Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott A. Jones, Steven R. Archer, Kyle A. Hartfield, Stuart E. Marsh
Summary: The proliferation of unpalatable woody plants in recent decades has challenged rangeland management. This study investigated the maximum potential shrub cover for a specific shrub species in a Sonoran Desert grassland in Arizona, USA, and explored the environmental controls and constraints on shrub cover. The results showed that the upper limit of shrub cover is primarily constrained by mean annual precipitation, but varies across ecological sites and topoedaphic settings due to elevation, slope inclination/aspect, soil texture, and rainfall re-distribution.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Chetan Misher, Gargi Vats, Abi Tamim Vanak
Summary: Encroachment by woody invasive plants, particularly Prosopis juliflora, can significantly impact the rodent community in grassland ecosystems, with varying responses observed in different habitat types. Species richness and abundance of rodents were highest in restored grasslands and dense Prosopis thickets, but lowest in sparse Prosopis areas, indicating a potential U shaped response to Prosopis invasion. Ultimately, the effects of woody invasion on rodents depend on species characteristics and local environmental factors.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Peta Zivec, Stephen Balcombe, James McBroom, Fran Sheldon, Samantha J. Capon
Summary: The study found that naturally regenerating woody vegetation on old-fields exhibited similarities to remnant vegetation in terms of composition but varied substantially with respect to key structural attributes.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Ashish N. Nerlekar, Nirav Mehta, Ritesh Pokar, Mayur Bhagwat, Chetan Misher, Pankaj Joshi, Ankila J. Hiremath
Summary: The study found that mechanical removal of woody plants is more effective than lopping in restoring native grasslands by significantly increasing herbaceous plant species richness and cover. However, mechanical removal is costly and the management of woody plants also involves complex trade-offs due to their benefits for different stakeholder groups.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guang Song, Rong Hui, Haotian Yang, Bingyao Wang, Xinrong Li
Summary: This study explores the effects of biocrusts on the introduction and establishment of different plant species in dryland ecosystems. The results show that biocrusts have significant impacts on seed germination and survival of tested plant species. They also play a filtering role in plant species introduction and establishment, promoting the survival of certain plant species while filtering out others.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Martin C. Holdrege, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Kyle A. Palmquist
Summary: As the atmosphere warms, precipitation events are predicted to become fewer but larger. This study examines the effects of increased precipitation event sizes on water cycling and plant biomass in different ecosystems. The simulations reveal that larger precipitation events have differing effects on different types of vegetation, with shrubs in arid and semi-arid sites benefiting from the increased water availability. The results suggest that precipitation intensification contributes to the encroachment of woody plants in arid and semi-arid ecosystems globally.
Article
Ecology
Tshepiso Mangani, Arnim Marquart, George Chirima, Klaus Kellner
Summary: Many semi-arid savannahs in South Africa are experiencing degradation due to bush encroachment, causing a decline in biodiversity. This study tested different restoration treatments and found that bush clearing, brush packing, reseeding, and a combination of these methods had varying effects on grass diversity, especially in communal areas. Brush packing was found to promote grass diversity under high grazing pressure, while also altering the composition of grass species communities.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Qiaoyun Xie, Jamie Cleverly, Caitlin E. Moore, Yanling Ding, Christopher C. Hall, Xuanlong Ma, Luke A. Brown, Cong Wang, Jason Beringer, Suzanne M. Prober, Craig Macfarlane, Wayne S. Meyer, Gaofei Yin, Alfredo Huete
Summary: This study used a modified algorithm to extract LSP metrics from MODIS data in arid and semi-arid regions of Australia, improving the spatial extent of LSP retrievals. The results revealed that vegetation growth in these ecosystems is highly irregular and can occur at any time, with a correlation to annual precipitation.
