Contrasting responses of different functional groups stabilize community responses to a dominant shrub under global change

Changes in precipitation regimes and nitrogen deposition levels due to global change are altering terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Most attempts at understanding how biotic interactions affect plant species community responses have focused on measured the level. However, these approaches ignore that communities include functionally dissimilar might respond differently changes effects of dominant neighbours along environmental gradients. We test hypothesis with differences functional traits may exhibit contrasting a shrub within single community, thereby stabilizing community-level change. manipulated water applications semi-arid dune northern China, quantified biomass herbaceous occurring below shrub, Artemisia ordosica, adjacent open patches (without shrub), height leaf dry matter content. The A. ordosica were species, group using relative interaction index (RII). Redundancy analysis was performed RII values assess relationships between plant–plant interactions. Species then grouped cluster recalculated redundancy showed content significantly correlated species' effect treatments. four groups identified by variations competitive or facilitative depending level balanced responses, as we found no significant treatments for biomass, richness diversity indices. Synthesis. Our findings indicate different strategies These balance metrics. This suggests stabilize