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Du Z, Zheng H, Penuelas J, Sardans J, Deng D, Cai X, Gao D, Nie S, He Y, Lü X, Li MH. Shrub encroachment leads to accumulation of C, N, and P in grassland soils and alters C:N:P stoichiometry: A meta-analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 951:175534. [PMID: 39153629 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 07/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Soil stoichiometry of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are indicators for nutrient balance. Shrub encroachment into grasslands could change nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry in soils, but the general patterns remain unclear. With a meta-analysis of a global dataset covering 344 observations from 68 studies, we examined the responses of grassland soil C:N:P stoichiometry to shrub encroachment under various environmental conditions. Our results show that: 1) Shrub encroachment significantly increased the concentrations of soil C (+29 %), N (+25 %), P (+20 %), C:N (+5 %), C:P (+12 %), and N:P (+6 %). The magnitude of such effects varied with climate, soil texture, and soil layer. 2) Increases in SOC and TN concentrations mainly occurred in Mediterranean and very humid climate zones. Soil C:P and N:P decreased in semi-humid climate zone after shrub encroachment. 3) The increases in SOC and TN concentrations and in the C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios after shrub encroachment were greater in the topsoil than in deeper soil layers. 4) Both finest-textured soil (clay) and coarsest-textured soil (sand) are beneficial for increase of soil nutrient concentrations following shrub encroachment. 5) The magnitude of the change in soil C:N was negatively correlated with the duration of shrub encroachment, due to greater increases in soil TN than in SOC concentrations with longer durations of encroachment. Our results indicate that soil stoichiometric shifts in shrub-encroached grasslands are relatively sensitive to environmental factors, including soil texture, soil pH, and climate. These findings help us to better understand the effects of shrub encroachment on biogeochemical cycling, functioning, and services in grasslands across a broad range of spatio-temporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Du
- School of Geographical Sciences, China West Normal University, 1 Shida Street, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637009, China.
| | - Huan Zheng
- School of Geographical Sciences, China West Normal University, 1 Shida Street, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Josep Penuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jordi Sardans
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Dongzhou Deng
- Sichuan Academy of Forestry, 18 Xinghui West Road, Chengdu 610081, China.
| | - Xiaohu Cai
- Sichuan Academy of Forestry, 18 Xinghui West Road, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Decai Gao
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Nanguan District, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Shirui Nie
- School of Geographical Sciences, China West Normal University, 1 Shida Street, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Yanmin He
- School of Geographical Sciences, China West Normal University, 1 Shida Street, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Xiaotao Lü
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
| | - Mai-He Li
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Nanguan District, Changchun 130024, China; Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zuercherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf CH-8903, Switzerland; School of Life Science, Hebei University, 071000 Baoding, China
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2
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MacDougall AS, Esch E, Chen Q, Carroll O, Bonner C, Ohlert T, Siewert M, Sulik J, Schweiger AK, Borer ET, Naidu D, Bagchi S, Hautier Y, Wilfahrt P, Larson K, Olofsson J, Cleland E, Muthukrishnan R, O'Halloran L, Alberti J, Anderson TM, Arnillas CA, Bakker JD, Barrio IC, Biederman L, Boughton EH, Brudvig LA, Bruschetti M, Buckley Y, Bugalho MN, Cadotte MW, Caldeira MC, Catford JA, D'Antonio C, Davies K, Daleo P, Dickman CR, Donohue I, DuPre ME, Elgersma K, Eisenhauer N, Eskelinen A, Estrada C, Fay PA, Feng Y, Gruner DS, Hagenah N, Haider S, Harpole WS, Hersch-Green E, Jentsch A, Kirkman K, Knops JMH, Laanisto L, Lannes LS, Laungani R, Lkhagva A, Macek P, Martina JP, McCulley RL, Melbourne B, Mitchell R, Moore JL, Morgan JW, Muraina TO, Niu Y, Pärtel M, Peri PL, Power SA, Price JN, Prober SM, Ren Z, Risch AC, Smith NG, Sonnier G, Standish RJ, Stevens CJ, Tedder M, Tognetti P, Veen GFC, Virtanen R, Wardle GM, Waring E, Wolf AA, Yahdjian L, Seabloom EW. Widening global variability in grassland biomass since the 1980s. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02500-x. [PMID: 39103674 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02500-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Global change is associated with variable shifts in the annual production of aboveground plant biomass, suggesting localized sensitivities with unclear causal origins. Combining remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index data since the 1980s with contemporary field data from 84 grasslands on 6 continents, we show a widening divergence in site-level biomass ranging from +51% to -34% globally. Biomass generally increased in warmer, wetter and species-rich sites with longer growing seasons and declined in species-poor arid areas. Phenological changes were widespread, revealing substantive transitions in grassland seasonal cycling. Grazing, nitrogen deposition and plant invasion were prevalent in some regions but did not predict overall trends. Grasslands are undergoing sizable changes in production, with implications for food security, biodiversity and carbon storage especially in arid regions where declines are accelerating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Ellen Esch
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Qingqing Chen
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Oliver Carroll
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Colin Bonner
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy Ohlert
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Matthias Siewert
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - John Sulik
- Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna K Schweiger
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Dilip Naidu
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Sumanta Bagchi
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Wilfahrt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Keith Larson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Johan Olofsson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Elsa Cleland
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Lydia O'Halloran
- Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Juan Alberti
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC) FCEyN, UNMdP-CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | | | - Carlos A Arnillas
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan D Bakker
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Isabel C Barrio
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Lori Biederman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | | | - Lars A Brudvig
- Department of Plant Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Martin Bruschetti
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC) FCEyN, UNMdP-CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Yvonne Buckley
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Miguel N Bugalho
- Centre for Applied Ecology, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria C Caldeira
- Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jane A Catford
- Department of Geography, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Carla D'Antonio
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Kendi Davies
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Pedro Daleo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC) FCEyN, UNMdP-CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Christopher R Dickman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | | | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Philip A Fay
- USDA-ARS Grassland Soil, and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX, USA
| | - Yanhao Feng
- College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Daniel S Gruner
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Nicole Hagenah
- Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - W Stanley Harpole
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Erika Hersch-Green
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Kevin Kirkman
- School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Jiatong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Lauri Laanisto
- Chair of Biodiversity and Nature Tourism, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Lucíola S Lannes
- Department of Biology and Animal Sciences, Sao Paulo State University UNESP, Ilha Solteira, Brazil
| | - Ramesh Laungani
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
| | | | - Petr Macek
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jason P Martina
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Rebecca L McCulley
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Brett Melbourne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Rachel Mitchell
- School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Joslin L Moore
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environment Research, Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John W Morgan
- Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Taofeek O Muraina
- Department of Animal Health and Production, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igbo-Ora, Nigeria
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Yujie Niu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
- College of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Meelis Pärtel
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Pablo L Peri
- INTA-UNPA-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia, Rìo Gallegos, Argentina
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jodi N Price
- Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Suzanne M Prober
- CSIRO Environment, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Zhengwei Ren
- College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Anita C Risch
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas G Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Carly J Stevens
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Michelle Tedder
- School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Pedro Tognetti
- IFEVA Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - G F Ciska Veen
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Risto Virtanen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Glenda M Wardle
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Waring
- Department of Natural Sciences, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK, USA
| | - Amelia A Wolf
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Laura Yahdjian
- IFEVA Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
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Megan Woller-Skar M, Locher A, Audia EM. Carbon storage in rare ecosystems relative to their encroaching forests in western Lower Michigan. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305394. [PMID: 38885247 PMCID: PMC11182492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are impacting global temperatures, ecological systems, and human societies. Natural carbon sequestration through the conservation of soil and native ecosystems may slow or reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, and thus slow or mitigate the rate of global warming. Most of the research investigating carbon sequestration in natural systems occurs in forested ecosystems, however rare ecosystems such as coastal plain marshes and wet-mesic sand prairie collectively may serve as significant carbon sinks. Our objectives were to measure and assess the importance of carbon sequestration in three rare ecosystems (oak-pine barrens, coastal plain marsh, and wet-mesic sand prairie) in western Lower Michigan. We measured carbon in standing vegetation, dead organic matter, and soils within each ecosystem and adjacent encroaching forested areas. Driven by tree carbon, total carbon stocks in encroaching areas were greater than in intact rare ecosystems. Soil organic carbon was greater in all intact ecosystems, though only significantly so in coastal plain marsh. Principal components analysis explained 72% of the variation and revealed differences between intact ecosystems and their encroaching areas. Linear models using the ratio of red to green light reflectance successfully predicted SOC in intact coastal plain marsh and wet-mesic sand prairie. Our results infer the importance of these rare ecosystems in sequestering carbon in soils and support the need to establish federal or state management practices for the conservation of these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Megan Woller-Skar
- Department of Biology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Locher
- Department of Biology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, United States of America
| | - Ellen M. Audia
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, United States of America
