Publication Details

Category Data Publication
DOI 10.5061/dryad.vdncjsz50
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Data from: Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship [Dataset]
Author Fay, P.A.; Gherardi, L.A.; Yahdjian, L.; Adler, P.B.; Bakker, J.D.; Bharath, S.; Borer, E.T.; Harpole, W.S. ORCID logo ; Hersch-Green, E.; Huxman, T.E.; MacDougall, A.S.; Risch, A.C.; Seabloom, E.W.; Bagchi, S.; Barrio, I.C.; Biederman, L.; Buckley, Y.M.; Bugalho, M.N.; Caldeira, M.C.; Catford, J.A.; Chen, Q.; Cleland, E.E.; Collins, S.L.; Daleo, P.; Dickman, C.R.; Donohue, I.; DuPre, M.E.; Eisenhauer, N.; Eskelinen, A.; Hagenah, N.; Hautier, Y.; Heckman, R.W.; Jónsdóttir, I.S.; Knops, J.M.H.; Laungani, R.; Martina, J.P.; McCulley, R.L.; Morgan, J.W.; Venterink, H.O.; Peri, P.L.; Power, S.A.; Raynaud, X.; Ren, Z.; Roscher, C.; Smith, M.D.; Spohn, M.; Stevens, C.J.; Tedder, M.J.; Virtanen, R.; Wardle, G.M.; Wheeler, G.R.
Source Titel Dryad
Year 2025
Department PHYDIV
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Abstract Ecosystems are experiencing changing global patterns of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and enrichment with multiple nutrients that potentially colimit plant biomass production. In grasslands, mean aboveground plant biomass is closely related to MAP, but how this relationship changes after enrichment with multiple nutrients remains unclear. We hypothesized the global biomass–MAP relationship becomes steeper with an increasing number of added nutrients, with increases in steepness corresponding to the form of interaction among added nutrients and with increased mediation by changes in plant community diversity. We measured aboveground plant biomass production and species diversity in 71 grasslands on six continents representing the global span of grassland MAP, diversity, management, and soils. We fertilized all sites with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with micronutrients in all combinations to identify which nutrients limited biomass at each site. As hypothesized, fertilizing with one, two, or three nutrients progressively steepened the global biomass–MAP relationship. The magnitude of the increase in steepness corresponded to whether sites were not limited by nitrogen or phosphorus, were limited by either one, or were colimited by both in additive, or synergistic forms. Unexpectedly, we found only weak evidence for mediation of biomass–MAP relationships by plant community diversity because relationships of species richness, evenness, and beta diversity to MAP and to biomass were weak or opposing. Site-level properties including baseline biomass production, soils, and management explained little variation in biomass–MAP relationships. These findings reveal multiple nutrient colimitation as a defining feature of the global grassland biomass–MAP relationship.
linked UFZ text publications
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30779
Fay, P.A., Gherardi, L.A., Yahdjian, L., Adler, P.B., Bakker, J.D., Bharath, S., Borer, E.T., Harpole, W.S., Hersch-Green, E., Huxman, T.E., MacDougall, A.S., Risch, A.C., Seabloom, E.W., Bagchi, S., Barrio, I.C., Biederman, L., Buckley, Y.M., Bugalho, M.N., Caldeira, M.C., Catford, J.A., Chen, Q., Cleland, E.E., Collins, S.L., Daleo, P., Dickman, C.R., Donohue, I., DuPre, M.E., Eisenhauer, N., Eskelinen, A., Hagenah, N., Hautier, Y., Heckman, R.W., Jónsdóttir, I.S., Knops, J.M.H., Laungani, R., Martina, J.P., McCulley, R.L., Morgan, J.W., Venterink, H.O., Peri, P.L., Power, S.A., Raynaud, X., Ren, Z., Roscher, C., Smith, M.D., Spohn, M., Stevens, C.J., Tedder, M.J., Virtanen, R., Wardle, G.M., Wheeler, G.R. (2025):
Data from: Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship [Dataset]
Dryad 10.5061/dryad.vdncjsz50