Insights on global rangeland ecosystem services shaped by grazing and fertilization

Yahdjian, Laura and Campana, Sofía and Tognetti, Pedro M and Alberti, Juan and Graff, Pamela and Molina, Cecilia and Borer, Elizabeth T and Seabloom, Eric W and Prober, Suzanne M and MacDougall, Andrew S and Risch, Anita C and Price, Jodi N and Power, Sally A and Barrio, Isabel C and Hersch‐Green, Erika and Fay, Philip A and Bagchi, Sumanta and Bakker, Jonathan D and Blumenthal, Dana and Boughton, Elizabeth H and Brown, Cynthia S and Bugalho, Miguel N and Cadotte, Marc and Caldeira, Maria C and Catford, Jane A and Carbutt, Clinton and Chen, Qingqing and Collins, Scott L and Crowther, Thomas W and D’Antonio, Carla and Dickman, Christopher R and DuPre, Mary E and Elgersma, Kenneth J and Eskelinen, Anu and Hagenah, Nicole and Hautier, Yann and Jentsch, Anke and Knops, Johannes MH and Martina, Jason P and McCulley, Rebecca L and Stevens, Carly J and Laanisto, Lauri and O’Halloran, Lydia R and Peri, Pablo L and Macek, Petr and Smith, Nicholas G and Sonnier, Grégory and Veen, Ciska GF and Virtanen, Risto (2026) Insights on global rangeland ecosystem services shaped by grazing and fertilization. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment: e70022. ISSN 1540-9295

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Abstract

Rangelands are crucial to human well‐being, but their ability to provide ecosystem services is threatened. We (1) quantified key ecosystem services provided by rangelands, (2) assessed short‐ and long‐term impacts of fertilization (nutrient addition) and the exclusion of large grazing herbivores with fences (herbivore exclusion) on services, and (3) identified synergies and trade‐offs among services. We measured indicators of ecosystem services and plant diversity at 79 sites across six continents in the global Nutrient Network. Short‐term herbivore exclusion increased forage quantity and soil fertility, but longer‐term herbivore exclusion decreased both along with plant richness and pollination. Nutrient addition improved forage provisioning, soil stability, climate regulation, and control of soil erosion but lowered plant diversity and impeded delivery of related services, especially after prolonged application. We found synergies between plant diversity and pollination, as well as between soil fertility, soil stability, and climate regulation. Trade‐offs between forage stability and quality persisted after nutrient addition but disappeared with herbivore exclusion. Our results suggest that alternative management actions may sustain livestock production while maintaining rangeland ecosystem services.