@article {49902,
	title = {Legacies of precipitation fluctuations on primary production: theory and data synthesis},
	journal = {Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B},
	volume = {367},
	year = {2012},
	month = {08/2012},
	pages = {3135-3144},
	chapter = {3135},
	abstract = {Variability of above-ground net primary production (ANPP) of arid to sub-humid ecosystems displays a closer association with precipitation when considered across space (based on multiyear averages for different locations) than through time (based on year-to-year change at single locations). Here, we propose a theory of controls of ANPP based on four hypotheses about legacies of wet and dry years that explains space versus time differences in ANPP\&ndash;precipitation relationships. We tested the hypotheses using 16 long-term series of ANPP. We found that legacies revealed by the association of current- versus previous-year conditions through the temporal series occur across all ecosystem types from deserts to mesic grasslands. Therefore, previous-year precipitation and ANPP control a significant fraction of current-year production. We developed unified models for the controls of ANPP through space and time. The relative importance of current-versus previous-year precipitation changes along a gradient of mean annual precipitation with the importance of current-year PPT decreasing, whereas the importance of previous-year PPT remains constant as mean annual precipitation increases. Finally, our results suggest that ANPP will respond to climate-change-driven alterations in water availability and, more importantly, that the magnitude of the response will increase with time.},
	keywords = {legacies, precipitation effects, primary production, spatial and temporal models},
	doi = {10.1098/rstb.2011.0347},
	url = {/files/bibliography/12-039.pdf},
	author = {O. E. Sala and Laureano A. Gherardi and Lara Reichmann and Esteban Jobb{\'a}gy and Debra C. Peters}
}