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Nakhavali MA, Lauerwald R, Regnier P, Friedlingstein P. Historical trends and drivers of the laterally transported terrestrial dissolved organic carbon to river systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 917:170560. [PMID: 38301790 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) represents a critical component of terrestrial carbon (C) cycling and is a key contributor to the carbon flux between land and aquatic systems. Historically, the quantification of environmental factors influencing DOC leaching has been underexplored, with a predominant focus on land use changes as the main driver. In this study, the process-based terrestrial ecosystem model JULES-DOCM was utilized to simulate the spatiotemporal patterns of DOC leaching into the global river network from 1860 to 2010. This study reveals a 17 % increment in DOC leaching to rivers, reaching 292 Tg C yr-1 by 2010, with atmospheric CO2 fertilization identified as the primary controlling factor, significantly enhancing DOC production and leaching following increased vegetation productivity and soil carbon stocks. To specifically quantify the contribution of CO2 fertilization, a factorial simulation approach was employed that isolated the effects of CO2 from other potential drivers of change. The research highlights distinct regional responses. While globally CO2 fertilization is the dominant factor, in boreal regions, climate change markedly influences DOC dynamics, at times exceeding the impact of CO2. Temperate and sub-tropical areas exhibit similar trends in DOC leaching, largely controlled by CO2 fertilization, while climate change showed an indirect effect through modifications in runoff patterns. In contrast, the tropics show a relatively low increase in DOC leaching, which can be related to alterations in soil moisture and temperature. Additionally, the study re-evaluates the role of land use change in DOC leaching, finding its effect to be considerably smaller than previously assumed. These insights emphasize the dominant roles of CO2 fertilization and climate change in modulating DOC leaching, thereby refining our understanding of terrestrial carbon dynamics and their broader implications on the global C budget.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ronny Lauerwald
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Pierre Regnier
- Biogeochemistry and Modelling of the Earth System, Department Geoscience, Environment and Society, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Pierre Friedlingstein
- LMD/IPSL, ENS, PSL Université, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris, France; University of Exeter, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
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Li Y, Xu X. No evidence that modification of soil microbiota by woody invader facilitates subsequent invasion by herbaceous species. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2807. [PMID: 36691856 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Many terrestrial ecosystems are co-invaded by multiple exotic species. The "invasional meltdown" hypothesis predicts that an initial invasive species will facilitate secondary invasions. In the plant kingdom, the potential underlying mechanisms of this hypothesis may be that modification of the soil properties by the initial invaders benefits for the subsequent exotic species invasion. In this study, we analyzed the composition of soil microbial communities and soil chemical properties from sites invaded by woody Rhus typhina, as well as uninvaded sites, to assess the impact of R. typhina invasion. Furthermore, we conducted a greenhouse experiment with multiple native-invasive pairs of herbaceous species to test whether R. typhina invasion facilitates subsequent exotic herb invasion. Our results showed that R. typhina invasion significantly altered the composition of soil fungal communities, especially pathogenic, endophytic, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. However, this change in microbial composition led to neither direction nor magnitude changes in negative plant-soil feedback effects on both native and invasive species. This indicates that initial R. typhina invasion does not facilitate subsequent herb invasion, which does not support the "invasional meltdown" hypothesis. Additionally, R. typhina invasion significantly decreased soil total nitrogen and organic carbon contents, which may explain the significantly lower biomass of herbaceous roots grown in invaded soils compared with uninvaded soils. Alternately, although invasive herb growth was significantly more inhibited by soil microbiota compared with native herb growth, such inhibition cannot completely eliminate the risk of exotic herb invasion because of their innate growth advantages. Therefore, microbial biocontrol agents for plant invasion management should be combined with another approach to suppress the innate growth advantages of exotic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xingliang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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6
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Eldridge DJ, Sala O. Australia's carbon plan disregards evidence. Science 2023; 382:894. [PMID: 37995227 DOI: 10.1126/science.adm7310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David J Eldridge
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Osvaldo Sala
- Global Drylands Center, School of Life Sciences and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
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Chengere SA, Steger C, Gebrehiwot K, Wube S, Dullo BW, Nemomissa S. Quantifying shrub encroachment through soil seed bank analysis in the Ethiopian highlands. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288804. [PMID: 37603554 PMCID: PMC10441778 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to understand the impact of shrub encroachment on native species in the Guassa Community Conservation Area in Ethiopia. We assessed the soil seed bank composition and density across different elevations and aspects, and management systems within the area. The vegetation was stratified and eight blocks were selected across a range of elevation (<3350 m and >3350 m) and aspect (northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest). Within each block we established twenty 5m x 5m plots for a total of 160. We then collected soil samples from five subplots (1 m x 1 m) at three depths (0-3 cm, 3-6 cm and 6-9 cm) for a total of 480 samples, which were established in pots in greenhouse. We calculated species abundance by totaling the number of seedlings that emerged from each sample. To determine the variability in the abundance of Festuca macrophylla and Helichrysum splendidum in the soil seed bank along altitudinal gradient, we used two-way ANOVA using SAS statistical software version 9.0.1. Shannon diversity index was used to determine species diversity in the soil seedbank. After counting all the seeds, we identified 74 plant species represented in the soil seedbank which belong to 55 genera and 23 families. Eleven species are endemic to Ethiopia. At the lower elevation range, the effects of aspect (P <0.0088) and soil depth (P <0.005) are not significant to determine the abundance of seeds of H. splendidum and F. macrophylla. But when the factors are segregated, both aspect and soil depth play a significant role (p<0.0001) regarding the abundance of the seeds of the competing species at lower elevation. At higher elevation, only the effect of soil depth is significant (P<0.0001) for determining the abundance of H. splendidum. Soil depth and aspect have no significant effects on soil seed bank abundance at this elevation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shambel Alemu Chengere
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Cara Steger
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Kflay Gebrehiwot
- Department of Biology, Samara University, Semera, Ethiopia
- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystem Research Unit, School of Ecological and Human Sustainability, University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa
| | - Sisay Wube
- Forest and Rangeland, Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Bikila Warkineh Dullo
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Sileshi Nemomissa
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Säumel I, Alvarez J, Ramírez LR, Barra M. Quo vadis Patria Gaucha? Uruguayan pathways of land use change. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1083938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
South American grasslands, socio-ecological systems used heavily for a long time, are currently experiencing dramatic land-use changes due to implementation of large-scale afforestation and agro-industrial cash crops. Applying the conceptual framework of “Multifunctional and sustainable productive landscapes” to Uruguay, we explored the impacts on rural ecosystems and communities based on a long-term monitoring network by assessing species richness of plant and terrestrial arthropods and socio-economic data from national census. We found that silvi- and agricultural industry established mainly at the expense of extensively grazed grasslands and local family farms with traditional techniques, accompanied by a deregulation of the rural labor market, depopulation and aging of rural society. Governmental nature protection efforts increase the native forest cover and establish nature protection areas focusing mainly on forests. We also discuss pathways of land-use change in recent decades and related discourses of local stakeholders.
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Holdo RM, Nippert JB. Linking resource- and disturbance-based models to explain tree-grass coexistence in savannas. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 237:1966-1979. [PMID: 36451534 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Savannas cover a significant fraction of the Earth's land surface. In these ecosystems, C3 trees and C4 grasses coexist persistently, but the mechanisms explaining coexistence remain subject to debate. Different quantitative models have been proposed to explain coexistence, but these models make widely contrasting assumptions about which mechanisms are responsible for savanna persistence. Here, we show that no single existing model fully captures all key elements required to explain tree-grass coexistence across savanna rainfall gradients, but many models make important contributions. We show that recent empirical work allows us to combine many existing elements with new ideas to arrive at a synthesis that combines elements of two dominant frameworks: Walter's two-layer model and demographic bottlenecks. We propose that functional rooting separation is necessary for coexistence and is the crux of the coexistence problem. It is both well-supported empirically and necessary for tree persistence, given the comprehensive grass superiority for soil moisture acquisition. We argue that eventual tree dominance through shading is precluded by ecohydrological constraints in dry savannas and by fire and herbivores in wet savannas. Strong asymmetric grass-tree competition for soil moisture limits tree growth, exposing trees to persistent demographic bottlenecks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo M Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Jesse B Nippert
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
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10
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Liu Y, Cheng J, Schmid B, Sheng J. Aridity shifts the difference in carbon uptake and storage between wooded and pure grasslands from positive to negative. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 861:160614. [PMID: 36460107 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Woody plant encroachment in arid grasslands may reduce plant uptake and soil storage of carbon (C) with consequences for the global C cycle, yet multi-site comparative studies have not been done so far and experiments are not feasible due to the long time needed for soil organic C (SOC) to accumulate. We selected multiple grassland sites with ≥50 % or 0 % woody plant aboveground biomass in each of six vegetation types representing a gradient of increasing aridity, resulting in a comparative study design with a total of 178 pure and 106 wooded grasslands distributed over the large geographic area of Xinjiang, China. Differences between wooded and pure grasslands in SOC stocks in the top 100 cm of the soil changed from positive to negative with increasing aridity. This effect was strongest in the upper soil layers, suggesting that woody plants had perhaps not been present for long enough to leave a signal in the lower soil layers. The differences in SOC stocks were related to differences in plant belowground standing C (BGC) and these to differences in yearly plant aboveground C uptake (ANPP) between wooded and pure grasslands. At more arid sites, wooded grasslands had lower ANPP and BGC because of reduced contributions of herbaceous plants that were not fully compensated by woody plants. Considering predicted increases in aridity in the study region, our results suggest that to avoid future losses of grassland SOC stocks - which are several ten times higher than the C stored in plant organs - management should try to prevent or reduce woody plant encroachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhua Liu
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Soil and Plant Ecological Processes, College of Recourses and Environment, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
| | - Junhui Cheng
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Soil and Plant Ecological Processes, College of Recourses and Environment, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Remote Sensing Laboratories, Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Jiandong Sheng
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Soil and Plant Ecological Processes, College of Recourses and Environment, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China.
