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Research Project: Understanding Ecological, Hydrological, and Erosion Processes in the Semiarid Southwest to Improve Watershed Management

Location: Southwest Watershed Research Center

Title: The three major axes of terrestrial ecosystem function

Author
item MIGLIAVACCA, M. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item MUSAVI, T. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item MAHECHA, M.D. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item NELSON, J.A. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item KNAUER, J. - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item BALDOCCHI, D.D. - University Of California Berkeley
item PEREZ-PRIEGO, O. - University Of Cordoba
item CHRISTIANSEN, R. - University Of Copenhagen
item PETERS, J. - University Of Copenhagen
item ANDERSON, K. - University Of Exeter
item BAHN, M. - University Of Innsbruck
item BLACK, T.A. - University Of British Columbia
item BLANKEN, P.D. - University Of Colorado
item BONAL, D. - University Of Lorraine
item BUCHMANN, N. - Eth Zurich
item CALDARARU, S. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item CARRARA, A. - Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)
item CARVALHAIS, N. - Universidade Nova De Lisboa
item CESCATTI, A. - European Commission-Joint Research Centre (JRC)
item CHEN, J. - Michigan State University
item CLEVERLY, J. - University Of Technology Sydney
item CREMONESE, E. - Environmental Protection Agency Of Aosta Valley
item DESAI, A.R. - University Of Wisconsin
item EL-MADANYT.S. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item FARELL, M.M. - Indiana University
item FERNÁNDEZ-MARTÍNEZ, M. - University Of Antwerp
item FILIPPA, G. - Environmental Protection Agency Of Aosta Valley
item FORKEL, M. - Technical University Dresden
item GALVAGNO, M. - Environmental Protection Agency Of Aosta Valley
item GOMARASCA, U, - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item GOUGH, H. - Virginia Commonwealth University
item GÖCKEDE, M. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item IBROM, A. - Technical University Of Denmark
item IKAWA - National Institute For Agro-Environmental Sciences
item JANSSENS, I.A. - University Of Antwerp
item JUNG, M. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item KATTGE, J. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item KEENAN, T.F. - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
item KNOHL, A. - Goettingen University
item KOBAYASHI, H. - Japan Agency For Marine-Earth Science And Technology (JAMSTEC)
item KRAEMER, G. - University Of Valencia
item LAW, B.E. - Oregon State University
item LIDDELL, M.J. - James Cook University
item MA, X, - Lanzhou University
item MAMMARELLA, I. - University Of Helsinki
item MARTIN, D. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item MACFARLANE, C. - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item MATTEUCCI, G. - Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche
item MONTAGNANI, L. - Free University Of Bozen-Bolzano
item PABON-MORENO, D.E. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item PANIGADA, C. - University Of Milano
item PAPALE, D, - University Of Tuscia
item PENDALL, E. - Western Sydney University
item PENUELAS, J. - University Of Barcelona
item PHILLIPS, R.P. - Indiana University
item REICH, R.P. - University Of Minnesota
item ROSSINI, M. - University Of Milano
item ROTENBERG, E. - Weizmann Institite Of Science
item Scott, Russell - Russ
item STAHL, C. - Inrae
item WEBER, U. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item WOHLFAHRT, G. - University Of Innsbruck
item WOLF, S. - Eth Zurich
item WRIGHT, I.J. - Macquarie University
item YAKIR, D. - Weizmann Institite Of Science
item ZAEHLE, S. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry
item REICHSTEIN, M. - Max Planck Institute For Biogeochemistry

Submitted to: Nature
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/20/2021
Publication Date: 9/22/2021
Citation: Migliavacca, M., Musavi, T., Mahecha, M., Nelson, J., Knauer, J., Baldocchi, D., Perez-Priego, O., Christiansen, R., Peters, J., Anderson, K., Bahn, M., Black, T., Blanken, P., Bonal, D., Buchmann, N., Caldararu, S., Carrara, A., Carvalhais, N., Cescatti, A., Chen, J., Cleverly, J., Cremonese, E., Desai, A., El-Madanyt.S., Farell, M., Fernández-Martínez, M., Filippa, G., Forkel, M., Galvagno, M., Gomarasca, U., Gough, H., Göckede, M., Ibrom, A., Ikawa, Janssens, I., Jung, M., Kattge, J., Keenan, T., Knohl, A., Kobayashi, H., Kraemer, G., Law, B., Liddell, M., Ma, X., Mammarella, I., Martin, D., Macfarlane, C., Matteucci, G., Montagnani, L., Pabon-Moreno, D., Panigada, C., Papale, D., Pendall, E., Penuelas, J., Phillips, R., Reich, R., Rossini, M., Rotenberg, E., Scott, R.L., Stahl, C., Weber, U., Wohlfahrt, G., Wolf, S., Wright, I., Yakir, D., Zaehle, S., Reichstein, M. 2021. The three major axes of terrestrial ecosystem function. Nature. 598:468-472. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03939-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03939-9

Interpretive Summary: Terrestrial ecosystems provide multiple functions (for example, resource use and potential uptake of carbon dioxide, among others) and ecosystem services on which society depends. To understand and predict the response mechanisms of ecosystems as a whole to climatic and other environmental changes, it is crucial to establish how many and which functions need to be measured to obtain a good representation of overall ecosystem functioning. Here, we identify and quantity the major axes of terrestrial ecosystem functions and sources of variation along these axes. First, we characterize multiple ecosystem functions across major terrestrial biomes. Second, we identify the most important axes of variation of ecosystem functions. Third, we analyse which variables drive the variation along these axes, from a suite of climatic variables, and the structural and chemical properties of the vegetation. Fourth, we analyse the extent to which two state-of-the-art land surface models (models that simulate the states and exchange of matter and energy between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere) reproduce the key axes of ecosystem functions. Understanding and quantifying the main axes of variation of the multi-dimensional space of ecosystem functions, their drivers and the degree to which land surface models are able to correctly represent the axes is a crucial prerequisite for predicting which terrestrial functions are the most vulnerable to climate and environmental changes.

Technical Abstract: The leaf economics spectrum and the global spectrum of plant forms and functions revealed fundamental axes of variation in plant traits, which represent different ecological strategies that are shaped by the evolutionary development of plant species2. Ecosystem functions depend on environmental conditions and the traits of species that comprise the ecological communities4. However, the axes of variation of ecosystem functions are largely unknown, which limits our understanding of how ecosystems respond as a whole to anthropogenic drivers, climate and environmental variability. Here we derive a set of ecosystem functions6 from a dataset of surface gas exchange measurements across major terrestrial biomes. We find that most of the variability within ecosystem functions (71.8%) is captured by three key axes. The first axis reflects maximum ecosystem productivity and is mostly explained by vegetation structure. The second axis reflects ecosystem water-use strategies and is jointly explained by variation in vegetation height and climate. The third axis, which represents ecosystem carbon-use efficiency, features a gradient related to aridity, and is explained primarily by variation in vegetation structure. We show that two state-of-the-art land surface models reproduce the first and most important axis of ecosystem functions. However, the models tend to simulate more strongly correlated functions than those observed, which limits their ability to accurately predict the full range of responses to environmental changes in carbon, water and energy cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.