Nutrient enrichment and herbivore exclusion disrupt the climate-driven balance between C3 and C4 plants in grasslands
Joe Atkinson, Jodi Price, Robert Buitenwerf, Nicholas G. Smith, Ezinwanne Ezekannagha, Elizabeth T. Borer, Cynthia S. Brown, Lars Andrew Brudvig, Yvonne Maria Buckley, Miguel N. Bugalho, Maria C. Caldeira, Sofía Campana, Clinton Carbutt, Chris R. Dickman, Ian Donohue, , Jens‐Christian Svenning
The paper shows that nutrient enrichment, especially with nitrogen and phosphorus, reduces C4 plant cover in grasslands, disrupting climate-driven C3-C4 balance globally.
bioRxiv · Aug 20, 2026 · PreprintEcology