Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chao Luo, Xiaoping Guo, Changdong Feng, Chaoqun Xiao
Summary: Close-to-nature restoration of mining areas is recognized for promoting ecosystem resilience and mitigating biodiversity losses. A field study in an arid mining area in northwestern China found that disturbances affect seed banks and their potential for vegetation restoration. Mild-to-moderate disturbances had limited negative effects on the soil seed bank. The study highlights the significance of soil seed banks for ecological recovery in arid mining areas.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chunying Wu, James Angus Webb, Michael J. Stewardson
Summary: River floodplains are dynamic and diverse ecosystems, but they are at risk of degradation due to river regulation and climate change. Environmental water has been used to maintain their health by mimicking natural floods. This study used Landsat data to investigate the drivers of vegetation dynamics in the Hattah Lakes floodplain in Australia. The study found that the effects of environmental water on floodplain vegetation differed from those of natural floods in both space and time.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lushuang Liang, Qingzheng Wang, Qingyu Guan, Qinqin Du, Yunfan Sun, Fei Ni, Songjian Lv, Yuxin Shan
Summary: Assessing vegetation restoration prospects (VRPs) is crucial for ecological restoration projects, especially in cold and arid mountainous areas. This study focused on the Qilian Mountains and analyzed the relationship between vegetation trend persistence and VRPs. A VRPs assessment framework was constructed, and environmental factors influencing vegetation restoration were identified. The results showed significant vegetation improvement in the Qilian Mountains, with specific environmental elements such as terrain niche index, drought index, and soil types influencing VRPs. The study provides a new framework for assessing VRPs and offers guidance for ecosystem restoration planning worldwide.
Article
Engineering, Civil
S. Shaeri Karimi, N. Saintilan, L. Wen, R. Valavi, J. Cox
Summary: The ephemeral inundation of floodplains in semi-arid and arid climates is crucial for biological productivity, supporting critical reproductive life phases of natural biota. A study on the Darling River floodplain in Australia found that hydrological developments have significantly increased inter-flood periods, especially during dry climatic phases, leading to a decline in waterbird utilization, low resilience of outer floodplain vegetation to recent drought, and reduction in grazing capacity. Water resource development had less impact on large inundation events.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weijie Zhang, Zipeng Wang, Hexin Lai, Ruyi Men, Fei Wang, Kai Feng, Qingqing Qi, Zezhong Zhang, Qiang Quan, Shengzhi Huang
Summary: This study explores the impact of meteorological drought on vegetation in Inner Mongolia under the background of global climate warming. The results showed that meteorological drought worsens and vegetation growth decreases. Deserts and grasslands are more sensitive to meteorological drought, while forests are more affected by long-term drought. Short-term meteorological drought events have a more pronounced effect on vegetation. Evapotranspiration is the primary climatic driving factor in Inner Mongolia.
Article
Plant Sciences
Chao Luo, Xiao-Ping Guo, Chang-Dong Feng, Jin-Peng Ye, Peng-Fei Li, Zhen-Tian Li
Summary: The study in the piedmont plain of the eastern slope of Gandur mountain in Wuhai, northwestern China, revealed different spatial distribution patterns of soil seed banks at various scales. Shrub seed banks and herbaceous seed banks showed increasing spatial autocorrelation with scale, while the spatial autocorrelation of herbaceous seed banks exhibited an initial decrease followed by an increase. Additionally, the spatial relationship between herbaceous seed banks and above-ground vegetation was stronger with shrubs but not with herbs.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xarapat Ablat, Gaohuan Liu, Qingsheng Liu, Chong Huang
Summary: This study divided the Linhe reach into four lateral belts based on hydro-geomorphological characteristics and used MODIS-NDVI data to characterize vegetation growth patterns, finding that vegetation in regularly inundated areas performed better than in other belts, with a significant correlation between water persistence time and peak NDVI value.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yahya Kooch, Masoumeh Amani, Mehdi Abedi
Summary: Soil biological properties are important indicators for evaluating soil quality, but there is little research on the response of belowground biota to habitat degradation. This study found that vegetation degradation leads to a decrease in soil organisms and microbial activities, resulting in soil health damage, especially in semi-arid regions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yao Zhao, Meng Li, Jiayong Deng, Baitian Wang
Summary: Research has shown significant differences in the understory vegetation and soil seed banks among rehabilitation areas with different vegetation types. The effects of plantations are better than naturally restored abandoned farmland, and the choice of tree species is crucial for vegetation recovery.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Nasr H. Gomaa, Ahmad K. Hegazy, Haifa Abdulaziz S. Alhaithloul
Summary: Shrubs have facilitative effects on the soil seed bank of annual plants in desert regions, and the effects differ between wet and dry seasons. This study aims to evaluate the facilitative effects of Haloxylon persicum shrubs on the soil seed bank of annual plants in a sandy desert region in Saudi Arabia.
