Woody plant encroachment is a major land management issue. Woody removal often aims to restore the original grassy ecosystem, but few studies have assessed the role of woody removal on ecosystem functions and biodiversity at global scales. We collected data from 140 global studies and evaluated how different woody plant removal methods affected biodiversity (plant and animal diversity) and ecosystem functions (plant production, hydrological function, soil carbon) across global rangelands. Our results indicate that the impact of removal is strongly context dependent, varying with the specific response variable, removal method, and traits of the target species. Over all treatments, woody plant removal increased grass biomass and total groundstorey diversity. Physical and chemical removal methods increased grass biomass and total groundstorey biomass (i.e., non\uffe2\uff80\uff90woody plants, including grass biomass), but burning reduced animal diversity. The impact of different treatment methods declined with time since removal, particularly for total groundstorey biomass. Removing pyramid\uffe2\uff80\uff90shaped woody plants increased total groundstorey biomass and hydrological function but reduced total groundstorey diversity. Environmental context (e.g., aridity and soil texture) indirectly controlled the effect of removal on biomass and biodiversity by influencing plant traits such as plant shape, allelopathic, or roots types. Our study demonstrates that a one\uffe2\uff80\uff90size\uffe2\uff80\uff90fits\uffe2\uff80\uff90all approach to woody plant removal is not appropriate, and that consideration of woody plant identity, removal method, and environmental context is critical for optimizing removal outcomes. Applying this knowledge is fundamental for maintaining diverse and functional rangeland ecosystems as we move toward a drier and more variable climate.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "Rangeland management", "Biodiversity", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Wood", "01 natural sciences", "Encroachment", "", "Removal method", "raits", "Woody plant traits", "Shrub removal", "13. Climate action", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Meta\u2010analysis", "Animals", "Thickening", "Biomass", "Global synthesis", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14839"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.14839", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.14839", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.14839"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-10-06T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0109063", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-28T16:19:23Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2015-10-14", "title": "Managing Semi-Arid Rangelands For Carbon Storage: Grazing And Woody Encroachment Effects On Soil Carbon And Nitrogen", "description": "Open AccessHigh grazing intensity and wide-spread woody encroachment may strongly alter soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools. However, the direction and quantity of these changes have rarely been quantified in East African savanna ecosystem. As shifts in soil C and N pools might further potentially influence climate change mitigation, we quantified and compared soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil nitrogen (TSN) content in enclosures and communal grazing lands across varying woody cover i.e. woody encroachment levels. Estimated mean SOC and TSN stocks at 0-40 cm depth varied across grazing regimes and among woody encroachment levels. The open grazing land at the heavily encroached site on sandy loam soil contained the least SOC (30 \u00b1 2.1 Mg ha-1) and TSN (5 \u00b1 0.57 Mg ha-1) while the enclosure at the least encroached site on sandy clay soil had the greatest mean SOC (81.0 \u00b1 10.6 Mg ha-1) and TSN (9.2 \u00b1 1.48 Mg ha-1). Soil OC and TSN did not differ with grazing exclusion at heavily encroached sites, but were twice as high inside enclosure compared to open grazing soils at low encroached sites. Mean SOC and TSN in soils of 0-20 cm depth were up to 120% higher than that of the 21-40 cm soil layer. Soil OC was positively related to TSN, cation exchange capacity (CEC), but negatively related to sand content. Our results show that soil OC and TSN stocks are affected by grazing, but the magnitude is largely influenced by woody encroachment and soil texture. We suggest that improving the herbaceous layer cover through a reduction in grazing and woody encroachment restriction are the key strategies for reducing SOC and TSN losses and, hence, for climate change mitigation in semi-arid rangelands.", "keywords": ["Cation-exchange capacity", "01 natural sciences", "nitrogen", "Agricultural and Biological Sciences", "Soil", "Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management", "Soil water", "Rangeland Degradation and Pastoral Livelihoods", "2. Zero hunger", "Ecology", "Q", "R", "Life Sciences", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Wood", "Soil carbon", "Droughts", "Grazing", "climate change", "Physical Sciences", "Medicine", "Rangeland", "Research Article", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Nitrogen", "Science", "Plant Development", "Soil Science", "Management", " Monitoring", " Policy and Law", "Environmental science", "soil", "savannas", "Animals", "grazing", "Agroforestry", "Woody plant", "Soil Carbon Sequestration", "Biology", "Ecosystem", "Nature and Landscape Conservation", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "ecosystem", "Soil science", "Soil Fertility", "carbon", "Research Subject Categories::NATURAL SCIENCES", "Feeding Behavior", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "Loam", "Agronomy", "13. Climate action", "FOS: Biological sciences", "Environmental Science", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Soil Carbon Dynamics and Nutrient Cycling in Ecosystems"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109063"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLOS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371/journal.pone.0109063", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371/journal.pone.0109063", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371/journal.pone.0109063"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-10-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.ns92q", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-28T16:21:12Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Soil carbon response to woody plant encroachment: Importance of spatial heterogeneity and deep soil storage", "description": "unspecified1. Recent global trends of increasing woody plant abundance in grass-dominated ecosystems may substantially enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and could represent a strong carbon (C) sink in the terrestrial environment. However, few studies have quantitatively addressed the influence of spatial heterogeneity of vegetation and soil properties on SOC storage at the landscape scale. In addition, most studies assessing SOC response to woody encroachment consider only surface soils, and have not explicitly assessed the extent to which deeper portions of the soil profile may be sequestering C. 2. We quantified the direction, magnitude, and pattern of spatial heterogeneity of SOC in the upper 1.2 m of the profile following woody encroachment via spatially-specific intensive soil sampling across a landscape in a subtropical savanna in the Rio Grande Plains, USA, that has undergone woody proliferation during the past century. 