Biodiversity boosts productivity most during extreme drought in drier grasslands
A global study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution reveals that biodiversity significantly enhances productivity in arid grasslands during extreme droughts. The findings suggest that plant diversity acts as a buffer against climate extremes, though this effect is less pronounced in forests.
Why it matters
This research provides a practical framework for climate adaptation strategies, emphasizing the importance of biodiversity in maintaining ecosystem stability.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source Summary of the main findings from 75 global biodiversity experiments. Biodiversity effects on productivity were strongest under extreme drought in more-arid grasslands, driven by increased complementarity, whereas comparable context dependence was not detected in forests or under heat extremes. Credit: Yokohama National University When extreme drought strikes, drier grasslands receive the greatest productivity benefit from biodiversity. By contrast, forests did not show the same context-dependent pattern under drought, according to a new global synthesis of 75 biodiversity experiments. Researchers from Yokohama National University published their results in Nature Ecology & Evolution on July 15.
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