Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-19870-y
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Nutrients cause grassland biomass to outpace herbivory
Author Borer, E.T.; Harpole, W.S. ORCID logo ; Adler, P.B.; Arnillas, C.A.; Bugalho, M.N.; Cadotte, M.W.; Caldeira, M.C.; Campana, S.; Dickman, C.R.; Dickson, T.L.; Donohue, I.; Eskelinen, A.; Firn, J.L.; Graff, P.; Gruner, D.S.; Heckman, R.W.; Koltz, A.M.; Komatsu, K.J.; Lannes, L.S.; MacDougall, A.S.; Martina, J.P.; Moore, J.L.; Mortensen, B.; Ochoa-Hueso, R.; Venterink, H.O.; Power, S.A.; Price, J.N.; Risch, A.C.; Sankaran, M.; Schütz, M.; Sitters, J.; Stevens, C.J.; Virtanen, R.; Wilfahrt, P.A.; Seabloom, E.A.
Source Titel Nature Communications
Year 2020
Department iDiv; PHYDIV
Volume 11
Page From art. 6036
Language englisch
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.884853
https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/a318fe0fb11eb43c1a2c8233b2e3494f
Supplements https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-020-19870-y/MediaObjects/41467_2020_19870_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
Abstract Human activities are transforming grassland biomass via changing climate, elemental nutrients, and herbivory. Theory predicts that food-limited herbivores will consume any additional biomass stimulated by nutrient inputs (‘consumer-controlled’). Alternatively, nutrient supply is predicted to increase biomass where herbivores alter community composition or are limited by factors other than food (‘resource-controlled’). Using an experiment replicated in 58 grasslands spanning six continents, we show that nutrient addition and vertebrate herbivore exclusion each caused sustained increases in aboveground live biomass over a decade, but consumer control was weak. However, at sites with high vertebrate grazing intensity or domestic livestock, herbivores consumed the additional fertilization-induced biomass, supporting the consumer-controlled prediction. Herbivores most effectively reduced the additional live biomass at sites with low precipitation or high ambient soil nitrogen. Overall, these experimental results suggest that grassland biomass will outstrip wild herbivore control as human activities increase elemental nutrient supply, with widespread consequences for grazing and fire risk.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=24063
Borer, E.T., Harpole, W.S., Adler, P.B., Arnillas, C.A., Bugalho, M.N., Cadotte, M.W., Caldeira, M.C., Campana, S., Dickman, C.R., Dickson, T.L., Donohue, I., Eskelinen, A., Firn, J.L., Graff, P., Gruner, D.S., Heckman, R.W., Koltz, A.M., Komatsu, K.J., Lannes, L.S., MacDougall, A.S., Martina, J.P., Moore, J.L., Mortensen, B., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Venterink, H.O., Power, S.A., Price, J.N., Risch, A.C., Sankaran, M., Schütz, M., Sitters, J., Stevens, C.J., Virtanen, R., Wilfahrt, P.A., Seabloom, E.A. (2020):
Nutrients cause grassland biomass to outpace herbivory
Nat. Commun. 11 , art. 6036 10.1038/s41467-020-19870-y