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Grass-dominated, dry rangelands account for over 30% of Earth's terrestrial surface (9,10) and provide most of the forage for the world's domestic livestock. Among the most important of these include [...], Global warming is predicted to induce desiccation in many world regions through increases in evaporative demand (1-3). Rising C[O.sub.2] may counter that trend by improving plant water-use efficiency (4,5). However, it is not clear how important this C[O.sub.2]-enhanced water use efficiency might be in offsetting warming-induced desiccation because higher C[O.sub.2] also leads to higher plant biomass, and therefore greater transpirational surface (2,6,7). Furthermore, although warming is predicted to favour warm-season, [C.sub.4] grasses, rising C[O.sub.2] should favour [C.sub.3], or cool-season plants (8). Here we show in a semi-arid grassland that elevated C[O.sub.2] can completely reverse the desiccating effects of moderate warming. Although enrichment of air to 600 p.p.m.v. C[O.sub.2] increased soil water content (SWC), 1.5/3.0 °C day/night warming resulted in desiccation, such that combined C[O.sub.2] enrichment and warming had no effect on SWC relative to control plots. As predicted, elevated C[O.sub.2] favoured [C.sub.3] grasses and enhanced stand productivity, whereas warming favoured [C.sub.4] grasses. Combined warming and C[O.sub.2] enrichment stimulated above-ground growth of [C.sub.4] grasses in 2 of 3 years when soil moisture most limited plant productivity. The results indicate that in a warmer, C[O.sub.2]-enriched world, both SWC and productivity in semi-arid grasslands may be higher than previously expected.

Terrestrial net primary production (NPP) quantifies the amount of atmospheric carbon fixed by plants and accumulated as biomass. Previous studies have shown that climate constraints were relaxing with increasing temperature and solar radiation, allowing an upward trend in NPP from 1982 through 1999. The past decade (2000 to 2009) has been the warmest since instrumental measurements began, which could imply continued increases in NPP; however, our estimates suggest a reduction in the global NPP of 0.55 petagrams of carbon. Large-scale droughts have reduced regional NPP, and a drying trend in the Southern Hemisphere has decreased NPP in that area, counteracting the increased NPP over the Northern Hemisphere. A continued decline in NPP would not only weaken the terrestrial carbon sink, but it would also intensify future competition between food demand and proposed biofuel production. 10.1126/science.1192666