Article
Ecology
Zhouyuan Li, Tianxiao Ma, Yimeng Cai, Tingting Fei, Chen Zhai, Wenxiao Qi, Shikui Dong, Jixi Gao, Xuguang Wang, Shaopeng Wang
Summary: This study reveals how landscape diversity influences the stability of ecosystem functioning in forest-grassland ecotones. The results show that landscape diversity is positively related to the stability of temperature and net primary productivity, but negatively related to the stability of wind speed and precipitation. The relationship between diversity and stability is strengthened with increasing spatial scale, but the effects on net primary productivity stability peak at around 30 km.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yeming Zhang, Xiuli Gao, Ye Yuan, Lei Hou, Zhenhua Dang, Linna Ma
Summary: This study investigated the effects of plant and soil microbial diversity on ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) under different levels of grassland desertification. The results showed that both plant and soil microbial diversity declined with increasing desertification intensity, leading to a decrease in EMF. Plant and soil microbial diversity were identified as important predictors of EMF during desertification processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xinxin Guo, Xiaoan Zuo, Eduardo Medina-Roldan, Aixia Guo, Ping Yue, Xueyong Zhao, Jingjuan Qiao, Xiangyun Li, Min Chen, Cunzheng Wei, Tian Yang, Yuguang Ke, Qiang Yu
Summary: The change of plant biodiversity caused by resource-enhancing global changes has greatly affected grassland productivity. The effects of multi-resource enrichment on grassland biodiversity and productivity depend on site resource constraints.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Daiyan Li, Meng Meng, Baihui Ren, Xinwei Ma, Long Bai, Jiahuan Li, Guohua Bai, Fengjun Yao, Chunming Tan
Summary: This study investigated the composition, structure, and diversity characteristics of soil microbial communities in a forest-grassland ecotone under different levels of nitrogen addition in northwest Liaoning Province, China. The results showed that increasing nitrogen concentrations led to a decrease in soil pH and fluctuation in total nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen contents. Nitrogen addition had limited effect on fungal community, but significantly reduced the diversity of bacterial community. The abundance of fungal and bacterial phyla was correlated with soil pH and total nitrogen content, respectively. Functional genes related to soil nitrogen transformations did not show significant differences under different treatments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Chun-Hui Ma, Xing-Hai Hao, Feng-Cai He, Tao-Getao Baoyin, Jue-Jie Yang, Shi-Kui Dong
Summary: This study examined the impact of seasonal grazing on plant and soil microbial diversity in typical temperate grassland. The results showed that seasonal grazing increased aboveground plant biomass and changed the composition and biomass of dominant vegetation. Continuous grazing significantly increased the Margalef richness index of plant community. There was no significant change in soil bacterial, archaeal and fungal diversity between no-grazing and grazing plots, but soil fungi and archaea diversity were higher in certain grazing plots. This study suggests that seasonal grazing is a sustainable management strategy for maintaining typical grassland plant and soil microbial diversity in northern China.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Cian Blaix, Olivier Chabrerie, Didier Alard, Manuella Catterou, Sylvain Diquelou, Thierry Dutoit, Jerome Lacoux, Gregory Loucougaray, Alice Michelot-Antalik, Marine Pace, Antoine Tardif, Servane Lemauviel-Lavenant, Anne Bonis
Summary: This paper assesses the relationship between grassland plant diversity and agronomic value, addressing the challenge of balancing nature conservation and agricultural use in semi-natural grassland habitats. The study explores the effects of plant diversity and functional traits on forage nutritive value and early standing biomass. The results show that species richness is negatively associated with early standing biomass and average mineral content, while community evenness is positively correlated with digestibility, crude protein content, and average mineral content but negatively with early standing biomass. The findings suggest that a higher plant species evenness can lead to better forage nutritive value in permanent grassland habitats, and an even distribution of plant functional types can improve forage nutritive value without affecting early standing biomass.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Fengshi Li, Hugjiltu Minggagud, Scott Jarvie, Yonghui Wang, Yongzhi Yan, Xiaoqian Gong, Peng Han, Qing Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the effects of fertilization and mowing on plant, soil bacterial, and soil fungal diversity. The results show that fertilization reduces plant diversity, while fertilization + mowing increases plant diversity. Fertilization and fertilization + mowing have no significant effect on soil bacterial and fungal diversity, but can alter their community structure through changing soil pH.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Khanh Vu Ho, Mirjana Cuk, Tijana Sikuljak, Gyrgy Kroel-Dulay, Zoltan Batori, Csaba Tolgyesi, Attila Furesz, Peter Torok, Alida Anna Habenczyus, Anna Hegyesi, Z. Ladin Cosgun, Laszlo Erdos
Summary: Previous studies have focused on anthropogenic edges without considering adjacent non-woody vegetation and using simple taxonomic indices. This study finds significant differences in species composition between edges, forests, and grasslands, indicating the emergence of a new habitat that deserves attention. The richness and diversity of edges are generally higher than forests or grasslands, while functional diversity is influenced by canopy openness and dominant species traits. Moreover, the phylogenetic diversity of woody habitats is higher than grasslands, reflecting their different evolutionary ages.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nannan Kang, Lita Alita, Xiaohua Yu, Min Liu
