Structure and Functioning of Dryland Ecosystems in a Changing World

Maestre, Fernando T.; Eldridge, David J.; Soliveres, Santiago; Kéfi, Sonia; Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Bowker, Matthew A.; García-Palacios, Pablo; Gaitán, Juan; Gallardo, Antonio; Lázaro, Roberto; Berdugo, Miguel (2016). Structure and Functioning of Dryland Ecosystems in a Changing World. Annual review of ecology, evolution, and systematics, 47(1), pp. 215-237. Annual Reviews Inc. 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-121415-032311

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Understanding how drylands respond to ongoing environmental change is extremely important for global sustainability. In this review, we discuss how biotic attributes, climate, grazing pressure, land cover change, and nitrogen deposition affect the functioning of drylands at multiple spatial scales. Our synthesis highlights the importance of biotic attributes (e.g., species richness) in maintaining fundamental ecosystem processes such as primary productivity, illustrates how nitrogen deposition and grazing pressure are impacting ecosystem functioning in drylands worldwide, and highlights the importance of the traits of woody species as drivers of their expansion in former grasslands. We also emphasize the role of attributes such as species richness and abundance in controlling the responses of ecosystem functioning to climate change. This knowledge is essential to guide conservation and restoration efforts in drylands, as biotic attributes can be actively managed at the local scale to increase ecosystem resilience to global change.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Biodiversity

UniBE Contributor:

Soliveres, Santiago

Subjects:

500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

1543-592X

Publisher:

Annual Reviews Inc.

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

20 Apr 2017 09:12

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:01

Publisher DOI:

10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-121415-032311

Uncontrolled Keywords:

climate, abiotic factors, land use change, biotic attributes, drought, biodiversity

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.92920

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/92920

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