Drivers of woody dominance across global drylands

Increases in the abundance of woody species have been reported to affect the provisioning of ecosystem services in drylands worldwide. However, it is virtually unknown how multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, such as climate, grazing, and fire, interact to determine woody dominance across global drylands. We conducted a standardized field survey in 304 plots across 25 countries to assess how climatic features, soil properties, grazing, and fire affect woody dominance in dryland rangelands. Precipitation, temperature, and grazing were key determinants of tree and shrub dominance. The effects of grazing were determined not solely by grazing pressure but also by the dominant livestock species. Interactions between soil, climate, and grazing and differences in responses to these factors between trees and shrubs were key to understanding changes in woody dominance. Our findings suggest that projected changes in climate and grazing pressure may increase woody dominance in drylands, altering their structure and functioning.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2024-10-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn6007
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.67

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article

Drivers of woody dominance across global drylands

Patricio Castro-Quezada, Alex Fajardo, Matthew A. Bowker, Norbert Hölzel et al.
14 citations
Science Advances
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
9.67
article

Drivers of woody dominance across global drylands

Patricio Castro-Quezada, Alex Fajardo, Matthew A. Bowker, Norbert Hölzel, Jaime Martínez‐Valderrama, Niels Blaum, Miguel García‐Gómez, Victoria Ochoa, Abel Augusto Conceição, Gabriel Oliva, Andrew D. Thomas, Julio M. Alcántara, Anja Linstädter, Mengchen Ju, Liana Kindermann, Oswaldo Jadán, Hugo Sáiz, César Plaza, Wanyoike Wamiti, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Cristina Branquinho, Helena Castro, Miguel Berdugo, Frederic Mendes Hughes, Emilio Guirado, Valeria Aramayo, Pierre Margerie, Gastón R. Oñatibia, João Vitor S. Messeder, Peter Christiaan le Roux, Jan C. Ruppert, Carlos Iván Espinosa, Alberto L. Teixido, Farah Ben Salem, Beatriz Gozalo, Rodrigo J. Ahumada, Kudzai Farai Kaseke, Gerardo Moreno, Dianela A. Calvo, Ayman Salah, Amy T. Austin, Gillian Maggs‐Kölling, Sergio Asensio, Fernando T. Maestre, Samantha K. Travers, Sasha C. Reed, Enrique Valencia, Anke Jentsch, Laura Yahdjian, Andrew J. Dougill, Anthony M. Swemmer, R. Emiliano Quiroga, Bazartseren Boldgiv, Hamid Ejtehadi, Melanie Köbel, Courtney M. Currier, Lucio Biancari, Peter Wolff, Betty J. Mendoza, Elisabeth Huber‐Sannwald, Pierre Liancourt, Yolanda Pueyo, Pedro J. Rey, Elizabeth Gusmán‐Montalván, Mehdi Abedi, Mohammad Farzam, Oumarou Malam Issa, Alexandra Rodríguez, Seth M. Munson, Florian Jeltsch, Eugène Marais, Michelle A. Louw, Ilan Stavi, Liesbeth van den Brink, Osvaldo E. Sala, Martı́n R. Aguiar, Chongfeng Bu, Juan Gaitán, José D. Anadón, Viktoria Wagner, Laureano Gherardi, Yoann Le Bagousse‐Pinguet, Maaike Y. Bader, David A. Donoso, Roukaya Chibani, Colton Stephens, Laura B. Rodríguez, Fateh Amghar, Nicolas Gross, Katja Tielbörger, Juan P. Mora, Khadijeh Bahalkeh, Heather L. Throop, Eli Zaady, Víctor Rolo, David J. Eldridge, Lixin Wang, Jushan Liu, Deli Wang, Daniela Ferrante, Rosa Mary Hernández, Batbold Byambatsogt, Andrea P. Castillo Monroy, Tulio Arredondo
article en
14 citations

Abstract

Increases in the abundance of woody species have been reported to affect the provisioning of ecosystem services in drylands worldwide. However, it is virtually unknown how multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, such as climate, grazing, and fire, interact to determine woody dominance across global drylands. We conducted a standardized field survey in 304 plots across 25 countries to assess how climatic features, soil properties, grazing, and fire affect woody dominance in dryland rangelands. Precipitation, temperature, and grazing were key determinants of tree and shrub dominance. The effects of grazing were determined not solely by grazing pressure but also by the dominant livestock species. Interactions between soil, climate, and grazing and differences in responses to these factors between trees and shrubs were key to understanding changes in woody dominance. Our findings suggest that projected changes in climate and grazing pressure may increase woody dominance in drylands, altering their structure and functioning.

Science AdvancesVol. 10(41)
Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (EC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR), University of Bern (CH), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES), United States Geological Survey (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Alicante (ES), Pennsylvania State University (US), NSW Department of Planning and Environment (AU), University of Talca (CL), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), University of Bonn (DE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (AR), Tarbiat Modares University (IR), University of Alberta (CA), University of California, Santa Barbara (US), Thompson Rivers University (CA), Aberystwyth University (GB), Philipps University of Marburg (DE), National University of Luján (AR), University of Concepción (CL), University of Potsdam (DE), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (ES), Northeast Normal University (CN), University of Cuenca (EC), Universidad de Jaén (ES), Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR), Université Clermont Auvergne (FR), Northern Arizona University (US), Al-Quds University (PS), Aix-Marseille Université (FR), Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (BR), Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez (VE), University of Münster (DE), University of Cambridge (GB), Universidad de Buenos Aires (AR), Universidad de Zaragoza (ES), Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart (DE), University of Boumerdes (DZ), Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (BR), National University of Austral Patagonia (AR), National University of Río Negro (AR), National University of Catamarca (AR), UNSW Sydney (AU), Agricultural Research Organization (IL), Sorbonne Université (FR), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecology Research Institute (AR), Sustainability Institute (ZA), Misión Biológica de Galicia (ES), Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (IL), Universidad de Las Américas (EC), Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (CN), VetAgro Sup (FR), Normandie Université (FR), Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia (BR), Gobabeb Namib Research Institute (NA), Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias (ES), Astrogeology Science Center (US), Institut des Régions Arides (TN), Berlin Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (DE), Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (ES), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany (CZ), Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris (FR), South African Environmental Observation Network (ZA), Institute for Scientific and Technological Research (MX), National Museums of Kenya (KE), National Agricultural Technology Institute (AR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Indiana University Indianapolis (US), Southwest Biological Science Center, University of York (GB), University of Bayreuth (DE), Arizona State University (US), Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (US), Université de Rouen Normandie (FR), National University of Mongolia (MN), University of Pretoria (ZA), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA), University of Coimbra (PT), Universidad de Extremadura (ES), University of Tübingen (DE), Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (IR), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES), University of California, Berkeley (US)
National Science Foundation, Northern Arizona University, Universidad de Alicante, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Generalitat Valenciana, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Bayerische Forschungsallianz, Agencia Nacional de Promoción de la Investigación, el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación, Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica, Universidad de Buenos Aires
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
9.67
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