Article
Soil Science
Ernest D. Osburn, Peter J. Hoch, Chelse M. Prather, Michael S. Strickland
Summary: Fertilization with macronutrients (N + P) has significant effects on soil carbon cycling, while the impacts of micronutrients (such as Ca and K) are relatively smaller but still influence the carbon cycling functions of soil microbial communities and the size of soil carbon pools.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jamie D. Wilson, Oliver Andrews, Anna Katavouta, Francisco de Melo Virissimo, Ros M. Death, Markus Adloff, Chelsey A. Baker, Benedict Blackledge, Fraser W. Goldsworth, Alan T. Kennedy-Asser, Qian Liu, Katie R. Sieradzan, Emily Vosper, Rui Ying
Summary: This study quantifies the future trends in carbon sequestration by the biological carbon pump (BCP) using the latest CMIP6 model projections. The results show that carbon sequestration is expected to increase by 19 to 48 Pg C over the 21st century in the SSP3-7.0 scenario, accounting for 5 to 17% of the total increase in oceanic carbon by 2100. However, export production is projected to decrease globally. The study highlights the importance of considering organic carbon fluxes at 1,000 m as a metric for long-term carbon sequestration in future model studies.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Austin Roy, Laura Gough, Natalie T. Boelman, Rebecca J. Rowe, Kevin L. Griffin, Jennie R. McLaren
Summary: Understanding the impact of small mammal structures on Arctic ecosystems is crucial for predicting global carbon and nutrient cycling. This study found that small mammal structures, such as hay piles, runways, and latrines, can increase soil nitrogen availability and influence various soil nutrient pools and enzyme activities. However, the effects vary across different regions in the Arctic tundra. Additionally, changes in the abundance and cover of these structures during different phases of small mammal population cycles may have long-lasting effects on ecosystem processes.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Renato K. Braghiere, Joshua B. Fisher, Kimberley R. Miner, Charles E. Miller, John R. Worden, David S. Schimel, Christian Frankenberg
Summary: Estimating the impacts of climate change on the global carbon cycle relies on projections from Earth system models (ESMs). The new generation of increased complexity ESMs in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report aims to improve future climate projections. In this study, CMIP5 and CMIP6 ensembles were benchmarked using ILAMB tool over the NASA Arctic-Boreal vulnerability experiment (ABoVE) region in North America, showing that CMIP6 has higher projected average net biome production (NBP) in 2100 compared to CMIP5, and better agreement with contemporary observed carbon cycle variables.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ling Ding, Sen Shan, Chunle Luo, Xuchen Wang
Summary: This study investigated the concentrations and distribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the South China Sea and the western North Pacific. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the microbiological respiration of DOC. The findings revealed that DOC concentrations in the South China Sea varied greatly and were influenced by multiple factors. Physical mixing played a significant role in the distribution of mesopelagic DOC in the northern South China Sea basin.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Lettice C. Hicks, Beat Frey, Rasmus Kjoller, Martin Lukac, Mari Moora, James T. Weedon, Johannes Rousk
Summary: The study proposes a function-first framework to predict how microbial communities influence ecosystem functions, linking microbial function to community composition and structure. It describes the dependence of microbial functions on environmental factors and combines functional response curves with current environmental conditions to predict the contribution of the whole community to ecosystem function. Ultimately, indicator taxa may be used as a diagnostic tool to enable predictions of ecosystem function from community composition.
