Plant species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality in global drylands Experiments suggest that biodiversity enhances the ability of ecosystems to maintain multiple functions, such as carbon storage, productivity, and buildup of nutrient pools (multifunctionality). However, the relation between biodiversity and multifunctionality has never been assessed globally in real ecosystems. We report on the first global empirical study relating plant species richness and abiotic factors to multifunctionality in drylands, which collectively cover 41% of Earth’s land surface and support over 38% of the human population. Multifunctionality was positively and significantly related to species richness. The best-fitting models accounted for over 55% of the variation in multifunctionality, and always included species richness as a predictor variable. These results suggest that preservation of plant biodiversity is crucial to buffer negative effects of climate change and desertification in drylands.

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