Unforeseen plant phenotypic diversity in a dry and grazed world

Nicolas Gross (), Fernando T. Maestre (), Pierre Liancourt, Miguel Berdugo, Raphaël Martin, Beatriz Gozalo, Victoria Ochoa, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Vincent Maire, Hugo Saiz, Santiago Soliveres, Enrique Valencia, David J. Eldridge, Emilio Guirado, Franck Jabot, Sergio Asensio, Juan J. Gaitán, Miguel García-Gómez, Paloma Martínez, Jaime Martínez-Valderrama, Betty J. Mendoza, Eduardo Moreno-Jiménez, David S. Pescador, César Plaza, Ivan Santaolaria Pijuan, Mehdi Abedi, Rodrigo J. Ahumada, Fateh Amghar, Antonio I. Arroyo, Khadijeh Bahalkeh, Lydia Bailey, Farah Salem, Niels Blaum, Bazartseren Boldgiv, Matthew A. Bowker, Cristina Branquinho, Liesbeth Brink, Chongfeng Bu, Rafaella Canessa, Andrea del P. Castillo-Monroy, Helena Castro, Patricio Castro, Roukaya Chibani, Abel Augusto Conceição, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, Yvonne C. Davila, Balázs Deák, David A. Donoso, Jorge Durán, Carlos Espinosa, Alex Fajardo, Mohammad Farzam, Daniela Ferrante, Jorgelina Franzese, Lauchlan Fraser, Sofía Gonzalez, Elizabeth Gusman-Montalvan, Rosa Mary Hernández-Hernández, Norbert Hölzel, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Oswaldo Jadan, Florian Jeltsch, Anke Jentsch, Mengchen Ju, Kudzai F. Kaseke, Liana Kindermann, Peter Roux, Anja Linstädter, Michelle A. Louw, Mancha Mabaso, Gillian Maggs-Kölling, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Oumarou Malam Issa, Antonio J. Manzaneda, Eugene Marais, Pierre Margerie, Frederic Mendes Hughes, João Vitor S. Messeder, Juan P. Mora, Gerardo Moreno, Seth M. Munson, Alice Nunes, Gabriel Oliva, Gaston R. Oñatibia, Guadalupe Peter, Yolanda Pueyo, R. Emiliano Quiroga, Elizabeth Ramírez-Iglesias, Sasha C. Reed, Pedro J. Rey, Víctor M. Reyes Gómez, Alexandra Rodríguez, Victor Rolo, Juan G. Rubalcaba, Jan C. Ruppert, Osvaldo Sala, Ayman Salah, Phokgedi Julius Sebei, Ilan Stavi, Colton Stephens, Alberto L. Teixido, Andrew D. Thomas, Heather L. Throop, Katja Tielbörger, Samantha Travers, Sainbileg Undrakhbold, James Val, Orsolya Valkó, Frederike Velbert, Wanyoike Wamiti, Lixin Wang, Deli Wang, Glenda M. Wardle, Peter Wolff, Laura Yahdjian, Reza Yari, Eli Zaady, Juan Manuel Zeberio, Yuanling Zhang, Xiaobing Zhou and Yoann Bagousse-Pinguet ()
Additional contact information
Nicolas Gross: Unité Mixte de Recherche Ecosystème Prairial
Fernando T. Maestre: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Pierre Liancourt: State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
Miguel Berdugo: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Raphaël Martin: Unité Mixte de Recherche Ecosystème Prairial
Beatriz Gozalo: Universidad de Alicante
Victoria Ochoa: Universidad de Alicante
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo: CSIC
Vincent Maire: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Hugo Saiz: Universidad de Zaragoza
Santiago Soliveres: Universidad de Alicante
Enrique Valencia: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
David J. Eldridge: University of New South Wales
Emilio Guirado: Universidad de Alicante
Franck Jabot: Unité Mixte de Recherche Ecosystème Prairial
Sergio Asensio: Universidad de Alicante
Juan J. Gaitán: Instituto de Suelos-CNIA
Miguel García-Gómez: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Paloma Martínez: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
Jaime Martínez-Valderrama: Universidad de Alicante
Betty J. Mendoza: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Eduardo Moreno-Jiménez: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
David S. Pescador: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
César Plaza: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
Ivan Santaolaria Pijuan: Universidad de Alicante
Mehdi Abedi: Tarbiat Modares University
Rodrigo J. Ahumada: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
Fateh Amghar: Université M’hamed Bougara de Boumerdès
Antonio I. Arroyo: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE CSIC)
Khadijeh Bahalkeh: Tarbiat Modares University
Lydia Bailey: Northern Arizona University
Farah Salem: University of Gabes
Niels Blaum: University of Potsdam
Bazartseren Boldgiv: National University of Mongolia
Matthew A. Bowker: Northern Arizona University
Cristina Branquinho: Universidade de Lisboa
Liesbeth Brink: University of Tübingen
Chongfeng Bu: Northwest A&F University
Rafaella Canessa: University of Tübingen
Andrea del P. Castillo-Monroy: Escuela Politécnica Nacional
Helena Castro: University of Coimbra
Patricio Castro: Universidad de Cuenca
Roukaya Chibani: University of Gabes
Abel Augusto Conceição: Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi: University of Texas at El Paso
Yvonne C. Davila: University of Technology Sydney
Balázs Deák: Centre for Ecological Research
David A. Donoso: Escuela Politécnica Nacional
Jorge Durán: CSIC
Carlos Espinosa: Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
Alex Fajardo: Universidad de Talca
Mohammad Farzam: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
Daniela Ferrante: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria EEA Santa Cruz
