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Qu LP, Dong G, Chen J, Xiao J, De Boeck HJ, Chen J, Jiang S, Batkhishig O, Legesse TG, Xin X, Shao C. Soil environmental anomalies dominate the responses of net ecosystem productivity to heatwaves in three Mongolian grasslands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 944:173742. [PMID: 38839012 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Climate change is causing more frequent and intense heatwaves. Therefore, it is important to understand how heatwaves affect the terrestrial carbon cycle, especially in grasslands, which are especially susceptible to climate extremes. This study assessed the impact of naturally occurring, simultaneous short-term heatwaves on CO2 fluxes in three ecosystems on the Mongolia Plateau: meadow steppe (MDW), typical steppe (TPL), and shrub-grassland (SHB). During three heatwaves, net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was reduced by 86 %, 178 %, and 172 % at MDW, TPL, and SHB, respectively. The changes in ecosystem respiration, gross primary production, evapotranspiration, and water use efficiency were divergent, indicating the mechanisms underlying the observed NEP decreases among the sites. The impact of the heatwave in MDW was mitigated by the high soil water content, which enhanced evapotranspiration and subsequent cooling effects. However, at TPL, insufficient soil water led to combined thermal and drought stress and low resilience. At SHB, the ecosystem's low tolerance to an August heatwave was heavily influenced by species phenology, as it coincided with the key phenological growing phase of plants. The potential key mechanism of divergent NEP response to heatwaves lies in the divergent stability and varying importance of environmental factors, combined with the specific sensitivity of NEP to each factor in ecosystems. Furthermore, our findings suggest that anomalies in soil environment, rather than atmospheric anomalies, are the primary determinants of NEP anomalies during heatwaves. This challenges the conventional understanding of heatwaves as a discrete and ephemeral periods of high air temperatures. Instead, heatwaves should be viewed as chronologically variable, compound, and time-sensitive environmental stressors. The ultimate impact of heatwaves on ecosystems is co-determined by a complex interplay of environmental, biological, and heatwave features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Ping Qu
- College of JunCao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Gang Dong
- 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; School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jiquan Chen
- Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - Jingfeng Xiao
- Earth Systems Research Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Hans J De Boeck
- Research Group of Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | - Jingyan 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
| | - Shicheng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Ochirbat Batkhishig
- Institute of Geography, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaartar 210620, Mongolia
| | - Tsegaye Gemechu Legesse
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xiaoping Xin
- 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
| | - Changliang Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
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Qu LP, Chen J, Xiao J, De Boeck HJ, Dong G, Jiang SC, Hu YL, Wang YX, Shao CL. The complexity of heatwaves impact on terrestrial ecosystem carbon fluxes: Factors, mechanisms and a multi-stage analytical approach. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 240:117495. [PMID: 37890820 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117495] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Extreme heatwaves have become more frequent and severe in recent decades, and are expected to significantly influence carbon fluxes at regional scales across global terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, accurate prediction of future heatwave impacts remains challenging due to a lack of a consistent comprehension of intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. We approached this knowledge gap by analyzing the complexity factors in heatwave studies, including the methodology for determining heatwave events, divergent responses of individual ecosystem components at multiple ecological and temporal scales, and vegetation status and hydrothermal environment, among other factors. We found that heatwaves essentially are continuously changing compound environmental stress that can unfold into multiple chronological stages, and plant physiology and carbon flux responses differs in each of these stages. This approach offers a holistic perspective, recognizing that the impacts of heatwaves on ecosystems can be better understood when evaluated over time. These stages include instantaneous, post-heatwave, legacy, and cumulative effects, each contributing uniquely to the overall impact on the ecosystem carbon cycle. Next, we investigated the importance of the timing of heatwaves and the possible divergent consequences caused by different annual heatwave patterns. Finally, a conceptual framework is proposed to establish a united foundation for the study and comprehension of the consequences of heatwaves on ecosystem carbon cycle. This instrumental framework will assist in guiding regional assessments of heatwave impacts, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms responsible for the varied responses of terrestrial ecosystems to specific heatwave events, which are imperative for devising efficient adaptation and mitigation approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Ping Qu
- College of JunCao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
| | - Jiquan Chen
- Center for Global Change & Earth Observations (CGCEO), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA.
