here, using data from 65 grassland and forest biodiversity experiments, we show that the temporal strength of diversity effects at the community scale is underpinned by temporal changes in the species that yield. These temporal trends of species-level overyielding are shaped by plant ecological strategies, which can be quantitatively delimited by functional traits. In grasslands, the temporal strengthening of biodiversity effects on community productivity was associated with increasing biomass overyielding of resource-conservative species increasing over time, and with overyielding of species characterized by fast resource acquisition either decreasing or increasing. In forests, temporal trends in species overyielding differ when considering above- versus belowground resource acquisition strategies. Overyielding in stem growth decreased for species with high light capture capacity but increased for those with high soil resource acquisition capacity. Our results imply that a diversity of species with different, and potentially complementary, ecological strategies is beneficial for maintaining community productivity over time in both grassland and forest ecosystems.

La complejidad de la comunidad de vegetación es un factor crítico que influye en la estabilidad del ecosistema terrestre. China, el país que lidera el mundo en el reverdecimiento de la vegetación como resultado de las actividades humanas, ha experimentado cambios dramáticos en la composición de la comunidad de vegetación durante los últimos 30 años. Sin embargo, la forma en que la complejidad de la comunidad de vegetación de China varía espacial y temporalmente sigue sin estar clara. Aquí, proporcionamos los conjuntos de datos y códigos utilizados para investigar este tema, según lo publicado en "Human-climate coupled changes in vegetation community complexity of China since 1980s" por Su et al. La complexité de la communauté végétale est un facteur critique influençant la stabilité de l'écosystème terrestre. La Chine, le pays leader mondial en matière de verdissement de la végétation résultant des activités humaines, a connu des changements spectaculaires dans la composition des communautés végétales au cours des 30 dernières années. Cependant, la façon dont la complexité de la communauté végétale chinoise varie spatialement et temporellement reste incertaine. Ici, nous avons fourni les ensembles de données et les codes utilisés pour étudier cette question, tels que publiés dans « Human-climate coupled changes in vegetation community complexity of China since 1980s » par Su et al. Vegetation community complexity is a critical factor influencing terrestrial ecosystem stability. China, the country leading the world in vegetation greening resulting from human activities, has experienced dramatic changes in vegetation community composition during the past 30 years. However, how China's vegetation community complexity varies spatially and temporally remains unclear. Here, we provided the datasets and codes used to investigate this issue, as published in "Human-climate coupled changes in vegetation community complexity of China since 1980s" by Su et al. يعد تعقيد مجتمع الغطاء النباتي عاملاً حاسمًا يؤثر على استقرار النظام البيئي الأرضي. شهدت الصين، الدولة الرائدة في العالم في تخضير الغطاء النباتي الناتج عن الأنشطة البشرية، تغييرات جذرية في تكوين مجتمع الغطاء النباتي خلال الثلاثين عامًا الماضية. ومع ذلك، لا يزال من غير الواضح كيف يختلف تعقيد مجتمع الغطاء النباتي في الصين مكانيًا وزمنيًا. قدمنا هنا مجموعات البيانات والرموز المستخدمة للتحقيق في هذه المشكلة، كما نُشرت في "التغيرات المقترنة بالمناخ البشري في تعقيد مجتمع الغطاء النباتي في الصين منذ الثمانينيات" من قبل سو وآخرون.

La complejidad de la comunidad de vegetación es un factor crítico que influye en la estabilidad del ecosistema terrestre. China, el país que lidera el mundo en el reverdecimiento de la vegetación como resultado de las actividades humanas, ha experimentado cambios dramáticos en la composición de la comunidad de vegetación durante los últimos 30 años. Sin embargo, la forma en que la complejidad de la comunidad de vegetación de China varía espacial y temporalmente sigue sin estar clara. Aquí, proporcionamos los conjuntos de datos y códigos utilizados para investigar este tema, según lo publicado en "Human-climate coupled changes in vegetation community complexity of China since 1980s" por Su et al. La complexité de la communauté végétale est un facteur critique influençant la stabilité de l'écosystème terrestre. La Chine, le pays leader mondial en matière de verdissement de la végétation résultant des activités humaines, a connu des changements spectaculaires dans la composition des communautés végétales au cours des 30 dernières années. Cependant, la façon dont la complexité de la communauté végétale chinoise varie spatialement et temporellement reste incertaine. Ici, nous avons fourni les ensembles de données et les codes utilisés pour étudier cette question, tels que publiés dans « Human-climate coupled changes in vegetation community complexity of China since 1980s » par Su et al. Vegetation community complexity is a critical factor influencing terrestrial ecosystem stability. China, the country leading the world in vegetation greening resulting from human activities, has experienced dramatic changes in vegetation community composition during the past 30 years. However, how China's vegetation community complexity varies spatially and temporally remains unclear. Here, we provided the datasets and codes used to investigate this issue, as published in "Human-climate coupled changes in vegetation community complexity of China since 1980s" by Su et al. يعد تعقيد مجتمع الغطاء النباتي عاملاً حاسمًا يؤثر على استقرار النظام البيئي الأرضي. شهدت الصين، الدولة الرائدة في العالم في تخضير الغطاء النباتي الناتج عن الأنشطة البشرية، تغييرات جذرية في تكوين مجتمع الغطاء النباتي خلال الثلاثين عامًا الماضية. ومع ذلك، لا يزال من غير الواضح كيف يختلف تعقيد مجتمع الغطاء النباتي في الصين مكانيًا وزمنيًا. قدمنا هنا مجموعات البيانات والرموز المستخدمة للتحقيق في هذه المشكلة، كما نُشرت في "التغيرات المقترنة بالمناخ البشري في تعقيد مجتمع الغطاء النباتي في الصين منذ الثمانينيات" من قبل سو وآخرون.

Abstract Surging demand for medicinal plant products may lead to unsustainable harvesting practices, which could put pressure on wild populations. Yet little is known about indigenous harvesters' preferences on key traditional Chinese medicinal plant resources, and how these might affect sustainable use and management. We conducted a discrete choice experiment with over 900 native Tibetan harvesters in the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan plateau in China, under a range of complex alternative livelihood, climate and environmental change, and land tenure and customs scenarios. We used random parameter logit model with broad heterogeneity to estimate local Tibetan harvesters' preferences and their willingness to harvest, and latent class logit model to explore distinct within‐population groupings based on shared preferences, for designing possible interventions. We uncovered three key findings with important management implications for medicinal plants. When given a choice, the local harvesters preferred not to harvest any herbs. However, if they opted to harvest, they preferred to harvest flowers and seeds, as compared to roots, and tended to use wooden tool (over the use of bare hands and iron tool). Notably, the degree of compliance with village rules and customs, and ecological worldview interact with targeted plant parts and potential income from harvest to influence their harvesting preferences. Their choices were sensitive to scenario‐based changes to livelihood options. Finally, our study revealed three distinct harvester groups with substantial heterogeneity. Specifically, two groups consisted of over 60% of the interviewed harvesters who appeared to have a strong preference for sustainable practices, while the remaining group lacks this tendency. Overall, our results shed light on the importance of understanding the drivers of harvesting preferences and the heterogeneity of harvesting practices among indigenous people and their cultural and sustainability leanings, providing crucial insights for future sustainable use and management of wild and economically important medicinal plants in the grasslands of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and other regions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.