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11
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Qu Q, Xu H, Ai Z, Wang M, Wang G, Liu G, Geissen V, Ritsema CJ, Xue S. Impacts of extreme weather events on terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycling: A global meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 319:120996. [PMID: 36608729 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Some weather events like drought, increased precipitation, and warming exert substantial impact on the terrestrial C and N cycling. However, it remains largely unclear about the effect of extreme weather events (extreme drought, heavy rainfall, extreme heat, and extreme cold) on terrestrial C and N cycling. This study aims to analyze the responses of pools and fluxes of C and N in plants, soil, and microbes to extreme weather events by conducting a global meta-analysis of 656 pairwise observations. Results showed that extreme weather events (extreme drought, heavy rainfall, and extreme heat) decreased plant biomass and C flux, and extreme drought and heavy rainfall decreased the plant N pool and soil N flux. These results suggest that extreme weather events weaken the C and N cycling process in terrestrial ecosystems. However, this study did not determine the impact of extreme cold on ecosystem C and N cycling. Additional field experiments are needed to reveal the effects of extreme cold on global C and N cycling patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongwei Xu
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Zemin Ai
- College of Geomatics, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Minggang Wang
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Guoliang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guobin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Violette Geissen
- Wageningen University & Research, Soil Physics and Land Management, POB 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Coen J Ritsema
- Wageningen University & Research, Soil Physics and Land Management, POB 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Sha Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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12
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Modeling and formal analysis of meta-ecosystems with dynamic structure using graph transformation. ECOL INFORM 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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13
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Wohlgemuth T, Gossner MM, Campagnaro T, Marchante H, van Loo M, Vacchiano G, Castro-Díez P, Dobrowolska D, Gazda A, Keren S, Keserű Z, Koprowski M, La Porta N, Marozas V, Nygaard PH, Podrázský V, Puchałka R, Reisman-Berman O, Straigytė L, Ylioja T, Pötzelsberger E, Silva JS. Impact of non-native tree species in Europe on soil properties and biodiversity: a review. NEOBIOTA 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.78.87022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In the context of global change, the integration of non-native tree (NNT) species into European forestry is increasingly being discussed. The ecological consequences of increasing use or spread of NNTs in European forests are highly uncertain, as the scientific evidence is either constraint to results from case studies with limited spatial extent, or concerns global assessments that lack focus on European NNTs. For either case, generalisations on European NNTs are challenging to draw. Here we compile data on the impacts of seven important NNTs (Acacia dealbata, Ailanthus altissima, Eucalyptus globulus, Prunus serotina, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quercus rubra, Robinia pseudoacacia) on physical and chemical soil properties and diversity attributes in Europe, and summarise commonalities and differences. From a total of 103 publications considered, studies on diversity attributes were overall more frequent than studies on soil properties. The effects on soil properties varied greatly among tree species and depended on the respective soil property. Overall, increasing (45%) and decreasing (45%) impacts on soil occurred with similar frequency. In contrast, decreasing impacts on biodiversity were much more frequent (66%) than increasing ones (24%). Species phylogenetically distant from European tree species, such as Acacia dealbata, Eucalyptus globulus and Ailanthus altissima, showed the strongest decreasing impacts on biodiversity. Our results suggest that forest managers should be cautious in using NNTs, as a majority of NNT stands host fewer species when compared with native tree species or ecosystems, likely reflected in changes in biotic interactions and ecosystem functions. The high variability of impacts suggests that individual NNTs should be assessed separately, but NNTs that lack European relatives should be used with particular caution.
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14
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Morford SL, Allred BW, Twidwell D, Jones MO, Maestas JD, Roberts CP, Naugle DE. Herbaceous production lost to tree encroachment in United States rangelands. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott L. Morford
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
| | - Brady W. Allred
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
- University of Montana, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
| | - Dirac Twidwell
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln Nebraska USA
| | - Matthew O. Jones
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
- Regrow Agriculture Durham New Hampshire USA
| | - Jeremy D. Maestas
- US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Portland Oregon USA
| | - Caleb P. Roberts
- US Geological Survey, Arkansas Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit University of Arkansas Fayetteville Arkansas USA
| | - David E. Naugle
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
- University of Montana, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Missoula Montana USA
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15
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Tumber‐Dávila SJ, Schenk HJ, Du E, Jackson RB. Plant sizes and shapes above and belowground and their interactions with climate. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:1032-1056. [PMID: 35150454 PMCID: PMC9311740 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Although the above and belowground sizes and shapes of plants strongly influence plant competition, community structure, and plant-environment interactions, plant sizes and shapes remain poorly characterized across climate regimes. We investigated relationships among shoot and root system size and climate. We assembled and analyzed, to our knowledge, the largest global database describing the maximum rooting depth, lateral spread, and shoot size of terrestrial plants - more than doubling the Root Systems of Individual Plants database to 5647 observations. Water availability and growth form greatly influence shoot size, and rooting depth is primarily influenced by temperature seasonality. Shoot size is the strongest predictor of lateral spread, with root system diameter being two times wider than shoot width on average for woody plants. Shoot size covaries strongly with rooting system size; however, the geometries of plants differ considerably across climates, with woody plants in more arid climates having shorter shoots, but deeper, narrower root systems. Additionally, estimates of the depth and lateral spread of plant root systems are likely underestimated at the global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shersingh Joseph Tumber‐Dávila
- Department of Earth System ScienceStanford University473 Via OrtegaStanfordCA94305USA
- Harvard ForestHarvard University324 N Main StPetershamMA01366USA
| | - H. Jochen Schenk
- Department of Biological ScienceCalifornia State University Fullerton800 North State College BlvdFullertonCA92831USA
| | - Enzai Du
- Faculty of Geographical ScienceBeijing Normal University19 Xinjiekouwai StreetBeijing100875China
| | - Robert B. Jackson
- Department of Earth System ScienceStanford University473 Via OrtegaStanfordCA94305USA
- Woods Institute for the EnvironmentStanford University473 Via OrtegaStanfordCA94305USA
- Precourt Institute for EnergyStanford University473 Via OrtegaStanfordCA94305USA
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16
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Multi-Temporal LiDAR and Hyperspectral Data Fusion for Classification of Semi-Arid Woody Cover Species. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14122896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Mapping the spatial distribution of woody vegetation is important for monitoring, managing, and studying woody encroachment in grasslands. However, in semi-arid regions, remotely sensed discrimination of tree species is difficult primarily due to the tree similarities, small and sparse canopy cover, but may also be due to overlapping woody canopies as well as seasonal leaf retention (deciduous versus evergreen) characteristics. Similar studies in different biomes have achieved low accuracies using coarse spatial resolution image data. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of multi-temporal, airborne hyperspectral imagery and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) derived data for tree species classification in a semi-arid desert region. This study produces highly accurate classifications by combining multi-temporal fine spatial resolution hyperspectral and LiDAR data (~1 m) through a reproducible scripting and machine learning approach that can be applied to larger areas and similar datasets. Combining multi-temporal vegetation indices and canopy height models led to an overall accuracy of 95.28% and kappa of 94.17%. Five woody species were discriminated resulting in producer accuracies ranging from 86.12% to 98.38%. The influence of fusing spectral and structural information in a random forest classifier for tree identification is evident. Additionally, a multi-temporal dataset slightly increases classification accuracies over a single data collection. Our results show a promising methodology for tree species classification in a semi-arid region using multi-temporal hyperspectral and LiDAR remote sensing data.
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17
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Experimental Study of the Usage of Combined Biopolymer and Plants in Reinforcing the Clayey Soil Exposed to Acidic and Alkaline Contaminations. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12125808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, biopolymers have been extensively studied, showing a great potential in soil reinforcement and the promotion of vegetation growth with limited environmental impact. In this paper, a soil reinforcing method with combined biopolymer (xanthan gum, XG) and plants (oat) was proposed to strengthen the clayey soil with different pore fluid pH values. A series of laboratory tests were conducted, mainly including the plant cultivation tests and the direct shear tests. It was found that oats grew better in the neutral, weakly acidic, and weakly alkaline soil environments. Both 0.25% XG and 0.50% XG that mostly promoted plant growth, also led to higher soil shear strength. An excessive XG content (e.g., 0.75% and 1.00%) may lead to the formation of a hard XG–soil matrix, preventing oat growth and therefore resulting in a lower shear strength. The XG–oat combination was found to be more effective in treating the soils with acidic pH values. Furthermore, the XG–oat combination is able to reduce the types and contents of heavy metal elements in the soil. Therefore, we suggest using biopolymers in combination with plants to improve the stability and geotechnical performances of the shallow soil slopes that are exposed to acidic and alkaline contamination.
