title: Functional Redundancy Instead of Species Redundancy Determines Community Stability in a Typical Steppe of Inner Mongolia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The redundancy hypothesis predicts that the species redundancy in a plant community enhances community stability. However, numerous studies in recent years questioned the positive correlation between redundancy and stability.
  
  
  METHODS
  We explored the relationship between the species redundancy, functional redundancy and community stability in typical steppe grassland in Northern China by sampling grassland vegetation along a gradient of resource availability caused by micro-topography. We aimed to test whether community redundancy enhanced community stability, and to quantify the relative importance of species redundancy and functional redundancy in maintaining community stability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results showed that the spatial stability of plant community production increases with increased supply of soil resources, and the functional redundancy instead of species diversity or species redundancy is correlated with the community stability. Our results supported the redundancy hypothesis and have implications for sustainable grassland management.
authors.affiliation: Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Saruul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Frank Yonghong
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.|Sino-US Center for Conservation, Energy, and Sustainability Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Grassland Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Inner Mongolian Meteorological Bureau, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification*; D013045:Species Specificity