Chronic wind and plant communities in dunes: Total biomass, inter-specific competition, and species abundance

► We conducted an experiment with three shrubs common to semi-arid sandlands, China. ► Wind didn't affect productivity of monocultures, but influenced biomass allocation. ► Wind modulates plants community through altering competition and function. ► Our results show that wind enhances rather than decreases net primary productivity. ► This study illustrates importance of wind on community function and composition.