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18
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White JDM, Stevens N, Fisher JT, Archibald S, Reynolds C. Nature‐reliant, low‐income households face the highest rates of woody‐plant encroachment in South Africa. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. M. White
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, WITS Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Nicola Stevens
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, WITS Johannesburg South Africa
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Jolene T. Fisher
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, WITS Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Sally Archibald
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, WITS Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Chevonne Reynolds
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, WITS Johannesburg South Africa
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST‐NRF Center of Excellence University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
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19
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Jarque-Bascuñana L, Calleja JA, Ibañez M, Bartolomé J, Albanell E, Espunyes J, Gálvez-Cerón A, López-Martín JM, Villamuelas M, Gassó D, Fernández-Aguilar X, Colom-Cadena A, Krumins JA, Serrano E. Grazing influences biomass production and protein content of alpine meadows. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 818:151771. [PMID: 34808181 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Alpine grasslands are essential for carbon sequestration and food supply for domestic and wild herbivores inhabiting mountainous areas worldwide. These biomes, however, are alternatively threatened by the abandonment of agricultural and livestock practices leading to a fast-growing shrubification process while other mountain grasslands are suffering from the impacts of overgrazing. The functioning of alpine meadow ecosystems is primarily driven by climatic conditions, land-use legacies and grazing. However, although it is critically important, the role of large herbivores on the aboveground biomass and protein content of palatable plants is poorly understood for most alpine meadows. In this work, we explore the effects of grazing on grassland vegetation at two different spatial and temporal scales in the Eastern Pyrenees, Spain. Remote sensing was used to assess the effect of high and moderate grazing (HG and MG respectively) on grass biomass using the leaf area index (LAI) at the meso-scale (patches between 2.3 and 38.7 ha). We also explored the impact of null (NG), overgrazing (MO, mimicked overgrazing) and high (HG) grazing intensities at local scale setting eighteen 1 m2 exclusion boxes in six meadows (three boxes each) commonly used by domestic and wild ungulates. Historical satellite data showed that LAI values are greater in high than in low grazed areas (HG, mean = 0.66, LG, mean = 0.55). Along the same lines, high and moderate grazing pressures improved biomass production at the local-scale (HG, mean = 590.3 g/m2, MO, mean = 389.3 g/m2 and NG, mean = 110.8 g/m2). Crude protein content reached higher values under MO pressure than under HG pressure. Our results confirm that grazing intensity exerts significant changes on the above-ground biomass production and the protein content of plants consumed by domestic (cattle and horses) and wild ungulates (Southern Chamois, Rupicapra pyrenaica). We can conclude that ungulates sustain biomass and nutritive values of grass exerting a negligible effect on biomass and protein content of woody vegetation. Our results will inform management guidelines to support profitable grazing activities and promote conservation of the open landscapes in the alpine ecosystems under the current global change scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laia Jarque-Bascuñana
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Juan Antonio Calleja
- Departamento de Biología (Botánica), Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Miguel Ibañez
- Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jordi Bartolomé
- Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Elena Albanell
- Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Johan Espunyes
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain; Wildlife Conservation Medicine Research Group (WildCoM), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Josep María López-Martín
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain; Secció de Biodiversitat i Activitats Cinegètiques, Serveis Territorials de Barcelona, Departament d'Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca, Alimentació i Medi Natural, Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain
| | - Miriam Villamuelas
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Diana Gassó
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Xavier Fernández-Aguilar
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andreu Colom-Cadena
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
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20
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Soil bacterial assemblage responses to wildfire in low elevation southern California habitats. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266256. [PMID: 35395016 PMCID: PMC8992989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how wildfires and modification in plant assemblages interact to influence soil bacteria assemblages is a crucial step in understanding how these disturbances may influence ecosystem structure and function. Here, we resampled soil from three study sites previously surveyed in spring 2016 and 2017 and compared soil bacterial assemblages prior to and six months after (spring 2019) the 2018 Woolsey Fire in the Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area using Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. All sites harbored both native California sage scrub and a non-native (grassland or forbland) habitat, allowing us to examine how fire influenced bacterial assemblages in common southern California habitats. Most results contrasted with our a-priori hypotheses: (1) richness and diversity increased following the fire, (2) heat/drought resistant and sensitive bacteria did not show consistent and differing patterns by increasing and decreasing, respectively, in relative abundance after the fire, and (3) bacterial assemblage structure was only minimally impacted by fire, with no differences being found between 2017 (pre-fire) and 2019 (post-fire) in three of the six habitats sampled. As sage scrub and non-native grasslands consistently harbored unique bacterial assemblages both before and following the fire, modifications in plant compositions will likely have legacy effects on these soils that persist even after a fire. Combined, our results demonstrate that bacterial assemblages in southern California habitats are minimally affected by fire. Because direct impacts of fire are limited, but indirect impacts, e.g., modifications in plant compositions, are significant, plant restoration efforts following a fire should strive to revegetate sage scrub areas to prevent legacy changes in bacterial composition.
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21
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Teixeira J, Souza L, Le Stradic S, Fidelis A. Fire promotes functional plant diversity and modifies soil carbon dynamics in tropical savanna. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 812:152317. [PMID: 34914993 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Fire is an evolutionary environmental filter in tropical savanna ecosystems altering functional diversity and associated C pools in the biosphere and fluxes between the atmosphere and biosphere. Therefore, alterations in fire regimes (e.g. fire exclusion) will strongly influence ecosystem processes and associated dynamics. In those ecosystems C dynamics and functions are underestimated by the fire-induced offset between C output and input. To determine how fire shapes ecosystem C pools and fluxes in an open savanna across recently burned and fire excluded areas, we measured the following metrics: (I) plant diversity including taxonomic (i.e. richness, evenness) and plant functional diversity (i.e. functional diversity, functional richness, functional dispersion and community weighted means); (II) structure (i.e. above- and below-ground biomass, litter accumulation); and (III) functions related to C balance (i.e. net ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange (NEE), ecosystem transpiration (ET), soil respiration (soil CO2 efflux), ecosystem water use efficiency (eWUE) and total soil organic C (SOC). We found that fire promoted aboveground live and belowground biomass, including belowground organs, coarse and fine root biomass and contributed to higher biomass allocation belowground. Fire also increased both functional diversity and dispersion. NEE and total SOC were higher in burned plots compared to fire-excluded plots whereas soil respiration recorded lower values in burned areas. Both ET and eWUE were not affected by fire. Fire strongly favored functional diversity, fine root and belowground organ biomass in piecewise SEM models but the role of both functional diversity and ecosystem structure to mediate the effect of fire on ecosystem functions remain unclear. Fire regime will impact C balance, and fire exclusion may lead to lower C input in open savanna ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Teixeira
- Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Department of Biodiversity, Bioscience Institute, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Av. 24 A 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil; Oklahoma Biological Survey & Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, the University of Oklahoma, 111 E. Chesapeake Street, Norman, OK 73019-0390, USA.
| | - Lara Souza
- Oklahoma Biological Survey & Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, the University of Oklahoma, 111 E. Chesapeake Street, Norman, OK 73019-0390, USA
| | - Soizig Le Stradic
- Chair of Restoration Ecology, Department of Life Science Systems, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Str. 6, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Alessandra Fidelis
- Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Department of Biodiversity, Bioscience Institute, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Av. 24 A 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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Carbon Storage in Biomass and Soil after Mountain Landscape Restoration: Pinus nigra and Picea abies Plantations in the Hyrcanian Region. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11030422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Forest plantations have significantly more potential for carbon storage than non-forested areas. In this study, the amount of carbon stored in the biomass (trees, shrubs, herb, litter, and deadwood) and soil of 25-year-old plantations with P. nigra and P. abies species was measured and compared with the non-planted adjacent area (control) in a mountainous region of northern Iran. The results show that the amount of carbon stored in the biomass of P. nigra and P. abies plantations was 4.4 and 3.3 times higher than the value of the control (4.59 C Mg ha−1), respectively. In addition, the amount of carbon stored in soil was 1.5 and 1.2 times higher than the value at the control site (47.91 C Mg ha−1), respectively. Of the total carbon stored in the biomass of plantations, the highest level was observed in trees (86.5–88.5%), followed by shrubs (4.6–6.5%), litter (2.7–2.8%), the herbaceous layer (1.8–2.5%), and deadwood (1.7–2.4%), while 45.5%, 34.6%, 10.8%, 5.8%, and 3.3% of the total carbon stored in the biomass of the control site were in shrubs, trees, the herbaceous layer, litter, and deadwood, respectively. The soil carbon sequestration rate (SCSR) in soil depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm was 0.46 and 0.44 C Mg ha−1 yr−1 in the P. nigra plantation and 0.15 and 0.23 C Mg ha−1 yr−1 in the P. abies plantation, respectively. According to the results, we conclude that the restoration of the landscape by tree plantation has a substantially determining impact on the acceleration of carbon sequestration.
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Irob K, Blaum N, Baldauf S, Kerger L, Strohbach B, Kanduvarisa A, Lohmann D, Tietjen B. Browsing herbivores improve the state and functioning of savannas: A model assessment of alternative land-use strategies. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8715. [PMID: 35342616 PMCID: PMC8931791 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Changing climatic conditions and unsustainable land use are major threats to savannas worldwide. Historically, many African savannas were used intensively for livestock grazing, which contributed to widespread patterns of bush encroachment across savanna systems. To reverse bush encroachment, it has been proposed to change the cattle-dominated land use to one dominated by comparatively specialized browsers and usually native herbivores. However, the consequences for ecosystem properties and processes remain largely unclear. We used the ecohydrological, spatially explicit model EcoHyD to assess the impacts of two contrasting, herbivore land-use strategies on a Namibian savanna: grazer- versus browser-dominated herbivore communities. We varied the densities of grazers and browsers and determined the resulting composition and diversity of the plant community, total vegetation cover, soil moisture, and water use by plants. Our results showed that plant types that are less palatable to herbivores were best adapted to grazing or browsing animals in all simulated densities. Also, plant types that had a competitive advantage under limited water availability were among the dominant ones irrespective of land-use scenario. Overall, the results were in line with our expectations: under high grazer densities, we found heavy bush encroachment and the loss of the perennial grass matrix. Importantly, regardless of the density of browsers, grass cover and plant functional diversity were significantly higher in browsing scenarios. Browsing herbivores increased grass cover, and the higher total cover in turn improved water uptake by plants overall. We concluded that, in contrast to grazing-dominated land-use strategies, land-use strategies dominated by browsing herbivores, even at high herbivore densities, sustain diverse vegetation communities with high cover of perennial grasses, resulting in lower erosion risk and bolstering ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Irob
- Freie Universität BerlinTheoretical EcologyInstitute of BiologyBerlinGermany
| | - Niels Blaum
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Selina Baldauf
- Freie Universität BerlinTheoretical EcologyInstitute of BiologyBerlinGermany
| | - Leon Kerger
- Freie Universität BerlinTheoretical EcologyInstitute of BiologyBerlinGermany
| | - Ben Strohbach
- Agriculture and Natural Resources SciencesNamibia University of Science and TechnologyWindhoekNamibia
| | - Angelina Kanduvarisa
- Agriculture and Natural Resources SciencesNamibia University of Science and TechnologyWindhoekNamibia
| | - Dirk Lohmann
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Britta Tietjen
- Freie Universität BerlinTheoretical EcologyInstitute of BiologyBerlinGermany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB)BerlinGermany
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25
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Su Y, Cui B, Ouyang Z, Wang X. Urban–rural gradients in soil nutrients beneath Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) are affected by land-use. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01205-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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26
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Terzi M, Fontaneto D, Casella F. Effects of Ailanthus altissima Invasion and Removal on High-Biodiversity Mediterranean Grasslands. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 68:914-927. [PMID: 34480609 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01522-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ailanthus altissima is one of the worst invasive plants in Europe in several habitat types, including high-biodiversity grasslands. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of the invasive A. altissima on high-biodiversity grassland vegetation and the effects of its removal on the recovery of native plant communities. The study area was within the Alta Murgia National Park (SE Italy). Seventeen vegetation quadrats were sampled in invaded grasslands and nine quadrats were sampled in nearby uninvaded areas. A. altissima was removed from six quadrats, which were sampled for two years after plant removal. Cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination were used to identify and visualize the general vegetation pattern. Generalised Linear Models with different error structures were used to analyse the effects of A. altissima on native grasslands and vegetation recovery after removal. Results showed that the invasion of A. altissima changed drastically the community composition, reduced plant richness and diversity. Invaded stands had a greater presence of ruderal and widely distributed taxa, as opposed to a lesser presence of endemic and Mediterranean ones. The differences in the community composition between invaded and uninvaded quadrats became clearly detectable when A. altissima plants exceeded a threshold of 1 m of height and 50% of coverage. After A. altissima removal, the recovery of the grassland community was not completely achieved after two years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Terzi
- Institute of Bioscience and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy.
