Abstract
Plant diversity is essential for regulating ecosystem functions, yet its global-scale relationship with soil respiration, a critical component of the carbon cycle, remains unexplored. While plant productivity modulates ecosystem processes, understanding how plant species richness regulates soil respiration across net primary production gradients is key to predicting carbon–climate feedbacks. Here, we integrate two global plant species richness datasets (tree species richness and vascular plant species richness, including woody and non-woody plants) with a global soil respiration dataset estimated using a deep learning model trained on 6355 field observations. We demonstrate that plant diversity enhances soil respiration in low- to mid-productivity forests (<1300 g C m−2 yr−1), but this effect diminishes in high-productivity forests. By stratifying forests along a net primary production gradient and controlling for climatic, soil, and vegetation covariates via structural equation modeling, we reveal a context-dependent role of biodiversity. Greater plant species richness amplifies soil respiration in resource-limited systems but contributes minimally in high-productivity forests, where abiotic factors exert stronger influence. Our findings provide insights into how biodiversity influences soil carbon fluxes, revealing its dynamic role in shaping ecosystem carbon dynamics across productivity gradients.
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Data availability
The monthly soil respiration database is freely available at (https://data.lib.vt.edu/articles/dataset/Monthly_Global_Soil_Respiration_Database_MGRsD_/14098967)(monthly data; MGRsD). The soil data are freely available at (https://soilgrids.org/). The climate data used in this study can be accessed from WorldClim at (https://www.worldclim.org/data/monthlywth.html). Vegetation and evapotranspiration data were accessed from GLASS website at (http://www.glass.umd.edu/index.html). Forest cover data are available freely at ref. 69. TSR data are available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01831-x and at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17232491. The VPSR data are available at: https://doi.org/10.25829/idiv.3506-p4c0mo. The AM plant maps used in this study are provided as a Source Data file (ref. 43) and are also deposited at (https://github.com/nasoudzilovskaia/Soudzilovskaia_NatureComm_MycoMaps). The global predicted Rs map from this study is available at Figshare [https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29371901]. Source data are provided with this paper.
Code availability
The R codes used to produce the results can be accessed at Figshare (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29371901).
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Acknowledgements
The study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (32271856) (X.T.), the Key Program of National Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (2024NSFSC1956) (X.T.), the Key Program of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory (2023KJGG06) (X.T. and X.P.), and the Everest Scientific Research Program, Chengdu University of Technology (80000-2024ZF11410) (X.T. and X.P.).
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B.L. conceptualized, curated the data, performed the formal analysis, conducted the investigation, developed the methodology, developed the software, visualized the data, and wrote the original draft. Z.Y. performed the formal analysis, developed the methodology, developed the software, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. J.J., P.C., L.C., Y.Y., X.C., and N.H. reviewed and edited the manuscript. Z.T. developed the software, developed the methodology, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. X.P. conceptualized the study and acquired the funding. X.T. conceptualized the study, supervised the research, acquired the funding, and reviewed and edited the manuscript.
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Laffitte, B., Yang, Z., Jian, J. et al. Plant diversity’s positive effect on soil respiration diminishes with increasing productivity in global forests.
Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69594-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69594-8
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