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Wu Y, Li F, Zhang J, Liu Y, Li H, Zhou B, Shen B, Hou L, Xu D, Ding L, Chen S, Liu X, Peng J. Spatial and temporal patterns of above- and below- ground biomass over the Tibet Plateau grasslands and their sensitivity to climate change. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 919:170900. [PMID: 38354804 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170900] [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: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The sensitivity of grassland above- (AGB, gC m-2) and below-ground biomass (BGB, gC m-2) to climate has been shown to be significant on the Tibetan Plateau, however, the spatial patterns and sensitivity of biomass with altitudinal change needs to be quantitated. In this study, large data sets of AGB and BGB during the peak growth season, and the corresponding geographical and climate conditions in the grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau between 2001 and 2020 were analyzed, and modelled using a Cubist regression trees algorithm. The mean values for AGB and BGB were 61.3 and 1304.3 gC m-2, respectively, for the whole region over the two decades. There was a significant change in spatial AGB of 64.8 % on the Plateau (P < 0.05, with areas where AGB increased being twice as large as areas where AGB decreased), while BGB did not change significantly in majority the of the region (≥ 90.1 %, P > 0.05). In general, the areas where AGB showed positive partial correlations with precipitation were larger than the areas where AGB had positive correlations with temperature (P < 0.05). However, these trends varied depending on the climatic conditions: in the wetter regions, temperature had a greater effect on the size of the areas with positive AGB responses than precipitation (P < 0.05), while precipitation had a greater effect on the size of areas with positive BGB changes than temperature (P < 0.05). In the drier areas, however, precipitation affected the AGB response significantly compared to temperature (P < 0.05), while temperature influenced the BGB response greater than precipitation (P < 0.05). The response and sensitivity of grassland biomass to temperature and precipitation varied according to the altitude of the Plateau: the response and sensitivity were stronger and more sensitive at medium altitudes, and weak at the higher or lower altitudes. Likely, this phenomenon was resulted from the natural selection of plants to maintain the efficient use of resources during un-favourable and stressed conditions for maximum plant development and growth. These findings will help assess the ecological consequences of global climate change for the grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau, particularly in those regions with highly variable altitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yatang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Sino-U.S. Centers for Grazing Land Ecosystem Sustainability, Ministry of Science and Technology, Pratacultural Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Pratacultural College, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Fu Li
- Qinghai Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Xining 810001, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- National Remote Sensing Center of China, No. 8A Liulinguan Nanli, Haidian District, Beijing 100036, China
| | - YiLiang Liu
- National Remote Sensing Center of China, No. 8A Liulinguan Nanli, Haidian District, Beijing 100036, China
| | - Han Li
- National Remote Sensing Center of China, No. 8A Liulinguan Nanli, Haidian District, Beijing 100036, China
| | - Bingrong Zhou
- Qinghai Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Xining 810001, China
| | - Beibei Shen
- Aerospace Science and Industry (Beijing) Spatial Information Application Co., Ltd., Beijing 100070, China; 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
| | - Lulu Hou
- 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
| | - Dawei Xu
- 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
| | - Lei Ding
- 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; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shiyang 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
| | - Xiaoni Liu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Sino-U.S. Centers for Grazing Land Ecosystem Sustainability, Ministry of Science and Technology, Pratacultural Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Pratacultural College, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
| | - Jinbang Peng
- 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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Ma L, Zheng J, Pen J, Xiao X, Liu Y, Liu L, Han W, Li G, Zhang J. Monitoring and influencing factors of grassland livestock overload in Xinjiang from 1982 to 2020. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1340566. [PMID: 38601311 PMCID: PMC11004366 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1340566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
It is crucial to estimate the theoretical carrying capacity of grasslands in Xinjiang to attain a harmonious balance between grassland and livestock, thereby fostering sustainable development in the livestock industry. However, there has been a lack of quantitative assessments that consider long-term, multi-scale grass-livestock balance and its impacts in the region. This study utilized remote sensing and empirical models to assess the theoretical livestock carrying capacity of grasslands. The multi-scale spatiotemporal variations of the theoretical carrying capacity in Xinjiang from 1982 to 2020 were analyzed using the Sen and Mann-Kendall tests, as well as the Hurst index. The study also examined the county-level grass-livestock balance and inter-annual trends. Additionally, the study employed the geographic detector method to explore the influencing factors. The results showed that: (1) The overall theoretical livestock carrying capacity showed an upward trend from 1982 to 2020; The spatial distribution gradually decreased from north to south and from east to west. In seasonal scale from large to small is: growing season > summer > spring > autumn > winter; at the monthly scale, the strongest livestock carrying capacity is in July. The different grassland types from largest to smallest are: meadow > alpine subalpine meadow > plain steppe > desert steppe > alpine subalpine steppe. In the future, the theoretical livestock carrying capacity of grassland will decrease. (2) From 1988 to 2020, the average grass-livestock balance index in Xinjiang was 2.61%, showing an overall increase. At the county level, the number of overloaded counties showed an overall increasing trend, rising from 46 in 1988 to 58 in 2020. (3) Both single and interaction factors of geographic detectors showed that annual precipitation, altitude and soil organic matter were the main drivers of spatiotemporal dynamics of grassland load in Xinjiang. The results of this study can provide scientific guidance and decision-making basis for achieving coordinated and sustainable development of grassland resources and animal husbandry in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisha Ma
- College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
| | - Jianghua Zheng
- College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
| | - Jian Pen
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Grassland Station, Urumqi, China
| | - Xianghua Xiao
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Grassland Station, Urumqi, China
| | - Yujia Liu
- College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
| | - Liang Liu
- College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
| | - Wanqiang Han
- College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
| | - Gangyong Li
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Grassland Station, Urumqi, China
| | - Jianli Zhang
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Grassland Station, Urumqi, China
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Guasconi D, Manzoni S, Hugelius G. Climate-dependent responses of root and shoot biomass to drought duration and intensity in grasslands-a meta-analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166209. [PMID: 37572920 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of altered precipitation regimes on root biomass in grasslands is crucial for predicting grassland responses to climate change. Nonetheless, studies investigating the effects of drought on belowground vegetation have produced mixed results. In particular, root biomass under reduced precipitation may increase, decrease or show a delayed response compared to shoot biomass, highlighting a knowledge gap in the relationship between belowground net primary production and drought. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of nearly 100 field observations of grassland root and shoot biomass changes under experimental rainfall reduction to disentangle the main drivers behind grassland responses to drought. Using a response-ratio approach we tested the hypothesis that water scarcity would induce a decrease in total biomass, but an increase in belowground biomass allocation with increased drought length and intensity, and that climate (as defined by the aridity index of the study location) would be an additional predictor. As expected, meteorological drought decreased root and shoot biomass, but aboveground and belowground biomass exhibited contrasting responses to drought duration and intensity, and their interaction with climate. In particular, drought duration had negative effects on root biomass only in wet climates while more intense drought had negative effects on root biomass only in dry climates. Shoot biomass responded negatively to drought duration regardless of climate. These results show that long-term climate is an important modulator of belowground vegetation responses to drought, which might be a consequence of different drought tolerance and adaptation strategies. This variability in vegetation responses to drought suggests that physiological plasticity and community composition shifts may mediate how climate affects carbon allocation in grasslands, and thus ultimately carbon storage in soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Guasconi
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Stefano Manzoni
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gustaf Hugelius
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Zhang A, Yin J, Zhang Y, Wang R, Zhou X, Guo H. Plants alter their aboveground and belowground biomass allocation and affect community-level resistance in response to snow cover change in Central Asia, Northwest China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 902:166059. [PMID: 37543343 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166059] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
It is important to elucidate the changing distribution pattern of net primary productivity (NPP) to mechanistically understand the changes in aboveground and belowground ecosystem functions. In water-scarce desert environments, snow provides a crucial supply of water for plant development and the spread of herbaceous species. Yet uncertainty persists regarding how herbaceous plants' NPP allocation responds to variation in snow cover. The goal of this study was to investigate how variation in snow cover in a temperate desert influenced the NPP allocation dynamics of herbaceous species and their resistance to environmental change in terms aboveground and belowground productivity. In the Gurbantunggut Desert, wintertime snow cover depth was adjusted in plots by applying four treatments: snow removal (-S), ambient snow, double snow (+S), and triple snow (+2S). We examined their species richness, aboveground NPP (ANPP), belowground NPP (BNPP), and the resistance of ANPP and BNPP. We found that species diversity of the aboveground community increased significantly with increasing snow cover and decreased significantly Pielou evenness in plots. This resulted in greater ANPP with increasing snow cover; meanwhile, BNPP first increased and then decreased with increasing snow cover. However, this productivity in different soil layers responded differently to changed snow cover. In the 0-10 cm soil layer, productivity first rose and then declined, while it declined linearly in both the 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm soil layers, whereas in the 30-40 cm soil layer it showed an increasing trend. Belowground resistance would increase given that greater snow cover improved the BNPP in deeper soil and maintained the resource provisioning for plant growth, thus improving overall belowground stability. These results can serve as a promising research foundation for future work on how the functioning of desert ecosystems becomes altered due to changes in plant community expansion and, in particular, changes in snow cover driven by global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailin Zhang
- 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 830011, China
| | - Jinfei Yin
- 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 830011, China.
| | - Yuanming Zhang
- 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 830011, China.
