Contrasting drought sensitivity of Eurasian and North American grasslands

Qiang Yu, Chong Xu, Honghui Wu, Yuguang Ke, Xiaoan Zuo, Wentao Luo, Haiyan Ren, Qian Gu, Hongqiang Wang, Wang Ma, Alan K. Knapp, Scott L. Collins, Jennifer A. Rudgers, Yiqi Luo, Yann Hautier, Chengjie Wang, Zhengwen Wang, Yong Jiang, Guodong Han, Yingzhi Gao, Nianpeng He, Juntao Zhu, Shikui Dong, Xiaoping Xin, Guirui Yu, Melinda D. Smith (), Linghao Li and Xingguo Han ()
Additional contact information
Qiang Yu: Beijing Forestry University
Chong Xu: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Honghui Wu: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Yuguang Ke: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Xiaoan Zuo: Chinese Academy of Science
Wentao Luo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haiyan Ren: Nanjing Agricultural University
Qian Gu: Beijing Forestry University
Hongqiang Wang: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Wang Ma: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Alan K. Knapp: Colorado State University
Scott L. Collins: University of New Mexico
Jennifer A. Rudgers: University of New Mexico
Yiqi Luo: Cornell University
Yann Hautier: Utrecht University
Chengjie Wang: Inner Mongolia Agricultural University
Zhengwen Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yong Jiang: Hebei University
Guodong Han: Inner Mongolia Agricultural University
Yingzhi Gao: Northeast Normal University
Nianpeng He: Northeast Forestry University
Juntao Zhu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shikui Dong: Beijing Forestry University
Xiaoping Xin: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Guirui Yu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Melinda D. Smith: Colorado State University
Linghao Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xingguo Han: Hebei University

Nature, 2025, vol. 639, issue 8053, 114-118

Abstract: Abstract Extreme droughts generally decrease productivity in grassland ecosystems1–3 with negative consequences for nature’s contribution to people4–7. The extent to which this negative effect varies among grassland types and over time in response to multi-year extreme drought remains unclear. Here, using a coordinated distributed experiment that simulated four years of growing-season drought (around 66% rainfall reduction), we compared drought sensitivity within and among six representative grasslands spanning broad precipitation gradients in each of Eurasia and North America—two of the Northern Hemisphere’s largest grass-dominated regions. Aboveground plant production declined substantially with drought in the Eurasian grasslands and the effects accumulated over time, while the declines were less severe and more muted over time in the North American grasslands. Drought effects on species richness shifted from positive to negative in Eurasia, but from negative to positive in North America over time. The differing responses of plant production in these grasslands were accompanied by less common (subordinate) plant species declining in Eurasian grasslands but increasing in North American grasslands. Our findings demonstrate the high production sensitivity of Eurasian compared with North American grasslands to extreme drought (43.6% versus 25.2% reduction), and the key role of subordinate species in determining impacts of extreme drought on grassland productivity.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08478-7

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