A meta-analysis on the impacts of climate change on the yield of European pastures

摘要

Significant climatic changes are predicted across Europe, some of which are already occurring. These changes will vary dramatically across the continent, with very different conditions expected in the north than in the south. This study assesses the impacts of elevated atmospheric C02 concentration (+C), increased air temperature (+T) and changes in water availability on pasture yield and makes region-specific predictions of future pasture conditions. The yield measure used is above ground dry weight and is evaluated across pasture and forage species from different plant functional groups. The results of the meta-analysis showed that +C will increaseplant growth across Europe, with shrubs experiencing a larger increase than other functional groups. Increased temperature (+T) will increase plant growth in Alpine and northern areas but will decrease it in continental Europe. Droughts will cause significant reductions in growth everywhere except for Alpine areas. The results demonstrate what can be expected from future pastures and can help European livestock farming systems to address the challenges presented by climate change.