| | - Diego Fontaneto
- Water Research Institute, National Research Council, Verbania, Italy
| | - Francesca Casella
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
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27
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Pellegrini E, Boscutti F, Alberti G, Casolo V, Contin M, De Nobili M. Stand age, degree of encroachment and soil characteristics modulate changes of C and N cycles in dry grassland soils invaded by the N 2-fixing shrub Amorpha fruticosa. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 792:148295. [PMID: 34147804 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The N2-fixing shrub Amorpha fruticosa L. is rapidly spreading in the dry riparian natural grasslands of Europe, altering ecosystem functions and depleting plant diversity. Alteration of the N cycle represents the key factor involved in invasions by N2-fixing plants with cascading effects on plant species richness. We hypothesized that A. fruticosa encroachment strongly impacts not only the N but also the C cycle and that the magnitude of such alterations may be modulated by soil characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we selected four river floodplains in North East of Italy and compared natural uninvaded grasslands with half invaded and completely invaded sites, based on A. fruticosa stand characteristic and relevant leaf traits and on soil properties related to soil texture and to C and N cycles. Soil organic matter mineralisation, ammonification and nitrification rates were determined. Soil nitrification increased remarkably with plant invasion while ammonification was significantly higher only in half invaded sites. Soil organic matter mineralisation, microbial biomass C sustained per soil organic C unit and nitrification positively correlated with stand age, regardless to the stage of the encroachment. Mineralisation and nitrification increased with soil organic C and total N in uninvaded and completely invaded sites, but decreased in half invaded sites. At the half invasion stage, trends in nitrification and CO2 mineralisation were transitionally reverted and remediation may be facilitated by less pronounced changes in soil properties compared to completely invaded sites. Direct effects of plant invasion are modulated by the action of soil characteristics such as soil organic C and clay contents, with soils rich in organic C showing larger nitrification and mineralisation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Pellegrini
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 3rd floor, 2100, København Ø, Denmark; Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100, Udine, Italy.
| | - F Boscutti
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - G Alberti
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - V Casolo
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - M Contin
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - M De Nobili
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, 33100, Udine, Italy
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Kristensen JA, Svenning JC, Georgiou K, Malhi Y. Can large herbivores enhance ecosystem carbon persistence? Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 37:117-128. [PMID: 34801276 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
There is growing interest in aligning the wildlife conservation and restoration agenda with climate change mitigation goals. However, the presence of large herbivores tends to reduce aboveground biomass in some open-canopy ecosystems, leading to the possibility that large herbivore restoration may negatively influence ecosystem carbon storage. Belowground carbon storage is often ignored in these systems, despite the wide recognition of soils as the largest actively-cycling terrestrial carbon pool. Here, we suggest a shift away from a main focus on vegetation carbon stocks, towards inclusion of whole ecosystem carbon persistence, in future assessments of large herbivore effects on long-term carbon storage. Failure to do so may lead to counterproductive biodiversity and climate impacts of land management actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe A Kristensen
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK; Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
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Environmental Degradation by Invasive Alien Plants in the Anthropocene: Challenges and Prospects for Sustainable Restoration. ANTHROPOCENE SCIENCE 2021. [PMCID: PMC8430299 DOI: 10.1007/s44177-021-00004-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity, soil, air, and water are the vital life-supporting systems of this planet Earth. However, the deliberate and accidental introduction of invasive alien plants (IAPs) in the Anthropocene majorly due to the global international trade perturbed the homeostasis of our biosphere. IAPs are considered as one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The pervasive threats of IAPs to environmental sustainability and biosecurity are further exacerbated under the COVID-19 pandemic. The environmental disturbances resulting from IAPs can be attributed to several mechanisms/hypothesis (e.g., novel weapon (NW), enemy release (ER), and evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA), efficient reproductive attributes, and phenotypic plasticity, etc.) deployed by IAPs. Nevertheless, the interrelationship of IAPs with environmental degradation and restoration remain elusive especially in terms of ecological sustainability. Moreover, there is a dearth of studies which empirically assess the synergies of IAPs spread with other anthropogenic disturbances such as climate and land-use change. In this context, the present review is aimed to depict the impacts of IAPs on environment and also to assess their role as drivers of ecosystem degradation. The restoration prospects targeted to revitalize the associated abiotic (soil and water) and biotic environment (biodiversity) are also discussed in detail. Furthermore, the effects of IAPs on socio-economy, livelihood, and plant-soil microbe interactions are emphasized. On the other hand, the ecosystem services of IAPs such as associated bioresource co-benefits (e.g., bioenergy, phytoremediation, biopolymers, and ethnomedicines) can also be vital in sustainable management prospects. Nevertheless, IAPs-ecological restoration interrelationship needs long-term pragmatic evaluation in terms of ecological economics and ecosystem resilience. The incorporation of ‘hybrid technologies’, integrating modern scientific information (e.g., ‘biorefinery’: conversion of IAPs feedstock to produce bioenergy/biopolymers) with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) can safeguard the environmental sustainability in the Anthropocene. Importantly, the management of IAPs in concert with circular economy principles can remarkably help achieving the target of UN Sustainable Development Goals and UN-Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
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30
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Nerlekar AN, Mehta N, Pokar R, Bhagwat M, Misher C, Joshi P, Hiremath AJ. Removal or utilization? Testing alternative approaches to the management of an invasive woody legume in an arid Indian grassland. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashish N. Nerlekar
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment Bengaluru Karnataka 560064 India
- Present address: Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology Texas A&M University College Station TX 77843‐2258 U.S.A
| | - Nirav Mehta
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment Bengaluru Karnataka 560064 India
| | - Ritesh Pokar
- Sahjeevan Bhuj Gujarat 370001 India
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science The M. S. University of Baroda Vadodara Gujarat 390002 India
| | - Mayur Bhagwat
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment Bengaluru Karnataka 560064 India
| | - Chetan Misher
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment Bengaluru Karnataka 560064 India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education Manipal Karnataka 576104 India
| | | | - Ankila J. Hiremath
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment Bengaluru Karnataka 560064 India
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31
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Halpern CB, Antos JA. Rates, patterns, and drivers of tree reinvasion 15 years after large‐scale meadow‐restoration treatments. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charles B. Halpern
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment University of Washington Box 352100 Seattle WA 98195‐2100 U.S.A
| | - Joseph A. Antos
- Department of Biology University of Victoria PO Box 3020 Victoria British Columbia V8W 3N5 Canada
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32
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Woodward A, Soll JA. Establishment and Survival of Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) in Meadows of Olympic National Park, Washington. NORTHWEST SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3955/046.094.0304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Woodward
- US Geological Survey, 6505 N.E. 65th Street, Seattle, Washington 98115
| | - Jonathan A. Soll
- Portland Metro Regional Government, 600 N.E. Grand Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232
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Chapman SK, Feller IC, Canas G, Hayes MA, Dix N, Hester M, Morris J, Langley JA. Mangrove growth response to experimental warming is greatest near the range limit in northeast Florida. Ecology 2021; 102:e03320. [PMID: 33665838 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Shrubs are invading into grasslands around the world, but we don't yet know how these shrubs will fare in a warmer future. In ecotonal coastal wetland ecosystems, woody mangroves are encroaching into herbaceous salt marshes owing to changes in temperature, precipitation, and sediment dynamics. Increasing mangrove biomass in wetlands often increases carbon storage, which is high in these productive ecosystems, but little is known about how mangrove growth will change in response to warming. To address this knowledge gap, we deployed warming experiments at three coastal wetland sites along a latitudinal gradient in northeast Florida where Avicennia germinans, black mangroves, are encroaching into salt marshes. We achieved air temperature warming (+1.6°C during the day) at all three sites and measured stem elongation, canopy height and area changes, and leaf and node number. After 2 yr of warming, we found that mangrove growth rate in height increased due to warming. Warming increased stem elongation by 130% over unwarmed control plots after 1 yr at the northern site. Mangrove growth in canopy area did not respond to warming. Site differences in growth rate were pronounced, and mangrove growth in both height and area were lowest at the northern site, despite greater impacts of warming at that site. We also found that area-based relative growth rate was five times higher across all treatments than height-based relative growth rate, indicating that mangroves are growing wider rather than taller in these ecotonal environments. Our findings indicate that the growth effect of experimental warming depends on site characteristics and growth parameter measured. We also propose that differential mangrove growth across the three sites may be driven by biotic factors such as the identity of the salt marsh species into which mangroves are encroaching. Our results suggest that, as seen in other ecosystems, wetland plants may respond most strongly to warming at their poleward range edge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Chapman
- Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 19085, USA
| | - Ilka C Feller
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, 21037, USA
