Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning and Stability

Claire de Mazancourt
Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Moulis, France

First I will present a new view on coexistence in high dimensional systems, that we call diffuse cliques. In high dimensional systems, coexistence most likely occurs with a subtle correlation structure, and the search for a low-dimensional trade-off signature is bound to fail. Data from large biodiversity experiments support a diffuse clique structure.

I will then talk about the effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning (BEF). Using a simple model, I will show the effect of different types of experiments (community assembly, species removal, observation along a succession), and experiment duration on the BEF relationship. In particular, I show that the BEF relationship is expected to strengthen through time in assembly experiments, and weaken through time in species removal experiments.

Finally, I will talk about the effect of biodiversity on ecosystem stability. Stability research is marred with different communities using different concepts; in particular, empirical and theoretical research use different stability definitions, impeding their cross fertilization. Invariability can be a way forward, as it can be both measured experimentally and theoretically developed, and therefore lead to an operational stability theory.

Recent publications:

Montoya, D., B. Haegeman, S. Gaba, C. de Mazancourt, V. Bretagnolle, and M. Loreau. 2019. Trade-offs in the provisioning and stability of ecosystem services in agroecosystems. Ecological Applications 29(2): e01853. 10.1002/eap.1853.

Wang S., Loreau M., Arnoldi J.-F., Fang J., Rahman K. A., Tao S., de Mazancourt C. 2017. An Invariability-Area Relationship sheds new light on the spatial scaling of ecological stability. Nature Communications, 8:15211.

de Mazancourt, C.; Isbell, F.; Larocque, A.; Berendse, F.; De Luca, E.; Grace, J.; Haegeman, B.; Polley, H.; Roscher, C.; Schmid, B.; Tilman, D.; van Ruijven, J.; Weigelt, A.; Wilsey, B.; Loreau, M. 2013. Predicting ecosystem stability from community composition and biodiversity. Ecology Letters 16: 617-625.

claire.demazancourt@sete.cnrs.fr