Coupled Above- and Belowground Ecosystem Stability Worldwide

Upholding stable terrestrial ecosystems is integral to supporting climate regulation and planetary security. Yet, while aboveground ecosystem stability is widely described, global-scale patterns in belowground ecosystem stability and how it connects to aboveground stability remain virtually unknown. Here, we assembled a global dataset including high-resolution information on annual estimates of soil respiration from 4,544 communities and associated aboveground ecosystem productivity over the past four decades (1985–2018). We found that ecosystems with greater stability in aboveground productivity had greater long-term stability in soil respiration, with a positive and significant connection between above- and belowground stability being especially strong in arid environments. Stable temperatures played a crucial role in reinforcing the stability and coupling of above- and belowground ecosystems. Our work provides new evidence of, and insights into, the local to global connections of stability of above- and belowground biological activity, and identifies a fundamental role of temperature stability in maintaining this stability under a changing climate.