| | - Ruzhen Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Xiaobing Zhou
- 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 830011, China
| | - Hao Guo
- 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 830011, China
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5
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Chandregowda MH, Tjoelker MG, Pendall E, Zhang H, Churchill AC, Power SA. Belowground carbon allocation, root trait plasticity, and productivity during drought and warming in a pasture grass. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:2127-2145. [PMID: 36640126 PMCID: PMC10084810 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Sustaining grassland production in a changing climate requires an understanding of plant adaptation strategies, including trait plasticity under warmer and drier conditions. However, our knowledge to date disproportionately relies on aboveground responses, despite the importance of belowground traits in maintaining aboveground growth, especially in grazed systems. We subjected a perennial pasture grass, Festuca arundinacea, to year-round warming (+3 °C) and cool-season drought (60% rainfall reduction) in a factorial field experiment to test the hypotheses that: (i) drought and warming increase carbon allocation belowground and shift root traits towards greater resource acquisition and (ii) increased belowground carbon reserves support post-drought aboveground recovery. Drought and warming reduced plant production and biomass allocation belowground. Drought increased specific root length and reduced root diameter in warmed plots but increased root starch concentrations under ambient temperature. Higher diameter and soluble sugar concentrations of roots and starch storage in crowns explained aboveground production under climate extremes. However, the lack of association between post-drought aboveground biomass and belowground carbon and nitrogen reserves contrasted with our predictions. These findings demonstrate that root trait plasticity and belowground carbon reserves play a key role in aboveground production during climate stress, helping predict pasture responses and inform management decisions under future climates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark G Tjoelker
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Elise Pendall
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Haiyang Zhang
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Amber C Churchill
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, University of Minnesota, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
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López‐Mársico L, Oyarzabal M, Altesor A, Paruelo JM. Grazing exclusion reduces below‐ground biomass of temperate subhumid grasslands of South America: A meta‐analysis and a database. AUSTRAL ECOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luis López‐Mársico
- Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de la República Montevideo Uruguay
| | - Mariano Oyarzabal
- IFEVA, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Alice Altesor
- Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de la República Montevideo Uruguay
| | - José M. Paruelo
- Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de la República Montevideo Uruguay
- IFEVA, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria Colonia Uruguay
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7
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Guo H, Quan Q, Niu S, Li T, He Y, Fu Y, Li J, Wang J, Zhang R, Li Z, Tian D. Shifting biomass allocation and light limitation co-regulate the temporal stability of an alpine meadow under eutrophication. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160411. [PMID: 36574548 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160411] [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: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Eutrophication generally promotes but destabilizes grassland productivity. Under eutrophication, plants tend to decrease biomass allocation to roots but increase aboveground allocation and light limitation, likely affecting community stability. However, it remains unclear to understand how shifting plant biomass allocation and light limitation regulate grassland stability in response to eutrophication. Here, using a 5-yr multiple nutrient addition experiment in an alpine meadow, we explored the role of changes in plant biomass allocation and light limitation on its community stability under eutrophication as well as traditionally established mechanisms (i.e., plant Shannon diversity, species asynchrony and grass subcommunity stability). Our results showed that nitrogen (N) addition, rather than phosphorus (P) or potassium (K) addition, significantly reduced the temporal stability of the alpine meadow. In accordance with previous studies, we found that N addition decreased plant Shannon diversity, species asynchrony and grass subcommunity stability, further destabilizing meadow community productivity. In addition, we also found the decrease in biomass allocation to belowground by N addition, further weakening its community stability. Moreover, this shifts in plant biomass allocation from below- to aboveground, intensifying plant light limitation. Further, the light limitation reduced plant species asynchrony, which finally weakened its community stability. Overall, in addition to traditionally established mechanisms, this study highlights the role of plant biomass allocation shifting from belowground to aboveground in determining grassland community stability. These "unseen" mechanisms might improve our understanding of grassland stability in the context of ongoing eutrophication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbo Guo
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China; School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Quan Quan
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Shuli Niu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tingting Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yicheng He
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China; College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yiwen Fu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China; College of Environmental Mapping and Engineering, Suzhou University, Suzhou, Anhui 234000, China
| | - Jiapu Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jinsong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ruiyang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhaolei Li
- College of Resources and Environment and Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Dashuan Tian
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Mao L, Li J, Ma XL, Quandahor P, Gou YP. Effects of different plantation years on grassland plant community in Maxian Mountain area of the Loess Plateau. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1123471. [PMID: 36866370 PMCID: PMC9974166 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1123471] [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: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plant communities in the Loess Plateau's artificial afforestation forests play an important role in fragile ecosystem restoration. Therefore, the composition, coverage, biomass, diversity, and similarity of grassland plant communities in different years of artificial afforestation in cultivated land were investigated. The effects of years of artificial afforestation on grassland plant community succession in the Loess Plateau were also investigated. The results showed that as the number of years of artificial afforestation increased, grassland plant communities grew from scratch, constantly optimizing community components, improving community coverage, and increasing aboveground biomass. The community diversity index and similarity coefficient gradually approached those of a 10-year abandoned community that had recovered naturally. After 6 years of artificial afforestation, the dominant species of the grassland plant community changed from Agropyron cristatum to Kobresia myosuroides, and the main associated species changed from Compositae and Gramineae to Compositae, Gramineae, Rosaceae, and Leguminosae. The α-diversity index accelerated restoration, the richness index and diversity index increased, and the dominant index decreased. The evenness index had no significant difference from CK. The β-diversity index decreased as the number of years of afforestation increased. The similarity coefficient between CK and grassland plant communities in various lands changed from medium dissimilarity to medium similarity at 6 years of afforestation. According to the analysis of various indicators of the grassland plant community, the grassland plant community had a positive succession within 10 years of artificial afforestation on the cultivated land of the Loess Plateau, and the threshold of the years from slow to fast was 6 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Mao
- College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University/Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
- Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Lintao County, Dingxi, Gansu, China
| | - Jie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Long Ma
- Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Lintao County, Dingxi, Gansu, China
| | - Peter Quandahor
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Yu-Ping Gou
- College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University/Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
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Keller AB, Walter CA, Blumenthal DM, Borer ET, Collins SL, DeLancey LC, Fay PA, Hofmockel KS, Knops JMH, Leakey ADB, Mayes MA, Seabloom EW, Hobbie SE. Stronger fertilization effects on aboveground versus belowground plant properties across nine U.S. grasslands. Ecology 2023; 104:e3891. [PMID: 36208208 PMCID: PMC10078332 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Increased nutrient inputs due to anthropogenic activity are expected to increase primary productivity across terrestrial ecosystems, but changes in allocation aboveground versus belowground with nutrient addition have different implications for soil carbon (C) storage. Thus, given that roots are major contributors to soil C storage, understanding belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) and biomass responses to changes in nutrient availability is essential to predicting carbon-climate feedbacks in the context of interacting global environmental changes. To address this knowledge gap, we tested whether a decade of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization consistently influenced aboveground and belowground biomass and productivity at nine grassland sites spanning a wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions in the continental United States. Fertilization effects were strong aboveground, with both N and P addition stimulating aboveground biomass at nearly all sites (by 30% and 36%, respectively, on average). P addition consistently increased root production (by 15% on average), whereas other belowground responses to fertilization were more variable, ranging from positive to negative across sites. Site-specific responses to P were not predicted by the measured covariates. Atmospheric N deposition mediated the effect of N fertilization on root biomass and turnover. Specifically, atmospheric N deposition was positively correlated with root turnover rates, and this relationship was amplified with N addition. Nitrogen addition increased root biomass at sites with low N deposition but decreased it at sites with high N deposition. Overall, these results suggest that the effects of nutrient supply on belowground plant properties are context dependent, particularly with regard to background N supply rates, demonstrating that site conditions must be considered when predicting how grassland ecosystems will respond to increased nutrient loading from anthropogenic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne B. Keller
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMinnesotaUSA
| | | | - Dana M. Blumenthal
- USDA‐ARS Rangeland Resources & Systems Research UnitFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Elizabeth T. Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMinnesotaUSA
| | - Scott L. Collins
- Department of BiologyUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Lang C. DeLancey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMinnesotaUSA
| | - Philip A. Fay
- USDA‐ARS GrasslandSoil, and Water Research LaboratoryTempleTexasUSA
| | - Kirsten S. Hofmockel
- Earth and Biological Sciences DirectoratePacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWashingtonUSA
- Department of AgronomyIowa State UniversityAmesIowaUSA
| | - Johannes M. H. Knops
- Health & Environmental Sciences DepartmentXi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool UniversitySuzhouJiangsuChina
| | - Andrew D. B. Leakey
- Department of Plant Biology, Department of Crop SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUSA
| | - Melanie A. Mayes
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTennesseeUSA
- Environmental Sciences DivisionOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak RidgeTennesseeUSA
| | - Eric W. Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMinnesotaUSA
| | - Sarah E. Hobbie
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMinnesotaUSA
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Roberts CP, Naugle DE, Allred BW, Donovan VM, Fogarty DT, Jones MO, Maestas JD, Olsen AC, Twidwell D. Next-generation technologies unlock new possibilities to track rangeland productivity and quantify multi-scale conservation outcomes. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 324:116359. [PMID: 36206652 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116359] [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: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Historically, relying on plot-level inventories impeded our ability to quantify large-scale change in plant biomass, a key indicator of conservation practice outcomes in rangeland systems. Recent technological advances enable assessment at scales appropriate to inform management by providing spatially comprehensive estimates of productivity that are partitioned by plant functional group across all contiguous US rangelands. We partnered with the Sage Grouse and Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiatives and the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project to demonstrate the ability of these new datasets to quantify multi-scale changes and heterogeneity in plant biomass following mechanical tree removal, prescribed fire, and prescribed grazing. In Oregon's sagebrush steppe, for example, juniper tree removal resulted in a 21% increase in one pasture's productivity and an 18% decline in another. In Nebraska's Loess Canyons, perennial grass productivity initially declined 80% at sites invaded by trees that were prescriptively burned, but then fully recovered post-fire, representing a 492% increase from nadir. In Kansas' Shortgrass Prairie, plant biomass increased 4-fold (966,809 kg/ha) in pastures that were prescriptively grazed, with gains highly dependent upon precipitation as evidenced by sensitivity of remotely sensed estimates (SD ± 951,308 kg/ha). Our results emphasize that next-generation remote sensing datasets empower land managers to move beyond simplistic control versus treatment study designs to explore nuances in plant biomass in unprecedented ways. The products of new remote sensing technologies also accelerate adaptive management and help communicate wildlife and livestock forage benefits from management to diverse stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb P Roberts
- U.S. Geological Survey, Arkansas Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit, University of Arkansas, SCEN 522, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
| | - David E Naugle
- WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, USA
| | - Brady W Allred
- WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, USA
| | | | - Dillon T Fogarty
- Agronomy & Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Matthew O Jones
- WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, USA
| | | | | | - Dirac Twidwell
- Agronomy & Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, USA
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11
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Zhou H, Hou L, Lv X, Yang G, Wang Y, Wang X. Compensatory growth as a response to post-drought in grassland. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1004553. [PMID: 36531403 PMCID: PMC9752846 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1004553] [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: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Grasslands are structurally and functionally controlled by water availability. Ongoing global change is threatening the sustainability of grassland ecosystems through chronic alterations in climate patterns and resource availability, as well as by the increasing frequency and intensity of anthropogenic perturbations. Compared with many studies on how grassland ecosystems respond during drought, there are far fewer studies focused on grassland dynamics after drought. Compensatory growth, as the ability of plants to offset the adverse effects of environmental or anthropogenic perturbations, is a common phenomenon in grassland. However, compensatory growth induced by drought and its underlying mechanism across grasslands remains not clear. In this review, we provide examples of analogous compensatory growth from different grassland types across drought characteristics (intensity, timing, and duration) and explain the effect of resource availability on compensatory growth and their underlying mechanisms. Based on our review of the literature, a hypothetic framework for integrating plant, root, and microbial responses is also proposed to increase our understanding of compensatory growth after drought. This research will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of grassland ecosystem functioning in response to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huailin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, China
| | - Lulu Hou
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomin Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, China
| | - Guang Yang
- College of Teacher Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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12
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Yan C, Liu Z, Yuan Z, Shi X, Lock TR, Kallenbach RL. Aridity modifies the responses of plant stoichiometry to global warming and nitrogen deposition in semi-arid steppes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 831:154807. [PMID: 35341862 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154807] [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: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Global warming and nitrogen (N) deposition are known to unbalance the stoichiometry of carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P) in terrestrial plants, but it is unclear how water availability regulates their effects along a natural aridity gradient. Here, we conducted manipulative experiments to determine the effects of experimental warming (WT) and N addition (NT) on plant stoichiometry in desert, typical, and meadow steppes with decreasing aridity. WT elevated air temperatures by 1.2-2.9 °C using open-top chambers. WT increased forb C:N ratio and thus its N use efficiency and competitiveness in desert steppes, whereas WT reduced forb C:N and C:P ratios in typical and meadow steppes. Plant N:P ratio, which reflects nutrient limitation, was reduced by WT in desert steppes but not for typical or meadow steppes. NT reduced plant C:N ratios and increased N:P ratios in all three steppes. NT reduced forb C:P ratios in desert and typical steppes, but it enhanced grass C:P ratio in meadow steppes, indicating an enhancement of P use efficiency and competitiveness of grasses in wet steppes. WT and NT had synergetic effects on grass C:N and C:P ratios in all three steppes, which helps to increase grasses' productivity. Under WT or NT, the changes in community C:N ratio were positively correlated with increasing aridity, indicating that aridity increases plants' N use efficiency. However, aridity negatively affected the changes in N:P ratios under NT but not WT, which suggests that aridity mitigates P limitation induced by N deposition. Our results imply that warming could shift the dominant functional group into forbs in dry steppes due to altered stoichiometry, whereas grasses become dominated plants in wet steppes under increasing N deposition. We suggest that global changes might break the stoichiometric balance of plants and water availability could strongly modify such processes in semi-arid steppes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute of Geographical Sciences, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Zunchi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Zhiyou Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Xinrong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - T Ryan Lock
- Division of Plant Sciences and Technology, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 108 Waters Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Robert L Kallenbach
- Division of Plant Sciences and Technology, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 108 Waters Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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13
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Piipponen J, Jalava M, de Leeuw J, Rizayeva A, Godde C, Cramer G, Herrero M, Kummu M. Global trends in grassland carrying capacity and relative stocking density of livestock. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:3902-3919. [PMID: 35320616 PMCID: PMC9321565 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Although the role of livestock in future food systems is debated, animal proteins are unlikely to completely disappear from our diet. Grasslands are a key source of primary productivity for livestock, and feed-food competition is often limited on such land. Previous research on the potential for sustainable grazing has focused on restricted geographical areas or does not consider inter-annual changes in grazing opportunities. Here, we developed a robust method to estimate trends and interannual variability (IV) in global livestock carrying capacity (number of grazing animals a piece of land can support) over 2001-2015, as well as relative stocking density (the reported livestock distribution relative to the estimated carrying capacity [CC]) in 2010. We first estimated the aboveground biomass that is available for grazers on global grasslands based on the MODIS Net Primary Production product. This was then used to calculate livestock carrying capacities using slopes, forest cover, and animal forage requirements as restrictions. We found that globally, CC decreased on 27% of total grasslands area, mostly in Europe and southeastern Brazil, while it increased on 15% of grasslands, particularly in Sudano-Sahel and some parts of South America. In 2010, livestock forage requirements exceeded forage availability in northwestern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. Although our findings imply some opportunities to increase grazing pressures in cold regions, Central Africa, and Australia, the high IV or low biomass supply might prevent considerable increases in stocking densities. The approach and derived open access data sets can feed into global food system modelling, support conservation efforts to reduce land degradation associated with overgrazing, and help identify undergrazed areas for targeted sustainable intensification efforts or rewilding purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mika Jalava
- Water and Development Research GroupAalto UniversityEspooFinland
| | - Jan de Leeuw
- Department of BioecologyBaku State UniversityBakuAzerbaijan
| | - Afag Rizayeva
- Department of BioecologyBaku State UniversityBakuAzerbaijan
- SILVIS LabDepartment of Forest and Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Cecile Godde
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Agriculture and FoodSt LuciaQLDAustralia
| | - Gabriel Cramer
- Water and Development Research GroupAalto UniversityEspooFinland
| | - Mario Herrero
- Department of Global DevelopmentCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell Atkinson Center for SustainabilityCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Matti Kummu
- Water and Development Research GroupAalto UniversityEspooFinland
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14
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Slette IJ, Hoover DL, Smith MD, Knapp AK. Repeated extreme droughts decrease root production, but not the potential for post‐drought recovery of root production, in a mesic grassland. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid J. Slette
- Dept of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins CO USA
| | - David L. Hoover
- USDA‐ARS Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, Crops Research Laboratory Fort Collins CO USA
| | - Melinda D. Smith
- Dept of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins CO USA
| | - Alan K. Knapp
- Dept of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins CO USA
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15
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Soil Nematodes as the Silent Sufferers of Climate-Induced Toxicity: Analysing the Outcomes of Their Interactions with Climatic Stress Factors on Land Cover and Agricultural Production. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2022; 195:2519-2586. [PMID: 35593954 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-022-03965-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Unsustainable anthropogenic activities over the last few decades have resulted in alterations of the global climate. It can be perceived through changes in the rainfall patterns and rise in mean annual temperatures. Climatic stress factors exert their effects on soil health mainly by modifying the soil microenvironments where the soil fauna reside. Among the members of soil fauna, the soil nematodes have been found to be sensitive to these stress factors primarily because of their low tolerance limits. Additionally, because of their higher and diverse trophic positions in the soil food web they can integrate the effects of many stress factors acting together. This is important because under natural conditions the climatic stress factors do not exert their effect individually. Rather, they interact amongst themselves and other abiotic stress factors in the soil to generate their impacts. Some of these interactions may be synergistic while others may be antagonistic. As such, it becomes very difficult to assess their impacts on soil health by simply analysing the physicochemical properties of soil. This makes soil nematodes outstanding candidates for studying the effects of climatic stress factors on soil biology. The knowledge obtained therefrom can be used to design sustainable agricultural practices because most of the conventional techniques aim at short-term benefits with complete disregard of soil biology. This can partly ensure food security in the coming decades for the expanding population. Moreover, understanding soil biology can help to preserve landscapes that have developed over long periods of climatic stability and belowground soil biota interactions.
