Plant diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality peak at intermediate levels of woody cover in global drylands.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

The global spread of woody plants into grasslands is predicted to increase over the coming century. While there is general agreement regarding the anthropogenic causes of this phenomenon, its ecological consequences are less certain. We analyzed how woody vegetation of differing cover affects plant diversity (richness and evenness) and multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality) in global drylands, and how this changes with aridity.

Location

224 dryland sites from all continents except Antarctica widely differing in their environmental conditions (from arid to dry-subhumid sites) and woody covers (from 0 to 100%).

Methods

Using a standardized field survey, we measured the cover, richness and evenness of perennial vegetation. At each site, we measured 14 ecos

SUBMITTER: Soliveres S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4407977 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature