Temporal complexity of terrestrial ecosystem functioning and its drivers

Temporal complexity of terrestrial ecosystem functioning and its drivers | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Temporal complexity of terrestrial ecosystem functioning and its drivers Marcos Fernandez-Martinez, Ivan Janssens, Michael Obersteiner, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5492149/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The development of non-linear dynamics showed that simple processes can lead to high complexity in the functioning of nature, and recent studies show that non-linear dynamics are common across populations of different taxa. However, whether the energy and matter fluxes of entire ecosystems follow non-linear dynamics, and how complex these dynamics are, is still unknown. We investigated the drivers of- and trends in the temporal complexity of ecosystem functioning by calculating the correlation dimension of gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Re), and net ecosystem production (NEP). We used long-term, eddy-covariance C fluxes from 57 terrestrial ecosystems, including boreal, temperate, and Mediterranean biomes. Ecosystems with higher temporal complexity generally exhibited lower interannual variability and seasonality. Causal analyses indicated that larger C fluxes generally cause higher temporal complexity, and larger and temporally complex C fluxes reduce interannual variability, suggesting higher resistance to perturbations. We found a positive trend in GPP complexity over time, which correlates with increasing GPP. This result may indicate that ecosystems are increasingly responsive to endogenous or exogenous stimuli, but the biology underlying these trends is not yet understood. We show that the temporal complexity of ecosystem functioning can elucidate ecosystem properties otherwise missed by longer timescales. Biological sciences/Ecology/Biogeochemistry/Carbon cycle Biological sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem ecology Biological sciences/Ecology/Theoretical ecology correlation dimension degrees of freedom nonlinear dynamics ecosystem functioning climate carbon cycle Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5492149","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":380552953,"identity":"22eeb14d-1ea4-4538-9d4f-222c54e1a403","order_by":0,"name":"Marcos 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