Enhanced effects of species richness on resistance and resilience of global tree growth to prolonged drought.

Abstract

The increasing duration of drought induced by global climate change has reduced forest productivity. Biodiversity is believed to mitigate the effects of drought, thereby enhancing the stability of tree growth. However, the effects of species richness on tree growth stability under droughts with different durations remain uncertain. Here, we used tree ring data from 4,072 sites globally, combined with climate and plant richness data, to evaluate the effects of species richness on the resistance and resilience of trees to short-term and prolonged droughts. We found that species richness enhanced resistance but weakened resilience of trees to drought globally. Compared to short-term drought, species richness further increased tree growth during prolonged drought but reduced the growth afterward, resulting in stronger effects on resistance and resilience. In addition, as the degree of drought intensified and regional aridity levels increased, the effects of richness on resistance and resilience under short-term drought were enhanced, but these trends were reduced or even reversed under prolonged drought. These results reveal the global effects of species richness on resistance and resilience of tree growth to droughts with different durations and highlight that species richness plays a crucial role in resisting prolonged drought.