ScienceDaily: Fluctuations in extreme weather events, such as heavy rains and droughts, are affecting ecosystems in unexpected ways -- creating "winners and losers" among plant species that humans depend upon for food.
Arizona State University investigators conducted a six-year experiment on the effects of climatic variability on desert grassland. The study revealed that when unpredictable weather patterns create alternating wet and dry years, ecosystem productivity declines -- mostly because grasses diminish,...