The global extent of the grassland biome and implications for the terrestrial carbon sink
A. S. MacDougall · B. Vanzant · J. Sulik · S. Bagchi · D. Naidu · T. O. Muraina · E. W. Seabloom · E. T. Borer · P. Wilfahrt · I. Slette · J. L. Hierro · D. E. Pearson · M. Abedi · M. Akasaka · J. Alberti · A. Aleksanyan · A. A. Amisu · T. M. Anderson · C. A. Arnillas · M. Ayer · J. D. Bakker · S. Basant · S. Basto · L. Biederman · K. J. Bloodworth · F. Boscutti · E. H. Boughton · C. M. Bruschetti · H. L. Buckley · Y. M. Buckley · M. N. Bugalho · M. C. Caldeira · G. Campetella · N. Cannone · M. Carbognani · C. Carbutt · M. A. Carniello · M. Cervellini · T. Chaudhary · Q. Chen · A. T. Clark · S. Cousins · M. Dalle Fratte · N. J. Day · B. Deák · J. Dietrich · A. Dixon · N. Eisenhauer · K. J. Elgersma · O. Eren · A. Eskelinen · C. Estrada · P. A. Fay · G. Fayvush · K. C. Flynn · D. García Meza · D. Gargano · L. Gherardi · N. T. Girkin · L. González · P. Graff · L. W. C. Hagenberg · A. H. Halbritter · N. A. Havrilchak · N. Herdoiza · E. Hersch-Green · K. Hopping · A. Jentsch · S. O. Jimoh · J. Kerby · K. Kirkman · J. M. H. Knops · S. E. Koerner · A. Koltz · K. J. Komatsu · B. I. Koura · S. Kruse · L. Laanisto · L. S. Lannes · W. Li · M. Liang · A. Lkhagva · L. López-Olmedo · P. Lorenzo · C. J. Lortie · A. Loydi · W. Luo · P. Macek · F. Malfasi · P. Mariotte · J. P. Martina · A. Martínez-Blancas · H. Martinson · C. Martorell · J. A. Meave · S. Medina-Villar · K. Z. Mganga · J. Monsimet · A. N. Nerlekar · S. Niu · T. Ohlert · I. Oliveras Menor · G. R. Oñatibia · Y. K. Ortega · B. Osborne · S. Palpurina · J. Pascual · S. C. Pennings · E. Pérez-García · P. L. Peri · M. Petit Bon · A. Petraglia · F. Pijcke · S. M. Prober · R. E. Quiroga · J. I. Ramirez · S. Reed · B. H. P. Rosado · C. Roscher · D. W. Rowley · I. Sereda · D. M. Small · N. G. Smith · Y. Song · C. Stevens · L. E. Suarez Jimenez · M. te Beest · M. Tedder · R. S. Terry · K. S. Thornton · D. Tian · G. Titcomb · O. Valkó · G. F. ‘Ciska’ Veen · R. Virtanen · E. A. R. Welti · G. R. Wheeler · A. A. Wolf · P. Wolff · A. L. Young · H. S. Young · L. H. Zeglin · K. Zhu · S. Zong · M. B. Siewert
期刊Nature Ecology & Evolution / Nat Ecol Evol
类型Article
发表2026-01-27 (online)
卷期页10(2): 246-257
收录2026-10-03
被浏览…
关键词grassland biomeland cover mappingmapping errorsterrestrial carbon sinksoil carbon stocksgrassland classificationwoody plant coverbiome mappingecosystem accounting
标签—
地表覆盖数据常用于模拟陆地碳汇,但这些数据存在较大误差,会显著改变全球碳储存的估算。在此,我们描绘了草地数据中的这种脆弱性,草地对碳循环至关重要,但其估算分布相差超过 5000 万平方公里(占地球陆地表面的 3.5%至42%)。通过比较多个高分辨率地表覆盖产品与来自六大洲的专家标注的草地数据,我们揭示了制图误差的来源,并根据 2023 年联合国粮农组织(FAO)的估算数据讨论了碳的影响。过去的误识别源于对草地身份定义的不一致以及分类缺陷,特别是与木本植物覆盖相关的问题。纠正这些错误将草地覆盖面积调整为陆地总面积的 22.8%(3001 万平方公里),将联合国土壤碳储量预测提升至 155.02 亿吨(0-30 厘米深度)。这些发现突显了在缺乏现场验证的遥感数据时,生物群落制图在生态系统核算和政策制定方面面临的挑战。
Land cover data are commonly used to model the terrestrial carbon (C) sink, yet these data have wide margins of error that significantly alter estimates of global C storage. Here we demonstrate this data vulnerability in grasslands, which are critical to C cycling but whose estimated distribution has varied by >50 million km 2 (3.5–42% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface). Comparing multiple high-resolution land cover products with expertly annotated grassland data from six continents, we show sources of mapping error and discuss C implications based on 2023 United Nations (UN) FAO estimates. Past misidentification arose from inconsistent definitions on grassland identity and classification flaws especially relating to woody plant cover. Correcting these errors adjusted grassland coverage to 22.8% of the terrestrial land base (30.1 million km 2 ), elevating UN projections of soil C stocks to 155.02 Pg (0–30 cm depth). These findings underscore the challenges of biome mapping for ecosystem accounting and policy, when lacking field-validated remotely sensed data.

