Contrasting plant trait strategies underpin ecosystem stability in temperate and alpine grasslands

Abstract

Plant functional traits are key drivers of ecosystem stability, yet the extent to which trait-stability relationships vary among different ecosystems remains poorly understood. Here, we provide a comparative analysis of trait-stability relationships across temperate and alpine grasslands. By integrating in situ measurements of plant functional traits to satellite-derived indices of ecosystem temporal stability, resistance, and resilience for the two types of grasslands in China, we find strikingly biome-dependent patterns. In temperate grasslands, where fast-growing, resource-acquisitive annuals are more prevalent, acquisitive strategies enhance ecosystem temporal stability and resistance. In contrast, in alpine grasslands where annuals are less common, these same strategies reduce ecosystem temporal stability and resistance, and perennial species with slow-growing, conservative traits play the stabilizing role. Ecosystem resilience, however, shows consistent positive responses to acquisitive traits in both grassland types. These patterns persist after accounting for the effects of plant diversity, climate and soil properties. Our findings challenge the conventional view that only conservative plant growth strategies promote ecosystem resistance and temporal stability, and instead highlight distinct pathways to stability across ecosystems—much like the many roads that once led to Rome.