Rebecca A. Nelson, Utah State UniversityFollow
Lauren L. Sullivan, Michigan State University
Erika I. Hersch-Green, Michigan Technological University
Eric W. Seabloom, University of Minnesota
Elizabeth T. Borer, University of Minnesota
Pedro M. Tognetti, Universidad de Buenos Aires y CONICET
Peter B. Adler, Utah State UniversityFollow
Lori Biederman, Iowa State University
Miguel N. Bugalho, University of Lisbon
Maria C. Caldeira, University of Lisbon
Juan P. Cancela, University of Azores
Luísa G. Carvalheiro, Universidade Federal de Goiás
Jane A. Catford, King's College London
Chris R. Dickman, University of Sydney
Aleksandra J. Dolezal, University of Guelph
Ian Donohue, Trinity College Dublin
Anne Ebeling, University Jena
Nico Eisenhauer, Leipzig University
Kenneth J. Elgersma, University of Northern Iowa
Anu Eskelinen, University of Oulu
Catalina Estrada, Imperial College London
Magda Garbowski, New Mexico State University
Pamela Graff, Universidad de Buenos Aires y CONICET
Daniel S. Gruner, University of Maryland
Nicole Hagenah, University of Pretoria
Sylvia Haider, Leuphana University of Lüneburg
W. Stanley Harpole, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
Yann Hautier, Utrecht University
Anke Jentsch, University of Bayreuth
Nicolina Johanson, University of Oulu
Sally E. Koerner, University of North Carolina
Lucíola S. Lannes, São Paulo State University
Andrew S. MacDougall, University of Guelph
Holly Martinson, McDaniel College
John W. Morgan, La Trobe University
Harry Olde Venterink, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Devyn Orr, Eastern Oregon Ag Research Center
Brooke B. Osborne, Utah State UniversityFollow
Pablo L. Peri, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA)
Sally A. Power, Western Sydney University
Xavier Raynaud, Sorbonne Université
Anita C. Risch, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL
Mani Shrestha, University of Bayreuth
Nicholas G. Smith, Texas Tech University
Carly J. Stevens, Lancaster University
G. F. Ciska Veen, Netherlands Institute of Ecology
Risto Virtanen, University of Oulu
Glenda M. Wardle, University of Sydney
Amelia A. Wolf, University of Texas at Austin
Alyssa L. Young, University of North Carolina Greensboro
Susan P. Harrison, University of California, Davis

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Communications Biology

Author ORCID Identifier

Rebecca A. Nelson https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9574-0241

Erika I. Hersch-Green https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3887-0768

Eric W. Seabloom https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6780-9259

Elizabeth T. Borer https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2259-5853

Pedro M. Tognetti https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7358-1334

Peter B. Adler https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4216-4009

Lori Biederman https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2171-7898

Miguel N. Bugalho https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7081-657X

Maria C. Caldeira https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3586-8526

Juan P. Cancela https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3357-3820

Luísa G. Carvalheiro https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7655-979X

Jane A. Catford https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0582-5960

Aleksandra J. Dolezal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1388-3610

Ian Donohue https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-6448

Anne Ebeling https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3221-4017

Nico Eisenhauer https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0371-6720

Kenneth J. Elgersma https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9012-8590

Anu Eskelinen https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1707-5263

Catalina Estrada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0074-0776

Pamela Graff https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6042-2673

Daniel S. Gruner https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3153-4297

W. Stanley Harpole https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3404-9174

Yann Hautier https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4347-7741

Anke Jentsch https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2345-8300

Nicolina Johanson https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5296-4086

Sally E. Koerner https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6403-7513

Lucíola S. Lannes https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0603-4071

Andrew S. MacDougall https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1869-7868

Holly Martinson https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1462-0051

Harry Olde Venterink https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8963-1153

Pablo L. Peri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5398-4408

Sally A. Power https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2723-8671

Anita C. Risch https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0531-8336

Mani Shrestha https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6165-8418

Nicholas G. Smith https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7048-4387

Carly J. Stevens https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2390-1763

G. F. Ciska Veen https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7736-9998

Risto Virtanen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8295-8217

Glenda M. Wardle https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0189-1899

Amelia A. Wolf https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7660-3455

Alyssa L. Young https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2373-4264

Volume

8

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Publication Date

3-15-2025

Journal Article Version

Version of Record

First Page

1

Last Page

10

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Forbs (“wildflowers”) are important contributors to grassland biodiversity but are vulnerable to environmental changes. In a factorial experiment at 94 sites on 6 continents, we test the global generality of several broad predictions: (1) Forb cover and richness decline under nutrient enrichment, particularly nitrogen enrichment. (2) Forb cover and richness increase under herbivory by large mammals. (3) Forb richness and cover are less affected by nutrient enrichment and herbivory in more arid climates, because water limitation reduces the impacts of competition with grasses. (4) Forb families will respond differently to nutrient enrichment and mammalian herbivory due to differences in nutrient requirements. We find strong evidence for the first, partial support for the second, no support for the third, and support for the fourth prediction. Our results underscore that anthropogenic nitrogen addition is a major threat to grassland forbs, but grazing under high herbivore intensity can offset these nutrient effects.

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