Nutrients cause grassland biomass to outpace herbivory

E. T. Borer (), W. S. Harpole, P. B. Adler, C. A. Arnillas, M. N. Bugalho, M. W. Cadotte, M. C. Caldeira, S. Campana, C. R. Dickman, T. L. Dickson, I. Donohue, A. Eskelinen, J. L. Firn, P. Graff, D. S. Gruner, R. W. Heckman, A. M. Koltz, K. J. Komatsu, L. S. Lannes, A. S. MacDougall, J. P. Martina, J. L. Moore, B. Mortensen, R. Ochoa-Hueso, H. Olde Venterink, S. A. Power, J. N. Price, A. C. Risch, M. Sankaran, M. Schütz, J. Sitters, C. J. Stevens, R. Virtanen, P. A. Wilfahrt and E. W. Seabloom
Additional contact information
E. T. Borer: University of Minnesota
W. S. Harpole: Department of Physiological Diversity
P. B. Adler: Utah State University
C. A. Arnillas: University of Toronto - Scarborough
M. N. Bugalho: University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda
M. W. Cadotte: University of Toronto - Scarborough
M. C. Caldeira: University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda
S. Campana: Facultad de Agronomía
C. R. Dickman: The University of Sydney
T. L. Dickson: University of Nebraska at Omaha
I. Donohue: Trinity College Dublin
A. Eskelinen: Department of Physiological Diversity
J. L. Firn: Queensland University of Technology
P. Graff: Facultad de Agronomía
D. S. Gruner: University of Maryland
R. W. Heckman: University of North Carolina
A. M. Koltz: Washington University in St. Louis
K. J. Komatsu: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
L. S. Lannes: São Paulo State University - UNESP
A. S. MacDougall: University of Guelph
J. P. Martina: Texas State University
J. L. Moore: Monash University, Clayton Campus
B. Mortensen: Benedictine College
R. Ochoa-Hueso: University of Cádiz
H. Olde Venterink: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
S. A. Power: Western Sydney University
J. N. Price: Charles Sturt University
A. C. Risch: Snow and Landscape Research
M. Sankaran: National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR
M. Schütz: Snow and Landscape Research
J. Sitters: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
C. J. Stevens: Lancaster University
R. Virtanen: University of Oulu
P. A. Wilfahrt: University of Minnesota
E. W. Seabloom: University of Minnesota

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19870-y

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