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Finger-Higgens R, Hoover DL, Knight AC, Wilson SL, Bishop TBB, Reibold R, Reed SC, Duniway MC. Seasonal drought treatments impact plant and microbial uptake of nitrogen in a mixed shrub grassland on the Colorado Plateau. Ecology 2024; 105:e4393. [PMID: 39104160 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
For many drylands, both long- and short-term drought conditions can accentuate landscape heterogeneity at both temporal (e.g., role of seasonal patterns) and spatial (e.g., patchy plant cover) scales. Furthermore, short-term drought conditions occurring over one season can exacerbate long-term, multidecadal droughts or aridification, by limiting soil water recharge, decreasing plant growth, and altering biogeochemical cycles. Here, we examine how experimentally altered seasonal precipitation regimes in a mixed shrub grassland on the Colorado Plateau impact soil moisture, vegetation, and carbon and nitrogen cycling. The experiment was conducted from 2015 to 2019, during a regional multidecadal drought event, and consisted of three precipitation treatments, which were implemented with removable drought shelters intercepting ~66% of incoming precipitation including: control (ambient precipitation conditions, no shelter), warm season drought (sheltered April-October), and cool season drought (sheltered November-March). To track changes in vegetation, we measured biomass of the dominant shrub, Ephedra viridis, and estimated perennial plant and ground cover in the spring and the fall. Soil moisture dynamics suggested that warm season experimental drought had longer and more consistent drought legacy effects (occurring two out of the four drought cycles) than either cool season drought or ambient conditions, even during the driest years. We also found that E. viridis biomass remained consistent across treatments, while bunchgrass cover declined by 25% by 2019 across all treatments, with the earliest declines noticeable in the warm season drought plots. Extractable dissolved inorganic nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen concentrations appeared sensitive to seasonal drought conditions, with dissolved inorganic nitrogen increasing and microbial biomass nitrogen decreasing with reduced soil volumetric water content. Carbon stocks were not sensitive to drought but were greater under E. viridis patches. Additionally, we found that under E. viridis, there was a negative relationship between dissolved inorganic nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen, suggesting that drought-induced increases in dissolved inorganic nitrogen may be due to declines in nitrogen uptake from microbes and plants alike. This work suggests that perennial grass plant-soil feedbacks are more vulnerable to both short-term (seasonal) and long-term (multiyear) drought events than shrubs, which can impact the future trajectory of dryland mixed shrub grassland ecosystems as drought frequency and intensity will likely continue to increase with ongoing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David L Hoover
- USDA-ARS Rangeland Resource and Systems Research Unit, Crops Research Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Anna C Knight
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Savannah L Wilson
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Tara B B Bishop
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
- Department of Earth Science, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, USA
| | - Robin Reibold
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Sasha C Reed
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Michael C Duniway
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
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Maestre FT, Biancari L, Chen N, Corrochano-Monsalve M, Jenerette GD, Nelson C, Shilula KN, Shpilkina Y. Research needs on the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship in drylands. NPJ BIODIVERSITY 2024; 3:12. [PMID: 39242863 PMCID: PMC11332164 DOI: 10.1038/s44185-024-00046-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
Research carried out in drylands over the last decade has provided major insights on the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship (BEFr) and about how biodiversity interacts with other important factors, such as climate and soil properties, to determine ecosystem functioning and services. Despite this, there are important gaps in our understanding of the BEFr in drylands that should be addressed by future research. In this perspective we highlight some of these gaps, which include: 1) the need to study the BEFr in bare soils devoid of perennial vascular vegetation and biocrusts, a major feature of dryland ecosystems, 2) evaluating how intra-specific trait variability, a key but understudied facet of functional diversity, modulate the BEFr, 3) addressing the influence of biotic interactions on the BEFr, including plant-animal interactions and those between microorganisms associated to biocrusts, 4) studying how differences in species-area relationships and beta diversity are associated with ecosystem functioning, and 5) considering the role of temporal variability and human activities, both present and past, particularly those linked to land use (e.g., grazing) and urbanization. Tackling these gaps will not only advance our comprehension of the BEFr but will also bolster the effectiveness of management and ecological restoration strategies, crucial for safeguarding dryland ecosystems and the livelihoods of their inhabitants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando T Maestre
- Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Lucio Biancari
- IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Av. San Martín 4453, Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
- Cátedra de Ecología, Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambiente, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Ning Chen
- Instituto Multidisciplinar Para el Estudio del Medio "Ramon Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Mario Corrochano-Monsalve
- Instituto Multidisciplinar Para el Estudio del Medio "Ramon Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
- Departamento de Genética, Antropología Física y Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - G Darrel Jenerette
- Instituto Multidisciplinar Para el Estudio del Medio "Ramon Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Corey Nelson
- Instituto Multidisciplinar Para el Estudio del Medio "Ramon Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
| | - Kaarina N Shilula
- Instituto Multidisciplinar Para el Estudio del Medio "Ramon Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
| | - Yelyzaveta Shpilkina
- Instituto Multidisciplinar Para el Estudio del Medio "Ramon Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
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Kut P, Garcia-Pichel F. Nimble vs. torpid responders to hydration pulse duration among soil microbes. Commun Biol 2024; 7:455. [PMID: 38609432 PMCID: PMC11015016 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06141-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental parameters vary in time, and variability is inherent in soils, where microbial activity follows precipitation pulses. The expanded pulse-reserve paradigm (EPRP) contends that arid soil microorganisms have adaptively diversified in response to pulse regimes differing in frequency and duration. To test this, we incubate Chihuahuan Desert soil microbiomes under separate treatments in which 60 h of hydration was reached with pulses of different pulse duration (PD), punctuated by intervening periods of desiccation. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon data, we measure treatment effects on microbiome net growth, growth efficiency, diversity, and species composition, tracking the fate of 370 phylotypes (23% of those detected). Consistent with predictions, microbial diversity is a direct, saturating function of PD. Increasingly larger shifts in community composition are detected with decreasing PD, as specialist phylotypes become more prominent. One in five phylotypes whose fate was tracked responds consistently to PD, some preferring short pulses (nimble responders; NIRs) and some longer pulses (torpid responders; TORs). For pulses shorter than a day, microbiome growth efficiency is an inverse function of PD, as predicted. We conclude that PD in pulsed soil environments constitutes a major driver of microbial community assembly and function, largely consistent with the EPRP predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Kut
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ferran Garcia-Pichel
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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Price SJ, Germino MJ. Variability in weather and site properties affect fuel and fire behavior following fuel treatments in semiarid sagebrush-steppe. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 353:120154. [PMID: 38308992 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120154] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Fuel-treatments targeting shrubs and fire-prone exotic annual grasses (EAGs) are increasingly used to mitigate increased wildfire risks in arid and semiarid environments, and understanding their response to natural factors is needed for effective landscape management. Using field-data collected over four years from fuel-break treatments in semiarid sagebrush-steppe, we asked 1) how the outcomes of EAG and sagebrush fuel treatments varied with site biophysical properties, climate, and weather, and 2) how predictions of fire behavior using the Fuel Characteristic Classification System fire model related to land-management objectives of maintaining fire behavior expected of low-load, dry-climate grasslands. Generalized linear mixed effect modeling with build-up model selection was used to determine best-fit models, and marginal effects plots to assess responses for each fuel type. EAG cover decreased as antecedent-fall precipitation increased and increased as antecedent-spring temperatures and surface soil clay contents increased. Herbicides targeting EAGs were less effective where pre-treatment EAG cover was >40 % and antecedent spring temperatures were >9.5 °C. Sagebrush cover was inversely related to soil clay content, especially where clay contents were >17 %. Predicted fire behavior exceeded management objectives under 1) average fire weather conditions when EAG or sagebrush cover was >50 % or >26 %, respectively, or 2) extreme fire weather conditions when EAG or sagebrush cover was >10 % or >8 %, respectively. Consideration of the strong effects of natural variability in site properties and antecedent weather can help in justifying, planning and implementing fuel-treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Jake Price
- US Geological Service, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID, 83702, USA
| | - Matthew J Germino
- US Geological Service, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID, 83702, USA.
