干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Causal analysis reveals that ecosystem structure and function are temperature-dominated but relatively independent

Arid

DOI	10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112188
	Causal analysis reveals that ecosystem structure and function are temperature-dominated but relatively independent
	Luo, Wenxing; Yang, Junqi; Wang, Yanfen; Cui, Xiaoyong; Zhang, Leiming; Zhao, Tong; Xue, Kai; Du, Jianqing; Song, Xiaoning; Hao, Yanbin
通讯作者	Hao, YB
来源期刊	ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
ISSN	1470-160X
EISSN	1872-7034
出版年	2024
卷号	165
英文摘要	The understanding of the interplay between the environment, ecosystem structure, and function is crucial for effectively managing ecosystems in the face of climate change and environmental disturbances. Numerous observations and simulation experiments relying on correlation analysis have yielded the conclusion that environmental factors can directly or indirectly affect ecosystem community structure and function. However, the limitations of traditional ecological approaches lie in their inadequate control over confounding factors, thus hindering our comprehensive understanding of the true causal relationships. Our study aims to address these limitations and obtain a more accurate picture of causality about environment, ecosystem structure and function within a long-term time series data of an ecosystem. Here, utilizing a 31-year dataset of typical temperate grassland ecosystems, we developed an advanced causal discovery model and further enhanced it to effectively identify the causal network within the ecosystem, while also quantifying the intensity of causal pathways connecting the environment, ecosystem structure, and function. We found that the primary driver for changes in ecosystem structure and function was the temperature during the growing season, with soil water content being the secondary factor. However, there was only a weak causal relationship between ecosystem structure and gross primary productivity (GPP), which was mediated by eurytopic xerophyte plants. These findings challenge the conventional notion that precipitation is a key driver of changes in ecosystem carbon fluxes, highlighting the importance of plant-available water in regulating ecosystem structure and function. Our results suggest that the effects of global warming and severe droughts on plant growth and carbon sequestration capacity necessitate significant attention and further mitigation measures in arid and semi-arid regions.
英文关键词	Temperate grassland Climate change Ecosystem structure and function Causal network Dominant driver Ecosystem stability
类型	Article
语种	英语
开放获取类型	gold
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:001249221600001
WOS关键词	INNER-MONGOLIA ; COMMUNITY COMPOSITION ; CLIMATE-CHANGE ; PRODUCTIVITY ; PRECIPITATION ; BIODIVERSITY ; STABILITY ; GRASSLANDS ; IMPACTS
WOS类目	Biodiversity Conservation ; Environmental Sciences
WOS研究方向	Biodiversity & Conservation ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/403404
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Luo, Wenxing,Yang, Junqi,Wang, Yanfen,et al. Causal analysis reveals that ecosystem structure and function are temperature-dominated but relatively independent[J],2024,165.
APA	Luo, Wenxing.,Yang, Junqi.,Wang, Yanfen.,Cui, Xiaoyong.,Zhang, Leiming.,...&Hao, Yanbin.(2024).Causal analysis reveals that ecosystem structure and function are temperature-dominated but relatively independent.ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS,165.
MLA	Luo, Wenxing,et al."Causal analysis reveals that ecosystem structure and function are temperature-dominated but relatively independent".ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 165(2024).