Climate mediates the biodiversity–ecosystem stability relationship globally

Significance Securing the stable delivery of ecosystem services related to plant biomass (e.g., food, carbon sequestration, and soil fertility) is a pressing issue under ongoing climate change. Biodiversity increases ecosystem stability, but climate change may alter this positive relationship. We coupled a field survey of plant diversity conducted in drylands worldwide with remote sensing estimates of primary productivity to show a strong climate dependency of the biodiversity–ecosystem stability relationship. Our findings suggest that land management should be adapted to the aridity conditions if we aim to secure stable plant production. For instance, promoting higher species richness may represent a simple yet effective strategy to stabilize plant biomass over time in the face of the increasing aridity forecasted for drylands worldwide.