165721 20260113234335.0 doi 10.1111/1365-2745.70222 sideral 147097 ART-2025-147097 eng Shilula, Kaarina N. Drivers of plant phenolic concentration across global drylands 2025 Plant phenolics play a key role in plant defence mechanisms against both biotic and abiotic stressors. However, their responses to environmental variables and grazing pressure across large geographical scales remain poorly understood. Using data from a global survey of 325 plots spanning six continents, we examined how climatic factors, soil properties, leaf nutrients and grazing pressure shape leaf phenolic concentration in 1854 plant species (1280 herbaceous and 574 woody) across global drylands. Our findings reveal that leaf phenolic concentration in herbaceous plants was mainly influenced by grazing pressure and its interactions with leaf nitrogen and iron, which together explained over 50% of observed variation across global drylands. Conversely, phenolic concentration in woody plants was strongly associated with climatic factors, particularly mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT), which accounted for 80% of the observed variation. While MAP had a positive effect on leaf phenolic concentration in woody plants, grazing pressure buffered this relationship by reducing the influence of MAP. Synthesis. Our study advances the understanding of how biotic and abiotic stressors shape plant defence strategies in global drylands. Our findings shed novel insights about how plant secondary metabolites and their associated functions shift in response to changes in climate and grazing pressure, two key global change drivers with significant implications for ecosystem resilience in drylands worldwide. Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/647038/EU/Biological feedbacks and ecosystem resilience under global change: a new perspective on dryland desertification/BIODESERT This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No H2020 647038-BIODESERT info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Saiz, Hugo Universidad de Zaragoza Guirado, Emilio Gross, Nicolas Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Yoann Biancari, Lucio Pueyo, Yolanda Moreira, Xoaquín Eldridge, David J. Ochoa, Victoria Gozalo, Beatriz Asensio, Sergio Mendoza, Betty J. Valencia, Enrique García-Gómez, Miguel Gaitán, Juan J. Plaza, César Martínez-Valderrama, Jaime Maestre, Fernando T. 5011 220 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural Área Ecología 114, 1 (2025), e70222 [14 pp.] J. ecol. JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 0022-0477 Drivers of phenolic concentration across global drylands https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28295999 1338440 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/165721/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 1962819 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/165721/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:165721 articulos driver 2026-01-13-22:06:52 ARTICLE