Aridity dependent sensitivity of grassland productivity to dry-wet climate extremes—data for XBS

Increasing intensity and frequency of dry-wet extremes (DWEs) under climate change is expected to affect rainfall-constrained ecosystems, particularly grassland ecosystems in arid and semi-arid zones. However, our understanding of DWEs impacts on grassland productivity remains limited, especially under naturally occurring climate extremes. Here, using a long-term (from 26 to 54 years) net primary productivity (NPP) dataset across 13 grasslands, we found that the direct effects of DWEs on NPP are aridity-dependent, with more arid grasslands showing higher vulnerability. Moreover, we revealed a pronounced shift in the relationship between extreme drought-induced legacy effect on NPP and aridity index (precipitation/potential evapotranspiration) when aridity index exceeds a threshold of 0.43. These findings provide compelling evidence for ambient climate-dependent resistance and resilience of grassland NPP to DWEs and highlight the need for considering the role of extreme climate conditions when forecasting the future of grassland productivity and stability in a warmer world.