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 …

The response of drylands to environmental gradients can be abrupt rather than gradual.
These shifts largely occur unannounced and are difficult to reverse once they happen; their …

Experiments suggest that biodiversity enhances the ability of ecosystems to maintain
multiple functions, such as carbon storage, productivity, and the buildup of nutrient pools (…

Despite the importance of microbial communities for ecosystem services and human welfare,
the relationship between microbial diversity and multiple ecosystem functions and services …

Despite their extent and socio‐ecological importance, a comprehensive biogeographical
synthesis of drylands is lacking. Here we synthesize the biogeography of key organisms (…

Understanding how drylands respond to ongoing environmental change is extremely important
for global sustainability. In this review, we discuss how biotic attributes, climate, grazing …

The biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are interlinked by
primary production, respiration and decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems 1 . It has been …

Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem
services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate…

Dryland ecosystems account for ca. 27% of global soil organic carbon (C) reserves, yet it is
largely unknown how climate change will impact C cycling and storage in these areas. In …

Soil contamination is one of the main threats to ecosystem health and sustainability. Yet little
is known about the extent to which soil contaminants differ between urban greenspaces …