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From desert to Mediterranean rangelands: will increasing drought and inter-annual rainfall variability affect herbaceous annual primary productivity?

Author

Listed:
  • Carly Golodets
  • Marcelo Sternberg
  • Jaime Kigel
  • Bertrand Boeken
  • Zalmen Henkin
  • No’am Seligman
  • Eugene Ungar

Abstract

Climate change is predicted to alter the rainfall regime in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin: total annual rainfall will decrease, while seasonal and inter-annual variation in rainfall will increase. Such changes in the rainfall regime could potentially lead to large-scale changes in aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) in the region. We conducted a data-driven evaluation of herbaceous ANPP along an entire regional rainfall gradient, from desert (90 mm MAR [Mean Annual Rainfall]) to Mesic-Mediterranean (780 mm MAR) ecosystems, using the largest database ever collated for herbaceous ANPP in Israel, with the aim of predicting consequences of climate change for rangeland productivity. This research revealed that herbaceous ANPP increases with increasing rainfall along the gradient, but strong dependence on rainfall was only apparent within dry sites. Rain Use Efficiency peaks at mid-gradient in Mediterranean sites without woody vegetation (560 and 610 mm MAR). Inter-annual coefficients of variation in rainfall and herbaceous ANPP decrease along the rainfall gradient up to ca. 500 mm MAR. Climate change is more likely to affect herbaceous ANPP of rangelands in the arid end of the rainfall gradient, requiring adaptation of rangeland management, while ANPP of rangelands in more mesic ecosystems is less responsive to variation in rainfall. We conclude that herbaceous ANPP in most Mediterranean rangelands is less vulnerable to climate change than generally predicted. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Carly Golodets & Marcelo Sternberg & Jaime Kigel & Bertrand Boeken & Zalmen Henkin & No’am Seligman & Eugene Ungar, 2013. "From desert to Mediterranean rangelands: will increasing drought and inter-annual rainfall variability affect herbaceous annual primary productivity?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 119(3), pages 785-798, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:119:y:2013:i:3:p:785-798
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-013-0758-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jason Evans, 2009. "21st century climate change in the Middle East," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 417-432, February.
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    1. Gongxin Wang & Changqing Jing & Ping Dong & Baoya Qin & Yang Cheng, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Aboveground Biomass and Its Influencing Factors in Xinjiang’s Desert Grasslands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Martínez-Valderrama, J. & Ibáñez, J. & Ibáñez, M.A. & Alcalá, F.J. & Sanjuán, M.E. & Ruiz, A. & del Barrio, G., 2021. "Assessing the sensitivity of a Mediterranean commercial rangeland to droughts under climate change scenarios by means of a multidisciplinary integrated model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    3. Fust, Pascal & Schlecht, Eva, 2022. "Importance of timing: Vulnerability of semi-arid rangeland systems to increased variability in temporal distribution of rainfall events as predicted by future climate change," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 468(C).
    4. Udi Segev & Jaime Kigel & Yael Lubin & Katja Tielbörger, 2015. "Ant Abundance along a Productivity Gradient: Addressing Two Conflicting Hypotheses," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    5. Lehrer, David & Becker, Nir & Bar, Pua, 2019. "The drivers behind nature conservation cost," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Ungar, Eugene David, 2019. "Perspectives on the concept of rangeland carrying capacity, and their exploration by means of Noy-Meir's two-function model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 403-413.

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