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Average function for the 288 plots at 88 sites across global drylands and examples of fertile islands at selected sites
The background map shows the distribution of aridity (1 − [precipitation/potential evapotranspiration]) across global drylands. The mean RII value is calculated across 24 soil attributes (Methods).
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Average function for the 288 plots at 88 sites across global drylands and examples of fertile islands at selected sites The background map shows the distribution of aridity (1 − [precipitation/potential evapotranspiration]) across global drylands. The mean RII value is calculated across 24 soil attributes (Methods). Source data

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Perennial plants create productive and biodiverse hotspots, known as fertile islands, beneath their canopies. These hotspots largely determine the structure and functioning of drylands worldwide. Despite their ubiquity, the factors controlling fertile islands under conditions of contrasting grazing by livestock, the most prevalent land use in dryla...

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... Due to its fine-scale nature, microclimate can vary dramatically over short distances and time periods, playing a crucial role in the survival and reproduction of organisms. For instance, soils exhibit high spatial variation, which directly impacts the distribution of all forms of biodiversity, including microorganisms, plants, invertebrates and other animals (Garten et al. 2007, Eldridge et al. 2024. Topography also greatly influences local conditions, such as temperature, water availability, solar radiation and wind currents Nunes et al. 2019, De Frenne et al. 2021, Kemppinen et al. 2024. ...
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