Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42393059›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Multitrophic interaction networks mediate biodiversity effects on ecosystem multifunctionality.

Georg Albert, Michael Staab, Arong Luo, Perttu Anttonen, Rémy Beugnon, Simone Cesarz, Jingting Chen, Nico Eisenhauer, Alexandra Erfmeier, Felix Fornoff and 28 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

38 authors.

Georg AlbertDepartment of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. georg.albert@uni-goettingen.de.ORCID 0000-0001-5007-2043
Michael StaabEcological Networks, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0894-7576
Arong LuoKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9652-5896
Perttu AnttonenDepartment of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Rémy BeugnonGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2457-5688
Simone CesarzGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2334-5119
Jingting ChenKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Nico EisenhauerGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0371-6720
Alexandra ErfmeierInstitute for Ecosystem Research, Department of Geobotany, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1002-9216
Felix FornoffChair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Pengfei GuoKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Werner HärdtleInstitute of Ecology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany.
Lydia HönigInstitute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Lin JiangSchool of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia, Atlanta, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7114-0794
Alexandra-Maria KleinChair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2139-8575
Yi LiState Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8878-4249
Yingbin LiKey Laboratory of Forest Ecology Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0207-8667
Qi LiKey Laboratory of Forest Ecology Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.ORCID 0000-0002-8652-8396
Lingli LiuState Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5696-3151
Keping MaState Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9112-5340
Goddert von OheimbInstitute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Tharandt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7408-425X
Gemma RuttenInstitute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Thomas ScholtenSoil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4875-2602
Steffen SeitzSoil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4911-3906
Bala SingavarapuGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Stefan TrogischGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1426-1012
Ming-Qiang WangKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-3175-2200
Pandeng WangState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0002-7593-6634
Donghao WuCollege of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0003-3568-0782
Tesfaye WubetGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8572-4486
Xian YangSchool of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia, Atlanta, USA.
Mingjian YuCollege of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8060-8427
Naili ZhangCollege of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Bernhard SchmidDepartment of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-8430-3214
Helge BruelheideGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3135-0356
Xiaojuan LiuState Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9292-4432
Chao-Dong ZhuKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9347-3178
Andreas SchuldtDepartment of Forest Nature Conservation, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8761-0025

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) 452861007/FOR 5281; 319936945/GRK2324; FOR 891; FZT 118, 202548816; Ei 862/29-1National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) NSFC 30710103907, 30930005, 31170457 and 31210103910
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biodiversity loss threatens the multifunctionality of ecosystems on which human well-being ultimately depends. Multitrophic species interactions may be key to explaining the ecological consequences of biodiversity loss, but research explicitly linking species interactions and ecosystem multifunctionality remains rare. To fill this gap, we synthesize data from a large-scale biodiversity experiment established in 2009 in subtropical China that manipulates tree species richness (1-24 species). We integrate 11 types of antagonistic and mutualistic species interaction networks, and 34 ecosystem functions associated with a diverse set of species and trophic levels. Our analysis highlights that characterizing the structure of species interaction networks is invaluable for assessing interaction-mediated biodiversity effects and underlying mechanisms. Positive effects of network size align with expected benefits of multitrophic diversity for ecosystem multifunctionality. Positive effects of niche overlap among interacting species and negative effects of highly connected species (i.e. high linkage density) reveal additional, interaction-mediated drivers. The effects of niche overlap suggest benefits of functionally similar species, and the effects of linkage density underscore the importance of specialized interactions in promoting ecosystem multifunctionality. These findings emphasize that ecosystem service provisioning does not only rely on biodiversity across trophic levels, but to a similar degree on how species interact.

Indexed as

BiodiversityEcosystemTreesAnimalsChinaModels, BiologicalSymbiosis

Identifiers

PMID42393059
PMCPMC13328580

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.