| | - Jingfeng Xiao
- Earth Systems Research Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA.
| | - Hans J De Boeck
- Research Group of Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Gang Dong
- 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; School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
| | | | - Ya-Lin Hu
- College of JunCao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
| | - Yi-Xuan Wang
- 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.
| | - Chang-Liang Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
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Gong XW, Hao GY. The synergistic effect of hydraulic and thermal impairments accounts for the severe crown damage in Fraxinus mandshurica seedlings following the combined drought-heatwave stress. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159017. [PMID: 36167124 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Drought combined with extreme heatwaves has been increasingly identified as the important trigger of worldwide tree mortality in the context of climate change; nonetheless, our understanding of the potential hydraulic and thermal impairments of hot droughts to trees and the subsequent post-recovery process remains limited. To investigate the response of tree water and carbon relations to drought, heatwave, and combined drought-heatwave stresses, three-year-old potted seedlings of Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., a dominant tree species in temperate forests of northeast China, were grown under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions and exposed to a rapid, acute heatwave treatment. During the heatwave treatment with a maximum temperature exceeding 40 °C for two days, the leaf temperature of drought-stressed seedlings was, on average, 5 °C higher than that of well-watered counterparts due to less effective evaporative cooling, indicating that soil water availability influenced leaf thermoregulatory capacity during hot extremes. Consistently, more pronounced crown damage, as shown by 13 % irreversible leaf scorch, was found in seedlings under the drought-heatwave treatment relative to sole heatwave treatment, alongside the more severe stem xylem embolism and leaf electrolyte leakage. While the heatwave treatment accelerated the depletion of non-structural carbohydrates in drought-stressed seedlings, the increase of branch soluble sugar concentration in response to heatwave might be related to the requirement for maintaining hydraulic functioning via osmoregulation under high dehydration risk. The coordination between leaf stomatal conductance and total non-structural carbohydrate content during the post-heatwave recovery phase implied that plant-water relations and carbon physiology were closely coupled in coping with hot droughts. This study highlights that, under scenarios of aggravating drought co-occurring with heatwaves, tree seedlings could face a high risk of crown decline in relation to the synergistically increased hydraulic and thermal impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Wei Gong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, Shenyang 110016, China; Qingyuan Forest CERN, National Observation and Research Station, Liaoning Province, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Guang-You Hao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province, Shenyang 110016, China; Qingyuan Forest CERN, National Observation and Research Station, Liaoning Province, Shenyang 110016, China.
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Ahrens CW, Challis A, Byrne M, Leigh A, Nicotra AB, Tissue D, Rymer P. Repeated extreme heatwaves result in higher leaf thermal tolerances and greater safety margins. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 232:1212-1225. [PMID: 34292598 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The frequency and severity of heatwave events are increasing, exposing species to conditions beyond their physiological limits. Species respond to heatwaves in different ways, however it remains unclear if plants have the adaptive capacity to successfully respond to hotter and more frequent heatwaves. We exposed eight tree populations from two climate regions grown under cool and warm temperatures to repeated heatwave events of moderate (40°C) and extreme (46°C) severity to assess adaptive capacity to heatwaves. Leaf damage and maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv /Fm ) were significantly impacted by heatwave severity and growth temperatures, respectively; populations from a warm-origin avoided damage under moderate heatwaves compared to those from a cool-origin, indicating a degree of local adaptation. We found that plasticity to heatwave severity and repeated heatwaves contributed to enhanced thermal tolerance and lower leaf temperatures, leading to greater thermal safety margins (thermal tolerance minus leaf temperature) in a second heatwave. Notably, while we show that adaptation and physiological plasticity are important factors affecting plant adaptive capacity to thermal stress, plasticity of thermal tolerances and thermal safety margins provides the opportunity for trees to persist among fluctuating heatwave exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin W Ahrens
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Anthea Challis
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Margaret Byrne
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Bentley Delivery Centre, Locked Bag 104, Bentley, WA, 6983, Australia
| | - Andrea Leigh
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Adrienne B Nicotra
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - David Tissue
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Paul Rymer
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
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