A Environmental change and heterogeneity determine the biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems (modified after Eisenhauer et al. 2016). In addition, changes in biodiversity can have significant effects on ecosystem functioning, which can be masked by strong environmental gradients. Only by accounting for environmental heterogeneity can the role of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning be wholly realized (Grace et al. 2016). B Hypothesized positive relationship between microbial diversity and decomposition (overall positive relationship with confidence intervals; no real data was used to create this figure). The diversity gradient in soil microbes is supposed to be caused by different environmental conditions. The different grey lines indicate BEF relationships across different experimental and environmental gradients.

 
  Part of: Heintz-Buschart A, Guerra C, Djukic I, Cesarz S, Chatzinotas A, Patoine G, Sikorski J, Buscot F, Küsel K, Wegner C-E, Eisenhauer N (2020) Microbial diversity-ecosystem function relationships across environmental gradients. Research Ideas and Outcomes 6: e52217. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.6.e52217