How plants water our planet: Advances and imperatives

Abstract

Most life on land depends on water from rain, but much of the rain on land may also depend on life. Recent studies indicate that vegetation, especially tree cover, influences rain and rainfall patterns to a greater extent than is generally assumed. Here, I briefly highlight some of these findings to show that vegetation sciences will have an increasing role in understanding climate and its vulnerability to changes in land cover. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.