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Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship

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Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship. / Fay, Philip A.; Gherardi, Laureano A.; Yahdjian, Laura et al.
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 122, No. 15, 15.04.2025.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Fay, PA, Gherardi, LA, Yahdjian, L, Adler, PB, Bakker, JD, Bharath, S, Borer, ET, Harpole, WS, Hersch-Green, E, Huxman, TE, MacDougall, AS, Risch, AC, Seabloom, EW, Bagchi, S, Barrio, IC, Biederman, L, Buckley, YM, Bugalho, MN, Caldeira, MC, Catford, JA, Chen, Q, Cleland, EE, Collins, SL, Daleo, P, Dickman, CR, Donohue, I, DuPre, ME, Eisenhauer, N, Eskelinen, A, Hagenah, N, Hautier, Y, Heckman, RW, Jónsdóttir, IS, Knops, JMH, Laungani, R, Martina, JP, McCulley, RL, Morgan, JW, Olde Venterink, H, Peri, PL, Power, SA, Raynaud, X, Ren, Z, Roscher, C, Smith, MD, Spohn, M, Stevens, CJ, Tedder, MJ, Virtanen, R, Wardle, GM & Wheeler, GR 2025, 'Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 122, no. 15. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2410748122

APA

Fay, P. A., Gherardi, L. A., Yahdjian, L., Adler, P. B., Bakker, J. D., Bharath, S., Borer, E. T., Harpole, W. S., Hersch-Green, E., Huxman, T. E., MacDougall, A. S., Risch, A. C., Seabloom, E. W., Bagchi, S., Barrio, I. C., Biederman, L., Buckley, Y. M., Bugalho, M. N., Caldeira, M. C., ... Wheeler, G. R. (2025). Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(15). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2410748122

Vancouver

Fay PA, Gherardi LA, Yahdjian L, Adler PB, Bakker JD, Bharath S et al. Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2025 Apr 15;122(15). Epub 2025 Apr 11. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2410748122

Author

Fay, Philip A. ; Gherardi, Laureano A. ; Yahdjian, Laura et al. / Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2025 ; Vol. 122, No. 15.

Bibtex

@article{7ad67d0dab4d4e89b3a8064b748e9b39,
title = "Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship",
abstract = "Ecosystems are experiencing changing global patterns of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and enrichment with multiple nutrients that potentially colimit plant biomass production. In grasslands, mean aboveground plant biomass is closely related to MAP, but how this relationship changes after enrichment with multiple nutrients remains unclear. We hypothesized the global biomass–MAP relationship becomes steeper with an increasing number of added nutrients, with increases in steepness corresponding to the form of interaction among added nutrients and with increased mediation by changes in plant community diversity. We measured aboveground plant biomass production and species diversity in 71 grasslands on six continents representing the global span of grassland MAP, diversity, management, and soils. We fertilized all sites with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with micronutrients in all combinations to identify which nutrients limited biomass at each site. As hypothesized, fertilizing with one, two, or three nutrients progressively steepened the global biomass–MAP relationship. The magnitude of the increase in steepness corresponded to whether sites were not limited by nitrogen or phosphorus, were limited by either one, or were colimited by both in additive, or synergistic forms. Unexpectedly, we found only weak evidence for mediation of biomass–MAP relationships by plant community diversity because relationships of species richness, evenness, and beta diversity to MAP and to biomass were weak or opposing. Site-level properties including baseline biomass production, soils, and management explained little variation in biomass–MAP relationships. These findings reveal multiple nutrient colimitation as a defining feature of the global grassland biomass–MAP relationship.",
keywords = "precipitation, diversity, grasslands, primary productivity",
author = "Fay, {Philip A.} and Gherardi, {Laureano A.} and Laura Yahdjian and Adler, {Peter B.} and Bakker, {Jonathan D.} and Siddharth Bharath and Borer, {Elizabeth T.} and Harpole, {W. Stanley} and Erika Hersch-Green and Huxman, {Travis E.} and MacDougall, {Andrew S.} and Risch, {Anita C.} and Seabloom, {Eric W.} and Sumanta Bagchi and Barrio, {Isabel C.} and Lori Biederman and Buckley, {Yvonne M.} and Bugalho, {Miguel N.} and Caldeira, {Maria C.} and Catford, {Jane A.} and QingQing Chen and Cleland, {Elsa E.} and Collins, {Scott L.} and Pedro Daleo and Dickman, {Christopher R.} and Ian Donohue and DuPre, {Mary E.} and Nico Eisenhauer and Anu Eskelinen and Nicole Hagenah and Yann Hautier and Heckman, {Robert W.} and J{\'o}nsd{\'o}ttir, {Ingibj{\"o}rg S.} and Knops, {Johannes M. H.} and Ramesh Laungani and Martina, {Jason P.} and McCulley, {Rebecca L.} and Morgan, {John W.} and {Olde Venterink}, Harry and Peri, {Pablo L.} and Power, {Sally A.} and Xavier Raynaud and Zhengwei Ren and Christiane Roscher and Smith, {Melinda D.} and Marie Spohn and Stevens, {Carly J.} and Tedder, {Michelle J.} and Risto Virtanen and Wardle, {Glenda M.} and Wheeler, {George R.}",
year = "2025",
month = apr,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1073/pnas.2410748122",
language = "English",
volume = "122",
journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",
issn = "0027-8424",
publisher = "National Academy of Sciences",
number = "15",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Interactions among nutrients govern the global grassland biomass–precipitation relationship

AU - Fay, Philip A.

