Biotic and abiotic drivers of ecosystem functioning differ between a temperate and a tropical region

Abstract

Any single ecosystem will provide many ecosystem functions. Yet, we lack large‐scale, systematic studies of how abiotic factors can directly or indirectly – via effects on biodiversity – drive ecosystem functioning. In this study, we assessed the impact of climate, landscape and biotic community on ecosystem functioning in the temperate and tropical zone, with potential trade‐offs among ecosystem functions in both zones. To this aim, we measured a diverse set of insect‐related functions – including herbivory, seed dispersal, predation, decomposition and pollination – at 50 sites across Madagascar and 171 sites across Sweden, while characterizing the insect community at each site. For the temperate zone, we found that abiotic factors were most important in driving ecosystem functioning, while in the tropical zone, effects of biotic drivers were most pronounced. In the temperate zone, most functions were uncorrelated, but in the tropical zone, most ecosystem functions increased in concert. Our study suggests that the functioning of temperate and tropical ecosystems differs fundamentally in terms of patterns and drivers. To identify global patterns and drivers of ecosystem functioning, and to predict future ecosystem functioning, we next need further replication across biomes.