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Conkling TJ, Fesnock AL, Katzner TE. Numbers of wildlife fatalities at renewable energy facilities in a targeted development region. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0295552. [PMID: 38100470 PMCID: PMC10723682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295552] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased interest in renewable energy has fostered development of wind and solar energy facilities globally. However, energy development sometimes has negative environmental impacts, such as wildlife fatalities. Efforts by regional land managers to balance energy potential while minimizing fatality risk currently rely on datasets that are aggregated at continental, but not regional scales, that focus on single species, or that implement meta-analyses that inappropriately use inferential statistics. We compiled and summarized fatality data from 87 reports for solar and wind facilities in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts region of southern California within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area. Our goal was to evaluate potential temporal and guild-specific patterns in fatalities, especially for priority species of conservation concern. We also aimed to provide a perspective on approaches interpreting these types of data, given inherent limitations in how they were collected. Mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), Chukar (Alectoris chukar) and California Quail (Callipepla californica), and passerines (Passeriformes), accounted for the most commonly reported fatalities. However, our aggregated count data were derived from raw, uncorrected totals, and thus reflect an absolute minimum number of fatalities for the monitored period. Additionally, patterns in the raw data suggested that many species commonly documented as fatalities (e.g., waterbirds and other nocturnal migrants, bats) are rarely counted during typical pre-construction use surveys. This may explain the more commonly observed mismatch between pre-construction risk assessment and actual fatalities. Our work may serve to guide design of future scientific research to address temporal and spatial patterns in fatalities and to apply rigorous guild-specific survey methodologies to estimate populations at risk from renewable energy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara J. Conkling
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Boise, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Amy L. Fesnock
- Desert District Office, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs, California, United States of America
| | - Todd E. Katzner
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Boise, Idaho, United States of America
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Legesse TG, Dong G, Dong X, Qu L, Chen B, Daba NA, Sorecha EM, Zhu W, Lei T, Shao C. The extreme wet and large precipitation size increase carbon uptake in Eurasian meadow steppes: Evidence from natural and manipulated precipitation experiments. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 237:117029. [PMID: 37659645 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
The distribution of seasonal precipitation would profoundly affect the dynamics of carbon fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about the impacts of extreme precipitation and size events on ecosystem carbon cycle when compared to the effects of average precipitation amount. The study involved an analysis of carbon fluxes and water exchange using the eddy covariance and chamber based techniques during the growing seasons of 2015-2017 in Bayan, Mongolia and 2019-2021 in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, respectively. The components of carbon fluxes and water exchange at each site were normalized to evaluate of relative response among carbon fluxes and water exchange. The investigation delved into the relationship between carbon fluxes and extreme precipitation over five gradients (control, dry spring, dry summer, wet spring and wet summer) in Hulunbuir meadow steppe and distinct four precipitation sizes (0.1-2, 2-5, 5-10, and 10-25 mm d-1) in Bayan meadow steppe. The wet spring and summer showed the greatest ecosystem respiration (ER) relative response values, 76.2% and 73.5%, respectively, while the dry spring (-16.7%) and dry summer (14.2%) showed the lowest values. Gross primary production (GPP) relative response improved with wet precipitation gradients, and declined with dry precipitation gradients in Hulunbuir meadow steppe. The least value in net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) was found at 10-25 mm d-1 precipitation size in Bayan meadow steppe. Similarly, the ER and GPP increased with size of precipitation events. The structural equation models (SEM) satisfactorily fitted the data (χ2 = 43.03, d.f. = 11, p = 0.215), with interactive linkages among soil microclimate, water exchange and carbon fluxes components regulating NEE. Overall, this study highlighted the importance of extreme precipitation and event size in influencing ecosystem carbon exchange, which is decisive to further understand the carbon cycle in meadow steppes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsegaye Gemechu Legesse
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Gang Dong
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Xiaobing Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems (SKLHIGA), College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Luping Qu
- Forest Ecology Stable Isotope Center, Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Baorui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Nano Alemu Daba
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Eba Muluneh Sorecha
- State Engineering Laboratory of Efficient Water Use of Crops and Disaster Loss Mitigation/Key Laboratory of Dryland Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Tinajie Lei
- State Engineering Laboratory of Efficient Water Use of Crops and Disaster Loss Mitigation/Key Laboratory of Dryland Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Changliang Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
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Fang W, Lu N, Liu J, Li R, Wang Y. Responses of sap flow density of two shrub species to rainfall classes on the semiarid Loess Plateau of China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1237248. [PMID: 37636114 PMCID: PMC10457111 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1237248] [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: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Rainfall events can determine a cascade of plant physiological and ecological processes, and there is considerable interest in the way that rainfall modifies plant water flux dynamics. Methods The sap flow density (SF) of the planted species of Vitex negundo and Hippophae rhamnoides, on the Loess Plateau of China was monitored using the heat balance method from 2015 to 2017. Results and discussion The results showed that SF responded differently to rainfall classes because of the changing meteorological and soil water content (SWC) conditions. For class 1: 0.2-2 mm, SF increased by 14.36-42.93% for the two species, which were mainly attributable to the effect of solar radiation and vapor pressure deficit after rainfall. For class 2: 2-10 mm, SF remained nearly stable for V. negundo and decreased for H. rhamnoides because of the relative humidity's effect. For class 3: > 10 mm, SF increased significantly because of increased SWC and the increasing response to solar radiation. The increased percentage of SF was relatively higher for V. negundo when rainfall was less than 20 mm, while the value was higher for H. rhamnoides when rainfall was greater than 10 mm. Further, V. negundo's water potential increased at the soil-root interface (ψ0) and ψL, indicating that the plant, which has shallower roots and a coarser of leaf and bark texture, considered as anisohydric species and used precipitation-derived upper soil water to survive. The relatively consistent ψL and ψ0 for H. rhamnoides, which has deep roots and leathery leaves, indicated that this species was considered as isohydric species and insensitive to the slight change in the soil water status. The differed response patter and water use strategies between the two species showed that species as V. negundo are more susceptible to frequent, but small rainfall events, while larger, but less frequent rainfall events benefit such species as H. rhamnoides. This study quantified the effect of environmental factors for SF variation. The results could help formulate a selection process to determine which species are more suitable for sustainable management in the afforestation activities under the context of more frequent and intense rainfall events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Fang
- Key Research Institute of Yellow Civilization and Sustainable Development & Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Nan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Observation and Research Station of Earth Critical Zone on the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi, Xi’an, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianbo Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ruiping Li
- Key Research Institute of Yellow Civilization and Sustainable Development & Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Yuxiao Wang
- Key Research Institute of Yellow Civilization and Sustainable Development & Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
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Zou H, Chen B, Zhang B, Zhou X, Zhang X, Zhang X, Wang J. Conservation planning for the endemic and endangered medicinal plants under the climate change and human disturbance: a case study of Gentiana manshurica in China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1184556. [PMID: 37564387 PMCID: PMC10410459 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1184556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Human activities and climate change have significantly impacted the quantity and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants. Gentiana manshurica Kitagawa, a high-quality original species of Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma, has significant medicinal value. However, wild resources have experienced a sharp decline due to human excavation, habitat destruction, and other factors. Consequently, it has been classified as an Endangered (EN) species on the IUCN Red List and is considered a third-level national key-protected medicinal material in China. The effects of climate change on G. manshurica are not yet known in the context of the severe negative impacts of climate change on most species. In this study, an optimized MaxEnt model was used to predict the current and future potential distribution of G. manshurica. In addition, land use data in 1980, 2000, and 2020 were used to calculate habitat quality by InVEST model and landscape fragmentation by the Fragstats model. Finally, using the above-calculated results, the priority protection areas and wild tending areas of G. manshurica were planned in ZONATION software. The results show that the suitable area is mainly distributed in the central part of the Songnen Plain. Bio15, bio03, bio01, and clay content are the environmental variables affecting the distribution. In general, the future potential distribution is expected to show an increasing trend. However, the species is expected to become threatened as carbon emission scenarios and years increase gradually. At worst, the high suitability area is expected to disappear completely under SSP585-2090s. Combined with the t-test, this could be due to pressure from bio01. The migration trends of climate niche centroid are inconsistent and do not all move to higher latitudes under different carbon emission scenarios. Over the past 40 years, habitat quality in the current potential distribution has declined yearly, and natural habitat has gradually fragmented. Existing reserves protect only 9.52% of G. manshurica's priority conservation area. To avoid extinction risk and increase the practicality of the results, we clarified the hotspot counties of priority protection area gaps and wild tending areas. These results can provide an essential reference and decision basis for effectively protecting G. manshurica under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zou
- Heilongjiang Research Center of Genuine Wild Medicinal Materials Germplasm Resources, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Bingrui Chen
- Heilongjiang Research Center of Genuine Wild Medicinal Materials Germplasm Resources, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Boyan Zhang
- Heilongjiang Research Center of Genuine Wild Medicinal Materials Germplasm Resources, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Xinyu Zhou
- Heilongjiang Research Center of Genuine Wild Medicinal Materials Germplasm Resources, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiyuan Zhang
- Heilongjiang Research Center of Genuine Wild Medicinal Materials Germplasm Resources, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Xinxin Zhang
- Heilongjiang Research Center of Genuine Wild Medicinal Materials Germplasm Resources, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Jianwei Wang
- College of Basic Medicine, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
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Lohani P, Mukherjee S, Sekar KC, Mehta P, Kumar K, Dimri AP. Impact of monsoon season rainfall spells on the ecosystem carbon exchanges of Himalayan Chir-Pine and Banj-Oak-dominated forests: a comparative assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:827. [PMID: 37294356 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11297-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Chir-Pine (Pinus roxburghii) and Banj-Oak (Quercus leucotrichophora)-dominated ecosystems of central Himalaya provide significant green services. However, responses of these ecosystems, with respect to ecosystem carbon flux variability, to changing microclimate are not yet studied. Since quantification of ecosystem responses to fluctuation in the microclimate, particularly rainfall, is expected to be beneficial for management of these ecosystems, this study aims (i) to quantify and compare amplitude of rainfall-induced change in the carbon fluxes of Chir-Pine and Banj-Oak-dominated ecosystems using wavelet methods, and (ii) to quantify and compare dissimilarities in the ecosystem exchanges due to varying rainfall spell and amount. Eddy covariance-based continuous daily micrometeorological and flux data, during the 2016-2017 monsoon seasons (total 244 days, 122 days of June-September), from two sites in Uttarakhand, India, are used for this purpose. We find that both Chir-Pine and Banj-Oak-dominated ecosystems are the sinks of carbon, and Chir-Pine-dominated ecosystem sequesters around 1.8 times higher carbon than the Banj-Oak. A systematic enhancement in the carbon assimilation of the Chir-Pine-dominated ecosystem is noted with increasing rainfall spell following a statistically significant power-law relationship. We have also identified a rainfall amount threshold for Chir-Pine and Banj-Oak-dominated ecosystems (10 ± 0.7 and 17 ± 1.2 mm, respectively) that resulted in highest ecosystem carbon assimilation in monsoon. The general inference of this study accentuates that Banj-Oak-dominated ecosystem is more sensitive to maximum rain within a spell whereas the Chir-Pine-dominated ecosystem is more responsive to increasing rainfall spell duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Lohani
- G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Sandipan Mukherjee
- Ladakh Regional Centre, G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Leh, India.
