Extreme drought reduces climatic disequilibrium in dryland plant communities

High rates of climate change are currently exceeding many plant species' capacity to keep up with climate, leading mismatches between climatic conditions and preferences the species present in a community. This disequilibrium community composition could diminish, however, when critical thresholds exceeded, due population declines or losses among more mismatched species. Here, we assessed effect an extreme drought event on rich semiarid shrubland communities south‐eastern Iberian Peninsula. Using framework, compared before after episode three study sites different levels precipitation. Disequilibrium was estimated as difference observed reference community‐inferred calculated mean optimum for present, weighted by their abundances. We found that embedded within decadal trend increasing aridity led significant reduction disequilibrium, this positively related water deficit (low P/PET values). In contrast, microhabitat variables such vegetation cover slope, did not emerge predictors changes disequilibrium. Our highlights events pushing same direction trends may decrease mismatch, adapted through loss drought‐sensitive These findings underscore will play crucial role speeding climate‐induced transformations biodiversity losses.