Article
Ecology
Edward B. Rastetter, Kevin L. Griffin, Rebecca J. Rowe, Laura Gough, Jennie R. McLaren, Natalie T. Boelman
Summary: The study suggests that implicitly representing grazer effects in terrestrial ecosystems can lead to an underestimation of ecosystem response to climate change, relative to explicitly including them in the model. This underestimation increases with grazer density.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Erin Frates, Rachel Spietz, Michael Silverstein, Peter Girguis, Roland Hatzenpichler, Jeffrey Marlow
Summary: Salt marshes are highly productive ecosystems located at the interface between terrestrial and marine systems. This study investigated the effects of natural and anthropogenic carbon on sediment microbial ecology using bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that both Spartina and diesel amendments led to changes in microbial diversity and activity, highlighting the importance of certain microbial lineages in carbon processing.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaowen Ji, Evgeny Abakumov, Svetlana Chigray, Sheker Saparova, Vyacheslav Polyakov, Wenjuan Wang, Daishe Wu, Chunlan Li, Yu Huang, Xianchuan Xie
Summary: This study found that the addition of hazardous elements in Arctic organic soils inhibited microbial activities and microbial biomass carbon formation, leading to a negative impact on soil organic carbon degradation.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Oceanography
Lauren J. Barrett, Penny Vlahos, Douglas E. Hammond, Robert P. Mason
Summary: The Bering and Chukchi Seas are important oceanic regions for carbon dioxide uptake, but the biogeochemical impacts of sea ice reduction in the Arctic Ocean are uncertain. A recent study found that dissolved nutrient and inorganic carbon fluxes from sediments decreased from south to north in the Chukchi Sea. The study also showed that higher sea ice concentrations in the northern Chukchi Sea inhibited surface productivity and air-sea exchange of CO2.
CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wim J. van Hoek, Junjie Wang, Lauriane Vilmin, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Jose M. Mogollon, Gerrit Muller, Philip A. Pika, Xiaochen Liu, Joep J. Langeveld, Alexander F. Bouwman, Jack J. Middelburg
Summary: The global carbon cycling in freshwater systems shows spatial and temporal variations, influenced by multiple factors. The distribution and fluxes of different forms of carbon in river networks reflect the geological features, climate conditions, and human disturbances of river basins.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andie Nugent, Steven D. Allison
Summary: This synthesis reviews research on the urban soil microbiome and develops a framework to integrate soil microbial communities with urban ecosystem function. The study identifies disturbance, altered resources, and heterogeneity as key drivers through which human activities affect urban soils and their resident microorganisms. Integration across disturbance ecology, urban ecology, and microbial ecology is crucial for managing ecosystem benefits in cities and understanding the consequences for environmental and human health.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Christian Marz, Felipe S. Freitas, Johan C. Faust, Jasmin A. Godbold, Sian F. Henley, Allyson C. Tessin, Geoffrey D. Abbott, Ruth Airs, Sandra Arndt, David K. A. Barnes, Laura J. Grange, Neil D. Gray, Ian M. Head, Katharine R. Hendry, Robert G. Hilton, Adam J. Reed, Saskia Ruhl, Martin Solan, Terri A. Souster, Mark A. Stevenson, Karen Tait, James Ward, Stephen Widdicombe
Summary: The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented and dramatic transformations in response to climate change, with a disproportionate focus on visible aspects like sea ice melt and the fate of megafauna. However, the importance of the shelf seafloor in regulating nutrients and sequestering carbon is often overlooked. Climate change and regional adjustments to human activities may alter the biogeochemical and ecological dynamics of the Arctic shelf seafloor, impacting ecosystem function, carbon burial, and nutrient recycling. Mitigating climatic and anthropogenic change requires recognizing the vital role of the Arctic benthic system.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Peter Stimmler, Anders Prieme, Bo Elberling, Mathias Goeckede, Joerg Schaller
Summary: Global warming is causing increased greenhouse gas release from Arctic soils, potentially changing the Arctic from a carbon sink to a future source. It is important to understand the factors controlling soil microbial community structure and activity to accurately predict future greenhouse gas release. Soil conditions, such as salinity, influenced by changes in Si and Ca concentrations due to climate change, can affect microbial activity and CO2 production in Arctic soils.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Peter Stimmler, Anders Prieme, Bo Elberling, Mathias Goeckede, Joerg Schaller