3. Increased SOC accumulation following woody encroachment was observed to considerable depth, albeit at reduced magnitudes in deeper portions of the profile. Overall, woody clusters and groves accumulated 12.87 and 18.67 Mg C ha-1 more SOC compared to grasslands to a depth of 1.2 m. 4. Woody encroachment significantly altered the pattern of spatial heterogeneity of SOC to a depth of 5 cm, with marginal effect at 5-15 cm, and no significant impact on soils below 15 cm. Fine root density explained greater variability of SOC in the upper 15 cm, while a combination of fine root density and soil clay content accounted for more of the variation in SOC in soils below 15 cm across this landscape. 5. Synthesis: Substantial SOC sequestration can occur in deeper portions of the soil profile following woody encroachment. Furthermore, vegetation patterns and soil properties influenced the spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty of SOC in this landscape, highlighting the need for spatially specific sampling that can characterize this variability and enable scaling and modeling. Given the geographic extent of woody encroachment on a global scale, this undocumented deep soil C sequestration suggests this vegetation change may play a more significant role in regional and global C sequestration than previously thought.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "deep soil carbon", "13. Climate action", "\u03b413C value", "landscape scale", "woody plant encroachment", "15. Life on land", "pattern of spatial heterogeneity", "SOC storage", "subtropical savanna"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Zhou, Yong, Boutton, Thomas W., Wu, X. Ben,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ns92q"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.ns92q", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.ns92q", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.ns92q"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-03-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.4748444", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Embargo", "updated": "2026-07-28T16:22:45Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "The extent of woody plant invasion in selected sites of the communally managed Molopo District, North West Province.", "description": "EmbargoWoody plant invasion (bush encroachment) is a problem in the semi arid communal areas of the North West Province which had been affecting the Molopo Area as early as 1960. It affects the livelihoods of the communal farmer because it reduces carrying capacity and is a form of veld degradation. The extent of woody plant encroachment was quantified at selected sites and reference sites in the Molopo District. There was a study site and reference site selected in a commercially managed area. Soil samples from these selected sites were also analysed for chemical and physical properties as well as nutrient content that could have an influence on the proliferation of the woody plants. Social surveys were also conducted to investigate the perceptions and influence of the affected communities towards woody plant invasion. The prominent species identified in the area included Acacia mellifera, Dichrostachys cenerea, Prosopis velutina and Terminalia sericea. All of the study sites, except the benchmark sites, had woody plant densities of more than 2 000 TE/ha that according to Moore & Odendaal (1987), almost totally suppress grass growth. It was clear from the data that the nutrient status of soils of encroached areas was higher than the benchmark sites although some of the differences were statistically insignificant. Organic carbon was higher at most of the encroached sites (71 % of the sites) where 80 % of the enriched sites had significantly higher organic carbon than that of the benchmark sites. There is a need to develop small scale farming practices that are appropriate in terms of sustainable development in the local context.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "woody plants", "Molopo district", "Prosopis velutina", "Dichrostachys cenerea", "Masters", "15. Life on land", "Acacia mellifera", "North West Province", "Terminalia sericea", "Molopo Area"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Mogodi, Phemelo", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4748444"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.4748444", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.4748444", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.4748444"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "1959.7/uws:64180", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Closed Access", "updated": "2026-07-28T16:24:20Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-09-13", "title": "Multiple trade\u2010offs regulate the effects of woody plant removal on biodiversity and ecosystem functions in global rangelands", "description": "AbstractWoody plant encroachment is a major land management issue. Woody removal often aims to restore the original grassy ecosystem, but few studies have assessed the role of woody removal on ecosystem functions and biodiversity at global scales. We collected data from 140 global studies and evaluated how different woody plant removal methods affected biodiversity (plant and animal diversity) and ecosystem functions (plant production, hydrological function, soil carbon) across global rangelands. Our results indicate that the impact of removal is strongly context dependent, varying with the specific response variable, removal method, and traits of the target species. Over all treatments, woody plant removal increased grass biomass and total groundstorey diversity. Physical and chemical removal methods increased grass biomass and total groundstorey biomass (i.e., non\uffe2\uff80\uff90woody plants, including grass biomass), but burning reduced animal diversity. The impact of different treatment methods declined with time since removal, particularly for total groundstorey biomass. Removing pyramid\uffe2\uff80\uff90shaped woody plants increased total groundstorey biomass and hydrological function but reduced total groundstorey diversity. Environmental context (e.g., aridity and soil texture) indirectly controlled the effect of removal on biomass and biodiversity by influencing plant traits such as plant shape, allelopathic, or roots types. Our study demonstrates that a one\uffe2\uff80\uff90size\uffe2\uff80\uff90fits\uffe2\uff80\uff90all approach to woody plant removal is not appropriate, and that consideration of woody plant identity, removal method, and environmental context is critical for optimizing removal outcomes. Applying this knowledge is fundamental for maintaining diverse and functional rangeland ecosystems as we move toward a drier and more variable climate.