Driving factors of plant and soil properties on ecosystem multifunctionality vary among grassland types in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

BackgroundsGrassland ecosystems consist of different grassland types and provide multiple ecosystem services and functions simultaneously. However, the relative importance of plant community characteristics and soil properties in promoting the ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) among different grassland types is unclear.MethodsA field study was conducted to investigate the effects of multidimensional plant diversity, plant coverage, and soil properties on EMF in alpine steppe (AS), alpine meadow (AM), and alpine swamp meadow (ASM).ResultsEnvironmental filtration resulted in a gradual decrease in plant species diversity and Faith' s phylogenetic diversity (PD) from AS to ASM. Plant species in AM with high functional diversity and mean phylogenetic pairwise distance (MPD). There was no significant difference in EMF among grassland types. Importantly, phylogenetic diversity and plant coverage had a direct positive effect on EMF in AS and AM, respectively. Additionally, soil moisture also played a crucial role in maintaining EMF in AS. Functional richness index (FRic) was positively correlated with EMF, while soil moisture was the key to maintaining EMF in ASM, followed by soil bulk density.ConclusionOur research highlighted the importance of plant community characteristics in maintaining the EMF of AS and AM. Additionally, EMF in ASM was mainly regulated by soil properties. We suggest that management measures should be established based on the specific characteristics of each grassland type, which is essential for maintaining ecosystem multifunctionality.