| | - K Chandra Sekar
- Garhwal Regional Centre, G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Srinagar, Garhwal, India
| | - Pooja Mehta
- Garhwal Regional Centre, G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Srinagar, Garhwal, India
| | - Kireet Kumar
- G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand, India
| | - A P Dimri
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai, Maharastra, India
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Uni D, Sheffer E, Klein T, Shem-Tov R, Segev N, Winters G. Responses of two Acacia species to drought suggest different water-use strategies, reflecting their topographic distribution. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1154223. [PMID: 37342134 PMCID: PMC10277743 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1154223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Soil water availability is a key factor in the growth of trees. In arid deserts, tree growth is limited by very dry soil and atmosphere conditions. Acacia tree species are distributed in the most arid deserts of the globe, therefore they are well adapted to heat and long droughts. Understanding why some plants do better than others in some environments is a key question in plant science. Methods Here we conducted a greenhouse experiment to continuously and simultaneously track the whole-plant water-balance of two desert Acacia species, in order to unravel their physiological responses to low water availability. Results We found that even under volumetric water content (VWC) of 5-9% in the soil, both species maintained 25% of the control plants, with a peak of canopy activity at noon. Moreover, plants exposed to the low water availability treatment continued growing in this period. A. tortilis applied a more opportunistic strategy than A. raddiana, and showed stomatal responses at a lower VWC (9.8% vs. 13.1%, t4= -4.23, p = 0.006), 2.2-fold higher growth, and faster recovery from drought stress. Discussion Although the experiment was done in milder VPD (~3 kPa) compared to the natural conditions in the field (~5 kPa), the different physiological responses to drought between the two species might explain their different topographic distributions. A. tortilis is more abundant in elevated locations with larger fluctuations in water availability while A. raddiana is more abundant in the main channels with higher and less fluctuating water availability. This work shows a unique and non-trivial water-spending strategy in two Acacia species adapted to hyper-arid conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphna Uni
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Efrat Sheffer
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tamir Klein
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rachamim Shem-Tov
- Acacia Research Center, The Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, Masada, Israel
| | - Nitzan Segev
- Acacia Research Center, The Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, Masada, Israel
| | - Gidon Winters
- Acacia Research Center, The Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, Masada, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat, Israel
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11
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Andrews HM, Krichels AH, Homyak PM, Piper S, Aronson EL, Botthoff J, Greene AC, Jenerette GD. Wetting-induced soil CO 2 emission pulses are driven by interactions among soil temperature, carbon, and nitrogen limitation in the Colorado Desert. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:3205-3220. [PMID: 36907979 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Warming-induced changes in precipitation regimes, coupled with anthropogenically enhanced nitrogen (N) deposition, are likely to increase the prevalence, duration, and magnitude of soil respiration pulses following wetting via interactions among temperature and carbon (C) and N availability. Quantifying the importance of these interactive controls on soil respiration is a key challenge as pulses can be large terrestrial sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) over comparatively short timescales. Using an automated sensor system, we measured soil CO2 flux dynamics in the Colorado Desert-a system characterized by pronounced transitions from dry-to-wet soil conditions-through a multi-year series of experimental wetting campaigns. Experimental manipulations included combinations of C and N additions across a range of ambient temperatures and across five sites varying in atmospheric N deposition. We found soil CO2 pulses following wetting were highly predictable from peak instantaneous CO2 flux measurements. CO2 pulses consistently increased with temperature, and temperature at time of wetting positively correlated to CO2 pulse magnitude. Experimentally adding N along the N deposition gradient generated contrasting pulse responses: adding N increased CO2 pulses in low N deposition sites, whereas adding N decreased CO2 pulses in high N deposition sites. At a low N deposition site, simultaneous additions of C and N during wetting led to the highest observed soil CO2 fluxes reported globally at 299.5 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 . Our results suggest that soils have the capacity to emit high amounts of CO2 within small timeframes following infrequent wetting, and pulse sizes reflect a non-linear combination of soil resource and temperature interactions. Importantly, the largest soil CO2 emissions occurred when multiple resources were amended simultaneously in historically resource-limited desert soils, pointing to regions experiencing simultaneous effects of desertification and urbanization as key locations in future global C balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly M Andrews
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Alexander H Krichels
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
- Center for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Peter M Homyak
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Stephanie Piper
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Emma L Aronson
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Jon Botthoff
- Center for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Aral C Greene
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - G Darrel Jenerette
- Center for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
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12
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Wilson NR, Norman LM. Five Year Analyses of Vegetation Response to Restoration using Rock Detention Structures in Southeastern Arizona, United States. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 71:921-939. [PMID: 36534196 PMCID: PMC10083153 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01762-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Rock detention structures (RDS) are used in restoration of riparian areas around the world. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of RDS installation on vegetation in terms of species abundance and composition. We present the results from 5 years of annual vegetation sampling which focused on short term non-woody vegetation response within the riparian channel at 3 restoration sites across southeastern Arizona. We examined the potential ways that RDS can preserve native species, encourage wetland species, and/or introduce nonnative species using a Control-Impact-Paired-Series study design. Species composition and frequency were measured within quadrats and zones on an annual basis. Multivariate bootstrap analyses were performed, including Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index and non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination. We found that response to RDS was variable and could be related to the level of degradation or proximity to groundwater. The non-degraded site did not show a response to RDS and the severely degraded site showed a slight increase in vegetation frequency, but the moderately degraded site experienced a significant increase. At the moderately degraded site, located between two historic ciénegas (desert wetlands), species composition shifted and nonnative species invaded, dominating the vegetation increase at this location. At the severely degraded site, pre-existing wetland species frequency increased in response to the installation of RDS. These findings extend the understanding of RDS effects on vegetation, provide scenarios to help land and water resource managers understand potential outcomes, and can assist in optimizing success for restoration projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie R Wilson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center, 520 N. Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA.
| | - Laura M Norman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center, 520 N. Park Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
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Melián E, Gatica G, Pucheta E. Wood trait trade‐offs in desert plants: A triangular model to understand intra‐ and interspecific variations along an aridity gradient. AUSTRAL ECOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Edgardo Melián
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de San Juan San Juan Argentina
| | - Gabriel Gatica
- Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y Desarrollo Sostenible UEDD INTA CONICET Tandil Argentina
| | - Eduardo Pucheta
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de San Juan San Juan Argentina
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14
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Xu X, Wu B, Bao F, Gao Y, Li X, Cao Y, Lu Q, Gao J, Xin Z, Liu M. Different Responses of Growing Season Ecosystem CO 2 Fluxes to Rain Addition in a Desert Ecosystem. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1158. [PMID: 36904018 PMCID: PMC10005604 DOI: 10.3390/plants12051158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Desert ecosystem CO2 exchange may play an important role in global carbon cycling. However, it is still not clear how the CO2 fluxes of shrub-dominated desert ecosystems respond to precipitation changes. We performed a 10-year long-term rain addition experiment in a Nitraria tangutorum desert ecosystem in northwestern China. In the growing seasons of 2016 and 2017, with three rain addition treatments (natural precipitation +0%, +50%, and +100% of annual average precipitation), gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) were measured. The GEP responded nonlinearly and the ER linearly to rain addition. The NEE presented a nonlinear response along the rain addition gradient, with a saturation threshold by rain addition between +50% and +100%. The growing season mean NEE ranged from -2.25 to -5.38 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1, showing net CO2 uptake effect, with significant enhancement (more negative) under the rain addition treatments. Although natural rainfall fluctuated greatly in the growing seasons of 2016 and 2017, reaching 134.8% and 44.0% of the historical average, the NEE values remained stable. Our findings highlight that growing season CO2 sequestration in desert ecosystems will increase against the background of increasing precipitation levels. The different responses of GEP and ER of desert ecosystems under changing precipitation regimes should be considered in global change models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotian Xu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Institute of Forestry and Pomology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Key Laboratory of Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, State Administration of Forestry and Grassland, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Fang Bao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Key Laboratory of Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, State Administration of Forestry and Grassland, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Ying Gao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Key Laboratory of Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, State Administration of Forestry and Grassland, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Xinle Li
- The Experimental Center of Desert Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Bayannur 015200, China
- Dengkou Desert Ecosystem Research Station of Inner Mongolia, Bayannur 015200, China
| | - Yanli Cao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Key Laboratory of Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, State Administration of Forestry and Grassland, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Qi Lu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Key Laboratory of Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, State Administration of Forestry and Grassland, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Junliang Gao
- The Experimental Center of Desert Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Bayannur 015200, China
- Dengkou Desert Ecosystem Research Station of Inner Mongolia, Bayannur 015200, China
| | - Zhiming Xin
- The Experimental Center of Desert Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Bayannur 015200, China
- Dengkou Desert Ecosystem Research Station of Inner Mongolia, Bayannur 015200, China
| | - Minghu Liu
- The Experimental Center of Desert Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Bayannur 015200, China
- Dengkou Desert Ecosystem Research Station of Inner Mongolia, Bayannur 015200, China
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15
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Feeding Ecology of the Cuvier's Gazelle ( Gazella cuvieri, Ogilby, 1841) in the Sahara Desert. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040567. [PMID: 36830354 PMCID: PMC9951649 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the feeding ecology of ungulates in arid biomes offers an interesting model for understanding the drought resistance of large desert-adapted herbivores, a crucial issue in the face of increasing desertification due to climate change. To assess the feeding ecology of the endangered Cuvier's gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) in the Sahara desert, we used a multi-method approach combining faecal samples, direct observations, and the recording of indirect signs of feeding. We hypothesised that browser behaviour is the best foraging strategy for species living in hyper-arid environments, mainly due to long periods without grazing opportunities. Complementarily, we explored the effects of the main environmental descriptors (rainfalls and NDVI) on feeding patterns and diet quality. We found that Cuvier's diets are based mainly on acacias (Vachellia tortilis, V. flava) and occasionally on the annual forb Anastatica hierochuntica. In total, eighteen species (five trees, nine shrubs, three herbs, and one grass) belonging to fifteen families were recorded. Our result confirmed the browsers' characteristic of this species, reaffirming its ability to settle in a hostile environment. Acacias stand out as key species consumed at the southernmost limit of their range; hence, future conservation plans and strategies should take this into account for the survival of Cuvier's gazelle in desert environments.