ISPRS JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joseph D. M. White, Nicola Stevens, Jolene T. Fisher, Sally Archibald, Chevonne Reynolds
Summary: Woody-plant encroachment, a consequence of land degradation, has negative impacts on livelihoods. Research in South Africa shows that municipalities with low income and high reliance on ecosystem services are most affected by woody-plant encroachment. This phenomenon reinforces the poverty trap and leads to a decrease in ecosystem services.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Natalie De Falco, Reut Tal-Berger, Amgad Hjazin, Hezi Yizhaq, Ilan Stavi, Shimon Rachmilevitch
Summary: The study found that in semi-arid regions, geodiversity has a positive impact on plant community structure and species richness, particularly in drier years. Hillslopes with higher geodiversity in drylands appear to buffer the effects of drier years and support a more diverse plant community compared to lower geodiversity hillslopes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Lorenzo Villani, Giulio Castelli, Francesco Sambalino, Lucas A. Almeida Oliveira, Elena Bresci
Summary: This research in Tanzania's Dodoma region evaluates the impact of farmer managed natural regeneration agroforestry on microclimate, revealing a significant relationship between tree canopy cover and land surface temperature. A tree canopy cover target of 10% is proposed to achieve beneficial microclimate changes in the area.
BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott R. Loss, Bruce H. Noden, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf
Summary: Vector-borne diseases are impacted by woody plant encroachment (WPE), which may increase disease transmission and distribution. Further research on the effects of WPE management on health risks associated with VBDs is crucial for making informed land management and policy decisions.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhenpeng Ge
Summary: The hyperuniformity of vegetation Turing patterns is related to water-use efficiency. Near the tipping point, Turing-type ecosystems exhibit significant critical slowing down, indicating non-negligible transient dynamical behavior. Reduced rainfall affects both the resilience of the ecosystem's steady state and the rate of spatial optimization of water-use efficiency in long transient regimes. The degree of hyperuniformity can be used to assess the spatial resilience of ecosystems after disturbances.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Yangyang Jia, Tao Zhang, Florian Walder, Yu Sun, Zhaoyong Shi, Cameron Wagg, Changyan Tian, Gu Feng
Summary: Our findings show that increased precipitation negatively affects the temporal stability of ephemeral plant communities in desert ecosystems. However, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can alleviate these negative effects by increasing community biomass, especially in plant communities dominated by mycorrhizal species.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jerry Arana Maestre, Carlos Carrasco Badajoz, Pastor Coayla Penaloza, Carolina Rayme Chalco, Marco Sanchez Pena
Summary: Peru, a megadiverse country, displays a great diversity of ecosystems due to its tropical location, marine currents, and complex relief. Arid and semi-arid ecosystems cover a significant portion of the Peruvian territory and are home to a variety of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Research on aquatic macroinvertebrates in Peru has increased in recent years, focusing on bioindication, biodiversity, taxonomy, and distribution, with rivers being the most intensively studied ecosystems. Further studies are recommended to explore the taxonomic and ecological aspects of macroinvertebrates, especially in the eastern slope, and to calibrate biotic indices for main hydrographic basins.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth A. Hunter, Nathan P. Nibbelink, Clark R. Alexander, Kyle Barrett, Lara F. Mengak, Rachel K. Guy, Clinton T. Moore, Robert J. Cooper
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2015)
Article
Ecology
Bryan L. Nuse, Robert J. Cooper, Elizabeth A. Hunter
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Elizabeth A. Hunter, Nathan P. Nibbelink, Robert J. Cooper
Article
Ornithology
Kirstin Valdes, Elizabeth A. Hunter, Nathan P. Nibbelink
JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Ecology
Nicolette S. Roach, Elizabeth A. Hunter, Nathan P. Nibbelink, Kyle Barrett
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elizabeth A. Hunter, James P. Gibbs, Linda J. Cayot, Washington Tapia
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2013)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
James P. Gibbs, Elizabeth A. Hunter, Kevin T. Shoemaker, Washington H. Tapia, Linda J. Cayot
Article
Ecology
Elizabeth A. Hunter, Patrick A. Raney, James P. Gibbs, Donald J. Leopold
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elizabeth A. Hunter, Nathan P. Nibbelink
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2017)