Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Temple, Texas » Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #365858
Research Project: Contributions of Climate, Soils, Species Diversity, and Management to Sustainable Crop, Grassland, and Livestock Production Systems

Location: Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory

Title: Multiple nutrient interactions govern the global grassland biomass - precipitation relationship

Author
item Fay, Philip
item GHERARDI, LAUREANO - University Of California Berkeley
item YAHDJIAN, LAURA - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)
item ADLER, PETER - Utah State University
item BAKKER, JONATHAN - University Of Washington
item BHARATH, SIDDARTH - Universidad De Buenos Aires
item BORER, ELIZABETH - University Of Minnesota
item HARPOLE, W - Martin Luther University
item HERSCH-GREEN, ERIKA - Michigan Technological University
item HUXMAN, TRAVIS - University Of California
item MACDOUGALL, ANDREW - University Of Guelph
item RISCH, ANITA - Swiss Federal Research Institute Wsl
item SEABLOOM, ERIC - University Of Minnesota
item BAGCHI, SUMANTA - Indian Institute Of Science
item BARRIO, ISABEL - Agricultural University Of Iceland
item BIEDERMAN, LORI - Iowa State University
item BUCKLEY, YVONNE - Trinity College Dublin
item BUGALHO, MIGUEL - University Of Lisbon
item CALDEIRA, MARIA - Universidade Nova De Lisboa
item CATFORD, JANE - King'S College
item CHEN, QINGQING - German Centre For Integrative Biodiversity Research (IDIV)
item CLELAND, ELSA - University Of California, San Diego
item COLLINS, SCOTT - University Of New Mexico
item DALEO, PEDRO - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)
item DICKMAN, CHRISTOPHER - University Of Sydney
item DONOHUE, IAN - Trinity College Dublin
item DUPRE, MARY - Mpg Ranch
item EISENHAUER, NICO - German Centre For Integrative Biodiversity Research (IDIV)
item ESKELINEN, ANU - University Of Oulu
item HAGENAH, NICOLE - University Of Pretoria
item HAUTIER, YANN - Utrecht University
item HECKMAN, ROBERT - University Of North Carolina
item JONSDOTTIR, INGIBJORG - University Of Iceland
item KNOPS, JOHANNES - Jiaotong University
item MARTINA, JASON - Texas State University
item MCCULLEY, REBECCA - University Of Kentucky
item MORGAN, JOHN - La Trobe University
item OLDE VENTERINK, HARRY - Vrije Universiteit Brussel
item PERI, PABLO - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)
item POWER, SALLY - Western Sydney University
item REN, ZHENGWEI - Lanzhou University
item ROSCHER, CHRISTIANE - Helmholtz Centre For Environmental Research
item SMITH, MELINDA - Colorado State University
item SPOHN, MARIE - Swedish University Of Agricultural Sciences
item STEVENS, CARLY - Lancaster University
item TEDDER, MICHELLE - University Of Kwazulu-Natal
item VIRTANEN, RISTO - University Of Oulu
item WARDLE, GLENDA - University Of Sydney
item WHEELER, GEORGE - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2025
Publication Date: 4/11/2025
Citation: Fay, P.A., Gherardi, L., Yahdjian, L., Adler, P.B., Bakker, J.D., Bharath, S., Borer, E.T., Harpole, W.S., Hersch-Green, E., Huxman, T.E., Macdougall, A., Risch, A.C., Seabloom, E.W., Bagchi, S., Barrio, I.C., Biederman, L., Buckley, Y.M., Bugalho, M.N., Caldeira, M.C., Catford, J.A., Chen, Q., Cleland, E., Collins, S.L., Daleo, P., Dickman, C.R., Donohue, I., Dupre, M.E., Eisenhauer, N., Eskelinen, A., Hagenah, N., Hautier, Y., Heckman, R.W., Jonsdottir, I.S., Knops, J.M., Martina, J.P., Mcculley, R.L., Morgan, J.W., Olde Venterink, H., Peri, P.L., Power, S.A., Ren, Z., Roscher, C., Smith, M.D., Spohn, M., Stevens, C.J., Tedder, M.J., Virtanen, R., Wardle, G.M., Wheeler, G.R. 2025. Multiple nutrient interactions govern the global grassland biomass - precipitation relationship. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 122(15):e2410748122.

Interpretive Summary: Understanding how multiple interacting nutrients regulate the global relationship between mean annual precipitation and aboveground biomass in grasslands is crucial to forecast how eutrophication and precipitation changes will alter ecosystem function. We fertilized with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with micronutrients in all combinations in 71 grasslands representing a global precipitation gradient. The grassland biomass-precipitation relationship became steeper with increased number of added nutrients. The largest increase occurred in sites where biomass was synergistically co-limited by nitrogen and phosphorus. We found little evidence that variation in plant species diversity mediated changes in the biomass – precipitation relationship. Multiple nutrient co-limitation, particularly by nitrogen and phosphorus, is a defining feature of grassland biomass-precipitation relationships, and crucial to predicting grassland responses to global change.

Technical Abstract: Ecosystems are experiencing changing global patterns of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and enrichment with multiple nutrients that potentially co-limit biomass production. In grasslands, mean aboveground biomass increases with MAP, but the impact of enrichment with multiple co-limiting nutrients on the biomass-MAP relationship in grasslands is unclear. We propose a ‘Multiple Nutrient Co-limitation’ hypothesis. Inputs of a greater number of nutrients and stronger interactions among co-limiting nutrients will cause a steeper biomass-MAP relationship and increase mediation of this relationship by changes in plant community diversity. We measured aboveground biomass production and species diversity across 71 grassland sites on six continents where we fertilized with one, two, or three nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with micronutrients) in all combinations to understand how single nutrients and subadditive, additive, and synergistic nutrient co-limitation altered the grassland biomass-MAP relationship. As hypothesized, fertilizing with one, two, or three nutrients progressively steepened the biomass-MAP relationship. The slope of the biomass – MAP relationship was steepest in sites where nitrogen and phosphorus synergistically co-limited biomass production. Unexpectedly, we found little evidence for mediation of the biomass – MAP relationship 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, climate, soils, and management explained little variation in biomass-MAP relationships. These findings reveal multiple nutrient co-limitation as a defining feature of the global grassland biomass-MAP relationship. This critical new insight will improve predictions of grassland productivity and ecosystem services.