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16
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Yang GJ, Hautier Y, Zhang ZJ, Lü XT, Han XG. Decoupled responses of above- and below-ground stability of productivity to nitrogen addition at the local and larger spatial scale. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2711-2720. [PMID: 35098614 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Temporal stability of net primary productivity (NPP) is important for predicting the reliable provisioning of ecosystem services under global changes. Although nitrogen (N) addition is known to affect the temporal stability of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), it is unclear how it impacts that of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) and NPP, and whether such effects are scale dependent. Here, using experimental N addition in a grassland, we found different responses of ANPP and BNPP stability to N addition at the local scale and that these responses propagated to the larger spatial scale. That is, N addition significantly decreased the stability of ANPP but did not affect the stability of BNPP and NPP at the two scales investigated. Additionally, spatial asynchrony of both ANPP and BNPP among communities provided greater stability at the larger scale and was not affected by N addition. Our findings challenge the traditional view that N addition would reduce ecosystem stability based on results from aboveground dynamics, thus highlighting the importance of viewing ecosystem stability from a whole system perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Jiao Yang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Zi-Jia Zhang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiao-Tao Lü
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Xing-Guo Han
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation of Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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17
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Shen H, Dong S, DiTommaso A, Xiao J, Lu W, Zhi Y. Nitrogen Deposition Shifts Grassland Communities Through Directly Increasing Dominance of Graminoids: A 3-Year Case Study From the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:811970. [PMID: 35317015 PMCID: PMC8934429 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.811970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) deposition has been increasing for decades and has profoundly influenced the structure and function of grassland ecosystems in many regions of the world. However, the impact of N deposition on alpine grasslands is less well documented. We conducted a 3-year field experiment to determine the effects of N deposition on plant species richness, composition, and community productivity in an alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China. We found that 3 years of N deposition had a profound effect on these plant community parameters. Increasing N rates increased the dominance of graminoids and reduced the presence of non-graminoids. Species richness was inversely associated with aboveground biomass. The shift in plant species and functional group composition was largely responsible for the increase in productivity associated with N deposition. Climatic factors also interacted with N addition to influence productivity. Our findings suggest that short-term N deposition could increase the productivity of alpine meadows through shifts in composition toward a graminoid-dominated community. Longer-term studies are needed to determine if shifts in composition and increased productivity will be maintained. Future work must also evaluate whether decreasing plant diversity will impair the long-term stability and function of sensitive alpine grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Shen
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Shikui Dong
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Antonio DiTommaso
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Jiannan Xiao
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Lu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolia Plateau, Collaborative Innovation Center for Grassland Ecological Security, College of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yangliu Zhi
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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18
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Guo Z, Chen W, Chen Q, Liu X, Hong S, Zhu X, Gong H. Biomass distribution pattern and stoichiometric characteristics in main shrub ecosystems in Central Yunnan, China. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13005. [PMID: 35251784 PMCID: PMC8893025 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the exacerbating effects of the global climate change and the more and more attention to the study of plant carbon sink, an increasing number of researches on plant carbon sinks has grown. Although many studies exist on shrub vegetation, soil and litters, most studies focus on the community structure, biomass, surface soil of single plant and shrub layer vegetation, and lack the studies which included the potential relationships between climate change and ecological stoichiometric elements, comprehensive research on main species, even herb and litter layer. In order to provide relevant theoretical basis and data support, it is necessary to take the main terrestrial shrub ecosystem in Central Yunnan as the starting point to analyze and explore its carbon sink distribution characteristics, formation causes, the correlation between climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) and stoichiometric elements, which from community and species levels. METHODS Plants which originated from 12 main shrub species, litter and soil samples which collected in 69 plots were from 23 plots (Q1-Q23) of 11 cities (countries) in the central Yunnan, China. The biomass and carbon density distribution pattern of each shrub ecosystem and the potential correlations with main climate factors was explored and identified. Some indexes were analyzed such as biomass and carbon density of each part of the shrub ecosystem distribution pattern, correlation, significant changes, formation reasons with the mean value (±standard deviation: SD). Through the redundancy analysis(RDA) of carbon (c), nitrogen (n), phosphorus (P) and main climate factors (precipitation and temperature), the distribution pattern of stoichiometric elements in shrub ecosystem can be judged. RESULTS (1) The above-ground biomass (AGB), under-ground biomass (UGB) and root-shoot ratio (R/S) were between 1.13-2.03 t/hm2, 0.62-1.49 t/hm2, and 0.38-0.84, the carbon element was distributed in herb layer under-ground part and rhizomes of the shrub layer mostly. (2) The fitting slope of AGB and UGB of shrub communities and species was in accordance with the allometric distribution growth relationship, the R/S of shrubs was smaller than other vegetation types. Mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) are not the main factors which affect the biomass and R/S. (3) The contents of C, N and P elements in leaves were significantly higher than other parts in shrub layer. P in shrub layer above-ground part is much higher than under-ground part. The surface soil layer has the highest C content, and decreased with the depth, so as the impact of vegetation and litter on the content of soil elements. Both of the correlation of MAT with N content of leaf, C/N of stem, the correlation of MAP with C content, C/N of soil is the greatest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihao Guo
- School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei Chen
- College of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Science, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qianwei Chen
- Green Development Research Institute, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xingyue Liu
- School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Sisi Hong
- School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiuwen Zhu
- School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hede Gong
- School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China
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19
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Cavender‐Bares J, Schweiger AK, Gamon JA, Gholizadeh H, Helzer K, Lapadat C, Madritch MD, Townsend PA, Wang Z, Hobbie SE. Remotely detected aboveground plant function predicts belowground processes in two prairie diversity experiments. ECOL MONOGR 2021; 92:e01488. [PMID: 35864994 PMCID: PMC9285928 DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeannine Cavender‐Bares
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Anna K. Schweiger
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
- Département de Sciences Biologiques Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale Université de Montréal Montréal Québec H1X 2B2 Canada
- Department of Geography Remote Sensing Laboratories University of Zurich Zurich 8057 Switzerland
| | - John A. Gamon
- School of Natural Resources University of Nebraska Lincoln Lincoln Nebraska 68583 USA
- Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6G 2E3 Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta AB T6G Canada
| | - Hamed Gholizadeh
- School of Natural Resources University of Nebraska Lincoln Lincoln Nebraska 68583 USA
- Department of Geography Center for Applications of Remote Sensing Oklahoma State University Stillwater Oklahoma 74078 USA
| | - Kimberly Helzer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Cathleen Lapadat
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Michael D. Madritch
- Department of Biology Appalachian State University Boone North Carolina 28608 USA
| | - Philip A. Townsend
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Zhihui Wang
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Sarah E. Hobbie
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
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20
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Fang Z, Han X, Xie M, Jiao F. Spatial Distribution Patterns and Driving Factors of Plant Biomass and Leaf N, P Stoichiometry on the Loess Plateau of China. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:plants10112420. [PMID: 34834783 PMCID: PMC8625930 DOI: 10.3390/plants10112420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the geographic patterns and potential drivers of leaf stoichiometry and plant biomass is critical for modeling the biogeochemical cycling of ecosystems and to forecast the responses of ecosystems to global changes. Therefore, we studied the spatial patterns and potential drivers of leaf stoichiometry and herb biomass from 15 sites spanning from south to north along a 500 km latitudinal gradient of the Loess Plateau. We found that leaf N and P stoichiometry and the biomass of herb plants varied greatly on the Loess Plateau, showing spatial patterns, and there were significant differences among the four vegetation zones. With increasing latitude (decreasing mean annual temperature and decreasing mean precipitation), aboveground and belowground biomass displayed an opening downward parabolic trend, while the root-shoot ratio gradually decreased. Furthermore, there were significant linear relationships between the leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents and latitude and climate (mean annual rainfall and mean annual temperature). However, the leaf N/P ratio showed no significant latitudinal or climatic trends. Redundancy analysis and stepwise regression analysis revealed herb biomass and leaf N and P contents were strongly related to environmental driving factors (slope, soil P content and latitude, altitude, mean annual rainfall and mean annual temperature). Compared with global scale results, herb plants on the Loess Plateau are characterized by relatively lower biomass, higher N content, lower P content and a higher N/P ratio, and vegetative growth may be more susceptible to P limitation. These findings indicated that the remarkable spatial distribution patterns of leaf N and P stoichiometry and herb biomass were jointly regulated by the climate, soil properties and topographic properties, providing new insights into potential vegetation restoration strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Fang
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Xi’an 712100, China; (Z.F.); (X.H.)
| | - Xiaoyu Han
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Xi’an 712100, China; (Z.F.); (X.H.)
| | - Mingyang Xie
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resource, Xi’an 712100, China;
| | - Feng Jiao
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Xi’an 712100, China; (Z.F.); (X.H.)
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resource, Xi’an 712100, China;
- Correspondence:
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21
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Herrick E, Blesh J. Intraspecific trait variation improves understanding and management of cover crop outcomes. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Herrick
- School for Environment and Sustainability University of Michigan 440 Church Street Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Jennifer Blesh
- School for Environment and Sustainability University of Michigan 440 Church Street Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
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22
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Slette IJ, Blair JM, Fay PA, Smith MD, Knapp AK. Effects of Compounded Precipitation Pattern Intensification and Drought Occur Belowground in a Mesic Grassland. Ecosystems 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-021-00714-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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23
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Onipchenko VG, Gulov DM, Ishbirdin AR, Makarov MI, Akhmetzhanova AA, Logvinenko OA, Khubieva OP, Tekeev DK, Elumeeva TG. Analysis of Fine Root Production Features in High Mountain Communities by Ingrowth Method using Filter Balls. CONTEMP PROBL ECOL+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1995425521050085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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24
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Dastgheyb Shirazi SS, Ahmadi A, Abdi N, Toranj Zar H, Khaleghi MR. Moderate grazing is the best measure to achieve the optimal conservation and soil resource utilization (case study: Bozdaghin rangelands, North Khorasan, Iran). ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:549. [PMID: 34345952 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09334-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The study of the variability of physical and chemical factors of soil due to different intensities of livestock grazing can help in the management and maintenance of soil and vegetation. Accordingly, the effect of livestock grazing intensities on soil properties and vegetation in Bozdaghin rangelands of North Khorasan province was investigated. To investigate the effect of different livestock grazing intensities, Three 5-hectare plots in the study area were determined under different treatments (ungrazed (UG), moderate grazing (MG), and heavy grazing (HG)), and the effect of three grazing intensities on vegetation and soil physicochemical and erodibility properties (SPEP) was evaluated. The soil sampling process was performed at depths of 0-15, 15-30 cm and SPEP including soil saturation moisture (SSM), soil texture (percentage of clay, sand, and silt), absorbable potassium (K), electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), absorbable phosphorus (P), acidity (pH), and bulk density were evaluated, and Soil Erodibility Index (SEI) was calculated by implementing the modified clay ratio relation. To assess the impact of various grazing intensities on all measured characteristics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and Duncan tests were utilized to compare the means and their grouping. The results showed that HG compared to MG causes worrying consequences in the first soil depth. Also with increasing grazing intensity, plant production percentage (P < 0.05) and vegetation density (P < 0.01) decreased, and the amount of bare soil (P < 0.01) increased. Also, with increasing grazing intensity, the amount of pH, EC, clay, saturated moisture, and N decreased (P < 0.01), but the amount of silt, sand, K, P, calcium (Ca), lime, and SOM increased (P < 0.01). UG improves soil quality, MG intensity causes optimal conservation and utilization of soil resources, and HG intensity causes severe changes in rangeland soil properties. In areas with MG intensity, due to the increase of the percentage of vegetation (an increase of SOM and prevents the direct impact of raindrops on the soil aggregates) and as a result improvement of soil structure and texture, an increase of water infiltration, and decrease of runoff, and the rate of soil erodibility and water erosion, the rangeland soil decreases and results in sustainable production. This results in optimal conservation and utilization of soil resources. So to sustainably exploit and balance the conservation of biodiversity, livestock production, and soil carbon and nitrogen management, MG is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A Ahmadi
- Department of Natural Resources, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran.
