Local nutrient addition drives plant diversity losses but not biotic homogenization in global grasslands

Qingqing Chen (), Shane A. Blowes, W. Stanley Harpole, Emma Ladouceur, Elizabeth T. Borer, Andrew MacDougall, Jason P. Martina, Jonathan D. Bakker, Pedro M. Tognetti, Eric W. Seabloom, Pedro Daleo, Sally Power, Christiane Roscher, Peter B. Adler, Ian Donohue, George Wheeler, Carly Stevens, G. F. Ciska Veen, Anita C. Risch, Glenda M. Wardle, Yann Hautier, Catalina Estrada, Erika Hersch-Green, Yujie Niu, Pablo L. Peri, Anu Eskelinen, Daniel S. Gruner, Harry Olde Venterink, Carla D’Antonio, Marc W. Cadotte, Sylvia Haider, Nico Eisenhauer, Jane Catford, Risto Virtanen, John W. Morgan, Michelle Tedder, Sumanta Bagchi, Maria C. Caldeira, Miguel N. Bugalho, Johannes M. H. Knops, Chris R. Dickman, Nicole Hagenah, Anke Jentsch, Petr Macek, Brooke B. Osborne, Lauri Laanisto and Jonathan M. Chase ()
Additional contact information
Qingqing Chen: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Shane A. Blowes: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
W. Stanley Harpole: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Emma Ladouceur: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Elizabeth T. Borer: University of Minnesota
Andrew MacDougall: University of Guelph
Jason P. Martina: Texas State University
Jonathan D. Bakker: University of Washington
Pedro M. Tognetti: Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET
Eric W. Seabloom: University of Minnesota
Pedro Daleo: CC 1260 Correo Central
Sally Power: Locked Bag 1797
Christiane Roscher: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Peter B. Adler: Utah State University
Ian Donohue: Trinity College Dublin
George Wheeler: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Carly Stevens: Lancaster University
G. F. Ciska Veen: Netherlands Institute of Ecology
Anita C. Risch: Snow and Landscape Research WSL
Glenda M. Wardle: The University of Sydney
Yann Hautier: Utrecht University
Catalina Estrada: Silwood Park Campus
Erika Hersch-Green: Michigan Technological University
Yujie Niu: University of Bayreuth
Pablo L. Peri: Universidad Nacional de La Patagonia Austral (UNPA), CONICET, Río Gallegos
Anu Eskelinen: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Daniel S. Gruner: University of Maryland
Harry Olde Venterink: WILD
Carla D’Antonio: University of California, Santa Barbara
Marc W. Cadotte: University of Toronto Scarborough
Sylvia Haider: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Nico Eisenhauer: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Jane Catford: King’s College London
Risto Virtanen: University of Oulu
John W. Morgan: La Trobe University
Michelle Tedder: University of KwaZulu-Natal
Sumanta Bagchi: Indian Institute of Science
Maria C. Caldeira: University of Lisbon
Miguel N. Bugalho: University of Lisbon
Johannes M. H. Knops: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Chris R. Dickman: The University of Sydney
Nicole Hagenah: University of Pretoria
Anke Jentsch: University of Bayreuth
Petr Macek: Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Brooke B. Osborne: Utah State University
Lauri Laanisto: Estonian University of Life Sciences
Jonathan M. Chase: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Nutrient enrichment typically causes local plant diversity declines. A common but untested expectation is that nutrient enrichment also reduces variation in nutrient conditions among localities and selects for a smaller pool of species, causing greater diversity declines at larger than local scales and thus biotic homogenization. Here we apply a framework that links changes in species richness across scales to changes in the numbers of spatially restricted and widespread species for a standardized nutrient addition experiment across 72 grasslands on six continents. Overall, we find proportionally similar species loss at local and larger scales, suggesting similar declines of spatially restricted and widespread species, and no biotic homogenization after 4 years and up to 14 years of treatment. These patterns of diversity changes are generally consistent across species groups. Thus, nutrient enrichment poses threats to plant diversity, including for widespread species that are often critical for ecosystem functions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59166-7

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