Plant diversity-mediated effects of aridity and land-use on ecosystem functioning
Results of SEM showed that aridity and grazing had strong interactive negative effects on species richness, which led to negative effects on plant aboveground biomass and SOC (Fig. 4). Aridity directly decreased aboveground biomass and SOC, and haying directly decreased aboveground biomass, while grazing had direct negative and indirect positive effects (through increasing species richness) on aboveground biomass and SOC. Plant species richness had greater effects on SOC than on aboveground biomass.