Plant Species Richness and Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Global Drylands

TLDR

Biodiversity is known to enhance ecosystem multifunctionality, yet its global relationship in natural drylands has not been evaluated. The study aims to assess how plant species richness and abiotic factors influence multifunctionality across global drylands. Researchers conducted a global empirical analysis covering 41 % of Earth’s land surface and supporting 38 % of the human population. Multifunctionality is strongly and positively linked to species richness, with models explaining over 55 % of its variation and consistently including richness as a key predictor, underscoring the importance of conserving biodiversity to buffer climate change and desertification.

Abstract

Experiments suggest that biodiversity enhances the ability of ecosystems to maintain multiple functions, such as carbon storage, productivity, and the buildup of nutrient pools (multifunctionality). However, the relationship between biodiversity and multifunctionality has never been assessed globally in natural ecosystems. We report here on a global empirical study relating plant species richness and abiotic factors to multifunctionality in drylands, which collectively cover 41% of Earth's land surface and support over 38% of the human population. Multifunctionality was positively and significantly related to species richness. The best-fitting models accounted for over 55% of the variation in multifunctionality and always included species richness as a predictor variable. Our results suggest that the preservation of plant biodiversity is crucial to buffer negative effects of climate change and desertification in drylands.