| | - N Abdi
- Department of Natural Resources, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran
| | - H Toranj Zar
- Department of Natural Resources, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran
| | - M R Khaleghi
- Department of Natural Resources, Torbat-E-Jam Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat-e-Jam, Iran
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25
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Liu AN, Zhang Y, Hou ZF, Hui Lü G. Allometric scaling of biomass with nitrogen and phosphorus above- and below-ground in herbaceous plants varies along water-salinity gradients. AOB PLANTS 2021; 13:plab030. [PMID: 34646433 PMCID: PMC8500215 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plab030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biomass allocation affects the ability of plants to acquire resources and nutrients; a limited allocation of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, affects ecological processes. However, little research has been conducted on how plant allocation patterns change and on the trade-offs involved in allocation strategies when microhabitat gradients exist. We selected a 3.6 km transect in the Ebinur Lake Wetland Natural Reserve of Xinjiang, China, to investigate the relationships between plant traits (biomass and N and P concentrations) of herbaceous plants and environmental factors (soil moisture, salinity and nutrient content), and to determine the allometric scaling of biomass and stoichiometric traits between the above- and below-ground plant parts. The results show that the biomass and stoichiometric traits of plants reflected both the change of micro-environment and the natural characteristics of plants. With a decrease of the soil water availability and salinity, above- and below-ground N and P concentrations decrease gradually; scaling relationships exist between above- and below-ground plant parts, for biomass and N and P concentrations. Biomass allocation is influenced by soil nutrient ratios, and the allocation strategy tended to be conserved for N and variable for P. Second, the scaling relationships also show interspecific differences; all scaling exponents of Suaeda prostrata are larger than for other species and indicate a 'tolerance' strategy, while other species tend to increase the below-ground biomass and N and P concentrations, i.e. a 'capture' strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- An Na Liu
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
- College of Science, Shihezi University, Shehezi 832003, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
| | - Zhu Feng Hou
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
| | - Guang Hui Lü
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
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26
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Ma H, Mo L, Crowther TW, Maynard DS, van den Hoogen J, Stocker BD, Terrer C, Zohner CM. The global distribution and environmental drivers of aboveground versus belowground plant biomass. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:1110-1122. [PMID: 34168336 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01485-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
A poor understanding of the fraction of global plant biomass occurring belowground as roots limits our understanding of present and future ecosystem function and carbon pools. Here we create a database of root-mass fractions (RMFs), an index of plant below- versus aboveground biomass distributions, and generate quantitative, spatially explicit global maps of RMFs in trees, shrubs and grasses. Our analyses reveal large gradients in RMFs both across and within vegetation types that can be attributed to resource availability. High RMFs occur in cold and dry ecosystems, while low RMFs dominate in warm and wet regions. Across all vegetation types, the directional effect of temperature on RMFs depends on water availability, suggesting feedbacks between heat, water and nutrient supply. By integrating our RMF maps with existing aboveground plant biomass information, we estimate that in forests, shrublands and grasslands, respectively, 22%, 47% and 67% of plant biomass exists belowground, with a total global belowground fraction of 24% (20-28%), that is, 113 (90-135) Gt carbon. By documenting the environmental correlates of root biomass allocation, our results can inform model projections of global vegetation dynamics under current and future climate scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haozhi Ma
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lidong Mo
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas W Crowther
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel S Maynard
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Johan van den Hoogen
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin D Stocker
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - César Terrer
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA.,Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Constantin M Zohner
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland.
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27
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Hossain ML, Li J. Disentangling the effects of climatic variability and climate extremes on the belowground biomass of C 3- and C 4-dominated grasslands across five ecoregions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 760:143894. [PMID: 33341628 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143894] [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: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating the variation in grassland belowground biomass (BGB) and its response to changes in climatic variables are key issues in plant ecology research. In this study, BGB data for five ecoregions (cold steppe, temperate dry steppe, savanna, humid savanna, and humid temperate) were used to examine the effects of climatic variability and extremes on the BGB of C3- and C4-dominated grasslands. Results showed that BGB varied significantly across the ecoregions, with the highest levels in cold steppe and the lowest in savanna. The results indicated that growing-season temperature, maximum and minimum temperatures and their interactions had significantly positive effects on the single-harvest BGB of C3 plants in colder ecoregions (i.e., humid temperate and cold steppe) and of C4 plants in arid ecoregions (i.e., temperate dry steppe and savanna). The single-harvest BGB of C3 plants in arid ecoregions and C4 plants in humid savanna ecoregion declined with increasing temperature during the growing season. Growing-season precipitation exerted significant positive effects on the single-harvest BGB of C4 plants in arid ecoregions. Annual temperature variables negatively impacted the annual BGB of humid temperate ecoregion, because of the dominance of C3 plants. Increasing cumulative growing-season precipitation elevated and the mean annual temperature reduced the annual BGB of both categories of plants in arid ecoregions. Compared with normal climates, extreme dry events during the growing season enhanced single-harvest BGB in colder ecoregions. The single-harvest BGB of C4 plants in savanna tended to increase during extreme wet and decrease during moderate dry events compared to normal climates. This study suggests that the differential effects of climatic variability and extremes on BGB can be explained by differences in plant types, and ecoregions. These findings on the responses of the BGB to climatic variability and extremes constitute important scientific evidence emphasizing the need to maintain ecosystem stability across ecoregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Lokman Hossain
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; Department of Environmental Protection Technology, German University Bangladesh, Gazipur, Bangladesh
| | - Jianfeng Li
- Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
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28
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Yan C, Yuan Z, Liu Z, Zhang J, Liu K, Shi X, Lock TR, Kallenbach RL. Aridity stimulates responses of root production and turnover to warming but suppresses the responses to nitrogen addition in temperate grasslands of northern China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 753:142018. [PMID: 33207484 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Global warming and nitrogen (N) deposition are known to affect root dynamics in grasslands. However, previous studies were based only on a single ecosystem type, so it is unclear how warming and N addition affect root traits (root biomass, root-shoot ratio, root production and turnover) along the aridity gradient. In this study, we conducted an experiment to determine the effects of warming and N addition on root traits in desert, typical, and meadow grasslands in northern China, where the aridity gradually decreases from west to east across the region. Warming increased root-shoot ratio in dry year due to decline in soil water, but had a downward trend in root production and turnover in all three grasslands. N addition decreased root-shoot ratio in humid year due to increase in soil N, whereas did not significantly affect root production in any grasslands and increased root turnover in desert and meadow grasslands rather than typical grassland. Warming combined with N addition had negatively additive effects on root turnover in typical and meadow grasslands rather than desert grassland. N addition-induced changes in root biomass and root-shoot ratio were negatively affected by aridity in dry year. Aridity positively affected responses of root production and turnover to warming but negatively affected those responses to N addition. However, root-shoot ratio, root production and turnover under warming combined with N addition were not affected by aridity. Our results suggest that warming suppresses root carbon (C) input but N addition may exacerbate it in temperate grasslands, and warming combined with N addition suppresses it only in wet grasslands. Aridity promotes root C input under warming but suppresses it under N addition. However, aridity may little affect soil C and nutrient dynamics under global warming combined with N deposition in temperate grasslands in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiyou Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Zunchi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Kai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Xinrong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - T Ryan Lock
- Division of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 108 Waters Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Robert L Kallenbach
- Division of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 108 Waters Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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29
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Global patterns and climatic drivers of above- and belowground net primary productivity in grasslands. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2020; 64:739-751. [PMID: 33216276 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-020-1837-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Understanding patterns and determinants of net primary productivity (NPP) in global grasslands is ongoing challenges, especially for belowground NPP (BNPP) and its fraction (fBNPP). By developing a comprehensive field-based dataset, we revealed that, along with gradients of mean annual precipitation, actual evapotranspiration, and aridity, aboveground NPP (ANPP), BNPP, and total NPP (TNPP) exhibited hump-shaped patterns, whereas fBNPP showed an opposite trend. ANPP and TNPP showed positive correlations with mean annual temperature, but fBNPP was negatively correlated with it. The relationship between BNPP and climatic factors was considerably weak, indicating that BNPP was relatively stable regardless of the climate conditions. We also observed that the sensitivities of ANPP and BNPP to interannual temperature variability and those of BNPP to interannual precipitation fluctuations exhibited large variations among different study sites, and differed from those at the spatial scale. In contrast, the temporal sensitivities of ANPP to interannual precipitation variability were highly similar across all the individual sites and much smaller than those at the spatial scale. Overall, these results highlight that precipitation, temperature and evapotranspiration all play vital roles in shaping ANPP pattern and its partitioning to belowground and that the patterns of BNPP along climatic gradients do not mirror those of the ANPP.
