Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42364980›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Ecological multifunctionality of watersheds increases with tree species richness.

Jiehao Zhang, Peter B Reich, Conghe Song, Yulong Zhang, Han Y H Chen, Gert-Jan Nabuurs, Xia Wang, Tiehu He, Jiri Dolezal, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen and 15 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

25 authors.

Jiehao ZhangState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1159-9712
Peter B ReichDepartment of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4424-662X
Conghe SongDepartment of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4099-4906
Yulong ZhangDivision of Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6967-0051
Han Y H ChenFaculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9477-5541
Gert-Jan NabuursWageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9761-074X
Xia WangState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PR China.
Tiehu HeState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8902-5412
Jiri DolezalInstitute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czechia.
Michael Scherer-LorenzenGeobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9566-590X
Alain PaquetteCentre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1048-9674
Helder VianaCERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Campus Politécnico, Repeses, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Viseu, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4024-3472
Giorgio AlbertiDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
Elena ParfenovaV. N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, FRC KSC, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Nadezhda TchebakovaV. N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, FRC KSC, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4208-6792
Jingjing LiangDepartment of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Thomas W CrowtherInstitute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland.
Sergio de-MiguelDepartment of Agricultural and Forest Sciences and Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain.
Sebastian PfautschSchool of Social Sciences (Urban Studies), Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4390-4195
Peter SchallSilviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4808-818X
Bogdan JaroszewiczBiałowieża Geobotanical Station, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Białowieża, Poland.
Pablo L PeriUniversidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Río Gallegos, Argentina.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5398-4408
Nicolas PicardGIP Ecofor, Paris, France.
Quanfa ZhangState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PR China. qzhang@wbgcas.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7192-8514
Kerong ZhangState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PR China. kerongzhang@wbgcas.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7209-7639

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32401373National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32401373; 32430068; 32471650National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32430068Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS) Y2022091
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Watersheds are natural units and meta-ecosystems of the earth's land surface providing multiple ecological functions. However, little is known about the biodiversity-ecological multifunctionality relationships of watersheds, particularly regarding how these relationships scale to large and complex landscapes. Here, we explore the impact of forest tree species richness on the ecological multifunctionality of watersheds in terms of carbon sequestration, carbon storage, water supply, water regulation, and soil conservation, by utilizing integrated ground-sourced forest inventory datasets comprising 846 forest watersheds from the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative, the Global Streamflow Indices and Metadata Archive, and remote sensing data products. We find a consistently positive relationship between forest tree species richness and watershed ecological multifunctionality by accounting for factors such as forest structural characteristics and environmental conditions. Furthermore, we find that this biodiversity-multifunctionality link is dependent on spatial scale and climatic context, becoming stronger in larger watersheds but diminishing in arid climatic conditions. These insights enhance our understanding of ecosystem multifunctionality and underscore the importance of considering watershed-scale ecological processes and biodiversity in ecosystem management and conservation strategies.

Indexed as

BiodiversityTreesCarbon SequestrationConservation of Natural ResourcesEcosystemForestsSoilWater SupplySoil

Identifiers

PMID42364980
PMCPMC13454266

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.