| | - Gabriela Canas
- Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ponte Vedra, Florida, 32082, USA
| | - Matthew A Hayes
- Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 19085, USA.,Australian Rivers Institute - Coast & Estuaries, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Nicole Dix
- Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ponte Vedra, Florida, 32082, USA
| | - Mark Hester
- University of Louisiana Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, 70504, USA
| | - Jim Morris
- Baruch Institute for Marine & Coastal Research, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA
| | - J Adam Langley
- Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 19085, USA
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34
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Yuan J, Ouyang Z, Zheng H, Su Y. Ecosystem carbon storage following different approaches to grassland restoration in south-eastern Horqin Sandy Land, northern China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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35
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Peetoom Heida I, Brown C, Dettlaff MA, Oppon KJ, Cahill JF. Presence of a dominant native shrub is associated with minor shifts in the function and composition of grassland communities in a northern savannah. AOB PLANTS 2021; 13:plab011. [PMID: 33889378 PMCID: PMC8050699 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plab011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems are spatially heterogenous in plant community composition and function. Shrub occurrence in grasslands is a visually striking example of this, and much research has been conducted to understand the functional implications of this pattern. Within savannah ecosystems, the presence of tree and shrub overstories can have significant impacts on the understory herbaceous community. The exact outcomes, however, are likely a function of the spatial arrangement and traits of the overstory species. Here we test whether there are functional linkages between the spatial patterning of a native shrub and the standing biomass, community composition, and overall nutrient cycling of a neighbouring grassland understory communities within the Aspen Parkland of central Alberta, Canada. In a paired grassland-shrub stand study, we found the native shrub, Elaeagnus commutata, has relatively few stand-level impacts on the composition and standing biomass of the ecosystem. One factor contributing to these limited effects may be the overdispersion of shrub stems at fine spatial scales, preventing areas of deep shade. When we looked across a shrub density gradient and incorporated shrub architecture into our analyses, we found these shrub traits had significant associations with species abundance and root biomass in the understory community. These results suggest that stem dispersion patterns, as well as local stand architecture, are influential in determining how shrubs may affect their herbaceous plant understory. Thus, it is important to incorporate shrub spatial and architectural traits when assessing shrub-understory interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Peetoom Heida
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Charlotte Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Margarete A Dettlaff
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Kenneth J Oppon
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - James F Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
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36
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Eschen R, Bekele K, Mbaabu PR, Kilawe CJ, Eckert S. Prosopis juliflora
management and grassland restoration in Baringo County, Kenya: Opportunities for soil carbon sequestration and local livelihoods. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ketema Bekele
- School of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Haramaya University Dire Dawa Ethiopia
| | - Purity Rima Mbaabu
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Chuka University Chuka Kenya
- Kenya Forestry Research InstituteBaringo Sub‐Centre Marigat Kenya
- Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation University of Nairobi Nairobi Kenya
| | | | - Sandra Eckert
- Centre for Development and Environment University of Bern Bern Switzerland
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37
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Bell SM, Terrer C, Barriocanal C, Jackson RB, Rosell-Melé A. Soil organic carbon accumulation rates on Mediterranean abandoned agricultural lands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 759:143535. [PMID: 33190903 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Secondary succession on abandoned agricultural lands can produce climate change mitigation co-benefits, such as soil carbon sequestration. However, the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in Mediterranean regions has been difficult to predict and is subject to multiple environmental and land management factors. Gains, losses, and no significant changes have all been reported. Here we compile chronosequence data (n = 113) from published studies and new field sites to assess the response of SOC to agricultural land abandonment in peninsular Spain. We found an overall SOC accumulation rate of +2.3% yr-1 post-abandonment. SOC dynamics are highly variable and context-dependent. Minimal change occurs on abandoned cereal croplands compared to abandoned woody croplands (+4% yr-1). Accumulation is most prevalent within a Goldilocks climatic window of ~13-17 °C and ~450-900 mm precipitation, promoting >100% gains after three decades. Our secondary forest field sites accrued 40.8 Mg C ha-1 (+172%) following abandonment and displayed greater SOC and N depth heterogeneity than natural forests demonstrating the long-lasting impact of agriculture. Although changes in regional climate and crop types abandoned will impact future carbon sequestration, abandonment remains a low-cost, long-term natural climate solution best incorporated in tandem with other multipurpose sustainable land management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Bell
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - César Terrer
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA, USA; Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Carles Barriocanal
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain; GRAM, Department of Geography, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Woods Institute for the Environment, Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Antoni Rosell-Melé
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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38
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Zhu Y, Shen H, Feng Y, Li H, Akinyemi DS, Hu H, Fang J. Effects of shrub encroachment on soil aggregates and organic carbon vary in different grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yankun Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100093China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100049China
| | - Haihua Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100093China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100049China
| | - Yinping Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100093China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100049China
| | - He Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100093China
| | - Damilare Stephen Akinyemi
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100093China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100049China
| | - Huifeng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100093China
| | - Jingyun Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100093China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing100049China
- Department of Ecology College of Urban and Environment Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education Peking University Beijing100871China
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Xu H, Zhang C. Investigating spatially varying relationships between total organic carbon contents and pH values in European agricultural soil using geographically weighted regression. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 752:141977. [PMID: 32889292 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Total organic carbon (TOC) has received increased attention in recent years, not only as an important indicator in soil fertility, but also due to its close relationship with the atmosphere. Generally, soil TOC and pH values follow a negative correlation, which was revealed by traditional statistical methods. However, the conventional global models lack the ability to capture the spatial variation locally. In this study, spatially varying local relationships between TOC and pH values are studied by geographically weighted regression (GWR) on continental-scale data of European agricultural soil from the project 'Geochemical Mapping of Agricultural and Grazing land Soil' (GEMAS). In this study, TOC is the dependent and pH the independent variable. Both negative and positive local correlation coefficients are observed, showing the existence of 'special' spatially varying relationships between TOC and pH values. Original negative relationships change to positive values in more than 50% of the study area. Novel finding of significant positive correlations is observed in central-eastern Europe, while negative correlations are found mainly in northern Europe. Mixed relationships occur in southern Europe. These special patterns are strongly associated with specific natural factors, especially the extensive occurrence of quartz-rich soil in the central-eastern part of Europe. Anthropogenic inputs may have also played a role in the mixed southern European areas. The GWR technique is powerful and effective for revealing spatially varying relationships at the local level. Thus, it provides a new way to further explore the related influencing factors on the TOC and pH spatial distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haofan Xu
- International Network for Environment and Health (INEH), School of Geography and Archaeology & Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Chaosheng Zhang
- International Network for Environment and Health (INEH), School of Geography and Archaeology & Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
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Fletcher MS, Hall T, Alexandra AN. The loss of an indigenous constructed landscape following British invasion of Australia: An insight into the deep human imprint on the Australian landscape. AMBIO 2021; 50:138-149. [PMID: 32378038 PMCID: PMC7708580 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01339-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous people play an integral role in shaping natural environments, and the disruption to Indigenous land management practices has profound effects on the biosphere. Here, we use pollen, charcoal and dendrochronological analyses to demonstrate that the Australian landscape at the time of British invasion in the 18th century was a heavily constructed one-the product of millennia of active maintenance by Aboriginal Australians. Focusing on the Surrey Hills, Tasmania, our results reveal how the removal of Indigenous burning regimes following British invasion instigated a process of ecological succession and the encroachment of cool temperate rainforest (i.e. later-stage vegetation communities) into grasslands of conservation significance. This research provides empirical evidence to challenge the long-standing portrayal of Indigenous Australians as low-impact 'hunter-gatherers' and highlights the relevance and critical value of Indigenous fire management in this era of heightened bushfire risk and biodiversity loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael-Shawn Fletcher
