Responses of plant diversity to precipitation change are strongest at local spatial scales and in drylands

This study synthesizes data from 72 precipitation manipulation experiments to understand how precipitation change affects plant diversity. The results show that the effects of precipitation manipulation on plant diversity are strongest at small spatial scales and in drier environments. Higher magnitude precipitation changes had stronger effects on diversity, particularly in drylands. These findings highlight the importance of considering spatial scale and treatment magnitude when assessing ecosystem responses to climate change and underscore the vulnerability of dryland ecosystems to projected precipitation changes.

Lotte Korell, Harald Auge, Jonathan M. Chase, W. Stanley Harpole, Tiffany M. Knight