Jorgelina Franzese: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas–Universidad Nacional del Comahue
Lauchlan Fraser: Thompson Rivers University
Sofía Gonzalez: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas–Universidad Nacional del Comahue
Elizabeth Gusman-Montalvan: Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
Rosa Mary Hernández-Hernández: Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez (UNESR)
Norbert Hölzel: University of Münster
Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald: Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica
Oswaldo Jadan: Universidad de Cuenca
Florian Jeltsch: University of Potsdam
Anke Jentsch: University of Bayreuth
Mengchen Ju: Northwest A&F University
Kudzai F. Kaseke: University of California, Santa Barbara
Liana Kindermann: University of Potsdam
Peter Roux: University of Pretoria
Anja Linstädter: University of Potsdam
Michelle A. Louw: University of Pretoria
Mancha Mabaso: University of Pretoria
Gillian Maggs-Kölling: Namib Research Institute
Thulani P. Makhalanyane: Stellenbosch University
Oumarou Malam Issa: Centre IRD de France Nord
Antonio J. Manzaneda: Universidad de Jaén
Eugene Marais: Namib Research Institute
Pierre Margerie: ECODIV
Frederic Mendes Hughes: Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
João Vitor S. Messeder: The Pennsylvania State University
Juan P. Mora: Universidad de Talca
Gerardo Moreno: Universidad de Extremadura
Seth M. Munson: US Geological Survey
Alice Nunes: Universidade de Lisboa
Gabriel Oliva: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria EEA Santa Cruz
Gaston R. Oñatibia: Universidad de Buenos Aires
Guadalupe Peter: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina (CONICET)
Yolanda Pueyo: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE CSIC)
R. Emiliano Quiroga: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
Elizabeth Ramírez-Iglesias: Universidad Estatal Amazónica (UEA)
Sasha C. Reed: Southwest Biological Science Center
Pedro J. Rey: Universidad de Jaén
Víctor M. Reyes Gómez: Environment and Sustainability Network
Alexandra Rodríguez: CSIC
Victor Rolo: Universidad de Extremadura
Juan G. Rubalcaba: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Jan C. Ruppert: University of Tübingen
Osvaldo Sala: Arizona State University
Ayman Salah: Al Quds University
Phokgedi Julius Sebei: Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Ilan Stavi: Dead Sea and Arava Science Center
Colton Stephens: Thompson Rivers University
Alberto L. Teixido: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Andrew D. Thomas: Aberystwyth University
Heather L. Throop: Arizona State University
Katja Tielbörger: University of Tübingen
Samantha Travers: University of New South Wales
Sainbileg Undrakhbold: National University of Mongolia
James Val: University of New South Wales
Orsolya Valkó: Centre for Ecological Research
Frederike Velbert: University of Münster
Wanyoike Wamiti: National Museums of Kenya
Lixin Wang: Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI)
Deli Wang: Northeast Normal University
Glenda M. Wardle: The University of Sydney
Peter Wolff: University of Bayreuth
Laura Yahdjian: Universidad de Buenos Aires
Reza Yari: AREEO
Eli Zaady: Agricultural Research Organization
Juan Manuel Zeberio: Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Sede Atlántica
Yuanling Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiaobing Zhou: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yoann Bagousse-Pinguet: IMBE

Nature, 2024, vol. 632, issue 8026, 808-814

Abstract: Abstract Earth harbours an extraordinary plant phenotypic diversity1 that is at risk from ongoing global changes2,3. However, it remains unknown how increasing aridity and livestock grazing pressure—two major drivers of global change4–6—shape the trait covariation that underlies plant phenotypic diversity1,7. Here we assessed how covariation among 20 chemical and morphological traits responds to aridity and grazing pressure within global drylands. Our analysis involved 133,769 trait measurements spanning 1,347 observations of 301 perennial plant species surveyed across 326 plots from 6 continents. Crossing an aridity threshold of approximately 0.7 (close to the transition between semi-arid and arid zones) led to an unexpected 88% increase in trait diversity. This threshold appeared in the presence of grazers, and moved toward lower aridity levels with increasing grazing pressure. Moreover, 57% of observed trait diversity occurred only in the most arid and grazed drylands, highlighting the phenotypic uniqueness of these extreme environments. Our work indicates that drylands act as a global reservoir of plant phenotypic diversity and challenge the pervasive view that harsh environmental conditions reduce plant trait diversity8–10. They also highlight that many alternative strategies may enable plants to cope with increases in environmental stress induced by climate change and land-use intensification.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07731-3

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