- School of Geography, University of Melbourne, 221 Bouverie Street, Carlton, VIC 3053 Australia
| | - Tegan Hall
- School of Geography, University of Melbourne, 221 Bouverie Street, Carlton, VIC 3053 Australia
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Nakhavali M, Lauerwald R, Regnier P, Guenet B, Chadburn S, Friedlingstein P. Leaching of dissolved organic carbon from mineral soils plays a significant role in the terrestrial carbon balance. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 27:1083-1096. [PMID: 33249686 PMCID: PMC7898291 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from soils to the river network is an overlooked component of the terrestrial soil C budget. Measurements of DOC concentrations in soil, runoff and drainage are scarce and their spatial distribution highly skewed towards industrialized countries. The contribution of terrestrial DOC leaching to the global-scale C balance of terrestrial ecosystems thus remains poorly constrained. Here, using a process based, integrative, modelling approach to upscale from existing observations, we estimate a global terrestrial DOC leaching flux of 0.28 ± 0.07 Gt C year-1 which is conservative, as it only includes the contribution of mineral soils. Our results suggest that globally about 15% of the terrestrial Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP, calculated as the difference between Net Primary Production and soil respiration) is exported to aquatic systems as leached DOC. In the tropical rainforest, the leached fraction of terrestrial NEP even reaches 22%. Furthermore, we simulated spatial-temporal trends in DOC leaching from soil to the river networks from 1860 to 2010. We estimated a global increase in terrestrial DOC inputs to river network of 35 Tg C year-1 (14%) from 1860 to 2010. Despite their low global contribution to the DOC leaching flux, boreal regions have the highest relative increase (28%) while tropics have the lowest relative increase (9%) over the historical period (1860s compared to 2000s). The results from our observationally constrained model approach demonstrate that DOC leaching is a significant flux in the terrestrial C budget at regional and global scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdi Nakhavali
- College of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
- Biogeochemistry and Modelling of the Earth SystemDepartment Geoscience, Environment and SocietyUniversité Libre de BruxellesBruxellesBelgium
| | - Ronny Lauerwald
- Université Paris‐SaclayINRAEAgroParisTechUMR ECOSYSThiverval‐GrignonFrance
| | - Pierre Regnier
- Biogeochemistry and Modelling of the Earth SystemDepartment Geoscience, Environment and SocietyUniversité Libre de BruxellesBruxellesBelgium
| | - Bertrand Guenet
- Laboratoire de Géologie de l'ENSPSL Research UniversityParisFrance
| | - Sarah Chadburn
- College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Pierre Friedlingstein
- College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
- Laboratoire de Meteorologie DynamiqueDepartement de GeosciencesInstitut Pierre‐Simon LaplaceCNRS‐ENS‐UPMC‐XEcole Normale SuperieureParisFrance
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Mbaabu PR, Olago D, Gichaba M, Eckert S, Eschen R, Oriaso S, Choge SK, Linders TEW, Schaffner U. Restoration of degraded grasslands, but not invasion by Prosopis juliflora, avoids trade-offs between climate change mitigation and other ecosystem services. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20391. [PMID: 33235254 PMCID: PMC7686326 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77126-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Grassland degradation and the concomitant loss of soil organic carbon is widespread in tropical arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Afforestation of degraded grassland, sometimes by using invasive alien trees, has been put forward as a legitimate climate change mitigation strategy. However, even in cases where tree encroachment of degraded grasslands leads to increased soil organic carbon, it may come at a high cost since the restoration of grassland-characteristic biodiversity and ecosystem services will be blocked. We assessed how invasion by Prosopis juliflora and restoration of degraded grasslands in a semi-arid region in Baringo, Kenya affected soil organic carbon, biodiversity and fodder availability. Thirty years of grassland restoration replenished soil organic carbon to 1 m depth at a rate of 1.4% per year and restored herbaceous biomass to levels of pristine grasslands, while plant biodiversity remained low. Invasion of degraded grasslands by P. juliflora increased soil organic carbon primarily in the upper 30 cm and suppressed herbaceous vegetation. We argue that, in contrast to encroachment by invasive alien trees, restoration of grasslands in tropical semi-arid regions can both serve as a measure for climate change mitigation and help restore key ecosystem services important for pastoralists and agro-pastoralist communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purity Rima Mbaabu
- Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Baringo Sub-Centre, P.O. Box 57-30403, Marigat, Kenya. .,Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA), University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100, GPO, Nairobi, Kenya. .,Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Chuka University, P.O. Box 109-60400, Chuka, Kenya.
| | - Daniel Olago
- Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA), University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100, GPO, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Maina Gichaba
- Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA), University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100, GPO, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Sandra Eckert
- Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern, Switzerland
| | - René Eschen
- CABI, Rue des Grillons 1, Delémont, Switzerland
| | - Silas Oriaso
- Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA), University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100, GPO, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Simon Kosgei Choge
- Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Baringo Sub-Centre, P.O. Box 57-30403, Marigat, Kenya
| | - Theo Edmund Werner Linders
- CABI, Rue des Grillons 1, Delémont, Switzerland.,Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, Bern, Switzerland.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Zhang C, Wang Y, Jia X, Shao M, An Z. Impacts of shrub introduction on soil properties and implications for dryland revegetation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 742:140498. [PMID: 32623167 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The intensive introduction of shrubs to drylands can alter species composition and affect a series of biotic and abiotic processes. This topic has attracted increasing attention by researchers. To assess the response of soil properties to vegetation succession in arid regions of China, we measured the soil water content (SWC) to a depth of 5-m and determined soil properties of surface (0-5 cm) and subsurface (20-25 cm) layers in areas of natural grasses (NGs) and planted shrubs (PSs). The patch size of Caragana korshinskii shrubs resulted in different soil water storage losses (small shrub patch: 206.67 ± 35.58 mm; medium shrub patch: 416.88 ± 35.12 mm; large shrub patch: 588.63 ± 72.00 mm; degraded shrub patch: 740.54 ± 17.00 mm). Shrub cover showed an initial increase but then decreased as shrubs extracted soil water from the deep soil layers (>1 m). The species richness index in the PSs decreased with increasing shrub patch sizes. Surface soil organic carbon (SOC), extractable nitrogen (NH4+-N and NO3--N), and available phosphorous contents and saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ks) in the PSs were all significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those in NGs. Soil particles in the range of 0.002-0.2 mm explained 28.0% and 47.3% of the total variability of these surface indices under NGs and PSs, respectively. The differences in SOC, NH4+-N, NO3--N, Ks, and field capacity between the surface and subsurface layers declined significantly (p < 0.05). The introduction of shrubs affected the plant community by increasing the spatial heterogeneity of soil resources (e.g. water and nutrient contents). Therefore, the strong feedback between SWC and vegetation succession should be carefully considered when revegetating drylands. The evaluation of regional soil property responses to vegetation succession aids in a better understanding of soil water-vegetation feedback and provides important implications for future revegetation in arid regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chencheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yunqiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China; Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
| | - Xiaoxu Jia
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ming'an Shao
- CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China; Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhisheng An
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China; Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Brundu G, Pauchard A, Pyšek P, Pergl J, Bindewald AM, Brunori A, Canavan S, Campagnaro T, Celesti-Grapow L, Dechoum MDS, Dufour-Dror JM, Essl F, Flory SL, Genovesi P, Guarino F, Guangzhe L, Hulme PE, Jäger H, Kettle CJ, Krumm F, Langdon B, Lapin K, Lozano V, Le Roux JJ, Novoa A, Nuñez MA, Porté AJ, Silva JS, Schaffner U, Sitzia T, Tanner R, Tshidada N, Vítková M, Westergren M, Wilson JRU, Richardson DM. Global guidelines for the sustainable use of non-native trees to prevent tree invasions and mitigate their negative impacts. NEOBIOTA 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.61.58380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Sustainably managed non-native trees deliver economic and societal benefits with limited risk of spread to adjoining areas. However, some plantations have launched invasions that cause substantial damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services, while others pose substantial threats of causing such impacts. The challenge is to maximise the benefits of non-native trees, while minimising negative impacts and preserving future benefits and options.
A workshop was held in 2019 to develop global guidelines for the sustainable use of non-native trees, using the Council of Europe – Bern Convention Code of Conduct on Invasive Alien Trees as a starting point.
The global guidelines consist of eight recommendations: 1) Use native trees, or non-invasive non-native trees, in preference to invasive non-native trees; 2) Be aware of and comply with international, national, and regional regulations concerning non-native trees; 3) Be aware of the risk of invasion and consider global change trends; 4) Design and adopt tailored practices for plantation site selection and silvicultural management; 5) Promote and implement early detection and rapid response programmes; 6) Design and adopt tailored practices for invasive non-native tree control, habitat restoration, and for dealing with highly modified ecosystems; 7) Engage with stakeholders on the risks posed by invasive non-native trees, the impacts caused, and the options for management; and 8) Develop and support global networks, collaborative research, and information sharing on native and non-native trees.
The global guidelines are a first step towards building global consensus on the precautions that should be taken when introducing and planting non-native trees. They are voluntary and are intended to complement statutory requirements under international and national legislation. The application of the global guidelines and the achievement of their goals will help to conserve forest biodiversity, ensure sustainable forestry, and contribute to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations linked with forest biodiversity.