Summary: Conserving plant species diversity is crucial for sustainable development. This paper assessed the value of plant species diversity in grasslands for local herders and found that the monetary value of one plant species for each herder household is equivalent to 9.8% of the annual household income on average. The estimation of this value will have a far-reaching impact on stake-holders and policymakers involved in protecting species diversity.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaohang Bai, Wenwu Zhao, Jing Wang, Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira
Summary: Grassland ecosystems are crucial for global sustainable development. This study in Inner Mongolia, China, analyzed the stability of temperate grassland plant communities and found that functional diversity is more influential than species diversity. Climate factors play a significant role in community diversity and stability.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Miguel Loera-Sanchez, Bruno Studer, Roland Kolliker
Summary: Grasslands are important ecosystems for sustainable roughage production, and plant genetic diversity plays a crucial role in their functioning. The advancement of high-throughput DNA sequencing approaches provides opportunities for multispecies plant genetic diversity monitoring in grasslands.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Jingying Jing, Wen-Feng Cong, T. Martijn Bezemer
Summary: Optimizing crop combinations, improving nutrient inputs, developing intelligent fertilizers, and applying soil or microbiome inoculations can create positive legacies, increase yields, resist pests and diseases, enhance carbon sequestration in soils, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xuan Zhao, Yueqing Song, Tongtong Xu, Man Xu, Jinting Cai, Ling Wang, Zhiqiang Li
Summary: The study revealed contrasting patterns of bacterial and fungal richness during patchy degradation process, with soil bacteria showing significant edge effects at ecotone. The decrease in relative abundance of rare taxa can be considered as an indicator of reduced ecosystem function in response to grassland degradation.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yufan Wang, Hongjin Zhang, Guomin Yu, Lizheng Dong, Jianyong Kang, Wei Wang
Summary: Atmospheric N deposition poses threats to plant and soil microbial communities in grasslands, and this effect can be influenced by grassland degradation. A 9-year N enrichment experiment in Inner Mongolia, China, showed that the response of soil bacteria and plant communities to N deposition varied with grassland degradation.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuan Li, Gensheng Bao, Peng Zhang, Xiaoyun Feng, Jingjuan Ma, Hainian Lu, Hongxiao Shi, Xiaoxing Wei, Bingming Tang, Kai Liu
Summary: This study examined the correlations between plant diversity and bud bank traits at different stages of alpine meadow degradation. The findings showed that grass biomasses and plant diversity were highest in moderately degraded meadows, while sedge biomasses were highest in lightly degraded meadows. The densities of bud banks were influenced by the level of disturbance, with undisturbed meadows having the highest bud bank density. The study also found that the densities and diversities of rhizome and tiller buds play crucial roles in facilitating the greater diversity of the plant community.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jean C. Rodriguez-Ramos, Jonathan A. Cale, James F. Cahill, Suzanne W. Simard, Justine Karst, Nadir Erbilgin
Summary: Different disturbances in boreal forests have significant effects on soil fungal communities, particularly on ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The disruption of the forest floor with disturbances leads to shifts in fungal community composition and biomass.
Article
Plant Sciences
Joseph D. Birch, Suzanne W. Simard, Kevin J. Beiler, Justine Karst
Summary: The study demonstrates that ectomycorrhizal networks (EMNs) have a positive effect on the growth of adult trees, with trees connected to more others via EMN showing faster growth, while growth variability is negatively associated with an increasing number of connections. The differences in tree growth responses between sister fungal species highlight the possibility for identifying interspecific and intraspecific differences between fungi at different soil depths, which could have implications for forest health and resilience under changing environmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marc La Fleche, Chad W. Cuss, Tommy Noernberg, William Shotyk, Justine Karst
Summary: The study found that tree roots may interact with buried bitumen during reforestation following soil filling, and dendrochemistry can be used to investigate tree rooting at depth in substrates with signature metals.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Justine Karst, Joshua Wasyliw, Joseph D. Birch, James Franklin, Scott X. Chang, Nadir Erbilgin
Summary: Global change in boreal forest soils has altered nitrogen availability, impacting the abundance and community composition of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Long-term nitrogen addition in stands dominated by aspen trees increased stem radial growth initially and unexpectedly doubled the abundance of high-biomass ectomycorrhizal fungi. However, there were no significant changes in fungal community composition or root colonization, suggesting a complex relationship between nitrogen input and mycorrhizal fungi in deciduous tree species.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Justine Karst, James Franklin, Andrea Simeon, Ashley Light, Jonathan A. Bennett, Nadir Erbilgin
Summary: By studying mature aspen in 27 sites in western Canada, it was found that root systems were mainly ectomycorrhizal, with abundance in subsoils positively correlated with a climate moisture index. Ectomycorrhizal root abundance coincided with leaf quality, while soil carbon and nitrogen pools were unrelated to ectomycorrhizal root abundance.
