Figure 1: Theoretical biodiversity–stability relationships.

Potential changes in productivity before and after a disturbance are displayed in smaller panels (a–d). Initial conditions in this conceptual framework all reflect positive biodiversity–productivity relationships (see ref. 9 for alternatives). The consequent changes in biomass (often referred to as resistance or recovery) are displayed in the larger panel on the right. Biodiversity–stability predictions are based on disturbances that constitute stress and loss of productivity (c,d,g,h). However, if a disturbance constitutes a resource enrichment (a,b), we may expect increased productivity, but decreased stability in the highest diversity plots (e). Depending on the presence of negative selection effects, we may also expect smaller productivity increases in the highest diversity plots and therefore greater stability (f) or greater productivity losses in the highest diversity plots and therefore reduced stability (h).