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30
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Effects of precipitation and temperature on precipitation use efficiency of alpine grassland in Northern Tibet, China. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20309. [PMID: 33219286 PMCID: PMC7679412 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77208-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Precipitation use efficiency (PUE) is crucial in understanding the coupling between ecosystem carbon and water cycling. In this study, we used a time series (2000–2013) dataset of net primary productivity (NPP) based on the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model together with precipitation to reveal the spatial and temporal patterns of alpine grassland PUE in Northern Tibet. The mean annual PUE values of alpine meadow, alpine meadow steppe, alpine steppe, alpine desert steppe, and alpine desert were 0.48, 0.39, 0.36, 0.29 and 0.23 gc m−2 mm−1, respectively. The spatial patterns of PUE of alpine grassland demonstrated an initial increase in the arid region and a subsequent decrease in the humid region along the precipitation gradient and peaked at approximately 500 mm. To evaluate the temporal patterns, the sensitivity \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$${R}_{xy}$$\end{document}Rxy between the PUE and climatic factors were calculated. The inter-annual variability of PUE exhibited a significant negative correlation with annual precipitation (P < 0.05), which implies that NPP had a lower sensitivity to precipitation in most regions. The relationship between PUE and the mean annual temperature is different for different regions. Our findings have an important role in understanding the impacts of precipitation availability on climate change and in the scientific management of the alpine grassland ecosystems.
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31
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Altitudinal pattern of shrub biomass allocation in Southwest China. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240861. [PMID: 33091074 PMCID: PMC7580895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Shrubs play an important role in the global carbon cycle and are particularly sensitive to climate change. However, the altitudinal pattern of biomass allocation in mountainous shrubs and its responses to climate change are still unclear. In this study, biomass accumulation and allocation of the shrub community and their relationships with climatic factors were investigated in 331 sampling sites along an extensive altitudinal gradient (311–4911 m) in Southwest China. The results showed that the above-ground biomass (AGB) and the total biomass (TB) of the shrub community decreased quadratically (R2 = 0.107) and linearly (R2 = 0.024) from 9.86 to 0.15 kg·m-2 and 15.61 to 0.26 kg·m-2 with increasing altitude, respectively. However, the below-ground biomass (BGB) and TB of the herb layer increased quadratically with increasing altitudes (R2 = 0.136 and 0.122, respectively. P<0.001). The root/shoot ratio (R/S) of the community and its component synusiae increased gradually with increasing altitudes (P<0.001). The standardized major axis (SMA) indicated an isometric relationship between AGB and BGB for the whole shrub community, but allometric relationships were found for the shrub and herb layer. Redundancy analysis and Pearson correlation analysis showed that the biomass and R/S were significantly correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP) and reconnaissance drought index (RDI). These findings indicate that shrub biomass allocation is strongly affected by the altitude, MAT and MAP and support the isometric relationship of AGB and BGB partitioning at the community level on mountainous shrub biomes.
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32
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Franco ALC, Gherardi LA, Tomasel CM, Andriuzzi WS, Ankrom KE, Bach EM, Guan P, Sala OE, Wall DH. Root herbivory controls the effects of water availability on the partitioning between above‐ and below‐ground grass biomass. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Laureano A. Gherardi
- School of Life Sciences & Global Drylands Center Arizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | | | - Walter S. Andriuzzi
- Department of Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA
- Nature Communications, Nature Research Berlin Germany
| | | | | | - Pingting Guan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration School of Environment Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Osvaldo E. Sala
- School of Life Sciences School of Sustainability & Global Drylands Center Arizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | - Diana H. Wall
- Department of Biology & School of Global Environmental Sustainability Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA
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33
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Global patterns and climatic controls of belowground net carbon fixation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:20038-20043. [PMID: 32747527 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2006715117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon allocated underground through belowground net primary production represents the main input to soil organic carbon. This is of significant importance, because soil organic carbon is the third-largest carbon stock after oceanic and geological pools. However, drivers and controls of belowground productivity and the fraction of total carbon fixation allocated belowground remain uncertain. Here we estimate global belowground net primary productivity as the difference between satellite-based total net primary productivity and field observations of aboveground net primary production and assess climatic controls among biomes. On average, belowground carbon productivity is estimated as 24.7 Pg y-1, accounting for 46% of total terrestrial carbon fixation. Across biomes, belowground productivity increases with mean annual precipitation, although the rate of increase diminishes with increasing precipitation. The fraction of total net productivity allocated belowground exceeds 50% in a large fraction of terrestrial ecosystems and decreases from arid to humid ecosystems. This work adds to our understanding of the belowground carbon productivity response to climate change and provides a comprehensive global quantification of root/belowground productivity that will aid the budgeting and modeling of the global carbon cycle.
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34
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Su R, Yu T, Dayananda B, Bu R, Su J, Fan Q. Impact of climate change on primary production of Inner Mongolian grasslands. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e00928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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35
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Wang J, Zhang Q, Song J, Ru J, Zhou Z, Xia J, Dukes JS, Wan S. Nighttime warming enhances ecosystem carbon‐use efficiency in a temperate steppe. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- College of Life Sciences Hebei University Baoding Hebei China
| | - Qian Zhang
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology School of Life Sciences Henan University Kaifeng Henan China
| | - Jian Song
- College of Life Sciences Hebei University Baoding Hebei China
| | - Jingyi Ru
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology School of Life Sciences Henan University Kaifeng Henan China
| | - Zhenxing Zhou
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology School of Life Sciences Henan University Kaifeng Henan China
| | - Jianyang Xia
- Research Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting and Tiantong National Field Observation Station for Forest Ecosystem School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences East China Normal University Shanghai China
| | - Jeffrey S. Dukes
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue Climate Change Research CenterPurdue University West Lafayette IN USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue Climate Change Research CenterPurdue University West Lafayette IN USA
| | - Shiqiang Wan
- College of Life Sciences Hebei University Baoding Hebei China
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36
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Li P, Sayer EJ, Jia Z, Liu W, Wu Y, Yang S, Wang C, Yang L, Chen D, Bai Y, Liu L. Deepened winter snow cover enhances net ecosystem exchange and stabilizes plant community composition and productivity in a temperate grassland. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3015-3027. [PMID: 32107822 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Global warming has greatly altered winter snowfall patterns, and there is a trend towards increasing winter snow in semi-arid regions in China. Winter snowfall is an important source of water during early spring in these water-limited ecosystems, and it can also affect nutrient supply. However, we know little about how changes in winter snowfall will affect ecosystem productivity and plant community structure during the growing season. Here, we conducted a 5-year winter snow manipulation experiment in a temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia. We measured ecosystem carbon flux from 2014 to 2018 and plant biomass and species composition from 2015 to 2018. We found that soil moisture increased under deepened winter snow in early growing season, particularly in deeper soil layers. Deepened snow increased the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) and reduced intra- and inter-annual variation in NEE. Deepened snow did not affect aboveground plant biomass (AGB) but significantly increased root biomass. This suggested that the enhanced NEE was allocated to the belowground, which improved water acquisition and thus contributed to greater stability in NEE in deep-snow plots. Interestingly, the AGB of grasses in the control plots declined over time, resulting in a shift towards a forb-dominated system. Similar declines in grass AGB were also observed at three other locations in the region over the same time frame and are attributed to 4 years of below-average precipitation during the growing season. By contrast, grass AGB was stabilized under deepened winter snow and plant community composition remained unchanged. Hence, our study demonstrates that increased winter snowfall may stabilize arid grassland systems by reducing resource competition, promoting coexistence between plant functional groups, which ultimately mitigates the impacts of chronic drought during the growing season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Emma J Sayer
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Zhou Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weixing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuntao Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Sen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chengzhang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dima Chen
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lingli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Feyissa A, Yang F, Feng J, Wu J, Chen Q, Cheng X. Soil labile and recalcitrant carbon and nitrogen dynamics in relation to functional vegetation groups along precipitation gradients in secondary grasslands of South China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:10528-10540. [PMID: 31939024 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-07583-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Soil labile and recalcitrant carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are strongly controlled by plant inputs and climatic conditions. However, the interrelation of labile and recalcitrant pools with changes in plant functional groups (i.e., C3 and C4) along precipitation gradients is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the soil organic C and N (SOC and SON), labile C and N (LC and LN), recalcitrant C and N (RC and RN), and their isotopes (δ13C, and δ15N) in relation to C3 and C4 plant inputs from 20 sites across a 600-km precipitation gradient in secondary grasslands of South China. The SOC content decreased first slightly and then increased along precipitation gradients, largely due to the increase in C4 plant C inputs in the lower precipitation regions. In contrast, the SON content increased with increasing N inputs from C3 plant at higher precipitation regions. The LC and LN contents increased with increasing precipitation, whereas RC and RN did not change with precipitation. The LC and LN were correlated with plant C and N contents, as well as the mean annual precipitation, respectively. Increases in LC and LN stocks were tightly related to enhanced plant C and N inputs influenced by precipitation, suggesting stronger sensitivity of labile pools to both plant functional groups inputs and precipitation compared to the recalcitrant pool. Moreover, the δ13C values in RC declined with precipitation, while the δ15N values of both labile and recalcitrant N increased with increasing precipitation, further revealing that soil labile and recalcitrant C and N pools closely related to the shift in the C3 and C4 plant along precipitation gradients. Overall, our findings indicated that soil labile and recalcitrant fractions should be considered in context of precipitation under which plant inputs takes place in predicting soil C and N dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adugna Feyissa
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia
| | - Fan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao Feng
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Junjun Wu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoli Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China.