AU - Gherardi, Laureano A.

AU - Yahdjian, Laura

AU - Adler, Peter B.

AU - Bakker, Jonathan D.

AU - Bharath, Siddharth

AU - Borer, Elizabeth T.

AU - Harpole, W. Stanley

AU - Hersch-Green, Erika

AU - Huxman, Travis E.

AU - MacDougall, Andrew S.

AU - Risch, Anita C.

AU - Seabloom, Eric W.

AU - Bagchi, Sumanta

AU - Barrio, Isabel C.

AU - Biederman, Lori

AU - Buckley, Yvonne M.

AU - Bugalho, Miguel N.

AU - Caldeira, Maria C.

AU - Catford, Jane A.

AU - Chen, QingQing

AU - Cleland, Elsa E.

AU - Collins, Scott L.

AU - Daleo, Pedro

AU - Dickman, Christopher R.

AU - Donohue, Ian

AU - DuPre, Mary E.

AU - Eisenhauer, Nico

AU - Eskelinen, Anu

AU - Hagenah, Nicole

AU - Hautier, Yann

AU - Heckman, Robert W.

AU - Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg S.

AU - Knops, Johannes M. H.

AU - Laungani, Ramesh

AU - Martina, Jason P.

AU - McCulley, Rebecca L.

AU - Morgan, John W.

AU - Olde Venterink, Harry

AU - Peri, Pablo L.

AU - Power, Sally A.

AU - Raynaud, Xavier

AU - Ren, Zhengwei

AU - Roscher, Christiane

AU - Smith, Melinda D.

AU - Spohn, Marie

AU - Stevens, Carly J.

AU - Tedder, Michelle J.

AU - Virtanen, Risto

AU - Wardle, Glenda M.

AU - Wheeler, George R.

PY - 2025/4/15

Y1 - 2025/4/15

N2 - Ecosystems are experiencing changing global patterns of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and enrichment with multiple nutrients that potentially colimit plant biomass production. In grasslands, mean aboveground plant biomass is closely related to MAP, but how this relationship changes after enrichment with multiple nutrients remains unclear. We hypothesized the global biomass–MAP relationship becomes steeper with an increasing number of added nutrients, with increases in steepness corresponding to the form of interaction among added nutrients and with increased mediation by changes in plant community diversity. We measured aboveground plant biomass production and species diversity in 71 grasslands on six continents representing the global span of grassland MAP, diversity, management, and soils. We fertilized all sites with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with micronutrients in all combinations to identify which nutrients limited biomass at each site. As hypothesized, fertilizing with one, two, or three nutrients progressively steepened the global biomass–MAP relationship. The magnitude of the increase in steepness corresponded to whether sites were not limited by nitrogen or phosphorus, were limited by either one, or were colimited by both in additive, or synergistic forms. Unexpectedly, we found only weak evidence for mediation of biomass–MAP relationships by plant community diversity because relationships of species richness, evenness, and beta diversity to MAP and to biomass were weak or opposing. Site-level properties including baseline biomass production, soils, and management explained little variation in biomass–MAP relationships. These findings reveal multiple nutrient colimitation as a defining feature of the global grassland biomass–MAP relationship.

AB - Ecosystems are experiencing changing global patterns of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and enrichment with multiple nutrients that potentially colimit plant biomass production. In grasslands, mean aboveground plant biomass is closely related to MAP, but how this relationship changes after enrichment with multiple nutrients remains unclear. We hypothesized the global biomass–MAP relationship becomes steeper with an increasing number of added nutrients, with increases in steepness corresponding to the form of interaction among added nutrients and with increased mediation by changes in plant community diversity. We measured aboveground plant biomass production and species diversity in 71 grasslands on six continents representing the global span of grassland MAP, diversity, management, and soils. We fertilized all sites with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with micronutrients in all combinations to identify which nutrients limited biomass at each site. As hypothesized, fertilizing with one, two, or three nutrients progressively steepened the global biomass–MAP relationship. The magnitude of the increase in steepness corresponded to whether sites were not limited by nitrogen or phosphorus, were limited by either one, or were colimited by both in additive, or synergistic forms. Unexpectedly, we found only weak evidence for mediation of biomass–MAP relationships by plant community diversity because relationships of species richness, evenness, and beta diversity to MAP and to biomass were weak or opposing. Site-level properties including baseline biomass production, soils, and management explained little variation in biomass–MAP relationships. These findings reveal multiple nutrient colimitation as a defining feature of the global grassland biomass–MAP relationship.

KW - precipitation

KW - diversity

KW - grasslands

KW - primary productivity

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2410748122

DO - 10.1073/pnas.2410748122

M3 - Journal article

VL - 122

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

SN - 0027-8424

IS - 15

ER -