Field experiments underestimate aboveground biomass response to drought
György Kröel‐Dulay, Andrea Mojzes, Katalin Szitár, Michael Bahn, Péter Batáry, Claus Beier, Mark C. Bilton, Hans J. De Boeck, Jeffrey S. Dukes, Marc Estiarte, Petr Holub, Anke Jentsch, Inger Kappel Schmidt, Jüergen Kreyling, Sabine Reinsch, Klaus Steenberg Larsen, Marcelo Sternberg, Katja Tielbörger, Albert Tietema, Sara Vicca, Josep Peñuelas
Abstract
Researchers use both experiments and observations to study the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, but results from these contrasting approaches have not been systematically compared for droughts. Using a meta-analysis and accounting for potential confounding factors, we demonstrate that aboveground biomass responded only about half as much to experimentally imposed drought events as to natural droughts. Our findings indicate that experimental results may underestimate climate change impacts and highlight the need to integrate results across approaches.