Mixtures of stably coexisting species overyield

Stable coexistence in diverse plant communities requires a positive complementarity effect, with underyielding communities showing nearly three times higher odds of losing a species within two years or sampling steps across four long-term biodiversity experiments.

• Why it matters: It was unknown whether the biodiversity productivity advantage is only a tendency or a general requirement for persistent, functioning multispecies communities.
• What they did: The authors tested a prospective coexistence prediction—impending species loss—from biomass-based functioning measures, using four long-term biodiversity experiments and theoretical results linking complementarity to local and structural stability.
• The result: The findings turn complementarity into a diagnostic: biodiversity that endures is intrinsically linked to higher productivity, enabling early-warning of species loss using existing mixture and monoculture biomass data.