Journal
BIOSCIENCE
Volume 72, Issue 9, Pages 889-907Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab134
Keywords
ANPP; disturbance; climate change; drought; LTER; wildfire
Categories
Funding
- USDA-ARS SCINet Big Data Project [0500-00093-001-00-D]
- National Science Foundation [DEB 20-25166, DEB 2025849, DEB 1832042, DEB-1234162, DEB-1831944]
- ARC [DEB-1637459]
- MCM [OPP-1637708]
- CAP [DEB-1832016]
- SEV [DEB-1655499]
- Minnesota Supercomputer Institute
- University of Minnesota, Michigan State University AgBioResearch
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study compares the patterns of climate change and primary production responses in diverse drylands based on long-term observations and experiments. It reveals that droughts, floods, and wildfires have a greater impact on primary production than warming alone.
Long-term observations and experiments in diverse drylands reveal how ecosystems and services are responding to climate change. To develop generalities about climate change impacts at dryland sites, we compared broadscale patterns in climate and synthesized primary production responses among the eight terrestrial, nonforested sites of the United States Long-Term Ecological Research (US LTER) Network located in temperate (Southwest and Midwest) and polar (Arctic and Antarctic) regions. All sites experienced warming in recent decades, whereas drought varied regionally with multidecadal phases. Multiple years of wet or dry conditions had larger effects than single years on primary production. Droughts, floods, and wildfires altered resource availability and restructured plant communities, with greater impacts on primary production than warming alone. During severe regional droughts, air pollution from wildfire and dust events peaked. Studies at US LTER drylands over more than 40 years demonstrate reciprocal links and feedbacks among dryland ecosystems, climate-driven disturbance events, and climate change.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available