Convergence across biomes to a common rain-use efficiency

Travis E. Huxman (), Melinda D. Smith (), Philip A. Fay, Alan K. Knapp, M. Rebecca Shaw, Michael E. Loik, Stanley D. Smith, David T. Tissue, John C. Zak, Jake F. Weltzin, William T. Pockman, Osvaldo E. Sala, Brent M. Haddad, John Harte, George W. Koch, Susan Schwinning, Eric E. Small and David G. Williams
Additional contact information
Travis E. Huxman: University of Arizona
Melinda D. Smith: National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Philip A. Fay: Natural Resources Research Institute
Alan K. Knapp: Colorado State University
M. Rebecca Shaw: Carnegie Institution of Washington
Michael E. Loik: University of California
Stanley D. Smith: University of Nevada
David T. Tissue: Texas Tech University
John C. Zak: Texas Tech University
Jake F. Weltzin: University of Tennessee
William T. Pockman: University of New Mexico
Osvaldo E. Sala: University of Buenos Aires
Brent M. Haddad: University of California
John Harte: University of California
George W. Koch: Northern Arizona University
Susan Schwinning: Biosphere 2 Center, Columbia University
Eric E. Small: University of Colorado
David G. Williams: University of Wyoming

Nature, 2004, vol. 429, issue 6992, 651-654

Abstract: Abstract Water availability limits plant growth and production in almost all terrestrial ecosystems1,2,3,4,5. However, biomes differ substantially in sensitivity of aboveground net primary production (ANPP) to between-year variation in precipitation6,7,8. Average rain-use efficiency (RUE; ANPP/precipitation) also varies between biomes, supposedly because of differences in vegetation structure and/or biogeochemical constraints8. Here we show that RUE decreases across biomes as mean annual precipitation increases. However, during the driest years at each site, there is convergence to a common maximum RUE (RUEmax) that is typical of arid ecosystems. RUEmax was also identified by experimentally altering the degree of limitation by water and other resources. Thus, in years when water is most limiting, deserts, grasslands and forests all exhibit the same rate of biomass production per unit rainfall, despite differences in physiognomy and site-level RUE. Global climate models9,10 predict increased between-year variability in precipitation, more frequent extreme drought events, and changes in temperature. Forecasts of future ecosystem behaviour should take into account this convergent feature of terrestrial biomes.

Date: 2004
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DOI: 10.1038/nature02561

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