The continuing loss of global biodiversity has raised questions about the risk that species extinctions pose for the functioning of natural ecosystems and the services that they provide for human wellbeing. There is consensus that, on single trophic levels, biodiversity sustains functions; however, to understand the full range of biodiversity effects, a holistic and multitrophic perspective is needed. Here, we apply methods from ecosystem ecology that quantify the structure and dynamics of the trophic network using ecosystem energetics to data from a large grassland biodiversity experiment. We show that higher plant diversity leads to more energy stored, greater energy flow and higher community-energy-use efficiency across the entire trophic network. These effects of biodiversity on energy dynamics were not restricted to only plants but were also expressed by other trophic groups and, to a similar degree, in aboveground and belowground parts of the ecosystem, even though plants are by far the dominating group in the system. The positive effects of biodiversity on one trophic level were not counteracted by the negative effects on adjacent levels. Trophic levels jointly increased the performance of the community, indicating ecosystem-wide multitrophic complementarity, which is potentially an important prerequisite for the provisioning of ecosystem services.

全球生物多样性的持续丧失引发了人们对物种灭绝对自然生态系统功能及其为人类福祉提供的服务构成的风险的质疑。一致认为，在单一营养水平上，生物多样性维持功能；然而，要全面了解生物多样性的影响，需要一个整体和多营养的视角。在这里，我们将生态系统生态学的方法应用到大型草原生物多样性实验的数据中，这些方法利用生态系统能量学来量化营养网络的结构和动态。我们表明，更高的植物多样性会导致整个营养网络中更多的能量储存、更大的能量流动和更高的社区能源使用效率。生物多样性对能量动态的这些影响不仅限于植物，而且还表现在其他营养组中，并且在类似程度上，在生态系统的地上和地下部分，即使植物到目前为止是系统中的主导组。生物多样性对一个营养级的积极影响并没有被相邻级的负面影响抵消。营养水平共同提高了群落的表现，表明整个生态系统的多营养互补性，这可能是提供生态系统服务的重要先决条件。生物多样性对一个营养级的积极影响并没有被相邻级的负面影响抵消。营养水平共同提高了群落的表现，表明整个生态系统的多营养互补性，这可能是提供生态系统服务的重要先决条件。生物多样性对一个营养级的积极影响并没有被相邻级的负面影响抵消。营养水平共同提高了群落的表现，表明整个生态系统的多营养互补性，这可能是提供生态系统服务的重要先决条件。