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Niu B, Zeng C, Zhang X, He Y, Shi P, Tian Y, Feng Y, Li M, Wang Z, Wang X, Cao Y. High Below-Ground Productivity Allocation of Alpine Grasslands on the Northern Tibet. PLANTS 2019; 8:plants8120535. [PMID: 31766615 PMCID: PMC6963938 DOI: 10.3390/plants8120535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The allocation of net primary production (NPP) between above- and belowground components is a key step of ecosystem material cycling and energy flows, which determines many critical parameters, e.g., the fraction of below ground NPP (BNPP) to NPP (fBNPP) and root turnover rates (RTR), in vegetation models. However, direct NPP estimation and partition are scarcely based on field measurements of biomass dynamics in the alpine grasslands on the Northern Tibetan Plateau (NTP). Consequently, these parameters are unverifiable and controversial. Here, we measured above- and belowground biomass dynamics (monthly from May to September each year from 2013 to 2015) to estimate NPP dynamics and allocations in four typical alpine grassland ecosystems, i.e., an alpine meadow, alpine meadow steppe, alpine steppe and alpine desert steppe. We found that NPP and its components, above and below ground NPP (ANPP and BNPP), increased significantly from west to east on the NTP, and ANPP was mainly affected by temperature while BNPP and NPP were mainly affected by precipitation. The bulk of BNPP was generally concentrated in the top 10 cm soil layers in all four alpine grasslands (76.1% ± 9.1%, mean ± SD). Our results showed that fBNPP was significantly different among these four alpine grasslands, with its means in alpine meadow (0.93), alpine desert steppe (0.92) being larger than that in the alpine meadow steppe (0.76) and alpine steppe (0.77). Both temperature and precipitation had significant and positive effects on the fBNPP, while their interaction effects were significantly opposite. RTR decreased with increasing precipitation, but increased with increasing temperature across this ecoregion. Our study illustrated that alpine grasslands on the NTP, especially in the alpine meadow and alpine desert steppe, partitioned an unexpected and greater NPP to below ground than most historical reports across global grasslands, indicating a more critical role of the root carbon pool in carbon cycling in alpine grasslands on the NTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Niu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
| | - Chaoxu Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xianzhou Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-10-6488-6990; Fax: +86-10-6485-4230
| | - Yongtao He
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
| | - Peili Shi
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
| | - Yuan Tian
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yunfei Feng
- Department of Resource Management, Tangshan Normal University, Tangshan 063000, China;
| | - Meng Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhipeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiangtao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yanan Cao
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (B.N.); (C.Z.); (Y.H.); (P.S.); (Y.T.); (M.L.); (Z.W.); (X.W.); (Y.C.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Zhong M, Song J, Zhou Z, Ru J, Zheng M, Li Y, Hui D, Wan S. Asymmetric responses of plant community structure and composition to precipitation variabilities in a semi-arid steppe. Oecologia 2019; 191:697-708. [PMID: 31578614 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04520-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Changing precipitation regimes can profoundly affect plant growth in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. However, how changing precipitation, especially extreme precipitation events, alters plant diversity and community composition is still poorly understood. A 3-year field manipulative experiment with seven precipitation treatments, including - 60%, - 40%, - 20%, 0% (as a control), + 20%, + 40%, and + 60% of ambient growing-season precipitation, was conducted in a semi-arid steppe in the Mongolian Plateau. Results showed total plant community cover and forb cover were enhanced with increased precipitation and reduced under decreased precipitation, whereas grass cover was suppressed under the - 60% treatment only. Plant community and grass species richness were reduced by the - 60% treatment only. Moreover, our results demonstrated that total plant community cover was more sensitive to decreased than increased precipitation under normal and extreme precipitation change, and species richness was more sensitive to decreased than increased precipitation under extreme precipitation change. The community composition and low field water holding capacity may drive this asymmetric response. Accumulated changes in community cover may eventually lead to changes in species richness. However, compared to control, Shannon-Weiner index (H) did not respond to any precipitation treatment, and Pielou's evenness index (E) was reduced under the + 60% treatment across the 3 year, but not in each year. Thus, the findings suggest that plant biodiversity in the semi-arid steppe may have a strong resistance to precipitation pattern changes through adjusting its composition in a short term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxing Zhong
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, Henan, China
| | - Jian Song
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, Hebei, China
| | - Zhenxing Zhou
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, Henan, China
| | - Jingyi Ru
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, Henan, China
| | - Mengmei Zheng
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, Henan, China
| | - Ying Li
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, Henan, China
| | - Dafeng Hui
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, 37209, USA
| | - Shiqiang Wan
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, Henan, China. .,College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, Hebei, China.
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40
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Wang J, Gao Y, Zhang Y, Yang J, Smith MD, Knapp AK, Eissenstat DM, Han X. Asymmetry in above- and belowground productivity responses to N addition in a semi-arid temperate steppe. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:2958-2969. [PMID: 31152626 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) enrichment often increases aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of the ecosystem, but it is unclear if belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) track responses of ANPP. Moreover, the frequency of N inputs may affect primary productivity but is rarely studied. To assess the response patterns of above- and belowground productivity to rates of N addition under different addition frequencies, we manipulated the rate (0-50 g N m-2 year-1 ) and frequency (twice vs. monthly additions per year) of NH4 NO3 inputs for six consecutive years in a temperate grassland in northern China and measured ANPP and BNPP from 2012 to 2014. In the low range of N addition rates, BNPP showed the greatest negative response and ANPP showed the greatest positive responses with increases in N addition (<10 g N m-2 year-1 ). As N addition increased beyond 10 g N m-2 year-1 , increases in ANPP dampened and decreases in BNPP ceased altogether. The response pattern of net primary productivity (combined above- and belowground; NPP) corresponded more closely to ANPP than to BNPP. The N effects on BNPP and BNPP/NPP (fBNPP ) were not dependent on N addition frequency in the range of N additions typically associated with N deposition. BNPP was more sensitive to N addition frequency than ANPP, especially at low rates of N addition. Our findings provide new insights into how plants regulate carbon allocation to different organs with increasing N rates and changing addition frequencies. These root response patterns, if incorporated into Earth system models, may improve the predictive power of C dynamics in dryland ecosystems in the face of global atmospheric N deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Yingzhi Gao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Yunhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Junjie Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - David M Eissenstat
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
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Zhang B, Cadotte MW, Chen S, Tan X, You C, Ren T, Chen M, Wang S, Li W, Chu C, Jiang L, Bai Y, Huang J, Han X. Plants alter their vertical root distribution rather than biomass allocation in response to changing precipitation. Ecology 2019; 100:e02828. [PMID: 31323118 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Elucidating the variation of allocation pattern of ecosystem net primary productivity (NPP) and its underlying mechanisms is critically important for understanding the changes of aboveground and belowground ecosystem functions. Under optimal partitioning theory, plants should allocate more NPP to the organ that acquires the most limiting resource, and this expectation has been widely used to explain and predict NPP allocation under changing precipitation. However, confirmatory evidence for this theory has mostly come from observed spatial variation in the relationship between precipitation and NPP allocation across ecosystems, rather than directly from the influences of changing precipitation on NPP allocation within systems. We performed a 6-yr five-level precipitation manipulation experiment in a semiarid steppe to test whether changes in NPP allocation can be explained by the optimal partitioning theory, and how water requirement of plant community is maintained if NPP allocation is unaltered. The 30 precipitation levels (5 levels × 6 yr) were divided into dry, nominal, and wet precipitation ranges, relative to historical precipitation variation over the past six decades. We found that NPP in both aboveground (ANPP) and belowground (BNPP) increased nonlinearly as precipitation increased, while the allocation of NPP to BNPP (fBNPP ) showed a concave quadratic relationship with precipitation. The declined fBNPP as precipitation increased in the dry range supported the optimal partitioning theory. However, in the nominal range, NPP allocation was not influenced by the changed precipitation; instead, BNPP was distributed more in the surface soil horizon (0-10 cm) as precipitation increased, and conversely more in the deeper soil layers (10-30 cm) as precipitation decreased. This response in root foraging appears to be a strategy to satisfy plant water requirements and partially explains the stable NPP allocation patterns. Overall, our results suggest that plants can adjust their vertical BNPP distribution in response to drought stress, and that only under extreme drought does the optimal partitioning theory strictly apply, highlighting the context dependency of the adaption and growth of plants under changing precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingwei Zhang
- Department of Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.,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
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Shiping Chen
- 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
| | - Xingru Tan
- 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
| | - Cuihai You
- 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
| | - Tingting Ren
- 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
| | - Minling Chen
- College of Chinese Language and Culture, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510610, China
| | - Shanshan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Weijing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Chengjin Chu
- Department of Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Lin Jiang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, USA
| | - Yongfei Bai
- 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
| | - Jianhui Huang
- 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
| | - Xingguo Han
- 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
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Drought suppresses soil predators and promotes root herbivores in mesic, but not in xeric grasslands. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:12883-12888. [PMID: 31186355 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900572116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Precipitation changes among years and locations along gradients of mean annual precipitation (MAP). The way those changes interact and affect populations of soil organisms from arid to moist environments remains unknown. Temporal and spatial changes in precipitation could lead to shifts in functional composition of soil communities that are involved in key aspects of ecosystem functioning such as ecosystem primary production and carbon cycling. We experimentally reduced and increased growing-season precipitation for 2 y in field plots at arid, semiarid, and mesic grasslands to investigate temporal and spatial precipitation controls on the abundance and community functional composition of soil nematodes, a hyper-abundant and functionally diverse metazoan in terrestrial ecosystems. We found that total nematode abundance decreased with greater growing-season precipitation following increases in the abundance of predaceous nematodes that consumed and limited the abundance of nematodes lower in the trophic structure, including root feeders. The magnitude of these nematode responses to temporal changes in precipitation increased along the spatial gradient of long-term MAP, and significant effects only occurred at the mesic site. Contrary to the temporal pattern, nematode abundance increased with greater long-term MAP along the spatial gradient from arid to mesic grasslands. The projected increase in the frequency of extreme dry years in mesic grasslands will therefore weaken predation pressure belowground and increase populations of root-feeding nematodes, potentially leading to higher levels of plant infestation and plant damage that would exacerbate the negative effect of drought on ecosystem primary production and C cycling.
