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Journal article
Extreme drought impacts have been underestimated in grasslands and shrublands globally
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.121(4), e2309881120
2024
PMID: 38190514
Abstract
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of short-term (~1 y) drought events-the most common duration of drought-globally. Yet the impact of this intensification of drought on ecosystem functioning remains poorly resolved. This is due in part to the widely disparate approaches ecologists have employed to study drought, variation in the severity and duration of drought studied, and differences among ecosystems in vegetation, edaphic and climatic attributes that can mediate drought impacts. To overcome these problems and better identify the factors that modulate drought responses, we used a coordinated distributed experiment to quantify the impact of short-term drought on grassland and shrubland ecosystems. With a standardized approach, we imposed ~a single year of drought at 100 sites on six continents. Here we show that loss of a foundational ecosystem function-aboveground net primary production (ANPP)-was 60% greater at sites that experienced statistically extreme drought (1-in-100-y event) vs. those sites where drought was nominal (historically more common) in magnitude (35% vs. 21%, respectively). This reduction in a key carbon cycle process with a single year of extreme drought greatly exceeds previously reported losses for grasslands and shrublands. Our global experiment also revealed high variability in drought response but that relative reductions in ANPP were greater in drier ecosystems and those with fewer plant species. Overall, our results demonstrate with unprecedented rigor that the global impacts of projected increases in drought severity have been significantly underestimated and that drier and less diverse sites are likely to be most vulnerable to extreme drought.
Details
- Title
- Extreme drought impacts have been underestimated in grasslands and shrublands globally
- Authors/Creators
- Melinda D Smith - Colorado State UniversityKate D Wilkins - Denver ZooMartin C Holdrege - Utah State UniversityPeter Wilfahrt - University of MinnesotaScott L Collins - University of New MexicoAlan K Knapp - Colorado State UniversityOsvaldo E Sala - Arizona State UniversityJeffrey S Dukes - Carnegie Institution for ScienceRichard P Phillips - Indiana University BloomingtonLaura Yahdjian - Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecology Research InstituteLaureano A Gherardi - University of California, BerkeleyTimothy Ohlert - Colorado State UniversityClaus Beier - University of CopenhagenLauchlan H Fraser - Thompson Rivers UniversityAnke Jentsch - University of BayreuthMichael E Loik - University of California, Santa CruzFernando T Maestre - University of AlicanteSally A Power - Western Sydney UniversityQiang Yu - Beijing Forestry UniversitySeth M Munson - United States Geological SurveyAndrew J Felton - Montana State UniversityYiqi Luo - Cornell UniversityHamed Abdoli - Tarbiat Modares UniversityMehdi Abedi - Tarbiat Modares UniversityConcepción L Alados - Instituto Pirenaico de EcologíaJuan Alberti - National University of Mar del PlataMoshe Alon - Tel Aviv UniversityHui An - Ningxia UniversityBrian Anacker - City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO 80301Maggie Anderson - University of MinnesotaHarald Auge - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental ResearchSeton Bachle - Kansas State UniversityKhadijeh Bahalkeh - Tarbiat Modares UniversityMichael Bahn - Universität InnsbruckAmgaa Batbaatar - University of AlbertaTaryn Bauerle - Cornell UniversityKaren H Beard - Utah State UniversityKai Behn - University of BonnIlka Beil - Universität GreifswaldLucio Biancari - Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecology Research InstituteIrmgard Blindow - Universität GreifswaldViviana Florencia Bondaruk - Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecology Research InstituteElizabeth T Borer - University of MinnesotaEdward W Bork - University of AlbertaCarlos Martin Bruschetti - National University of Mar del PlataKerry M Byrne - Cal Poly HumboldtJames F Cahill, Jr - University of AlbertaDianela A Calvo - National University of Río NegroMichele Carbognani - University of ParmaAugusto Cardoni - National University of Mar del PlataCameron N Carlyle - University of AlbertaMiguel Castillo-Garcia - Instituto Pirenaico de EcologíaScott X Chang - University of AlbertaJeff Chieppa - Western Sydney UniversityMarcus V Cianciaruso - Universidade Federal de GoiásOfer Cohen - Tel Aviv UniversityAmanda L Cordeiro - Colorado State UniversityDaniela F Cusack - Colorado State UniversitySven Dahlke - Universität GreifswaldPedro Daleo - National University of Mar del PlataCarla M D'Antonio - University of California, Santa BarbaraLee H Dietterich - Colorado State UniversityTim S Doherty - The University of SydneyMaren Dubbert - Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape ResearchAnne Ebeling - Friedrich Schiller University JenaNico Eisenhauer - Leipzig UniversityFelícia M Fischer - Leipzig UniversityT'ai G W Forte - University of ParmaTobias Gebauer - University of FreiburgBeatriz Gozalo - University of AlicanteAaron C Greenville - The University of SydneyKarlo G Guidoni-Martins - Universidade Federal de GoiásHeather J Hannusch - Texas A&M UniversitySiri Vatsø Haugum - University of BergenYann Hautier - Utrecht UniversityMariet Hefting - Utrecht UniversityHugh A L Henry - Western UniversityDaniela Hoss - German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity ResearchJohannes Ingrisch - Universität InnsbruckOscar Iribarne - National University of Mar del PlataForest Isbell - University of MinnesotaYari Johnson - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, CA 95814Samuel Jordan - Arizona State UniversityEugene F Kelly - Colorado State UniversityKaitlin Kimmel - University of AlabamaJuergen Kreyling - Universität GreifswaldGyörgy Kröel-Dulay - Institute of Ecology and BotanyAlicia Kröpfl - National University of ComahueAngelika Kübert - University of FreiburgAndrew Kulmatiski - Utah State UniversityEric G Lamb - University of SaskatchewanKlaus Steenberg Larsen - University of CopenhagenJulie Larson - Eastern Oregon UniversityJason Lawson - University Medical Center BrackenridgeCintia V Leder - National University of Río NegroAnja Linstädter - University of PotsdamJielin Liu - Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Agricultural SciencesShirong Liu - Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and ProtectionAlexandra G Lodge - Texas A&M UniversityGrisel Longo - Universidade Federal da ParaíbaAlejandro Loydi - Universidad Nacional del SurJunwei Luan - Institute of Resources and Environment, International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration and Beijing for Bamboo and Rattan Science and Technology, Beijing 100102, ChinaFrederick Curtis Lubbe - Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of BotanyCraig Macfarlane - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationKathleen Mackie-Haas - Bern University of Applied SciencesAndrey V Malyshev - Universität GreifswaldAdrián Maturano-Ruiz - Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio "Ramón Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, 03690 Alicante, SpainThomas Merchant - Institute of Arctic and Alpine ResearchDaniel B Metcalfe - Umeå UniversityAkira S Mori - The University of TokyoEdwin Mudongo - Conservancy-Communities Living Among Wildlife Sustainably (CLAWS) Botswana, Seronga 00000, BotswanaGregory S Newman - University of OklahomaUffe N Nielsen - Western Sydney UniversityDale Nimmo - Charles Sturt UniversityYujie Niu - University of BayreuthPaola Nobre - Universidade Federal de GoiásRory C O'Connor - Range and Meadow Forage Management Research, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Research Service, Burns, OR 97720Romà Ogaya - Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry ApplicationsGastón R Oñatibia - Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecology Research InstituteIldikó Orbán - Institute of Ecology and BotanyBrooke Osborne - Utah State UniversityRafael Otfinowski - University of WinnipegMeelis Pärtel - University of TartuJosep Penuelas - Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry ApplicationsPablo L Peri - National University of Austral PatagoniaGuadalupe Peter - National University of Río NegroAlessandro Petraglia - University of ParmaCatherine Picon-Cochard - VetAgro SupValério D Pillar - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulJuan Manuel Piñeiro-Guerra - Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecology Research InstituteLaura W Ploughe - Purdue University West LafayetteRobert M Plowes - University Medical Center BrackenridgeCristy Portales-Reyes - Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103Suzanne M Prober - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationYolanda Pueyo - Instituto Pirenaico de EcologíaSasha C Reed - United States Geological SurveyEuan G Ritchie - Deakin UniversityDana Aylén Rodríguez - Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona SemiáridaWilliam E Rogers - Texas A&M UniversityChristiane Roscher - German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity ResearchAna M Sánchez - Universidad Rey Juan CarlosBráulio A Santos - Universidade Federal da ParaíbaMaría Cecilia Scarfó - Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona SemiáridaEric W Seabloom - University of MinnesotaBaoku Shi - Northeast Normal UniversityLara Souza - University of OklahomaAndreas Stampfli - Bern University of Applied SciencesRachel J Standish - Murdoch University, School of Environmental and Conservation SciencesMarcelo Sternberg - Tel Aviv UniversityWei Sun - Northeast Normal UniversityMarie Sünnemann - Leipzig UniversityMichelle Tedder - University of KwaZulu-NatalPål Thorvaldsen - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy ResearchDashuan Tian - Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources ResearchKatja Tielbörger - University of TübingenAlejandro Valdecantos - University of AlicanteLiesbeth van den Brink - University of TübingenVigdis Vandvik - University of BergenMathew R Vankoughnett - Nova Scotia Community CollegeLiv Guri Velle - Møreforsking (Norway)Changhui Wang - Shanxi Agricultural UniversityYi Wang - Institute of Resources and Environment, International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration and Beijing for Bamboo and Rattan Science and Technology, Beijing 100102, ChinaGlenda M Wardle - The University of SydneyChristiane Werner - University of FreiburgCunzheng Wei - Institute of BotanyGeorg Wiehl - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationJennifer L Williams - University of British ColumbiaAmelia A Wolf - The University of Texas at AustinMichaela Zeiter - Bern University of Applied SciencesFawei Zhang - Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and GeographyJuntao Zhu - Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources ResearchNing Zong - Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources ResearchXiaoan Zuo - Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.121(4), e2309881120
- Publisher
- PNAS
- Grant note
- 2020-67034-31898 / US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture DEB-1354732 / National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Identifiers
- 991005631469107891
- Copyright
- © 2024 the Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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