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Hao Y, Sun A, Lu C, Su JQ, Chen QL. Protists and fungi: Reinforcing urban soil ecological functions against flash droughts. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 950:175274. [PMID: 39117190 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Rising instances of flash droughts are contributing to notable variability in soil moisture across terrestrial ecosystems. These phenomena challenge urban ecosystem services, yet the reaction of soil ecological functions (SEFs) to such events is poorly understood. This study investigates the responses of SEFs (about nutrient metabolism capacity and potential) and the microbiome under two specific scenarios: a flooding-drought sequence and a direct drought condition. Using quantitative microbial element cycling analysis, high-throughput sequencing, and enzyme activity measurements, we found that unlike in forests, the microbial composition in urban soils remained unchanged during flash drought conditions. However, SEFs were affected in both settings. Correlation analysis and Mantel test showed that forest soils exhibited more complex interactions among soil moisture, properties, and microbial communities. Positive linear correlation revealed that bacteria were the sole drivers of SEFs. Interestingly, while multi-threshold results suggested bacterial α diversity impeded the maximization of SEFs in urban soils, fungi and protists had a beneficial impact. Cross-domain network of urban soils had higher number of nodes and edges, but lower average degree and robustness than forest soils. Mantel test revealed that fungi and protist had significant correlations with bacterial composition in forest soils, but not in urban soils. In the urban network, the degree and eigenvector centrality of bacterial, fungal and protistan ASVs were significantly lower compared to those in the forest. These results suggest that the lower robustness of the microbial network in urban soils is attributed to limited interactions among fungi, consumer protists, and bacteria, contributing to the failure of microbial-driven ecological functions. Overall, our findings emphasize the critical role of fungi and protists in shielding urban soils from drought-induced disturbances and in enhancing the resistance of urban ecological functions amidst environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilong Hao
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China
| | - Anqi Sun
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China
| | - Changyi Lu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China.
| | - Jian-Qiang Su
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Qing-Lin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China.
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Silber KM, Hefley TJ, Castro-Miller HN, Ratajczak Z, Boyle WA. The long shadow of woody encroachment: An integrated approach to modeling grassland songbird habitat. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2954. [PMID: 38379458 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2954] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Animals must track resources over relatively fine spatial and temporal scales, particularly in disturbance-mediated systems like grasslands. Grassland birds respond to habitat heterogeneity by dispersing among sites within and between years, yet we know little about how they make post-dispersal settlement decisions. Many methods exist to quantify the resource selection of mobile taxa, but the habitat data used in these models are frequently not collected at the same location or time that individuals were present. This spatiotemporal misalignment may lead to incorrect interpretations and adverse conservation outcomes, particularly in dynamic systems. To investigate the extent to which spatially and temporally dynamic vegetation conditions and topography drive grassland bird settlement decisions, we integrated multiple data sources from our study site to predict slope, vegetation height, and multiple metrics of vegetation cover at any point in space and time within the temporal and spatial scope of our study. We paired these predictions with avian mark-resight data for 8 years at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in NE Kansas to evaluate territory selection for Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), Dickcissels (Spiza americana), and Eastern Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna). Each species selected different types and amounts of herbaceous vegetation cover, but all three species preferred relatively flat areas with less than 6% shrub cover and less than 1% tree cover. We evaluated several scenarios of woody vegetation removal and found that, with a targeted approach, the simulated removal of just one isolated tree in the uplands created up to 14 ha of grassland bird habitat. This study supports growing evidence that small amounts of woody encroachment can fragment landscapes, augmenting conservation threats to grassland systems. Conversely, these results demonstrate that drastic increases in bird habitat area could be achieved through relatively efficient management interventions. The results and approaches reported pave the way for more efficient conservation efforts in grasslands and other systems through spatiotemporal alignment of habitat with animal behaviors and simulated impacts of management interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katy M Silber
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Trevor J Hefley
- Department of Statistics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | | | - Zak Ratajczak
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - W Alice Boyle
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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Li L, Lin Q, Nijs I, De Boeck H, Beemster GTS, Asard H, Verbruggen E. More persistent weather causes a pronounced soil microbial legacy but does not impact subsequent plant communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166570. [PMID: 37633385 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
A soil history of exposure to extreme weather may impact future plant growth and microbial community assembly. Currently, little is known about whether and how previous precipitation regime (PR)-induced changes in soil microbial communities influence plant and soil microbial community responses to a subsequent PR. We exposed grassland mesocosms to either an ambient PR (1 day wet-dry alternation) or a persistent PR (30 days consecutive wet-dry alternation) for one year. This conditioned soil was then inoculated as a 10 % fraction into 90 % sterilized "native" soil, after which new plant communities were established and subjected to either the ambient or persistent PR for 60 days. We assessed whether past persistent weather-induced changes in soil microbial community composition affect soil microbial and plant community responses to subsequent weather persistence. The historical regimes caused enduring effects on fungal communities and only temporary effects on bacterial communities, but did not trigger soil microbial legacy effects on plant productivity when exposed to either current PR. This study provides experimental evidence for soil legacy of climate persistence on grassland ecosystems in response to subsequent climate persistence, helping to understand and predict the influences of future climate change on soil biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingjuan Li
