Past vegetation and climatic conditions are known to influence current biodiversity patterns. However, whether their legacy effects affect the provision of multiple ecosystem functions, that is, multifunctionality, remains largely unknown. Here we analyzed soil nutrient stocks and their transformation rates in 236 drylands from six continents to evaluate the associations between current levels of multifunctionality and legacy effects of the\uffc2\uffa0Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) desert biome distribution and climate. We found that past desert distribution and temperature legacy, defined as increasing temperature from LGM, were negatively correlated with contemporary multifunctionality even after accounting for predictors such as current climate, soil texture, plant species richness, and site topography. Ecosystems that have been deserts since the LGM had up to 30% lower contemporary multifunctionality compared with those that were nondeserts during the LGM. In addition, ecosystems that experienced higher warming rates since the LGM had lower contemporary multifunctionality than those suffering lower warming rates, with a ~9% reduction per extra degree Celsius. Past desert distribution and temperature legacies had direct negative effects, while temperature legacy also had indirect (via soil sand content) negative effects on multifunctionality. Our results indicate that past biome and climatic conditions have left a strong \uffe2\uff80\uff9cfunctionality debt\uffe2\uff80\uff9d in global drylands. They also suggest that ongoing warming and expansion of desert areas may leave a strong fingerprint in the future functioning of dryland ecosystems worldwide that needs to be considered when establishing management actions aiming to combat land degradation and desertification.Abstract. Plant species\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich Calthion meadows on mesotrophic fen peat soil extensively cut for hay are among the endangered semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90natural vegetation types in northwestern Europe. They are often badly affected by lowering the groundwater table (drainage) and fertilization.
In a comparative study of an undrained site with a Calthion meadow and an adjacent drained site, availability of N, P and K was biologically assessed under field conditions (for two years) as well as in a greenhouse (for 18 weeks) by measuring shoot responsiveness. Also, experimental wetting of intact turf samples taken from both sites was applied in order to study the interaction between nutrient supply and anaerobic soil conditions. It was concluded that the above\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground phytomass yield in the undrained site was restricted by a major shortage of N\uffe2\uff80\uff90supply and a moderate shortage of K\uffe2\uff80\uff90supply by the fen peat soil. The above\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground phytomass yield of the drained site was only reduced by a strongly limited supply of K by the soil. The extent of K\uffe2\uff80\uff90deficiency was larger for the drained site. No P\uffe2\uff80\uff90deficiency was observed in any of the drained or undrained sites. Rewetting turf samples, taken from the drained site, did not change above\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground phytomass yields, suggesting that nutrient supplies were not affected by rewetting. Leaching has likely resulted in a strong reduction of K\uffe2\uff80\uff90supply in the drained site. It is assumed that a shortage in K\uffe2\uff80\uff90supply from the peat soil may have become an important environmental constraint for characteristic plant species of Calthion meadows. This may hamper the development of this meadow type on drained peat soils after rewetting by groundwater discharge.
", "keywords": ["DYNAMICS", "0106 biological sciences", "NRS", "restoration", "GRASSLAND", "LIMITATION", "GROUNDWATER", "fen peat", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "SOIL", "VEGETATION PATTERNS", "ADLIB-ART-1990", "fertilization", "ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE", "FERTILIZER APPLICATION", "plant species richness", "macronutrient deficiency", "COMMUNITIES", "drainage", "management", "SEDIMENTS", "FENS"], "contacts": [{"organization": "JA Inberg, D. M. Pegtel, I.C. van Duren, BA Aerts,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.2307/3237027"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Vegetation%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.2307/3237027", "name": "item", "description": "10.2307/3237027", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.2307/3237027"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1997-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.54ht3", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-13T16:22:29Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Effects of plant diversity on the concentration of secondary plant metabolites and the density of arthropods on focal plants in the field", "description": "Open Access1. The diversity of the surrounding plant community can directly affect the abundance of insects on a focal plant as well as the size and quality of that focal plant. However, to what extent the effects of plant diversity on the arthropod community on a focal plant are mediated by host plant quality or by the diversity of the surrounding plants remains unresolved. 2. In the field, we sampled arthropod communities on focal Jacobaea vulgaris plants growing in experimental plant communities that were maintained at different levels of diversity (1, 2, 4 or 9 species) for three years. Focal plants were also planted in plots without surrounding vegetation. We recorded the structural characteristics of each of the surrounding plant communities as well as the growth, and primary and secondary chemistry (pyrrolizidine alkaloids, PAs) of the focal plants to disentangle the potential mechanisms causing the diversity effects. 3. Two years after planting, the abundance of arthropods on focal plants that were still in the vegetative stage decreased with increasing plant diversity, while the abundance of arthropods on reproductive focal plants was not significantly affected by the diversity of the neighbouring community. The size of both vegetative and reproductive focal plants was not significantly affected by the diversity of the neighbouring community, but the levels of PAs and the foliar N concentration of vegetative focal plants decreased with increasing plant diversity. Structural equation modelling revealed that the effects of plant diversity on the arthropod communities on focal plants were not mediated by changes in plant quality. 4. Synthesis. Plant quality can greatly influence insect preference and performance. However, under natural conditions the effects of the neighbouring plant community can overrule the plant quality effects of individual plants growing in those communities on the abundance of insects associated to this plant.", "keywords": ["Phytochemistry", "Jacobaea vulgaris", "plant\u2013herbivore interactions", "plant quality", "insect community", "plant species richness", "Verwerkte data", "phytochemistry", "Processed data", "15. Life on land", "plant-herbivore interactions", "biodiversity"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Kostenko, O., Mulder, P.P.J., Courbois, Matthijs, Bezemer, T.M.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.54ht3"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.54ht3", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.54ht3", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.54ht3"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "1959.7/uws:64348", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-13T16:26:39Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-03-29", "title": "Multifunctionality debt in global drylands linked to past biome and climate", "description": "AbstractPast vegetation and climatic conditions are known to influence current biodiversity patterns. However, whether their legacy effects affect the provision of multiple ecosystem functions, that is, multifunctionality, remains largely unknown. Here we analyzed soil nutrient stocks and their transformation rates in 236 drylands from six continents to evaluate the associations between current levels of multifunctionality and legacy effects of the\uffc2\uffa0Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) desert biome distribution and climate. We found that past desert distribution and temperature legacy, defined as increasing temperature from LGM, were negatively correlated with contemporary multifunctionality even after accounting for predictors such as current climate, soil texture, plant species richness, and site topography. Ecosystems that have been deserts since the LGM had up to 30% lower contemporary multifunctionality compared with those that were nondeserts during the LGM. In addition, ecosystems that experienced higher warming rates since the LGM had lower contemporary multifunctionality than those suffering lower warming rates, with a ~9% reduction per extra degree Celsius. Past desert distribution and temperature legacies had direct negative effects, while temperature legacy also had indirect (via soil sand content) negative effects on multifunctionality. Our results indicate that past biome and climatic conditions have left a strong \uffe2\uff80\uff9cfunctionality debt\uffe2\uff80\uff9d in global drylands. They also suggest that ongoing warming and expansion of desert areas may leave a strong fingerprint in the future functioning of dryland ecosystems worldwide that needs to be considered when establishing management actions aiming to combat land degradation and desertification.