Global ecosystem thresholds driven by aridity
Aridity, which is increasing worldwide because of climate change, affects the structure and functioning of dryland ecosystems. Whether aridification leads to gradual (versus abrupt) and systemic (versus specific) ecosystem changes is largely unknown. We investigated how 20 structural and functional ecosystem attributes respond to aridity in global drylands. Aridification led to systemic and abrupt changes in multiple ecosystem attributes. These changes occurred sequentially in three phases characterized by abrupt decays in plant productivity, soil fertility, and plant cover and richness at aridity values of 0.54, 0.7, and 0.8, respectively. More than 20% of the terrestrial surface will cross one or several of these thresholds by 2100, which calls for immediate actions to minimize the negative impacts of aridification on essential ecosystem services for the more than 2 billion people living in drylands.
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Other Authors: | |
Format: | artículo biblioteca |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science
2020-02-14
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/218899 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100006373 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003359 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003329 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000038 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002367 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005156 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 |
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Summary: | Aridity, which is increasing worldwide because of climate change, affects the structure and functioning of dryland ecosystems. Whether aridification leads to gradual (versus abrupt) and systemic (versus specific) ecosystem changes is largely unknown. We investigated how 20 structural and functional ecosystem attributes respond to aridity in global drylands. Aridification led to systemic and abrupt changes in multiple ecosystem attributes. These changes occurred sequentially in three phases characterized by abrupt decays in plant productivity, soil fertility, and plant cover and richness at aridity values of 0.54, 0.7, and 0.8, respectively. More than 20% of the terrestrial surface will cross one or several of these thresholds by 2100, which calls for immediate actions to minimize the negative impacts of aridification on essential ecosystem services for the more than 2 billion people living in drylands. |
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