- Research Group of Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Qiang Lin
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Ivan Nijs
- Research Group of Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Hans De Boeck
- Research Group of Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Gerrit T S Beemster
- Laboratory for Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research (IMPRES), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Han Asard
- Laboratory for Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research (IMPRES), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Erik Verbruggen
- Research Group of Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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Yan Y, Xu L, Wu X, Xue W, Nie Y, Ye L. Land use intensity controls the diversity-productivity relationship in northern temperate grasslands of China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1296544. [PMID: 38235199 PMCID: PMC10792768 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1296544] [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: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Introduction The diversity-productivity relationship is a central issue in maintaining the grassland ecosystem's multifunctionality and supporting its sustainable management. Currently, the mainstream opinion on the diversity-productivity relationship recognizes that increases in species diversity promote ecosystem productivity. Methods Here, we challenge this opinion by developing a generalized additive model-based framework to quantify the response rate of grassland productivity to plant species diversity using vegetation survey data we collected along a land-use intensity gradient in northern China. Results Our results show that the grassland aboveground biomass responds significantly positively to the Shannon-Wiener diversity index at a rate of 46.8 g m-2 per unit increase of the Shannon-Wiener index in enclosure-managed grasslands, under the co-influence of climate and landscape factors. The aboveground biomass response rate stays positive at a magnitude of 47.1 g m-2 in forest understory grassland and 39.7 g m-2 in wetland grassland. Conversely, the response rate turns negative in heavily grazed grasslands at -55.8 g m-2, transiting via near-neutral rates of -7.0 and -7.3 g m-2 in mowing grassland and moderately grazed grassland, respectively. Discussion These results suggest that the diversity-productivity relationship in temperate grasslands not only varies by magnitude but also switches directions under varying levels of land use intensity. This highlights the need to consider land use intensity as a more important ecological integrity indicator for future ecological conservation programs in temperate grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yidan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lijun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinjia Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yingying Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liming Ye
- Department of Geology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Responses of grassland productivity to mowing intensity and precipitation variability in a temperate steppe. Oecologia 2023; 201:259-268. [PMID: 36507970 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05305-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Mowing for hay is an important land use in grasslands that is affected by precipitation variability, due to the water-limited nature of these ecosystems. Past land use and precipitation conditions can have legacy effects on ecosystem functions, potentially altering responses to both mowing and precipitation. Nonetheless, it is still unclear how natural variation in precipitation will affect plant responses to changes in mowing intensity. We conducted a seven-year field experiment with three mowing intensity treatments compared to the traditional mowing intensity (5 cm stubble height) as a control: increased mowing (2 cm stubble), decreased mowing (8 cm stubble) and ceased mowing. Decreased mowing increased both plant aboveground net primary productivity [ANPP] and forage yield across the whole community, driven by increases in graminoids, mainly owing to the positive response of plants to precipitation. Both mowing disturbance and precipitation variability had legacy effects on plant ANPP; however, these responses differed among the whole community, graminoid, and forb levels. Current-year community-wide ANPP [ANPPn] was positively associated with current-year precipitation [PPTn] in all mowing treatments, driven by positive precipitation responses of the dominant graminoids. For forbs, however, ANPPn was negatively associated with prior-year growing season precipitation [PPTn-1] across mowing treatments, potentially due to lagged competition with the dominant graminoids. Our results suggest that the response of the dominant graminoids is the primary factor determining the response of ANPP to mowing and precipitation variability in these grassland ecosystems, and highlight that decreasing mowing intensity may maximize both herder's income and grassland sustainability.
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Sun J, Liu W, Pan Q, Zhang B, Lv Y, Huang J, Han X. Positive legacies of severe droughts in the Inner Mongolia grassland. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd6249. [PMID: 36417538 PMCID: PMC9683728 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add6249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Global change-induced extreme droughts are increasing in grasslands worldwide, and drought legacies may greatly affect the responses of grassland ecosystems to these changes. However, it remains poorly understood whether and how severe droughts have a positive legacy effect on grassland productivity. By combining a 4-year precipitation manipulation experiment with a 40-year observational study in a semiarid grassland, we showed that extreme droughts could create strong positive legacies on community productivity and that such legacies could last for multiple years. The mechanism behind this was the coupled effect of the drought-induced increase in annuals and the favorable precipitation pattern that facilitated the flourishing of annuals in subsequent years. This study provides experimental and observational evidence for positive drought legacies and reveals their underlying mechanisms. Our findings suggest that positive drought legacies should be incorporated into Earth system models to better predict the impact of extreme droughts on grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiamei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Qingmin Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- Corresponding author. (Q.P.); (X.H.)
| | - Bin Zhang
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Yaxiang Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Jianhui Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- Corresponding author. (Q.P.); (X.H.)
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