[MCN] "Our study reveals that anthropogenic disturbances fundamentally modify plant community responses to climate change,"

[Lance Olsen]

Ecological Applications <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19395582>
ARTICLE
Water availability boosts multidimensional plant diversity in a temperate grassland despite anthropogenic disturbances
Baoshuang Hu <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/authored-by/Hu/Baoshuang>, Winira Ilghar <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/authored-by/Ilghar/Winira>, Huiliang Zhai <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/authored-by/Zhai/Huiliang>, Lina Mo <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/authored-by/Mo/Lina>, Chengliang Wang <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/authored-by/Wang/Chengliang>, Wanling Xu <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/authored-by/Xu/Wanling>, Wei Sun <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/authored-by/Sun/Wei>
First published: 11 October 2025 https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.70124
Handling Editor: Miaojun Ma
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Abstract
Global changes present significant challenges to biodiversity. However, how plant communities respond to climate change under various anthropogenic disturbances, and how different species groups contribute to these responses, remains poorly understood. Using an 8-year dataset from a temperate grassland and a multidimensional diversity framework (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic), we explored the interactive effects of climate change and anthropogenic disturbances (grazing, fertilization, and their combination). We found that (1) increasing water availability consistently boosted multidimensional plant diversity over time across all treatments. (2) However, disturbances, particularly their combination, weakened this positive climatic effect. (3) Differentiating the contributions of rare, common, and dominant species revealed contrasting responses to climate drivers, highlighting the importance of a multidimensional assessment. Grazing also heightened the community's sensitivity to climate change. Our study reveals that anthropogenic disturbances fundamentally modify plant community responses to climate change, providing critical insights for biodiversity conservation and sustainable grassland management under future climate scenarios.

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Going 100% renewable power means a lot of dirty mining

EXCERPT 

Payal Sampat, the mining director at Earthworks, said recycling and technological innovation could go a long way toward reducing the demand for rare metals, but cautioned that still more needs to be done. “We’re not going to tech fix our way out of this,” she said. “It’s going to require more meaningful policy changes that fundamentally reduce the overall demand.”

<<https://grist.org/article/report-going-100-renewable-power-means-a-lot-of-dirty-mining/>>

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