Enhanced net primary productivity across Inner Mongolian grasslands despite diverging stability under climate perturbations

Description

Md Lokman Hossain and Derrick Y F Lai tracked two decades of plant growth across Inner Mongolia's grasslands to see how different grassland types withstand climate swings. Their 2026 study used satellite-derived productivity data from 2000 to 2019 for four grassland types, from lush meadow steppe to desert steppe. Productivity, measured as the carbon plants add each year, was compared against drought indices to separate resistance, absorbing a shock, from resilience, recovering after one.

Every grassland type grew more productive over the period, with meadow steppe gaining fastest and desert steppe slowest. Meadow steppe produced the most plant matter, at 251 grams of carbon per square meter yearly, against just 83 grams in desert steppe. Grasslands resisted wet extremes better than dry ones but recovered faster after drought than after wet spells. More plant species meant more productivity, suggesting diversity helps grasslands buffer climate extremes.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13459204