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Lu C, Zhang J, Min X, Chen J, Huang Y, Zhao H, Yan T, Liu X, Wang H, Liu H. Contrasting responses of early‐ and late‐season plant phenophases to altered precipitation. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan Lu
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
- Inst. of Eco‐Chongming (IEC), East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
| | - Juanjuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐Ecosystems, and College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou China
| | - Xueting Min
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
- Inst. of Eco‐Chongming (IEC), East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
| | - Jianghui Chen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
- Inst. of Eco‐Chongming (IEC), East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
| | - Yixuan Huang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
- Inst. of Eco‐Chongming (IEC), East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
| | - Hongfang Zhao
- School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
| | - Tao Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐Ecosystems, and College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou China
| | - Xiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐Ecosystems, and College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou China
| | - Hao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐Ecosystems, and College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou China
| | - Huiying Liu
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
- Inst. of Eco‐Chongming (IEC), East China Normal Univ. Shanghai China
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Ma X, Zhu X, Xie Q, Jin J, Zhou Y, Luo Y, Liu Y, Tian J, Zhao Y. Monitoring nature's calendar from space: Emerging topics in land surface phenology and associated opportunities for science applications. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:7186-7204. [PMID: 36114727 PMCID: PMC9827868 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Vegetation phenology has been viewed as the nature's calendar and an integrative indicator of plant-climate interactions. The correct representation of vegetation phenology is important for models to accurately simulate the exchange of carbon, water, and energy between the vegetated land surface and the atmosphere. Remote sensing has advanced the monitoring of vegetation phenology by providing spatially and temporally continuous data that together with conventional ground observations offers a unique contribution to our knowledge about the environmental impact on ecosystems as well as the ecological adaptations and feedback to global climate change. Land surface phenology (LSP) is defined as the use of satellites to monitor seasonal dynamics in vegetated land surfaces and to estimate phenological transition dates. LSP, as an interdisciplinary subject among remote sensing, ecology, and biometeorology, has undergone rapid development over the past few decades. Recent advances in sensor technologies, as well as data fusion techniques, have enabled novel phenology retrieval algorithms that refine phenology details at even higher spatiotemporal resolutions, providing new insights into ecosystem dynamics. As such, here we summarize the recent advances in LSP and the associated opportunities for science applications. We focus on the remaining challenges, promising techniques, and emerging topics that together we believe will truly form the very frontier of the global LSP research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanlong Ma
- College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Xiaolin Zhu
- Department of Land Surveying and Geo‐InformaticsThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong KongChina
| | - Qiaoyun Xie
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Technology SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Jiaxin Jin
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Yuke Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and ModellingInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yunpeng Luo
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
- Department of Environmental System ScienceETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Yuxia Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Technology SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence (GSCE)South Dakota State UniversityBrookingsSouth DakotaUSA
| | - Jiaqi Tian
- Department of Land Surveying and Geo‐InformaticsThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong KongChina
- Department of GeographyNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Yuhe Zhao
- College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
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Draper JT, Conran JG, Simpson BS, Weinstein P. Sex-linked reproductive allocation in the dioecious shrub Pimelea microcephala subsp. microcephala (Thymelaeaceae) from four populations across a rainfall gradient. T ROY SOC SOUTH AUST 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03721426.2022.2141875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. T. Draper
- School of Biological Sciences, the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - J. G. Conran
- School of Biological Sciences, the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - B. S. Simpson
- Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - P. Weinstein
- School of Biological Sciences, the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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Yang P, Wang N, Zhao L, Su B, Niu Z, Zhao H. Responses of grassland ecosystem carbon fluxes to precipitation and their environmental factors in the Badain Jaran Desert. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:75805-75821. [PMID: 35655020 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21098-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Studying the effects of precipitation on carbon exchange in grassland ecosystems is critical for revealing the mechanisms of the carbon cycle. In this study, the eddy covariance (EC) technique was used to monitor the carbon fluxes in a grassland ecosystem in the Badain Jaran Desert (BJD) during the growing season from 2018 to 2020. The responses of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (Reco), and gross primary productivity (GPP) to precipitation were analysed, as well as the effects of environmental factors on carbon fluxes at half-hour and daily scales. The results showed that (1) during the growing seasons in 2019 and 2020, the grassland ecosystem in a lake basin in the BJD was a net CO2 sink, and the cumulative NEE was - 91.9 and - 79.2 g C m-2, respectively. The greater the total precipitation in the growing season, the stronger the carbon sequestration capacity of a grassland ecosystem. (2) The precipitation intensity, frequency, and timing significantly affected the carbon fluxes in the ecosystem. Isolated minor precipitation events did not trigger obvious NEE, GPP, and Reco pulses. However, large precipitation events or continuous minor precipitation events over several days caused delayed high assimilation; in addition, the greater the precipitation intensity, the greater the carbon flux pulse and carbon assimilation. The timing and frequency of precipitation events had more important effects on carbon exchange than total precipitation. Droughts create a shift in grasslands, causing them to move from being a carbon sink to a carbon source. (3) Correlation analysis showed that NEE was significantly negatively correlated with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). On the half-hour scale, Reco and GPP were significantly positively correlated with soil temperature at 5 cm deep (Ts5) and PAR, respectively. However, they were strongly correlated with air temperature (Ta), soil surface temperature (Ts) and (Ts5) on the daily scale. The correlations between daily NEE, Reco, GPP, and precipitation varied across years and seasons. Due to warming and humidification in northwest China, precipitation events will have a greater impact on the carbon sequestration capacity of the BJD. The results are vital for predicting the possible effects of climate change on the carbon cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Yang
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Nai'ang Wang
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
| | - Liqiang Zhao
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
- Glacier and Desert Field Observation and Scientific Research Station, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
- National Geo-Environmental Sciences Teaching Demonstration Center of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Bingjie Su
- Department of Tourism Management, Sichuan Engineering Technical College, Deyang, 618000, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhenmin Niu
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Hang Zhao
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
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Provost K, Shue SY, Forcellati M, Smith BT. The Genomic Landscapes of Desert Birds Form over Multiple Time Scales. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6711078. [PMID: 36134537 PMCID: PMC9577548 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial models show that genetic differentiation between populations can be explained by factors ranging from geographic distance to environmental resistance across the landscape. However, genomes exhibit a landscape of differentiation, indicating that multiple processes may mediate divergence in different portions of the genome. We tested this idea by comparing alternative geographic predctors of differentiation in ten bird species that co-occur in Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of North America. Using population-level genomic data, we described the genomic landscapes across species and modeled conditions that represented historical and contemporary mechanisms. The characteristics of genomic landscapes differed across species, influenced by varying levels of population structuring and admixture between deserts, and the best-fit models contrasted between the whole genome and partitions along the genome. Both historical and contemporary mechanisms were important in explaining genetic distance, but particularly past and current environments, suggesting that genomic evolution was modulated by climate and habitat There were also different best-ftit models across genomic partitions of the data, indicating that these regions capture different evolutionary histories. These results show that the genomic landscape of differentiation can be associated with alternative geographic factors operating on different portions of the genome, which reflect how heterogeneous patterns of genetic differentiation can evolve across species and genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie Yun Shue
- Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ, USA,Biological Sciences, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Meghan Forcellati
- Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ, USA,Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian Tilston Smith
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
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Rong X, Zhou X, Li X, Yao M, Lu Y, Xu P, Yin B, Li Y, Aanderud ZT, Zhang Y. Biocrust diazotrophs and bacteria rather than fungi are sensitive to chronic low N deposition. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5450-5466. [PMID: 35844197 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic long-term nitrogen (N) deposition may dramatically impact biocrusts due to the overarching N limitation of soil biota in deserts. Even low levels of N may reach a critical loading threshold altering biocrust constituents and function. To identify the impact of chronic and continuous low levels of N deposition on biocrusts, we created a realistic gradient mirroring anthropogenic N addition rate (2:1 NH4 + : NO3 - rates: 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 3 g N m-2 yr-1 ) and measured the response of bacteria and fungi within cyanobacterial-dominated biocrusts over 8 years in a temperate desert, the Gurbantunggut Desert, China. We found that once N deposition reached 1.5 g N m-2 yr-1 biocrust bacterial communities, including diazotrophs, were altered while no such tipping point existed for fungi. Above the threshold, bacterial richness was enhanced, the relative abundance of Chloroflexi, FBP and Gemmatimonadetes was elevated, and diazotrophs shifted from being dominated by Nostocaceae and Scytonemataceae (Cyanobacteria) to free-living Bradyrhizobiaceae (Alphaproteobacteria). Alternatively, the relative recovery of a few fungal species within the Lecanorales, Pleosporales and Verrucariales became either enriched or diminished due to N deposition. The chronic addition of N resulted in a dense and interconnected bacterial co-occurrence network that accentuated a functional shift from networks dominated by phototrophic species within the Nostocaceae, Xenococcaceae, Phormidiaceae and Scytonemataceae (Cyanobacteria) to ammonia-oxidizing species within the Nitrosomonadaceae (Betaproteobacteria) and nitrifying bacteria [i.e. Nitrospiraceae (Nitrospirae)]. Based on structural equation models, the effects of N additions on biocrust constituents were imposed through indirect effects on pH, soil electrical conductivity and ammonium concentrations. In summary, biocrust constituents are generally insensitive to chronic low levels of N depositions until rates reach above 1.5 g N m-2 yr-1 with diazotrophs being the most sensitive biocrust constituents followed by bacteria and finally fungi. Ultimately once the threshold is reached N deposition favours biocrust constituents utilizing inorganic N and other C sources over relying on phototrophic and/or N-fixing cyanobacteria for C and N.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoying Rong
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Xiaobing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Xiangzhen Li
- Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Minjie Yao
- College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forest University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yongxing Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Benfeng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Yonggang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Zachary T Aanderud
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Yuanming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
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Pérez‐Ruiz ER, Vivoni ER, Sala OE. Seasonal carryover of water and effects on carbon dynamics in a dryland ecosystem. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eli R. Pérez‐Ruiz
- School of Earth and Space Exploration Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USA
- Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Ambiental Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez Mexico
| | - Enrique R. Vivoni
- School of Earth and Space Exploration Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USA
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USA
| | - Osvaldo E. Sala
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USA
- School of Sustainability Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USA
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23
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Hai X, Li J, Li J, Liu Y, Dong L, Wang X, Lv W, Hu Z, Shangguan Z, Deng L. Variations in Plant Water Use Efficiency Response to Manipulated Precipitation in a Temperate Grassland. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:881282. [PMID: 35665164 PMCID: PMC9162798 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.881282] [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: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Water use efficiency (WUE) plays important role in understanding the interaction between carbon and water cycles in the plant-soil-atmosphere system. However, little is known regarding the impact of altered precipitation on plant WUE in arid and semi-arid regions. The study examined the effects of altered precipitation [i.e., ambient precipitation (100% of natural precipitation), decreased precipitation (DP, -50%) and increased precipitation (IP, +50%)] on the WUE of grass species (Stipa grandis and Stipa bungeana) and forb species (Artemisia gmelinii) in a temperate grassland. The results found that WUE was significantly affected by growth stages, precipitation and plant species. DP increased the WUE of S. grandis and S. bungeana generally, but IP decreased WUE especially in A. gmelinii. And the grasses had the higher WUE than forbs. For different growth stages, the WUE in the initial growth stage was lower than that in the middle and late growth stages. Soil temperature, available nutrients (i.e., NO3 -, NH4 +, and AP) and microorganisms under the altered precipitations were the main factors affecting plant WUE. These findings highlighted that the grasses have higher WUE than forbs, which can be given priority to vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuying Hai
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Jianping Li
- School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Jiwei Li
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
| | - Yulin Liu
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
| | - Lingbo Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xiaozhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Wenwen Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Zhenhong Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Zhouping Shangguan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Lei Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
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24
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Yang P, Zhao L, Liang X, Niu Z, Zhao H, Wang Y, Wang N. Response of net ecosystem CO 2 exchange to precipitation events in the Badain Jaran Desert. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:36486-36501. [PMID: 35064497 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-18229-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
It is of great significance to study the effects of precipitation events on carbon exchange in the ecosystem for an accurate understanding of the carbon cycle. However, the response of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) in the desert to precipitation events is elusive. In this study, the NEE in response to precipitation events of varying intensities in the Badain Jaran Desert (BJD) in China was continuously monitored using the eddy covariance (EC) technique. The following results were obtained: (1) The BJD ecosystem was a net CO2 sink throughout the study period, with NEE values of -113.4, -130.7, and -175.4 g C m-2a-1 in 2016, 2018, and 2019, respectively. The total precipitation yielded a higher carbon sequestration capacity in 2019 than in the other two years. In addition, the intensity, time, and frequency of precipitation had significant impacts on CO2; (2) the threshold value of the NEE response to precipitation was ~1.4 mm, indicating the extreme sensitivity of the BJD to precipitation events; (3) the variations in the NEE response to precipitation events conformed to a dual exponential model. The analytical results of the model indicate that precipitation intensity was positively correlated with the carbon sequestration capacity of the desert. The model revealed that the greater the precipitation intensity, the longer it takes the NEE to reach the maximum, and the lengthier the duration of the residual effects. With an increase in the total precipitation and frequency of extreme precipitation events under warm and humidification climates, the carbon sequestration capacity of the BJD will likely be enhanced. The results of this study are of great significance for revealing the carbon cycle mechanism of the desert ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Yang
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Chengguan, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Liqiang Zhao
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Chengguan, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Xueran Liang
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Chengguan, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Zhenmin Niu
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Chengguan, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Hang Zhao
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Chengguan, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Chengguan, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Nai'ang Wang
- Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Chengguan, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
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Hoover DL, Hajek OL, Smith MD, Wilkins K, Slette IJ, Knapp AK. Compound hydroclimatic extremes in a semi-arid grassland: Drought, deluge, and the carbon cycle. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2611-2621. [PMID: 35076159 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events including droughts and large precipitation events or "deluges." While many studies have focused on the ecological impacts of individual events (e.g., a heat wave), there is growing recognition that when extreme events co-occur as compound extremes, (e.g., a heatwave during a drought), the additive effects on ecosystems are often greater than either extreme alone. In this study, we assessed a unique type of extreme-a contrasting compound extreme-where the extremes may have offsetting, rather than additive ecological effects, by examining how a deluge during a drought impacts productivity and carbon cycling in a semi-arid grassland. The experiment consisted of four treatments: a control (average precipitation), an extreme drought (<5th percentile), an extreme drought interrupted by a single deluge (>95th percentile), or an extreme drought interrupted by the equivalent amount of precipitation added in several smaller events. We highlight three key results. First, extreme drought resulted in early senescence, reduced carbon uptake, and a decline in net primary productivity relative to the control treatment. Second, the deluge imposed during extreme drought stimulated carbon fluxes and plant growth well above the levels of both the control and the drought treatment with several additional smaller rainfall events, emphasizing the importance of precipitation amount, event size, and timing. Third, while the deluge's positive effects on carbon fluxes and plant growth persisted for 1 month, the deluge did not completely offset the negative effects of extreme drought on end-of-season productivity. Thus, in the case of these contrasting hydroclimatic extremes, a deluge during a drought can stimulate temporally dynamic ecosystem processes (e.g., net ecosystem exchange) while only partially compensating for reductions in ecosystem functions over longer time scales (e.g., aboveground net primary productivity).
