How does the reduced rainfall threaten plant diversity?

Predicting and mitigating the effects of climate change while preserving biodiversity is a top priority for both scientists and policymakers. While it’s established that, on a broad geographic scale, regions with more water generally support greater plant diversity, results vary at smaller plot levels concerning how rainfall affects species richness. Ákos Bede-Fazekas, assistant professor of our department participated in the research in which the researchers, led by Gábor Ónodi, tried to understand the mechanisms underlying the impact of intense droughts and long-term rainfall changes on biodiversity. According to their study published in the D1-ranked journal "Journal of Ecology", increased aridity at the plot level is indeed linked to a decrease in plant species richness, and this connection is even more pronounced following extreme droughts. However, as the reserchers revealed, this phenomenon is not easy to detect at this spatial scale because in the absence of drought, dominant plant species can obscure this effect.