Article
Soil Science
Yingtong Wu, Jin-Hyeob Kwak, Justine Karst, Ming Ni, Yifan Yan, Xiaofei Lv, Jianming Xu, Scott X. Chang
Summary: Anthropogenic nitrogen and sulfur deposition can alter the diversity of root-associated fungal pathogens and mutualists in a broadleaf tree-dominated boreal forest, impacting the host plant's nutrient acquisition and defense against pathogens. Nitrogen addition increased the abundance of certain EMF taxa sensitive to nitrogen and related to organic-N uptake, while it had little effect on overall EMF abundance and diversity. Sulfur and nitrogen addition did not affect the abundance and diversity of DSEs, but nitrogen addition decreased the diversity and evenness of ERM communities in the mineral soil.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Joseph D. Birch, James A. Lutz, Justine Karst
Summary: Fungal communities can have significant impacts on the productivity, composition, and survival of trees. The composition of these communities is influenced by factors such as dispersal limitation, environmental filtering, and partner specificity between trees and fungi. In this study, the researchers investigated the fungal communities associated with Pseudotsuga menziesii trees of different ages along a transect. They found that deterministic processes dominated the assembly of root and soil fungi, but the proportion of processes varied between sites.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Joshua Wasyliw, Evan G. Fellrath, Gregory J. Pec, Jonathan A. Cale, James Franklin, Charlotte Thomasson, Nadir Erbilgin, Justine Karst
Summary: Extensive tree mortality can alter soil fungal communities and hinder the establishment of tree species reliant on ectomycorrhizal fungi. This study tests whether soil inoculation improves the performance of lodgepole pine seedlings in stands with high levels of tree mortality caused by a mountain pine beetle outbreak. The results show that while inoculation affects the root-associated fungal communities of the seedlings, it has no significant effect on seedling survival, height, or biomass.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Amelia V. Hesketh, Jenna A. Loesberg, Ellen K. Bledsoe, Justine Karst, S. Ellen Macdonald
Summary: This paper presents a dataset documenting the changes in vegetation during the snow-free period in boreal forests. These data sets can be used to analyze long-term dynamics and succession within boreal forest communities.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jean C. Rodriguez-Ramos, Jonathan A. Cale, James F. Cahill, Nadir Erbilgin, Justine Karst
Summary: Disturbances in forests can impact mycorrhizal fungal communities, affecting plant establishment and growth. This study found that soil transfers from late-successional forests did not alter resident fungal communities or seedling growth in disturbed stands. The presence and abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi should be assessed before considering soil transfers for forest restoration.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Jonathan A. Bennett, James Franklin, Justine Karst
Summary: Through experiments conducted at 24 aspen stands, it was found that live inocula reduced aspen survival and growth relative to sterilized inocula, indicating that pathogens drive plant-soil feedbacks. Furthermore, pathogen-driven negative PSFs can persist for multiple years irrespective of the environment, potentially limiting the regeneration of aspen stands following dieback.
Article
Ecology
Joseph D. Birch, Yoshimitsu Chikamoto, R. J. DeRose, Vinicius Manvailer, E. H. Hogg, Justine Karst, David M. Love, James A. Lutz
Summary: Climate change is causing earlier spring budburst in deciduous temperate trees, increasing their vulnerability to damage from growing season frosts. The study found that over the past 150 years, the occurrence of 'white rings' associated with frost damage accounted for 5-6% of all years, leading to nearly a 40% decline in radial growth of Populus tremuloides.
Article
Ecology
Joseph D. Birch, James A. Lutz, Soren Struckman, Jessica R. Miesel, Justine Karst
Summary: Large-diameter trees have a significant impact on aboveground forest dynamics and belowground fungal communities. This study found that they have a larger influence on fungal community richness, particularly ectomycorrhizal fungi. Different fungal guilds are associated with the location, size, and species of aboveground trees.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Correction
Ecology
Justine Karst, Melanie D. Jones, Jason D. Hoeksema
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Justine Karst, Melanie D. Jones, Jason D. Hoeksema
Summary: The importance of mycorrhizal networks in forests has been widely discussed, but recent claims lack evidence and there is bias towards citing positive effects in scientific literature. The researchers found that unsupported claims in mycorrhizal network research have doubled in the past 25 years, and the bias towards citing positive effects may obscure our understanding of the network's structure and function. Therefore, the current knowledge on mycorrhizal networks is insufficient to inform forest management.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)