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Hoover
- USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, Crops Research Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Olivia L Hajek
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Kate Wilkins
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Ingrid J Slette
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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26
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Liu F, You Q, Xue X, Peng F, Huang C, Ma S, Pan J, Shi Y, Chen X. The Stem Sap Flow and Water Sources for Tamarix ramosissima in an Artificial Shelterbelt With a Deep Groundwater Table in Northwest China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:794084. [PMID: 35310678 PMCID: PMC8931467 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.794084] [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: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The shelterbelt forest between oases and the desert plays a vital role in preventing aeolian disasters and desertification in arid regions of northwest China. Tamarix ramosissima (T. ramosissima), a typical perennial and native xerophyte shrub in Northwest China, grows naturally and is widely used in building artificial shelterbelt forests. The balance between water consumption and the availability of water determines the survival and growth of T. ramosissima. How T. ramosissima copes with extremely low rainfall and a deep groundwater table remains unknown. To answer this, the transpiration and the water sources of T. ramosissima were investigated by the heat balance and oxygen isotopic analysis method, respectively. Our results show that the daily T. ramosissima stem sap flow (SSF) was positively correlated with air temperature (Ta), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and the vapor pressure deficit (VPD). We found no significant relationship between the daily SSF and soil moisture in shallow (0-40 cm) and middle (40-160 cm) soil layers. Oxygen isotope results showed that T. ramosissima mainly sources (>90%) water from deep soil moisture (160-400 cm) and groundwater (910 cm). Diurnally, T. ramosissima SSF showed a hysteresis response to variations in PAR, Ta, and VPD, which suggests that transpiration suffers increasingly from water stress with increasing PAR, Ta, and VPD. Our results indicate that PAR, Ta, and VPD are the dominant factors that control T. ramosissima SSF, not precipitation and shallow soil moisture. Deep soil water and groundwater are the primary sources for T. ramosissima in this extremely water-limited environment. These results provide information that is essential for proper water resource management during vegetation restoration and ecological reafforestation in water-limited regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiyao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Quangang You
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xian Xue
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Fei Peng
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Cuihua Huang
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shaoxiu Ma
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jing Pan
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yaofang Shi
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaojie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Drylands Salinization Research Station, Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
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27
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Riquelme L, Rumpff L, Duncan DH, Vesk PA. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of understorey biomass in semi-arid woodlands of south-eastern Australia. RANGELAND JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/rj21060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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28
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Zhang F, Biederman JA, Pierce NA, Potts DL, Devine CJ, Hao Y, Smith WK. Precipitation temporal repackaging into fewer, larger storms delayed seasonal timing of peak photosynthesis in a semi‐arid grassland. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13980] [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)
- Fangyue Zhang
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
- USDA Agricultural Research Service Southwest Watershed Research Center Tucson AZ USA
| | - Joel A. Biederman
- USDA Agricultural Research Service Southwest Watershed Research Center Tucson AZ USA
| | - Nathan A. Pierce
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
- USDA Agricultural Research Service Southwest Watershed Research Center Tucson AZ USA
| | | | - Charles John Devine
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
| | - Yanbin Hao
- College of Life Sciences University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - William K. Smith
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
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29
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Morisette JT, Duffy KA, Weltzin JF, Browning DM, Marsh RL, Friesz AM, Zachmann LJ, Enns KD, Landau VA, Gerst KL, Crimmins TM, Jones KD, Chang T, Miller BW, Maiersperger TK, Richardson AD. PS3: The Pheno-Synthesis software suite for integration and analysis of multi-scale, multi-platform phenological data. ECOL INFORM 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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30
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Long-Term Population Dynamics of Namib Desert Tenebrionid Beetles Reveal Complex Relationships to Pulse-Reserve Conditions. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12090804. [PMID: 34564244 PMCID: PMC8469250 DOI: 10.3390/insects12090804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Noy-Meir's paradigm concerning desert populations being predictably tied to unpredictable productivity pulses was tested by examining abundance trends of 26 species of flightless detritivorous tenebrionid beetles (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) in the hyper-arid Namib Desert (MAP = 25 mm). Over 45 years, tenebrionids were continuously pitfall trapped on a gravel plain. Species were categorised according to how their populations increased after 22 effective rainfall events (>11 mm in a week), and declined with decreasing detritus reserves (97.7-0.2 g m-2), while sustained by nonrainfall moisture. Six patterns of population variation were recognised: (a) increases triggered by effective summer rainfalls, tracking detritus over time (five species, 41% abundance); (b) irrupting upon summer rainfalls, crashing a year later (three, 18%); (c) increasing gradually after series of heavy (>40 mm) rainfall years, declining over the next decade (eight, 15%); (d) triggered by winter rainfall, population fluctuating moderately (two, 20%); (e) increasing during dry years, declining during wet (one, 0.4%); (f) erratic range expansions following heavy rain (seven, 5%). All species experienced population bottlenecks during a decade of scant reserves, followed by the community cycling back to its earlier composition after 30 years. By responding selectively to alternative configurations of resources, Namib tenebrionids showed temporal patterns and magnitudes of population fluctuation more diverse than predicted by Noy-Meir's original model, underpinning high species diversity.
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31
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Cárdenas PA, Christensen E, Ernest SKM, Lightfoot DC, Schooley RL, Stapp P, Rudgers JA. Declines in rodent abundance and diversity track regional climate variability in North American drylands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:4005-4023. [PMID: 33942467 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Regional long-term monitoring can enhance the detection of biodiversity declines associated with climate change, improving future projections by reducing reliance on space-for-time substitution and increasing scalability. Rodents are diverse and important consumers in drylands, regions defined by the scarcity of water that cover 45% of Earth's land surface and face increasingly drier and more variable climates. We analyzed abundance data for 22 rodent species across grassland, shrubland, ecotone, and woodland ecosystems in the southwestern USA. Two time series (1995-2006 and 2004-2013) coincided with phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which influences drought in southwestern North America. Regionally, rodent species diversity declined 20%-35%, with greater losses during the later time period. Abundance also declined regionally, but only during 2004-2013, with losses of 5% of animals captured. During the first time series (wetter climate), plant productivity outranked climate variables as the best regional predictor of rodent abundance for 70% of taxa, whereas during the second period (drier climate), climate best explained variation in abundance for 60% of taxa. Temporal dynamics in diversity and abundance differed spatially among ecosystems, with the largest declines in woodlands and shrublands of central New Mexico and Colorado. Which species were winners or losers under increasing drought and amplified interannual variability in drought depended on ecosystem type and the phase of the PDO. Fewer taxa were significant winners (18%) than losers (30%) under drought, but the identities of winners and losers differed among ecosystems for 70% of taxa. Our results suggest that the sensitivities of rodent species to climate contributed to regional declines in diversity and abundance during 1995-2013. Whether these changes portend future declines in drought-sensitive consumers in the southwestern USA will depend on the climate during the next major PDO cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo A Cárdenas
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Erica Christensen
- Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
| | - S K Morgan Ernest
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - David C Lightfoot
- Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Robert L Schooley
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Paul Stapp
- Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA, USA
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32
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Finch JTD, Power SA, Welbergen JA, Cook JM. Staying in touch: how highly specialised moth pollinators track host plant phenology in unpredictable climates. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:161. [PMID: 34429068 PMCID: PMC8383429 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01889-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background For specialised pollinators, the synchrony of plant and pollinator life history is critical to the persistence of pollinator populations. This is even more critical in nursery pollination, where pollinators are obligately dependant on female host plant flowers for oviposition sites. Epicephala moths (Gracillariidae) form highly specialised nursery pollination mutualisms with Phyllanthaceae plants. Several hundred Phyllanthaceae are estimated to be exclusively pollinated by highly specific Epicephala moths, making these mutualisms an outstanding example of plant–insect coevolution. However, there have been no studies of how Epicephala moths synchronise their activity with host plant flowering or persist through periods when flowers are absent. Such knowledge is critical to understanding the ecology and evolutionary stability of these mutualisms. We surveyed multiple populations of both Breynia oblongifolia (Phyllanthaceae) and it’s Epicephala pollinators for over two years to determine their phenology and modelled the environmental factors that underpin their interactions. Results The abundance of flowers and fruits was highly variable and strongly linked to local rainfall and photoperiod. Unlike male flowers and fruits, female flowers were present throughout the entire year, including winter. Fruit abundance was a significant predictor of adult Epicephala activity, suggesting that eggs or early instar larvae diapause within dormant female flowers and emerge as fruits mature. Searches of overwintering female flowers confirmed that many contained pollen and diapausing pollinators. We also observed diapause in Epicephala prior to pupation, finding that 12% (9/78) of larvae emerging from fruits in the autumn entered an extended diapause for 38–48 weeks. The remaining autumn emerging larvae pupated directly without diapause, suggesting a possible bet-hedging strategy. Conclusions Epicephala appear to use diapause at multiple stages in their lifecycle to survive variable host plant phenology. Furthermore, moth abundance was predicted by the same environmental variables as male flowers, suggesting that moths track flowering through temperature. These adaptations may thereby mitigate against unpredictability in the timing of fruiting and flowering because of variable rainfall. It remains to be seen how widespread egg diapause and pre-pupal diapause may be within Epicephala moths, and, furthermore, to what degree these traits may have facilitated the evolution of these highly diverse mutualisms. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-021-01889-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan T D Finch
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia.
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
| | - Justin A Welbergen
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
| | - James M Cook
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
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Plant Species Richness in Multiyear Wet and Dry Periods in the Chihuahuan Desert. CLIMATE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cli9080130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In drylands, most studies of extreme precipitation events examine effects of individual years or short-term events, yet multiyear periods (>3 y) are expected to have larger impacts on ecosystem dynamics. Our goal was to take advantage of a sequence of multiple long-term (4-y) periods (dry, wet, average) that occurred naturally within a 26-y time frame to examine responses of plant species richness to extreme rainfall in grasslands and shrublands of the Chihuahuan Desert. Our hypothesis was that richness would be related to rainfall amount, and similar in periods with similar amounts of rainfall. Breakpoint analyses of water-year precipitation showed five sequential periods (1993–2018): AVG1 (mean = 22 cm/y), DRY1 (mean = 18 cm/y), WET (mean = 30 cm/y), DRY2 (mean = 18 cm/y), and AVG2 (mean = 24 cm/y). Detailed analyses revealed changes in daily and seasonal metrics of precipitation over the course of the study: the amount of nongrowing season precipitation decreased since 1993, and summer growing season precipitation increased through time with a corresponding increase in frequency of extreme rainfall events. This increase in summer rainfall could explain the general loss in C3 species after the wet period at most locations through time. Total species richness in the wet period was among the highest in the five periods, with the deepest average storm depth in the summer and the fewest long duration (>45 day) dry intervals across all seasons. For other species-ecosystem combinations, two richness patterns were observed. Compared to AVG2, AVG1 had lower water-year precipitation yet more C3 species in upland grasslands, creosotebush, and mesquite shrublands, and more C4 perennial grasses in tarbush shrublands. AVG1 also had larger amounts of rainfall and more large storms in fall and spring with higher mean depths of storm and lower mean dry-day interval compared with AVG2. While DRY1 and DRY2 had the same amount of precipitation, DRY2 had more C4 species than DRY1 in creosote bush shrublands, and DRY1 had more C3 species than DRY2 in upland grasslands. Most differences in rainfall between these periods occurred in the summer. Legacy effects were observed for C3 species in upland grasslands where no significant change in richness occurred from DRY1 to WET compared with a 41% loss of species from the WET to DRY2 period. The opposite asymmetry pattern was found for C4 subdominant species in creosote bush and mesquite shrublands, where an increase in richness occurred from DRY1 to WET followed by no change in richness from WET to DRY2. Our results show that understanding plant biodiversity of Chihuahuan Desert landscapes as precipitation continues to change will require daily and seasonal metrics of rainfall within a wet-dry period paradigm, as well as a consideration of species traits (photosynthetic pathways, lifespan, morphologies). Understanding these relationships can provide insights into predicting species-level dynamics in drylands under a changing climate.
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Bao F, Xin Z, Li J, Liu M, Cao Y, Lu Q, Gao Y, Wu B. Effects of the Simulated Enhancement of Precipitation on the Phenology of Nitraria tangutorum under Extremely Dry and Wet Years. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10071474. [PMID: 34371677 PMCID: PMC8309252 DOI: 10.3390/plants10071474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Plant phenology is the most sensitive biological indicator that responds to climate change. Many climate models predict that extreme precipitation events will occur frequently in the arid areas of northwest China in the future, with an increase in the quantity and unpredictability of rain. Future changes in precipitation will inevitably have a profound impact on plant phenology in arid areas. A recent study has shown that after the simulated enhancement of precipitation, the end time of the leaf unfolding period of Nitraria tangutorum advanced, and the end time of leaf senescence was delayed. Under extreme climatic conditions, such as extremely dry or wet years, it is unclear whether the influence of the simulated enhancement of precipitation on the phenology of N. tangutorum remains stable. To solve this problem, this study systematically analyzed the effects of the simulated enhancement of precipitation on the start, end and duration of four phenological events of N. tangutorum, including leaf budding, leaf unfolding, leaf senescence and leaf fall under extremely dry and wet conditions. The aim of this study was to clarify the similarities and differences of the effects of the simulated enhancement of precipitation on the start, end and duration of each phenological period of N. tangutorum in an extremely dry and an extremely wet year to reveal the regulatory effect of extremely dry and excessive amounts of precipitation on the phenology of N. tangutorum. (1) After the simulated enhancement of precipitation, the start and end times of the spring phenology (leaf budding and leaf unfolding) of N. tangutorum advanced during an extremely dry and an extremely wet year, but the duration of phenology was shortened during an extremely wet year and prolonged during an extremely drought-stricken year. The amplitude of variation increased with the increase in simulated precipitation. (2) After the simulated enhancement of precipitation, the start and end times of the phenology (leaf senescence and leaf fall) of N. tangutorum during the autumn advanced in an extremely wet year but was delayed during an extremely dry year, and the duration of phenology was prolonged in both extremely dry and wet years. The amplitude of variation increased with the increase in simulated precipitation. (3) The regulation mechanism of extremely dry or wet years on the spring phenology of N. tangutorum lay in the different degree of influence on the start and end times of leaf budding and leaf unfolding. However, the regulation mechanism of extremely dry or wet years on the autumn phenology of N. tangutorum lay in different reasons. Water stress caused by excessive water forced N. tangutorum to start its leaf senescence early during an extremely wet year. In contrast, the alleviation of drought stress after watering during the senescence of N. tangutorum caused a delay in the autumn phenology during an extremely dry year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Bao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; (J.L.); (Y.C.); (Q.L.); (Y.G.)
- Key Laboratory for Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Correspondence: (F.B.); (B.W.)
| | - Zhiming Xin
- Experimental Center of Desert Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dengkou 015200, China; (Z.X.); (M.L.)
- Inner Mongolia Dengkou Desert Ecosystem National Observation Research Station, Dengkou 015200, China
| | - Jiazhu Li
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; (J.L.); (Y.C.); (Q.L.); (Y.G.)
- Key Laboratory for Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Minghu Liu
- Experimental Center of Desert Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dengkou 015200, China; (Z.X.); (M.L.)
| | - Yanli Cao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; (J.L.); (Y.C.); (Q.L.); (Y.G.)
- Key Laboratory for Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Qi Lu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; (J.L.); (Y.C.); (Q.L.); (Y.G.)
| | - Ying Gao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; (J.L.); (Y.C.); (Q.L.); (Y.G.)
- Key Laboratory for Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; (J.L.); (Y.C.); (Q.L.); (Y.G.)
- Key Laboratory for Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Correspondence: (F.B.); (B.W.)
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Mauritz M, Lipson DA. Plant community composition alters moisture and temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in semi-arid shrubland. Oecologia 2021; 197:1003-1015. [PMID: 34142233 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04961-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Soil respiration (Rs) is the second largest carbon (C) flux to the atmosphere and our understanding of how Rs and its components shift with plant-community composition remains an important question. We used high-frequency soil respiration measurements and root exclusion to evaluate how Rs, autotrophic respiration (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) vary between a semi-arid perennial shrub community and annual invasive community. Over two growing seasons, total Rs was 40% higher under annual vegetation compared to shrubs. Partitioning revealed consistently higher Ra under annual vegetation which accounted for most of the difference in Rs. Under annual vegetation, Ra increased soon after the first rain events and remained high despite cooling temperatures while shrub Ra increased only when soil temperature began to warm up. The Rh rates were similar between vegetation types when daily soil temperatures were lower than 20 °C. As soil temperatures increased and soil moisture dropped below 10%, Rh was consistently higher under annual vegetation than shrubs. Seasonal dynamics of Rs and Rh were best modeled with an interaction term between soil moisture and temperature with significantly different model parameters for each vegetation type. Differences in the timing and magnitude of Rs and Ra between vegetation types are consistent with phenological differences between shrubs and annuals. Under annuals, larger Rh at high temperatures suggests that expansion of annual vegetation and future hotter and drier conditions could lead to greater C losses from this semi-arid shrub system.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mauritz
- University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University, El Paso, TX, 79902, USA.
| | - D A Lipson
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-4614, USA
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O’Donnell AJ, Renton M, Allen KJ, Grierson PF. Tree growth responses to temporal variation in rainfall differ across a continental-scale climatic gradient. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249959. [PMID: 33945548 PMCID: PMC8096069 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, many biomes are being impacted by significant shifts in total annual rainfall as well as increasing variability of rainfall within and among years. Such changes can have potentially large impacts on plant productivity and growth, but remain largely unknown, particularly for much of the Southern Hemisphere. We investigate how growth of the widespread conifer, Callitris columellaris varied with inter-annual variation in the amount, intensity and frequency of rainfall events over the last century and between semi-arid (<500 mm mean annual rainfall) and tropical (>800 mm mean annual rainfall) biomes in Australia. We used linear and polynomial regression models to investigate the strength and shape of the relationships between growth (ring width) and rainfall. At semi-arid sites, growth was strongly and linearly related to rainfall amount, regardless of differences in the seasonality and intensity of rainfall. The linear shape of the relationship indicates that predicted future declines in mean rainfall will have proportional negative impacts on long-term tree growth in semi-arid biomes. In contrast, growth in the tropics showed a weak and asymmetrical ('concave-down') response to rainfall amount, where growth was less responsive to changes in rainfall amount at the higher end of the rainfall range (>1250 mm annual rainfall) than at the lower end (<1000 mm annual rainfall). The asymmetric relationship indicates that long-term growth rates of Callitris in the tropics are more sensitive to increased inter-annual variability of rainfall than to changes in the mean amount of rainfall. Our findings are consistent with observations that the responses of vegetation to changes in the mean or variability of rainfall differ between mesic and semi-arid biomes. These results highlight how contrasting growth responses of a widespread species across a hydroclimatic gradient can inform understanding of potential sensitivity of different biomes to climatic variability and change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison J. O’Donnell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Michael Renton
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Kathryn J. Allen
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Richmond, Victoria, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pauline F. Grierson
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Qi M, Liu X, Li Y, Song H, Yin Z, Zhang F, He Q, Xu Z, Zhou G. Photosynthetic resistance and resilience under drought, flooding and rewatering in maize plants. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2021; 148:1-15. [PMID: 33661466 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00825-3] [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: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Abnormally altered precipitation patterns induced by climate change have profound global effects on crop production. However, the plant functional responses to various precipitation regimes remain unclear. Here, greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to determine how maize plant functional traits respond to drought, flooding and rewatering. Drought and flooding hampered photosynthetic capacity, particularly when severe and/or prolonged. Most photosynthetic traits recovered after rewatering, with few compensatory responses. Rewatering often elicited high photosynthetic resilience in plants exposed to severe drought at the end of plant development, with the response strongly depending on the drought severity/duration. The associations of chlorophyll concentrations with photosynthetically functional activities were stronger during post-tasseling than pre-tasseling, implying an involvement of leaf age/senescence in responses to episodic drought and subsequent rewatering. Coordinated changes in chlorophyll content, gas exchange, fluorescence parameters (PSII quantum efficiency and photochemical/non-photochemical radiative energy dissipation) possibly contributed to the enhanced drought resistance and resilience and suggested a possible regulative trade-off. These findings provide fundamental insights into how plants regulate their functional traits to deal with sporadic alterations in precipitation. Breeding and management of plants with high resistance and resilience traits could help crop production under future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaodi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yibo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - He Song
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zuotian Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Qijin He
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhenzhu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
| | - Guangsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
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Comparison of Changes in Soil Moisture Content Following Rainfall in Different Subtropical Plantations of the Yangtze River Delta Region. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13070914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Rainfall is an indispensable link in the atmospheric water cycle, which plays a critical role in forest hydrology. Quercus acutissima and Cunninghamia lanceolata are two fast-growing and economically important tree species in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. They are extensively applied in the restoration of vegetation, hydraulic engineering, and the development of artificial forests. The primary aims of this study were to describe and compare the changes in soil water content following rainfall events, while elucidating their relationships to environmental factors. From September 2012 to August 2013, we monitored the soil moisture at different depths every 30 min using commercially available soil moisture measuring devices. Hourly meteorological data were monitored over an open area at 200 m from the sample site, including photosynthetically active radiation (Par), air temperature (Ta), relative air humidity (RH), vapor pressure deficits (Vpd), rainfall, and wind speed. The results revealed that variations in the soil moisture content during summer (Cv = 0.231) and autumn (Cv = 0.0.170) were greater than during spring (Cv = 0.0.092) and winter (Cv = 0.0.055), with those in the deep soil moisture (Cv = 0.117) being smaller. The soil moisture content was significantly altered following the cessation of rainfall, where the initial and average moisture content, and the ACR of the soil increased with higher rainfall intensities. The ACR was positively correlated with Ta (γ = 0.16), RH (γ = 0.46) and rainfall (γ = 0.22), but negatively correlated with Par (γ = −0.29), Vpd (γ = −0.23), and wind speed (γ = −0.01). This study provides valuable information regarding the hydrological processes of artificial forests in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
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Zhang J, Shen X, Mu B, Shi Y, Yang Y, Wu X, Mu C, Wang J. Moderately prolonged dry intervals between precipitation events promote production in Leymus chinensis in a semi-arid grassland of Northeast China. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 21:147. [PMID: 33743593 PMCID: PMC7981859 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-02920-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climate change is predicted to lead to changes in the amount and distribution of precipitation during the growing seasonal. This "repackaging" of rainfall could be particularly important for grassland productivity. Here, we designed a two-factor full factorial experiment (three levels of precipitation amount and six levels of dry intervals) to investigate the effect of precipitation patterns on biomass production in Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. (a dominant species in the Eastern Eurasian Steppe). RESULTS Our results showed that increased amounts of rainfall with prolonged dry intervals promoted biomass production in L. chinensis by increasing soil moisture, except for the longest dry interval (21 days). However, prolonged dry intervals with increased amount of precipitation per event decreased the available soil nitrogen content, especially the soil NO3--N content. For small with more frequent rainfall events pattern, L. chinensis biomass decreased due to smaller plant size (plant height) and fewer ramets. Under large quantities of rain falling during a few events, the reduction in biomass was not only affected by decreasing plant individual size and lower ramet number but also by withering of aboveground parts, which resulted from both lower soil water content and lower NO3--N content. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that prolonged dry intervals between rainfall combined with large precipitation events will dramatically change grassland productivity in the future. For certain combinations of prolonged dry intervals and increased amounts of intervening rainfall, semi-arid grassland productivity may improve. However, this rainfall pattern may accelerate the loss of available soil nitrogen. Under extremely prolonged dry intervals, the periods between precipitation events exceeded the soil moisture recharge interval, the available soil moisture became fully depleted, and plant growth ceased. This implies that changes in the seasonal distribution of rainfall due to climate change could have a major impact on grassland productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Xiangjin Shen
- Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102, P.R. China
| | - Bifan Mu
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Yujie Shi
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Yuheng Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Xuefeng Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Chunsheng Mu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China.
| | - Junfeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China.
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Assessing Vegetation Response to Multi-Scalar Drought across the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan Deserts and Apache Highlands in the Southwest United States. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13061103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the patterns and relationships between vegetation productivity and climatic conditions is essential for predicting the future impacts of climate change. Climate change is altering precipitation patterns and increasing temperatures in the Southwest United States. The large-scale and long-term effects of these changes on vegetation productivity are not well understood. This study investigates the patterns and relationships between seasonal vegetation productivity, represented by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) across the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts and the Apache Highlands of the Southwest United States over 16 years from 2000 to 2015. To examine the spatiotemporal gradient and response of vegetation productivity to dry and wet conditions, we evaluated the linear trend of different SPEI timescales and correlations between NDVI and SPEI. We found that all four ecoregions are experiencing more frequent and severe drought conditions in recent years as measured by negative SPEI trends and severe negative SPEI values. We found that changes in NDVI were more strongly correlated with winter rather than summer water availability. Investigating correlations by vegetation type across all four ecoregions, we found that grassland and shrubland productivity were more dependent on summer water availability whereas sparse vegetation and forest productivity were more dependent on winter water availability. Our results can inform resource management and enhance our understanding of vegetation vulnerability to climate change.
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Post AK, Knapp AK. How big is big enough? Surprising responses of a semiarid grassland to increasing deluge size. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1157-1169. [PMID: 33295017 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change has intensified the hydrologic cycle globally, increasing the magnitude and frequency of large precipitation events, or deluges. Dryland ecosystems are expected to be particularly responsive to increases in deluge size, as their ecological processes are largely dependent on distinct soil moisture pulses. To better understand how increasing deluge size will affect ecosystem function, we conducted a field experiment in a native semiarid shortgrass steppe (Colorado, USA). We quantified ecological responses to a range of deluge sizes, from moderate to extreme, with the goal of identifying response patterns and thresholds beyond which ecological processes would not increase further (saturate). Using a replicated regression approach, we imposed single deluges that ranged in size from 20 to 120 mm (82.3rd to >99.9th percentile of historical event size) on undisturbed grassland plots. We quantified pre- and postdeluge responses in soil moisture, soil respiration, and canopy greenness, as well as leaf water potential, growth, and flowering of the dominant grass species (Bouteloua gracilis). We also measured end of season above- and belowground net primary production (ANPP, BNPP). As expected, this water-limited ecosystem responded strongly to the applied deluges, but surprisingly, most variables increased linearly with deluge size. We found little evidence for response thresholds within the range of deluge sizes imposed, at least during this dry year. Instead, response patterns reflected the linear increase in the duration of elevated soil moisture (2-22 days) with increasing event size. Flowering of B. gracilis and soil respiration responded particularly strongly to deluge size (14- and 4-fold increases, respectively), as did ANPP and BNPP (~60% increase for both). Overall, our results suggest that this semiarid grassland will respond positively and linearly to predicted increases in deluge size, and that event sizes may need to exceed historical magnitudes, or occur during wet years, before responses saturate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison K Post
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Johnson RA. Desiccation limits recruitment in the pleometrotic desert seed-harvester ant Veromessor pergandei. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:294-308. [PMID: 33437430 PMCID: PMC7790620 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The desert harvester ant Veromessor pergandei displays geographic variation in colony founding with queens initiating nests singly (haplometrosis) or in groups (pleometrosis). The transition from haplo- to pleometrotic founding is associated with lower rainfall. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of cooperative founding in this species, but the ultimate explanation remains unanswered. In laboratory experiments, water level was positively associated with survival, condition, and brood production by single queens. Queen survival also was positively influenced by water level and queen number in a two-factor experiment. Water level also was a significant effect for three measures of queen condition, but queen number was not significant for any measure. Foundress queens excavated after two weeks of desiccating conditions were dehydrated compared to alate queens captured from their natal colony, indicating that desiccation can be a source of queen mortality. Long-term monitoring in central Arizona, USA, documented that recruitment only occurred in four of 20 years. A discriminant analysis using rainfall as a predictor of recruitment correctly predicted recruitment in 17 of 20 years for total rainfall from January to June (the period for mating flights and establishment) and in 19 of 20 years for early plus late rainfall (January-March and April-June, respectively), often with a posterior probability > 0.90. Moreover, recruitment occurred only in years in which both early and late rainfall exceeded the long-term mean. This result also was supported by the discriminant analysis predicting no recruitment when long-term mean early and late rainfall were included as ungrouped periods. These data suggest that pleometrosis in V. pergandei evolved to enhance colony survival in areas with harsh abiotic (desiccating) conditions, facilitating colonization of habitats in which solitary queens could not establish even in wet years. This favorable-year hypothesis supports enhanced worker production as the primary advantage of pleometrosis.