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45
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Kim JH, Jobbágy EG, Richter DD, Trumbore SE, Jackson RB. Agricultural acceleration of soil carbonate weathering. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:5988-6002. [PMID: 32511819 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Soil carbonates (i.e., soil inorganic carbon or SIC) represent more than a quarter of the terrestrial carbon pool and are often considered to be relatively stable, with fluxes significant only on geologic timescales. However, given the importance of climatic water balance on SIC accumulation, we tested the hypothesis that increased soil water storage and transport resulting from cultivation may enhance dissolution of SIC, altering their local stock at decadal timescales. We compared SIC storage to 7.3 m depth in eight sites, each having paired plots of native vegetation and rain-fed croplands, and half the sites having additional irrigated cropland plots. Rain-fed and irrigated croplands had 328 and 730 Mg C/ha less SIC storage, respectively, compared to their native vegetation (grassland or woodland) pairs, and irrigated croplands had 402 Mg C/ha less than their rain-fed pairs (p < .0001). SIC contents were negatively correlated with estimated groundwater recharge, suggesting that dissolution and leaching may be responsible for SIC losses observed. Under croplands, the remaining SIC had more modern radiocarbon and a δ13 C composition that was closer to crop inputs than under native vegetation, suggesting that cultivation has led to faster turnover and incorporation of recent crop carbon into the SIC pool (p < .0001). The losses occurred just 30-100 years after land-use changes, indicating SIC stocks that were stable for millennia can rapidly adjust to increased soil water flows. Large SIC losses (194-242 Mg C/ha) also occurred below 4.9 m deep under irrigated croplands, with SIC losses lagging behind the downward-advancing wetting front by ~30 years, suggesting that even deep SIC were affected. These observations suggest that the vertical distribution of SIC in dry ecosystems is dynamic on decadal timescales, highlighting its potential role as a carbon sink or source to be examined in the context of land use and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Kim
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Esteban G Jobbágy
- Grupo de Estudios Ambientales, IMASL, Universidad Nacional de San Luis/CONICET, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Daniel D Richter
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Robert B Jackson
- School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Lasslop G, Hantson S, Harrison SP, Bachelet D, Burton C, Forkel M, Forrest M, Li F, Melton JR, Yue C, Archibald S, Scheiter S, Arneth A, Hickler T, Sitch S. Global ecosystems and fire: Multi-model assessment of fire-induced tree-cover and carbon storage reduction. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:5027-5041. [PMID: 32407565 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we use simulations from seven global vegetation models to provide the first multi-model estimate of fire impacts on global tree cover and the carbon cycle under current climate and anthropogenic land use conditions, averaged for the years 2001-2012. Fire globally reduces the tree covered area and vegetation carbon storage by 10%. Regionally, the effects are much stronger, up to 20% for certain latitudinal bands, and 17% in savanna regions. Global fire effects on total carbon storage and carbon turnover times are lower with the effect on gross primary productivity (GPP) close to 0. We find the strongest impacts of fire in savanna regions. Climatic conditions in regions with the highest burned area differ from regions with highest absolute fire impact, which are characterized by higher precipitation. Our estimates of fire-induced vegetation change are lower than previous studies. We attribute these differences to different definitions of vegetation change and effects of anthropogenic land use, which were not considered in previous studies and decreases the impact of fire on tree cover. Accounting for fires significantly improves the spatial patterns of simulated tree cover, which demonstrates the need to represent fire in dynamic vegetation models. Based upon comparisons between models and observations, process understanding and representation in models, we assess a higher confidence in the fire impact on tree cover and vegetation carbon compared to GPP, total carbon storage and turnover times. We have higher confidence in the spatial patterns compared to the global totals of the simulated fire impact. As we used an ensemble of state-of-the-art fire models, including effects of land use and the ensemble median or mean compares better to observational datasets than any individual model, we consider the here presented results to be the current best estimate of global fire effects on ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gitta Lasslop
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stijn Hantson
- Department of Earth System Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sandy P Harrison
- School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences (SAGES), University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | | | | | - Matthias Forkel
- Environmental Remote Sensing Group, Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Matthew Forrest
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Fang Li
- International Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Joe R Melton
- Climate Research Division, Environment Canada, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Chao Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Sally Archibald
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Simon Scheiter
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Almut Arneth
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
| | - Thomas Hickler
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Physical Geography, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stephen Sitch
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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Is Soil Contributing to Climate Change Mitigation during Woody Encroachment? A Case Study on the Italian Alps. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11080887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Over the last few decades, the European mountain environment has been characterized by the progressive abandonment of agro-pastoral activities and consequent forest expansion due to secondary succession. While woody encroachment is commonly considered as a climate change mitigation measure, studies suggest a still uncertain role of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in contributing to climate change mitigation during this process. Therefore, the objective of the study is to investigate the possible SOC variations occurring as a consequence of the secondary succession process at the provincial level in an Alpine area in Italy. Materials and Methods: A chronosequence approach was applied to identify, in five different study areas of the Belluno province, the land use/land cover change over four different stages of natural succession, from managed grazing land to secondary forest developed on abandoned grazing land. In each chronosequence stage, soil samples were collected down to the bedrock (0–60 cm depth) to determine the changes in the SOC stock due to the woody encroachment process. Results: In all areas, small or no significant (p < 0.05) SOC stock changes were observed during the secondary succession in the upper 30 cm of mineral soil, while significant changes were evident in the 30–60 cm compartment, with the SOC stock significantly decreasing from 30% to 60% in the final stage of the succession. This fact indicates the great importance of considering also the subsoil when dealing with land use/land cover change dynamics. Conclusions: The recorded trend in SOC has been proved to be the opposite in other Italian regions, so our results indicate the importance of local observation and data collection to correctly evaluate the soil contribution to climate change mitigation during woody encroachment.
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Zhou J, Tape KD, Prugh L, Kofinas G, Carroll G, Kielland K. Enhanced shrub growth in the Arctic increases habitat connectivity for browsing herbivores. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3809-3820. [PMID: 32243648 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Habitat connectivity is a key factor influencing species range dynamics. Rapid warming in the Arctic is leading to widespread heterogeneous shrub expansion, but impacts of these habitat changes on range dynamics for large herbivores are not well understood. We use the climate-shrub-moose system of northern Alaska as a case study to examine how shrub habitat will respond to predicted future warming, and how these changes may impact habitat connectivity and the distribution of moose (Alces alces). We used a 19 year moose location dataset, a 568 km transect of field shrub sampling, and forecasted warming scenarios with regional downscaling to map current and projected shrub habitat for moose on the North Slope of Alaska. The tall-shrub habitat for moose exhibited a dendritic spatial configuration correlated with river corridor networks and mean July temperature. Warming scenarios predict that moose habitat will more than double by 2099. Forecasted warming is predicted to increase the spatial cohesion of the habitat network that diminishes effects of fragmentation, which improves overall habitat quality and likely expands the range of moose. These findings demonstrate how climate change may increase habitat connectivity and alter the distributions of shrub herbivores in the Arctic, including creation of novel communities and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiake Zhou
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Ken D Tape
- Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Laura Prugh
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gary Kofinas
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | | | - Knut Kielland
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
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49
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Pellegrini AFA, Hobbie SE, Reich PB, Jumpponen A, Brookshire ENJ, Caprio AC, Coetsee C, Jackson RB. Repeated fire shifts carbon and nitrogen cycling by changing plant inputs and soil decomposition across ecosystems. ECOL MONOGR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam F. A. Pellegrini
- Department of Earth System Science Stanford University 473 Via Ortega Stanford California 94305 USA
- Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EA United Kingdom
| | - Sarah E. Hobbie
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue St Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Peter B. Reich
- Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota Green Hall 1530 Cleveland Avenue N, St Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW 2753 Australia
| | - Ari Jumpponen
- Division of Biology Kansas State University 116 Ackert Hall Manhattan Kansas 66506 USA
| | - E. N. Jack Brookshire
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences Montana State University 334 Leon Johnson Hall Bozeman Montana 59717‐3120 USA
| | - Anthony C. Caprio
- United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 47050 Generals Hwy Three Rivers California 93271 USA
| | - Corli Coetsee
- Scientific Services South African National Parks Kruger National Park, Private Bag x 402 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
- School of Natural Resource Management Nelson Mandela University George Campus Port Elizabeth6031 South Africa
| | - Robert B. Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science Stanford University 473 Via Ortega Stanford California 94305 USA
- Woods Institute for the EnvironmentStanford University 473 Via Ortega Stanford California 94305 USA
- Precourt Institute for Energy Stanford University 473 Via Ortega Stanford California 94305 USA
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Graves RA, Haugo RD, Holz A, Nielsen-Pincus M, Jones A, Kellogg B, Macdonald C, Popper K, Schindel M. Potential greenhouse gas reductions from Natural Climate Solutions in Oregon, USA. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230424. [PMID: 32275725 PMCID: PMC7147789 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are causing global climate change and decreasing the stability of the climate system. Long-term solutions to climate change will require reduction in GHG emissions as well as the removal of large quantities of GHGs from the atmosphere. Natural climate solutions (NCS), i.e., changes in land management, ecosystem restoration, and avoided conversion of habitats, have substantial potential to meet global and national greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and contribute to the global drawdown of GHGs. However, the relative role of NCS to contribute to GHG reduction at subnational scales is not well known. We examined the potential for 12 NCS activities on natural and working lands in Oregon, USA to reduce GHG emissions in the context of the state's climate mitigation goals. We evaluated three alternative scenarios wherein NCS implementation increased across the applicable private or public land base, depending on the activity, and estimated the annual GHG reduction in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) attributable to NCS from 2020 to 2050. We found that NCS within Oregon could contribute annual GHG emission reductions of 2.7 to 8.3 MMT CO2e by 2035 and 2.9 to 9.8 MMT CO2e by 2050. Changes in forest-based activities including deferred timber harvest, riparian reforestation, and replanting after wildfires contributed most to potential GHG reductions (76 to 94% of the overall annual reductions), followed by changes to agricultural management through no-till, cover crops, and nitrogen management (3 to 15% of overall annual reductions). GHG reduction benefits are relatively high per unit area for avoided conversion of forests (125-400 MT CO2e ha-1). However, the existing land use policy in Oregon limits the current geographic extent of active conversion of natural lands and thus, avoided conversions results in modest overall potential GHG reduction benefits (i.e., less than 5% of the overall annual reductions). Tidal wetland restoration, which has high per unit area carbon sequestration benefits (8.8 MT CO2e ha-1 yr-1), also has limited possible geographic extent resulting in low potential (< 1%) of state-level GHG reduction contributions. However, co-benefits such as improved habitat and water quality delivered by restoration NCS pathways are substantial. Ultimately, reducing GHG emissions and increasing carbon sequestration to combat climate change will require actions across multiple sectors. We demonstrate that the adoption of alternative land management practices on working lands and avoided conversion and restoration of native habitats can achieve meaningful state-level GHG reductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose A. Graves
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- The Nature Conservancy, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Ryan D. Haugo
- The Nature Conservancy, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Andrés Holz
- Department of Geography, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Max Nielsen-Pincus
- Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Aaron Jones
- The Nature Conservancy, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Bryce Kellogg
- The Nature Conservancy, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Cathy Macdonald
- The Nature Conservancy, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Kenneth Popper
- The Nature Conservancy, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Michael Schindel
- The Nature Conservancy, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
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