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43
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Belowground Biomass Response to Nutrient Enrichment Depends on Light Limitation Across Globally Distributed Grasslands. Ecosystems 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-019-00350-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Vargas L, Willemen L, Hein L. Assessing the Capacity of Ecosystems to Supply Ecosystem Services Using Remote Sensing and An Ecosystem Accounting Approach. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 63:1-15. [PMID: 30267222 PMCID: PMC6353808 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-018-1110-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems contribute to economic development through the supply of ecosystem services such as food and fresh water. Information on ecosystems and their services is required to support policy making, but this information is not captured in economic statistics. Ecosystem accounting has been developed to integrate ecosystems and ecosystem services into national accounts. Ecosystem accounting includes the compilation of an ecosystem services supply and use account, which reflects actual flows of ecosystem services, and the ecosystem capacity account, which reflects the capacity of ecosystems to sustainably supply ecosystem services. A capacity assessment requires detailed data on ecosystem processes, which are often not available over large scales. In this study, we examined how net primary productivity derived from remote sensing can be used as an indicator to assess changes in the capacity of ecosystems to supply services. We examine the spatial and temporal patterns in this capacity for the Orinoco river basin from 2001 to 2014. Specifically, we analyze the capacity of six types of ecosystems to supply timber, pastures for grazing cattle, oil palm fresh fruit bunches and to sequester carbon. We compared ecosystem capacities with the level of ecosystem service supply to assess a sustainable use of ecosystems. Our study provides insights on how the capacity of ecosystems can be quantified using remote sensing data in the context of ecosystem accounting. Ecosystem capacity indicators indicate ecosystems change and harvesting-regeneration patterns which are important for the design and monitoring of sustainable management regimes for ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Vargas
- Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, 6700, AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Louise Willemen
- Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500, AE, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Lars Hein
- Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, 6700, AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Despite evidence from experimental grasslands that plant diversity increases biomass production and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it remains unclear whether this is true in natural ecosystems, especially under climatic variations and human disturbances. Based on field observations from 6,098 forest, shrubland, and grassland sites across China and predictions from an integrative model combining multiple theories, we systematically examined the direct effects of climate, soils, and human impacts on SOC storage versus the indirect effects mediated by species richness (SR), aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), and belowground biomass (BB). We found that favorable climates (high temperature and precipitation) had a consistent negative effect on SOC storage in forests and shrublands, but not in grasslands. Climate favorability, particularly high precipitation, was associated with both higher SR and higher BB, which had consistent positive effects on SOC storage, thus offsetting the direct negative effect of favorable climate on SOC. The indirect effects of climate on SOC storage depended on the relationships of SR with ANPP and BB, which were consistently positive in all biome types. In addition, human disturbance and soil pH had both direct and indirect effects on SOC storage, with the indirect effects mediated by changes in SR, ANPP, and BB. High soil pH had a consistently negative effect on SOC storage. Our findings have important implications for improving global carbon cycling models and ecosystem management: Maintaining high levels of diversity can enhance soil carbon sequestration and help sustain the benefits of plant diversity and productivity.
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Multiple Factors Drive Variation of Forest Root Biomass in Southwestern China. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9080456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The roots linking the above-ground organs and soil are key components for estimating net primary productivity and carbon sequestration of forests. The patterns and drivers of root biomass in forest have not been examined well at the regional scale, especially for the widely distributed forest ecosystems in southwestern China. We attempted to determine the spatial patterns of root biomass (RB, Mg/ha), annual increment root biomass (AIRB, Mg/ha/year), ratio of root and above-ground (RRA), and the relative contributions of abiotic and biotic factors that drive the variation of root biomass. Forest biomass and multiple factors (climate, soil, forest types, and stand characteristics) of 318 plots in this region (790,000 km2) were analyzed in this research. The AB (the mean values for forest aboveground biomass per ha, Mg/ha), RB, AIRB, and RRA were 126 Mg/ha, 28 Mg/ha, 0.69 Mg/ha and 0.22, respectively. AB, RB, AIRB, and RRA varied across all the plots and forest types. Both RB and AIRB showed significant spatial patterns of distribution, while RRA did not show any spatial patterns of distribution. Up to 28.4% of variation in total of RB, AIRB, and RRA can be attributed to the climate, soil, and stand characteristics. The explained or contribution rates of climate, soil, and stand characteristics for variation of whole forest root biomass were 6.7%, 16.9%, and 10.9%, respectively. Path analysis in structural equation model (SEM) indicated the direct influence of stand age on RB. AIRB was greater than that of the other factors. Climate, soil and stand characteristics in different forest types could explain 9.7%–96.1%, 15.4%–96.4%, and 36.7%–99.4% of variations in RB, AIRB, and RRA, respectively, which suggests that the multiple factors may be important in explaining the variations in forest root biomass. The results of the analysis of root biomass per ha, annual increment of root biomass per ha, and ratio of root and above-ground in the seven forest types categorized by climate, soil, and stand characteristics may be used for accurately determining C sequestration by the forest root and estimating forest biomass in this region.
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The effect of decreasing permafrost stability on ecosystem carbon in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Sci Rep 2018. [PMID: 29520016 PMCID: PMC5843650 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22468-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of decreased permafrost stability on carbon storage of the alpine ecosystems in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. During July and August 2013, we selected 18 sites in five types of permafrost (stable, substable, transitional, unstable, and extremely unstable) regions. We measured aboveground phytomass carbon (APC) and soil respiration (SR), soil inorganic carbon (SIC), soil organic carbon (SOC), belowground phytomass carbon, and soil properties down to 50 cm at same types of soils and grasslands. The results indicated that ecosystem carbon in cold calcic soils first decreased and then increased as the permafrost stability declined. Overall, decreasing permafrost stability was expected to reduce ecosystem carbon in meadows, but it was not obvious in swamp meadows and steppes. APC decreased significantly, but SIC and SOC in steppes first decreased and then increased with declining permafrost stability. Soil clay fraction and soil moisture were the controls for site variations of ecosystem carbon. The spatial variations in SR were possibly controlled by soil moisture and precipitation. This meant that alpine ecosystems carbon reduction was strongly affected by permafrost degradation in meadows, but the effects were complex in swamp meadows and steppes.
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Hui D, Yu CL, Deng Q, Dzantor EK, Zhou S, Dennis S, Sauve R, Johnson TL, Fay PA, Shen W, Luo Y. Effects of precipitation changes on switchgrass photosynthesis, growth, and biomass: A mesocosm experiment. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192555. [PMID: 29420600 PMCID: PMC5805322 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate changes, including chronic changes in precipitation amounts, will influence plant physiology and growth. However, such precipitation effects on switchgrass, a major bioenergy crop, have not been well investigated. We conducted a two-year precipitation simulation experiment using large pots (95 L) in an environmentally controlled greenhouse in Nashville, TN. Five precipitation treatments (ambient precipitation, and -50%, -33%, +33%, and +50% of ambient) were applied in a randomized complete block design with lowland "Alamo" switchgrass plants one year after they were established from tillers. The growing season progression of leaf physiology, tiller number, height, and aboveground biomass were determined each growing season. Precipitation treatments significantly affected leaf physiology, growth, and aboveground biomass. The photosynthetic rates in the wet (+50% and +33%) treatments were significantly enhanced by 15.9% and 8.1%, respectively, than the ambient treatment. Both leaf biomass and plant height were largely increased, resulting in dramatically increases in aboveground biomass by 56.5% and 49.6% in the +50% and +33% treatments, respectively. Compared to the ambient treatment, the drought (-33% and -50%) treatments did not influence leaf physiology, but the -50% treatment significantly reduced leaf biomass by 37.8%, plant height by 16.3%, and aboveground biomass by 38.9%. This study demonstrated that while switchgrass in general is a drought tolerant grass, severe drought significantly reduces Alamo's growth and biomass, and that high precipitation stimulates its photosynthesis and growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dafeng Hui
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Chih-Li Yu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Qi Deng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management, South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - E. Kudjo Dzantor
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Suping Zhou
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Sam Dennis
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Roger Sauve
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Terrance L. Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Philip A. Fay
- Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, United State Department of Agriculture, Temple, Texas, United States of America
| | - Weijun Shen
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management, South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiqi Luo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
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Fellows AW, Flerchinger GN, Lohse KA, Seyfried MS. Rapid Recovery of Gross Production and Respiration in a Mesic Mountain Big Sagebrush Ecosystem Following Prescribed Fire. Ecosystems 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-017-0218-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Machovina B, Feeley KJ. Restoring low-input high-diversity grasslands as a potential global resource for biofuels. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 609:205-214. [PMID: 28743006 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 07/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Reducing meat consumption by humans and shifting to more efficient plant and animal protein sources could potentially free up large areas of pasture and feedcrop agricultural land for restoration or conversion to low-input high-diversity (LIHD) grasslands. LIHD grasslands improve biodiversity, carbon sequestration, erosion control, water storage, while also providing opportunities to produce biofuels. We examined the potential of converting pastures globally, and animal feedstock agricultural lands in the USA and Brazil, to LIHD biomass sources and the capacity of these systems to meet national energy demands via (1) cellulosic ethanol and (2) integrated gasification and combined cycle technology with Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbon synthesis (IGCC-FT) processing. Our analyses, which we argue are conservative, indicate that large amounts of energy, far in excess of many country's current demands, can potentially be produced from IGCC-FT processing of grassland biomass grown on converted pastures, especially in tropical developing countries. Over 40 countries could meet ≥100% of their domestic demands for electricity, gasoline, and diesel. If energy products were shared between countries, the 95 countries with positive energy production yields could meet 46%, 28%, and 39% of their combined electricity, gasoline, and diesel demands, respectively. While it is clearly unrealistic to propose a 100% conversion of pasture lands to biofuel production, these analyses highlight the potential gains in ecosystem services and energy production that could theoretically be achieved on already-managed lands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Machovina
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.
| | - Kenneth J Feeley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; Department of Biology, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33146, USA
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