Summary: Global warming is causing an increase in greenhouse gas release from Arctic soils, potentially changing the Arctic from a carbon sink to a carbon source. The concentration of Si and Ca in soil plays a crucial role in organic carbon turnover and should be considered in estimating Arctic carbon budgets.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Emily Kyker-Snowman, Danica L. Lombardozzi, Gordon B. Bonan, Susan J. Cheng, Jeffrey S. Dukes, Serita D. Frey, Elin M. Jacobs, Risa McNellis, Joshua M. Rady, Nicholas G. Smith, R. Quinn Thomas, William W. Wieder, A. Stuart Grandy
Summary: Terrestrial ecosystems play a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate, yet they have been historically underrepresented in Earth system models. Integrating ecology and Earth system modeling is essential for a comprehensive understanding of ecological systems' impact on global environmental change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Ethan T. Addicott, Eli P. Fenichel, Mark A. Bradford, Malin L. Pinsky, Stephen A. Wood
Summary: Society increasingly calls for accurate predictions of complex ecosystem processes under new conditions to address environmental challenges. However, obtaining process-level knowledge for such predictions doesn't necessarily align with the prevalent use of correlative model selection criteria in ecology. Relying on information criteria may lead researchers to incorrect conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships. Bridging the gap between correlative inference and a process-based understanding of ecological systems is crucial.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Elisabeth B. Ward, Marlyse C. Duguid, Sara E. Kuebbing, James C. Lendemer, Mark A. Bradford
Summary: Ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) shrubs commonly found in forest understories can have significant effects on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. ErM fungi and plants have unique traits that can contribute to organic matter accumulation and nutrient limitation. Further study of ErM effects is important for understanding the interaction of different mycorrhizal types in changing environmental conditions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fiona Jevon, Alexander Polussa, Ashley K. Lang, J. William Munger, Stephen A. Wood, William R. Wieder, Mark A. Bradford
Summary: Aboveground litter production in forests is a crucial pathway for carbon and nutrient cycling, which is influenced by factors such as aboveground tree productivity, plant functional group, and climate. Climate and seasonality play a significant role in litter production, and there are notable differences in litter production between coniferous and deciduous forests.
Article
Ecology
Katherine A. Dynarski, Fiona M. Soper, Sasha C. Reed, William R. Wieder, Cory C. Cleveland
Summary: Plant element stoichiometry and stoichiometric flexibility play a crucial role in regulating ecosystem responses to global change. Our study investigated three potential mechanisms (climate, soil nutrients, and plant taxonomy) using foliar and soil nutrient data from forest sites across the USA. We found that foliar nitrogen and phosphorus patterns were influenced by different mechanisms, with plant taxonomy being a significant determinant of foliar nutrient stoichiometry and concentrations. Our findings demonstrate the complexity of factors influencing foliar chemistry and suggest that both nitrogen and phosphorus may be sensitive to global change drivers on different spatial and temporal scales, potentially impacting ecosystem nutrient ratios and associated ecological processes.
Article
Ecology
Robert J. Warren, James T. Costa, Mark A. Bradford
Summary: Explanations for global patternings in species diversity have been around since before the field of ecology itself. However, the generation of new species-area theories far outweighs their falsification, leading to a centuries-old accumulation of species diversity theories. Research suggests that one of the earliest and most consistent patterns in species diversity is not solely an ecological phenomenon, and the range of potential ecological mechanisms is too vast for hypothesis falsification. Broad-scale aggregation patterns in ecological and non-ecological data suggest a statistical distribution rather than discerning between ecological and non-ecological mechanisms. The study advocates for prioritizing the falsification of broad-scale diversity distribution hypotheses over the generation and parameterization of new ones.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark A. Bradford, G. F. Ciska Veen, Ella M. Bradford, Kristofer R. Covey, Thomas W. Crowther, Nicholas Fields, Paul T. Frankson, Javier Gonzalez-Rivero, Fiona V. Jevon, Sara E. Kuebbing, Steven McBride, Jacqueline E. Mohan, Emily E. Oldfield, Angela M. Oliverio, Alexander Polussa, Corinna Steinrueck, Michael S. Strickland, Elisabeth B. Ward, Carl Wepking, Daniel S. Maynard
Summary: This study investigates the effect of downed coarse woody material (CWM) on the decomposition rates of fine woody material (FWM). The results show that the presence of CWM accelerates the decomposition of FWM, and this effect becomes stronger over time.
