生态系统结构、功能和稳定性是近20年生态学和环境科学研究的焦点。化学计量内稳性（环境或者食物中的养分组成发生变化而生物体维持相应的元素相对不变的一种能力）是生物在长期的进化过程中，适应环境变化的结果，是生理和生化调节的反映。但是，化学计量内稳性与生态系统特性的关系还未见报道。
中科院植物研究所韩兴国研究组在内蒙古锡林郭勒草原生态系统国家野外科学观测研究站（简称草原站）进行了2年的氮磷添加实验，结合一个1200公里的样地实验和草原站27年的长期监测实验，从时间和空间尺度充分证明，内稳性高的物种具有较高的优势度和稳定性，内稳性高的生态系统具有较高的生产力和稳定性。研究结果表明，通过调节生物对环境因子的响应，化学计量内稳性成为生态系统结构、功能和稳定性维持的重要机理，在生态系统的相关研究中，应该充分考虑化学计量内稳性的作用。
该研究结果还可以为自然保护区的管理提供依据，研究人员建议，在自然保护区管理过程中，除了重视生物多样性的保护，更要重点保护那些内稳性高的“关键种”，因为这些物种对实现生态系统的功能、保持生态系统稳定有更加重要的作用。
该项研究也是关于化学计量内稳性与生态系统结构、功能和稳定性的关系的首次研究，拓展了生态化学计量学研究的范畴。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐英文摘要：
Ecology Letters DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01532.x
Linking stoichiometric homoeostasis with ecosystem structure, functioning and stability
Qiang Yu1,2,3, Quansheng Chen1, James J. Elser4, Nianpeng He1, Honghui Wu1,2, Guangming Zhang1, Jianguo Wu4,5, Yongfei Bai1, Xingguo Han1,3,*
Ecosystem structure, functioning and stability have been a focus of ecological and environmental sciences during the past two decades. The mechanisms underlying their relationship, however, are not well understood. Based on comprehensive studies in Inner Mongolia grassland, here we show that species-level stoichiometric homoeostasis was consistently positively correlated with dominance and stability on both 2-year and 27-year temporal scales and across a 1200-km spatial transect. At the community level, stoichiometric homoeostasis was also positively correlated with ecosystem function and stability in most cases. Thus, homoeostatic species tend to have high and stable biomass; and ecosystems dominated by more homoeostatic species have higher productivity and greater stability. By modulating organism responses to key environmental drivers, stoichiometric homoeostasis appears to be a major mechanism responsible for the structure, functioning and stability of grassland ecosystems.
