Arias-Real, RebecaDelgado-Baquerizo, ManuelSabater, SergiGutiérrez-Cánovas, CayetanoValencia, EnriqueAragón, GregorioCantón, YolandaDatry, ThibaultGiordani, PaoloMedina, Nagore G.Ríos, Asunción de losRomaní, Anna M.Weber, BettinaHurtado, Pilar2024-09-242024-09-242024-08-02Arias-Real, R., Delgado-Baquerizo, M., Sabater, S., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Valencia, E., Aragón, G. et al. (2024) Unfolding the dynamics of ecosystems undergoing alternating wet-dry transitional states. Ecology Letters, 27, e14488. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.144881461-0248 (online)1461-023X (print)https://hdl.handle.net/10115/39775We gratefully acknowledge Greta C. Vega for assistance with Figure 1b and Christopher J. Ellis for valuable comments on the manuscript. P.H. and R.A-R. acknowledge funding by the Iberian Society of Ecology (SIBECOL) through a Grant for Early Career Researchers 2022. R.A-R. held a post-doctoral grant “Juan de la Cierva” JDC2022-048728-I from the Spanish Ministry of Universities and the Next Generation EU. P.H. held a post-doctoral grant “Margarita Salas” from the Spanish Ministry of Universities and the Next Generation EU Recovery. M.D-B. acknowledges support from TED2021-130908B-C41/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/Unión Europea Next Generation EU/PRTR and from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the I + D + i project PID2020-115813RA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. S.S.A. acknowledges the support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the project PID2020-115708RB-C22 and the EU project DRYVER (H2020-grant agreement 869226-2). C.G-C. was supported by a Junior Leader Fellowship contract (LCF/BQ/PR22/11920005) funded by “la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434). Y.C. acknowledges support from TED2021-132332B-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Unión “Next Generation EU”/PRTR. N.G.M. acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through projects PID2019-106840GA-C22 and PID2022-140985NB-C22. R.A-R. and A.d.R. acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the project PID2019-105469RB-C22. A.R. acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the project PID2021-123735OB-C21/MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE.A significant fraction of Earth's ecosystems undergoes periodic wet-dry alternating transitional states. These globally distributed water-driven transitional ecosystems, such as intermittent rivers and coastal shorelines, have traditionally been studied as two distinct entities, whereas they constitute a single, interconnected meta-ecosystem. This has resulted in a poor conceptual and empirical understanding of water-driven transitional ecosystems. Here, we develop a conceptual framework that places the temporal availability of water as the core driver of biodiversity and functional patterns of transitional ecosystems at the global scale. Biological covers (e.g., aquatic biofilms and biocrusts) serve as an excellent model system thriving in both aquatic and terrestrial states, where their succession underscores the intricate interplay between these two states. The duration, frequency, and rate of change of wet-dry cycles impose distinct plausible scenarios where different types of biological covers can occur depending on their desiccation/hydration resistance traits. This implies that the distinct eco-evolutionary potential of biological covers, represented by their trait profiles, would support different functions while maintaining similar multifunctionality levels. By embracing multiple alternating transitional states as interconnected entities, our approach can help to better understand and manage global change impacts on biodiversity and multifunctionality in water-driven transitional ecosystems, while providing new avenues for interdisciplinary studiesengAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/article10.1111/ele.14488info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess