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Tariq A, Sardans J, Zeng F, Graciano C, Hughes AC, Farré-Armengol G, Peñuelas J. Impact of aridity rise and arid lands expansion on carbon-storing capacity, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem services. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17292. [PMID: 38634556 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Drylands, comprising semi-arid, arid, and hyperarid regions, cover approximately 41% of the Earth's land surface and have expanded considerably in recent decades. Even under more optimistic scenarios, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2100, semi-arid lands may increase by up to 38%. This study provides an overview of the state-of-the-art regarding changing aridity in arid regions, with a specific focus on its effects on the accumulation and availability of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in plant-soil systems. Additionally, we summarized the impacts of rising aridity on biodiversity, service provisioning, and feedback effects on climate change across scales. The expansion of arid ecosystems is linked to a decline in C and nutrient stocks, plant community biomass and diversity, thereby diminishing the capacity for recovery and maintaining adequate water-use efficiency by plants and microbes. Prolonged drought led to a -3.3% reduction in soil organic carbon (SOC) content (based on 148 drought-manipulation studies), a -8.7% decrease in plant litter input, a -13.0% decline in absolute litter decomposition, and a -5.7% decrease in litter decomposition rate. Moreover, a substantial positive feedback loop with global warming exists, primarily due to increased albedo. The loss of critical ecosystem services, including food production capacity and water resources, poses a severe challenge to the inhabitants of these regions. Increased aridity reduces SOC, nutrient, and water content. Aridity expansion and intensification exacerbate socio-economic disparities between economically rich and least developed countries, with significant opportunities for improvement through substantial investments in infrastructure and technology. By 2100, half the world's landmass may become dryland, characterized by severe conditions marked by limited C, N, and P resources, water scarcity, and substantial loss of native species biodiversity. These conditions pose formidable challenges for maintaining essential services, impacting human well-being and raising complex global and regional socio-political challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Tariq
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jordi Sardans
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Fanjiang Zeng
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Corina Graciano
- Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alice C Hughes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Gerard Farré-Armengol
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
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2
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Felton AJ, Goldsmith GR. Timing and magnitude of drought impacts on carbon uptake across a grassland biome. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:2790-2803. [PMID: 36792968 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Although drought is known to negatively impact grassland functioning, the timing and magnitude of these impacts within a growing season remain unresolved. Previous small-scale assessments indicate grasslands may only respond to drought during narrow periods within a year; however, large-scale assessments are now needed to uncover the general patterns and determinants of this timing. We combined remote sensing datasets of gross primary productivity and weather to assess the timing and magnitude of grassland responses to drought at 5 km2 temporal resolution across two expansive ecoregions of the western US Great Plains biome: the C4 -dominated shortgrass steppe and the C3 -dominated northern mixed prairies. Across over 700,000 pixel-year combinations covering more than 600,000 km2 , we studied how the driest years between 2003-2020 altered the daily and bi-weekly dynamics of grassland carbon (C) uptake. Reductions to C uptake intensified into the early summer during drought and peaked in mid- and late June in both ecoregions. Stimulation of spring C uptake during drought was small and insufficient to compensate for losses during summer. Thus, total grassland C uptake was consistently reduced by drought across both ecoregions; however, reductions were twice as large across the more southern and warmer shortgrass steppe. Across the biome, increased summer vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was strongly linked to peak reductions in vegetation greenness during drought. Rising VPD will likely exacerbate reductions in C uptake during drought across the western US Great Plains, with these reductions greatest during the warmest months and in the warmest locations. High spatiotemporal resolution analyses of grassland response to drought over large areas provide both generalizable insights and new opportunities for basic and applied ecosystem science in these water-limited ecoregions amid climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Felton
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Gregory R Goldsmith
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
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3
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Oulehle F, Tahovská K, Ač A, Kolář T, Rybníček M, Čermák P, Štěpánek P, Trnka M, Urban O, Hruška J. Changes in forest nitrogen cycling across deposition gradient revealed by δ 15N in tree rings. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 304:119104. [PMID: 35301033 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Tree rings provide valuable insight into past environmental changes. This study aimed to evaluate perturbations in tree ring width (TRW) and δ15N alongside soil acidity and nutrient availability gradients caused by the contrasting legacy of air pollution (nitrogen [N] and sulphur [S] deposition) and tree species (European beech, Silver fir and Norway spruce). We found consistent declines of tree ring δ15N, which were temporarily unrelated to the changes in the TRW. The rate of δ15N change in tree rings was related to the contemporary foliar carbon (C) to phosphorus (P) ratio. This observation suggested that the long-term accumulation of 15N depleted N in tree rings, likely mediated by retained N from deposition, was restricted primarily to stands with currently higher P availability. The shifts observed in tree-ring δ15N and TRW suggest that acidic air pollution rather than changes in stand productivity determined alteration of N and C cycles. Stable N isotopes in tree rings provided helpful information on the trajectory of the N cycle over the last century with direct consequences for a better understanding of future interactions among N, P and C cycles in terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Oulehle
- Czech Geological Survey, Klárov 3, 118 21, Prague, Czech Republic; Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Karolina Tahovská
- Department of Ecosystem Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Alexandr Ač
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Kolář
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Wood Science and Technology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Rybníček
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Wood Science and Technology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Čermák
- Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Štěpánek
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Trnka
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Otmar Urban
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Hruška
- Czech Geological Survey, Klárov 3, 118 21, Prague, Czech Republic; Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic
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4
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Mason RE, Craine JM, Lany NK, Jonard M, Ollinger SV, Groffman PM, Fulweiler RW, Angerer J, Read QD, Reich PB, Templer PH, Elmore AJ. Explanations for nitrogen decline-Response. Science 2022; 376:1170. [PMID: 35679414 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq8690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Mason
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | | | - Nina K Lany
- US Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Mathieu Jonard
- Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Scott V Ollinger
- Earth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Peter M Groffman
- City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, New York, NY 10031, USA.,Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY 12545, USA
| | - Robinson W Fulweiler
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.,Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jay Angerer
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, Miles City, MT 59301, USA
| | - Quentin D Read
- US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Southeast Area, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.,Institute for Global Change Biology and School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Andrew J Elmore
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, MD 21532, USA.,National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA
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5
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Mason RE, Craine JM, Lany NK, Jonard M, Ollinger SV, Groffman PM, Fulweiler RW, Angerer J, Read QD, Reich PB, Templer PH, Elmore AJ. Evidence, causes, and consequences of declining nitrogen availability in terrestrial ecosystems. Science 2022; 376:eabh3767. [PMID: 35420945 DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The productivity of ecosystems and their capacity to support life depends on access to reactive nitrogen (N). Over the past century, humans have more than doubled the global supply of reactive N through industrial and agricultural activities. However, long-term records demonstrate that N availability is declining in many regions of the world. Reactive N inputs are not evenly distributed, and global changes-including elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and rising temperatures-are affecting ecosystem N supply relative to demand. Declining N availability is constraining primary productivity, contributing to lower leaf N concentrations, and reducing the quality of herbivore diets in many ecosystems. We outline the current state of knowledge about declining N availability and propose actions aimed at characterizing and responding to this emerging challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Mason
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | | | - Nina K Lany
- Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Mathieu Jonard
- Earth and Life Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Scott V Ollinger
- Earth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Peter M Groffman
- Advanced Science Research Center, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.,Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
| | - Robinson W Fulweiler
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jay Angerer
- Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Miles City, MT, USA
| | - Quentin D Read
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.,Institute for Global Change Biology and School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Andrew J Elmore
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, Annapolis, MD, USA.,Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, MD, USA
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6
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Zhang B, Zhang J, Hastings A, Fu Z, Yuan Y, Zhai L. Contrasting plant responses to multivariate environmental variations among species with divergent elevation shifts. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e02488. [PMID: 34679234 PMCID: PMC9285362 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The general predictions of climate impacts on species shifts (e.g., upward shift) cannot directly inform local species conservation, because local-scale studies find divergent patterns instead of a general one. For example, our previous study found three shift patterns with elevation (strong down-, moderate down-, and up-slope shifts) in temperate mountain forests. The divergent shifts are hypothesized to arise from both multivariate environmental variations with elevation and corresponding species-specific responses. To test this hypothesis, we sampled soils and leaves to measure elevation variations in soil conditions and determined plant responses using discriminations against heavier isotopes, carbon (13 C) and nitrogen (15 N). Functional traits of the species studied were also extracted from a public trait dataset. We found that: (1) With low soil water contents at low elevations, only the leaves of up-shifters had lower 13 C discriminations at low vs. high elevations; (2) With low soil P contents at high elevations, only the leaves of moderate down-shifters had higher 15 N discriminations at high vs. low elevations; (3) The leaves of strong down-shifters did not show significant elevation patterns of the discriminations; (4) The contrasting responses among the three types of shifters agree with their functional dissimilarity, suggested by their separate locations in a multitrait space. Taken together, the divergent shifts are associated with the elevation variations in environmental conditions and contrasting plant responses. The contrasting responses could result from the functional dissimilarity among species. Therefore, a detailed understanding of both local environmental variations and species-specific responses can facilitate accurate predictions of species shifts to inform local species conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and ManagementOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahoma74078USA
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahoma74078USA
| | - Jinchi Zhang
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern ChinaJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological RestorationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsu210037China
| | - Alan Hastings
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCalifornia95616USA
- Santa Fe InstituteSanta FeNew Mexico87501USA
| | - Zhiyuan Fu
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern ChinaJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological RestorationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsu210037China
| | - Yingdan Yuan
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern ChinaJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological RestorationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsu210037China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and PhysiologyCollege of Horticulture and Plant ProtectionYangzhou UniversityNo. 88, Daxue South RoadYangzhouJiangsu225127China
| | - Lu Zhai
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and ManagementOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahoma74078USA
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7
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Wood DJA, Powell S, Stoy PC, Thurman LL, Beever EA. Is the grass always greener? Land surface phenology reveals differences in peak and season-long vegetation productivity responses to climate and management. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:11168-11199. [PMID: 34429910 PMCID: PMC8366863 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Vegetation phenology-the seasonal timing and duration of vegetative phases-is controlled by spatiotemporally variable contributions of climatic and environmental factors plus additional potential influence from human management. We used land surface phenology derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and climate data to examine variability in vegetation productivity and phenological dates from 1989 to 2014 in the U.S. Northwestern Plains, a region with notable spatial heterogeneity in climate, vegetation, and land use. We first analyzed interannual trends in six phenological measures as a baseline. We then demonstrated how including annual-resolution predictors can provide more nuanced insights into measures of phenology between plant communities and across the ecoregion. Across the study area, higher annual precipitation increased both peak and season-long productivity. In contrast, higher mean annual temperatures tended to increase peak productivity but for the majority of the study area decreased season-long productivity. Annual precipitation and temperature had strong explanatory power for productivity-related phenology measures but predicted date-based measures poorly. We found that relationships between climate and phenology varied across the region and among plant communities and that factors such as recovery from disturbance and anthropogenic management also contributed in certain regions. In sum, phenological measures did not respond ubiquitously nor covary in their responses. Nonclimatic dynamics can decouple phenology from climate; therefore, analyses including only interannual trends should not assume climate alone drives patterns. For example, models of areas exhibiting greening or browning should account for climate, anthropogenic influence, and natural disturbances. Investigating multiple aspects of phenology to describe growing-season dynamics provides a richer understanding of spatiotemporal patterns that can be used for predicting ecosystem responses to future climates and land-use change. Such understanding allows for clearer interpretation of results for conservation, wildlife, and land management.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. A. Wood
- U.S. Geological SurveyNorthern Rocky Mountain Science CenterBozemanMontanaUSA
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental SciencesMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
| | - Scott Powell
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental SciencesMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
| | - Paul C. Stoy
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental SciencesMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
- Department of Biological Systems EngineeringUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Lindsey L. Thurman
- U.S. Geological SurveyNorthern Rocky Mountain Science CenterBozemanMontanaUSA
- U.S. Geological SurveyNorthwest Climate Adaptation Science CenterCorvallisOregonUSA
| | - Erik A. Beever
- U.S. Geological SurveyNorthern Rocky Mountain Science CenterBozemanMontanaUSA
- Department of EcologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
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8
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Seasonal patterns of bison diet across climate gradients in North America. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6829. [PMID: 33767267 PMCID: PMC7994382 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86260-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
North American plains bison (Bison bison) have been reintroduced across their former range, yet we know too little about their current diet to understand what drove their past migrations as well as observed continental-scale variation in weight gain and reproduction. In order to better understand the seasonal diets of bison at the continental scale, bison fecal material was collected monthly from April to September in 2019 across 45 sites throughout the conterminous United States. Fecal material was analyzed for dietary quality using near infrared spectroscopy and dietary composition with DNA metabarcoding. As observed in previous research, dietary quality peaked in June and was on average greatest for sites with cold, wet climates. Yet, in April, dietary quality was highest in warmer regions, likely reflecting earlier phenology of plants in southern than northern regions. Independent of climate and season, bison that consumed more warm-season grasses had lower dietary protein concentrations. Interpreting the relative abundance of sequences from different plant species as the relative intake of protein from those species, only 38% of bison protein intake came from grasses. An equal amount of dietary protein came from legumes (38%) and 22% from non-leguminous forbs. Seasonal shifts in bison diet were also clear, in part, following the phenology of functional groups. For example, cool-season grass protein intake was highest in May, while legume protein intake was highest in August. Comparing data taken in June and September 2018 in a previous study with corresponding data in 2019, on average, June [CP] was 20% higher in 2019 than 2018, while September [CP] did not differ between years. Dietary functional group composition was generally similar in amounts and relationships with climate between years, yet in September 2019, legumes contributed 20% more protein and warm-season grasses 14% less than in September 2018. In all, this research demonstrates that bison consistently rely on eudicots for protein with the functional group composition of their diet in some ways consistent across space and time, but also spatially and temporally variable. The early-season inversion of plant quality gradients would have been a strong driver of migratory behavior for large numbers of bison optimizing protein intake. As most bison currently experience protein deficiency, optimizing protein intake under current non-migratory conditions will require increasing the relative abundance of high-protein species such as N2-fixing species.
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Rangeland Fractional Components Across the Western United States from 1985 to 2018. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13040813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Monitoring temporal dynamics of rangelands to detect and understand change in vegetation cover and composition provides a wealth of information to improve management and sustainability. Remote sensing allows the evaluation of both abrupt and gradual rangeland change at unprecedented spatial and temporal extents. Here, we describe the production of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Back in Time (BIT) dataset which quantified the percent cover of rangeland components (bare ground, herbaceous, annual herbaceous, litter, shrub, and sagebrush (Artemisia spp. Nutt.) across the western United States using Landsat imagery from 1985 to 2018. We evaluate the relationships of component trends with climate drivers at an ecoregion scale, describe the nature of landscape change, and demonstrate several case studies related to changes in grazing management, prescribed burns, and vegetation treatments. Our results showed the net cover of shrub, sagebrush, and litter significantly (p < 0.01) decreased, bare ground and herbaceous cover had no significant change, and annual herbaceous cover significantly (p < 0.05) increased. Change was ubiquitous, with a mean of 92% of pixels with some change and 38% of pixels with significant change (p < 0.10). However, most change was gradual, well over half of pixels have a range of less than 10%, and most change occurred outside of known disturbances. The BIT data facilitate a comprehensive assessment of rangeland condition, evaluation of past management actions, understanding of system variability, and opportunities for future planning.
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10
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Craine JM. Looking back in time to reconstruct nitrogen availability trajectories. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:5353-5355. [PMID: 32530557 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This is a commentary on Brookshire et al. 26, 5404-5413 For the Northern Great Plains, Brookshire, Stoy, Currey, and Finney (Global Change Biology, 2020) analyze satellite-based reconstructions of greenness and foliar nutrition and isotopic composition from herbarium samples. Their results of greater productivity coupled with reduced N availability are part of an inflection in our understanding of the global N cycle as much of the terrestrial biosphere appears to be experiencing reduced N availability.
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