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Nakano T, Bat-Oyun T, Shinoda M. Responses of palatable plants to climate and grazing in semi-arid grasslands of Mongolia. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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Liang M, Feng X, Gornish ES. Rainfall pulses mediate long‐term plant community compositional dynamics in a semi‐arid rangeland. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maowei Liang
- Institute of Ecology College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education Peking University Beijing China
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
| | - Xiao Feng
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
- Institute of the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
- Department of Geography Florida State University Tallahassee FL USA
| | - Elise S. Gornish
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
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Environmental controls of plant phenology in twelve desert plant species in the Patagonian Monte, Argentina. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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46
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Zakharova L, Meyer K, Seifan M. Combining trait- and individual-based modelling to understand desert plant community dynamics. Ecol Modell 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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47
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Luo Y, El-Madany T, Ma X, Nair R, Jung M, Weber U, Filippa G, Bucher SF, Moreno G, Cremonese E, Carrara A, Gonzalez-Cascon R, Cáceres Escudero Y, Galvagno M, Pacheco-Labrador J, Martín MP, Perez-Priego O, Reichstein M, Richardson AD, Menzel A, Römermann C, Migliavacca M. Nutrients and water availability constrain the seasonality of vegetation activity in a Mediterranean ecosystem. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:4379-4400. [PMID: 32348631 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15138] [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: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and resulting differences in ecosystem N and phosphorus (P) ratios are expected to impact photosynthetic capacity, that is, maximum gross primary productivity (GPPmax ). However, the interplay between N and P availability with other critical resources on seasonal dynamics of ecosystem productivity remains largely unknown. In a Mediterranean tree-grass ecosystem, we established three landscape-level (24 ha) nutrient addition treatments: N addition (NT), N and P addition (NPT), and a control site (CT). We analyzed the response of ecosystem to altered nutrient stoichiometry using eddy covariance fluxes measurements, satellite observations, and digital repeat photography. A set of metrics, including phenological transition dates (PTDs; timing of green-up and dry-down), slopes during green-up and dry-down period, and seasonal amplitude, were extracted from time series of GPPmax and used to represent the seasonality of vegetation activity. The seasonal amplitude of GPPmax was higher for NT and NPT than CT, which was attributed to changes in structure and physiology induced by fertilization. PTDs were mainly driven by rainfall and exhibited no significant differences among treatments during the green-up period. Yet, both fertilized sites senesced earlier during the dry-down period (17-19 days), which was more pronounced in the NT due to larger evapotranspiration and water usage. Fertilization also resulted in a faster increase in GPPmax during the green-up period and a sharper decline in GPPmax during the dry-down period, with less prominent decline response in NPT. Overall, we demonstrated seasonality of vegetation activity was altered after fertilization and the importance of nutrient-water interaction in such water-limited ecosystems. With the projected warming-drying trend, the positive effects of N fertilization induced by N deposition on GPPmax may be counteracted by an earlier and faster dry-down in particular in areas where the N:P ratio increases, with potential impact on the carbon cycle of water-limited ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Luo
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Tarek El-Madany
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Xuanlong Ma
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Richard Nair
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Jung
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Ulrich Weber
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Gianluca Filippa
- Environmental Protection Agency of Aosta Valley, ARPA Valle d'Aosta, Aosta, Italy
| | - Solveig F Bucher
- Plant Biodiversity Group, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Michael-Stifel-Center Jena for Data-Driven and Simulation Science, Jena, Germany
| | - Gerardo Moreno
- Institute for Dehesa Research, University of Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain
| | - Edoardo Cremonese
- Environmental Protection Agency of Aosta Valley, ARPA Valle d'Aosta, Aosta, Italy
| | - Arnaud Carrara
- Fundación Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), Paterna, Spain
| | - Rosario Gonzalez-Cascon
- Department of Environment, National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (INIA), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Marta Galvagno
- Environmental Protection Agency of Aosta Valley, ARPA Valle d'Aosta, Aosta, Italy
| | - Javier Pacheco-Labrador
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - M Pilar Martín
- Environmental Remote Sensing and Spectroscopy Laboratory (SpecLab), Institute of Economic, Geography and Demography (IEGD-CCHS), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar Perez-Priego
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - Markus Reichstein
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
- Michael-Stifel-Center Jena for Data-Driven and Simulation Science, Jena, Germany
| | - Andrew D Richardson
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Annette Menzel
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Christine Römermann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Plant Biodiversity Group, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Michael-Stifel-Center Jena for Data-Driven and Simulation Science, Jena, Germany
| | - Mirco Migliavacca
- Department for Biogeochemical Integration, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
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Winkler DE, Belnap J, Duniway MC, Hoover D, Reed SC, Yokum H, Gill R. Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types. Oecologia 2020; 193:811-825. [PMID: 32728948 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04718-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Differentiation in physiological activity is a critical component of resource partitioning in resource-limited environments. For example, it is crucial to understand how plant physiological performance varies through time for different functional groups to forecast how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to change. Here, we tracked the seasonal progress of 13 plant species representing C3 shrub, perennial C3 and C4 grass, and annual forb functional groups of the Colorado Plateau, USA. We tested for differences in carbon assimilation strategies and how photosynthetic rates related to recent, seasonal, and annual precipitation and temperature variables. Despite seasonal shifts in species presence and activity, we found small differences in seasonally weighted annual photosynthetic rates among groups. However, differences in the timing of maximum assimilation (Anet) were strongly functional group-dependent. C3 shrubs employed a relatively consistent, low carbon capture strategy and maintained activity year-round but switched to a rapid growth strategy in response to recent climate conditions. In contrast, grasses maintained higher carbon capture during spring months when all perennials had maximum photosynthetic rates, but grasses were dormant during months when shrubs remained active. Perennial grass Anet rates were explained in part by precipitation accumulated during the preceding year and average maximum temperatures during the past 48 h, a result opposite to shrubs. These results lend insight into diverse physiological strategies and their connections to climate, and also point to the potential for shrubs to increase in abundance in response to increased climatic variability in drylands, given shrubs' ability to respond rapidly to changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Winkler
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, 84532, USA.
| | - Jayne Belnap
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, 84532, USA
| | - Michael C Duniway
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, 84532, USA
| | - David Hoover
- Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins, 80526, USA
| | - Sasha C Reed
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, 84532, USA
| | - Hannah Yokum
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84604, USA
| | - Richard Gill
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84604, USA
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Bao F, Liu M, Cao Y, Li J, Yao B, Xin Z, Lu Q, Wu B. Water Addition Prolonged the Length of the Growing Season of the Desert Shrub Nitraria tangutorum in a Temperate Desert. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:1099. [PMID: 32793260 PMCID: PMC7386313 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Climate models often predict that more extreme precipitation events will occur in arid and semiarid regions, where plant phenology is particularly sensitive to precipitation changes. To understand how increases in precipitation affect plant phenology, this study conducted a manipulative field experiment in a desert ecosystem of northwest China. In this study, a long-term in situ water addition experiment was conducted in a temperate desert in northwestern China. The following five treatments were used: natural rain plus an additional 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of the local mean annual precipitation. A series of phenological events, including leaf unfolding (onset, 30%, 50%, and end of leaf unfolding), cessation of new branch elongation (30, 50, and 90%), and leaf coloration (80% of leaves turned yellow), of the locally dominant shrub Nitraria tangutorum were observed from 2012 to 2018. The results showed that on average, over the seven-year-study and in all treatments water addition treatments advanced the spring phenology (30% of leaf unfolding) by 1.29-3.00 days, but delayed the autumn phenology (80% of leaves turned yellow) by 1.18-11.82 days. Therefore, the length of the growing season was prolonged by 2.11-13.68 days, and autumn phenology contributed more than spring phenology. In addition, water addition treatments delayed the cessation of new branch elongation (90%) by 5.82-12.61 days, and nonlinear relationships were found between the leaves yellowing (80% of leaves) and the amount of watering. Linear relationships were found between the cessation of new branch elongation (90%), the length of the growing season, and amount of water addition. The two response patterns to water increase indicated that predictions of phenological events in the future should not be based on one trend only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Bao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory for Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Minghu Liu
- Experimental Center of Desert Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dengkou, China
| | - Yanli Cao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Jiazhu Li
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Yao
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiming Xin
- Experimental Center of Desert Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dengkou, China
- Inner Mongolia Dengkou Desert Ecosystem National Observation Research Station, Dengkou, China
| | - Qi Lu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Experimental Center of Desert Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dengkou, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory for Desert Ecosystem and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
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50
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Zhou Y, Li X, Gao Y, He M, Wang M, Wang Y, Zhao L, Li Y. Carbon fluxes response of an artificial sand-binding vegetation system to rainfall variation during the growing season in the Tengger Desert. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 266:110556. [PMID: 32310116 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110556] [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: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Revegetation is considered as an effective approach for desertification control, and artificial sand-binding vegetation exerts a significant contributor to carbon cycling in arid and semiarid regions; however, this is largely determined by the rainfall regime. We measured carbon fluxes (the net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), the gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) and the ecosystem respiration (Reco)) during the growing season of 2014-2016 using the eddy covariance technique and explored the effects of rainfall variables (amount, timing distribution and pulse size) and environmental factors on carbon fluxes at different time scales. The system had NEE values of -117.5 and -98.9 g C m-2 during the growing seasons of 2015 (dry year) and 2016 (wet year), respectively. When the rainfall amount did not differ significantly between spring and autumn, the cumulative GEP was greater in spring than in autumn, whereas the cumulative Reco and NEE showed the opposite pattern. Small (<5 mm) rain events failed to trigger obvious GEP and NEE pulses, whereas ≥ 5 mm or a series of small rain events led to high assimilation but with hysteresis. The magnitude of Reco increased as the rain pulses increased. The Random Forest (RF) algorithm revealed that soil water contents had a great impact on carbon fluxes at different integration periods. A correlation analysis showed that the soil water contents were positively correlated with GEP and Reco and negatively correlated with NEE over different time scales in most cases. These findings suggest that artificial vegetation not only improves habitat restoration but is a significant carbon sink during both dry and wet growing season, which is likely to supplement our knowledge gap to accurately evaluate the current carbon budget in dry land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Zhou
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xinrong Li
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
| | - Yanhong Gao
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Mingzhu He
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Mingming Wang
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yanli Wang
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lina Zhao
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yunfei Li
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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