@article{macdougall2026,
author = {A. S. MacDougall and B. Vanzant and J. Sulik and S. Bagchi and D. Naidu and T. O. Muraina and E. W. Seabloom and E. T. Borer and P. Wilfahrt and I. Slette and J. L. Hierro and D. E. Pearson and M. Abedi and M. Akasaka and J. Alberti and A. Aleksanyan and A. A. Amisu and T. M. Anderson and C. A. Arnillas and M. Ayer and J. D. Bakker and S. Basant and S. Basto and L. Biederman and K. J. Bloodworth and F. Boscutti and E. H. Boughton and C. M. Bruschetti and H. L. Buckley and Y. M. Buckley and M. N. Bugalho and M. C. Caldeira and G. Campetella and N. Cannone and M. Carbognani and C. Carbutt and M. A. Carniello and M. Cervellini and T. Chaudhary and Q. Chen and A. T. Clark and S. Cousins and M. Dalle Fratte and N. J. Day and B. Deák and J. Dietrich and A. Dixon and N. Eisenhauer and K. J. Elgersma and O. Eren and A. Eskelinen and C. Estrada and P. A. Fay and G. Fayvush and K. C. Flynn and D. García Meza and D. Gargano and L. Gherardi and N. T. Girkin and L. González and P. Graff and L. W. C. Hagenberg and A. H. Halbritter and N. A. Havrilchak and N. Herdoiza and E. Hersch-Green and K. Hopping and A. Jentsch and S. O. Jimoh and J. Kerby and K. Kirkman and J. M. H. Knops and S. E. Koerner and A. Koltz and K. J. Komatsu and B. I. Koura and S. Kruse and L. Laanisto and L. S. Lannes and W. Li and M. Liang and A. Lkhagva and L. López-Olmedo and P. Lorenzo and C. J. Lortie and A. Loydi and W. Luo and P. Macek and F. Malfasi and P. Mariotte and J. P. Martina and A. Martínez-Blancas and H. Martinson and C. Martorell and J. A. Meave and S. Medina-Villar and K. Z. Mganga and J. Monsimet and A. N. Nerlekar and S. Niu and T. Ohlert and I. Oliveras Menor and G. R. Oñatibia and Y. K. Ortega and B. Osborne and S. Palpurina and J. Pascual and S. C. Pennings and E. Pérez-García and P. L. Peri and M. Petit Bon and A. Petraglia and F. Pijcke and S. M. Prober and R. E. Quiroga and J. I. Ramirez and S. Reed and B. H. P. Rosado and C. Roscher and D. W. Rowley and I. Sereda and D. M. Small and N. G. Smith and Y. Song and C. Stevens and L. E. Suarez Jimenez and M. te Beest and M. Tedder and R. S. Terry and K. S. Thornton and D. Tian and G. Titcomb and O. Valkó and G. F. ‘Ciska’ Veen and R. Virtanen and E. A. R. Welti and G. R. Wheeler and A. A. Wolf and P. Wolff and A. L. Young and H. S. Young and L. H. Zeglin and K. Zhu and S. Zong and M. B. Siewert},
title = {The global extent of the grassland biome and implications for the terrestrial carbon sink},
journal = {Nature Ecology \& Evolution},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {246-257},
doi = {10.1038/s41559-025-02955-6},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC},
}· END ·