Letter
Ecology
Ethan T. Addicott, Eli P. Fenichel, Mark A. Bradford, Malin L. Pinsky, Stephen A. Wood
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Pablo Garcia-Palacios, Mark A. Bradford, David J. Eldridge, Miguel Berdugo, Tadeo Saez-Sandino, Yu-Rong Liu, Fernando Alfaro, Sebastian Abades, Adebola R. Bamigboye, Felipe Bastida, Jose L. Blanco-Pastor, Jorge Duran, Juan J. Gaitan, Javier G. Illan, Tine Grebenc, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal, Tina U. Nahberger, Gabriel F. Penaloza-Bojaca, Ana Rey, Alexandra Rodriguez, Christina Siebe, Alberto L. Teixido, Wei Sun, Pankaj Trivedi, Jay Prakash Verma, Ling Wang, Jianyong Wang, Tianxue Yang, Eli Zaady, Xiaobing Zhou, Xin-Quan Zhou, Cesar Plaza
Summary: This study compared soil samples from urban and natural ecosystems and found that the soil microbiome is an essential driver of soil carbon in urban greenspace under warming. This research is significant in highlighting the importance of considering the soil microbiome in urban management strategies to maintain soil carbon and related ecosystem services.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. A. Taylor, M. A. Bradford, W. Arnold, D. Takahashi, T. Colgan, V. Davis, D. Losos, J. Peccia, P. A. Raymond
Summary: Northern wetlands and bogs are significant sources of biogenic methane (CH4) emissions, which affect climate. Quantifying the effects of controls on bog CH4 emissions is challenging due to their spatial and temporal heterogeneity. To address this, we established 55 measurement plots with extensive spatial and temporal coverage in an ombrotrophic bog. Our data showed that temperature had the strongest control on CH4 emissions, while water table depth (WTD) and vegetation composition had smaller effects. Despite the large effect of temperature, the controls we measured explained only about 29% of the variance in CH4 fluxes. Highly-replicated, local designs can provide valuable data for refining our understanding of wetland CH4 emissions.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elisabeth B. Ward, Alexander Polussa, Mark A. Bradford
Summary: Plant mycorrhizal associations impact the accumulation and persistence of soil organic matter, which can affect how ecosystems respond to global changes. The co-occurrence of trees and shrubs with different mycorrhizal associations can influence soil organic matter pools, but more research is needed to understand these effects.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Cuijuan Liao, Xingjie Lu, Yuanyuan Huang, Feng Tao, David M. Lawrence, Charles D. Koven, Keith W. Oleson, William R. Wieder, Erik Kluzek, Xiaomeng Huang, Yiqi Luo
Summary: This study introduces a new Semi-Analytical Spin-Up (SASU) method to tackle the problem of steady state initialization in global biogeochemical cycle models. The experiments at the Brazil site showed that SASU is computationally 7 times more efficient than the traditional native dynamics (ND) spin-up method and globally it is 8 times more efficient than the accelerated decomposition spin-up and 50 times more efficient than ND. In summary, SASU achieves the highest computational efficiency for spin-up compared to other methods, making computationally costly studies possible for a better understanding of biogeochemical cycling under climate change.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN MODELING EARTH SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
K. R. Jay, W. R. Wieder, S. C. Swenson, J. F. Knowles, S. C. Elmendorf, H. Holland-Moritz, K. N. Suding
Summary: This study simulated the response of alpine tundra ecosystems using a land model and found that topography and aspect play important roles in mediating patterns of snow, productivity, soil moisture, and soil temperature. The study also revealed that climate change will have uneven effects on alpine vegetation, with dry, wind-scoured, and south facing areas being more vulnerable.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
M. A. Bradford, L. Eash, A. Polussa, F. V. Jevon, S. E. Kuebbing, W. A. Hammac, S. Rosenzweig, E. E. Oldfield
Summary: There is disagreement about the potential of regenerative management practices to sequester enough soil organic carbon to mitigate climate change. This study evaluates the feasibility of quantifying change through sampling data from cropland fields and finds that higher sampling densities and field numbers can accurately quantify management effects on soil organic carbon change.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Emma Hauser, William R. Wieder, Gordon B. Bonan, Cory C. Cleveland
Summary: Increased plant growth under elevated CO2 can slow climate warming, but changes in vegetation C:N ratios may diminish this effect. Incorporating CO2-driven increases in foliar stoichiometry into land models showed a decrease in projected C sink and altered Earth's hydrologic cycle, highlighting the importance of further research on the effects of changing foliar stoichiometry.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)