Article
Plant Sciences
Boyd R. Wright, Peter K. Latz, David E. Albrecht, Roderick J. Fensham
Summary: Eradication of buffel grass leads to increased frequency, richness, and diversity of native vegetation and seed bank pools, as well as improved availability of seed resources for granivores. However, the impact on grass species seeds is not substantial.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Walter Box, Juha Jarvela, Kaisa Vastila
Summary: This study investigates the flow resistance of flexible floodplain vegetation mixtures under a range of mean flow velocities and low relative submergences. The results show a significant decrease in flow resistance when the submergence increases, providing new evidence for extending LAI-based modeling to a wider range of vegetation densities. Adjustments to existing LAI-based approaches are needed for high water stages and the contribution of understory grasses to flow resistance should not be underestimated.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
William Higgisson, Breanna Reynolds, Yasmin Cross, Fiona Dyer
Summary: This study aims to investigate the relationship between seed germination and seedling establishment of Acacia stenophylla and hydrological conditions, as well as the seed's ability to disperse through water. The results show that A. stenophylla establishes during and following flooding, and requires a period of flooding followed by flood recession to maximize seed germination.
MARINE AND FRESHWATER RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiefei Mao, Yaoming Li, Junfeng Zhang, Kun Zhang, Xuexi Ma, Guangyu Wang, Lianlian Fan
Summary: Soil water repellency has a significant impact on water use of plants in arid regions. This study found that soil organic carbon and silt content are critical factors affecting the occurrence and persistence of soil water repellency.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhenzong Wu, Jian Bi, Yifei Gao
Summary: By analyzing vegetation dynamics in a semi-arid region of Northwest China from 2000 to 2019 using satellite remote sensing data, it was found that herbaceous land greening was more significant than forests, croplands and grasslands showed similar greening magnitudes, and high-altitude vegetation dynamics were not largely influenced by temperature and precipitation.
Editorial Material
Ecology
Jere A. Boudell, Mark D. Dixon, Stewart B. Rood, Juliet C. Stromberg
Article
Plant Sciences
Jere A. Boudell, Juliet C. Stromberg
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2015)
Article
Ecology
Beth A. Middleton, Jere Boudell, Nicholas A. Fisichelli
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Ecology
J. C. Stromberg, J. A. Boudell, A. F. Hazelton
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2008)
Article
Ecology
Juliet C. Stromberg, Jere A. Boudell
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2013)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jere A. Boudell, Juliet C. Stromberg
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2008)
Article
Ecology
Juliet C. Stromberg, Lane Butler, Andrea F. Hazelton, Jere A. Boudell
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Jere A. Boudell, Beth A. Middleton
APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES
(2019)
Review
Ecology
Beth A. Middleton, Jere Boudell
Summary: Climates are changing rapidly in wetland ecosystems worldwide, and the impacts of historical land-use change on climate adaptation are often overlooked. Historical changes to hydrology and key environments can worsen vegetation stress, making droughts and flooding more severe. Conservation planning needs to consider global and regional changes affecting groundwater and surface water availability, such as sea-level rise, coastal subsidence, and fluid extraction. This paper aims to describe techniques for inland wetland remediation that could also increase freshwater delivery to salinified coastal wetlands experiencing salinification due to historical land use.
ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
JA Boudell, SO Link, JR Johansen
WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2002)