Article
Soil Science
Xuemeng Su, Zhengchao Zhou, Jun 'e Liu, Peipei Wang, Junyang Liu, Qiujia Li, Fuwang Zhao
Summary: This study evaluated the correlations among root mechanical properties, root chemical compositions, and root parameters traits, and the effects of root traits on soil shear resistance in climax community species on the Loess Plateau. The study found that over 65% of the root parameter traits were distributed in the upper 20 cm of the soil and decreased with increasing soil layer. Plant roots enhanced the soil cohesion and the soil cohesion was negatively correlated with the soil layers. The root-soil composite cohesion can be explained by root surface area density (RSAD), root length density (RLD), and root diameter (D). This study provides theoretical guidance and data accumulation for the mechanical traits, soil reinforcement, and slope stability of climax community species roots in the Loess Plateau.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Huijie Gu, Liantao Liu, John R. Butnor, Hongyong Sun, Xiying Zhang, Cundong Li, Xiuwei Liu
Summary: The study found that under dry conditions, root capacitance (ECroot) was significantly reduced after root cutting, and that incorporating root tissue density and soil moisture into the prediction model can improve the accuracy of ECroot. In contrast, ECroot was less affected by root cutting under wet soil conditions, suggesting that it may not directly measure roots in these conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Guy M. Taseski, David A. Keith, Rhiannon L. Dalrymple, William K. Cornwell
Summary: The study found that root traits change within and among species along a fine-scale hydrological gradient. Patterns of root tissue density showed declines towards the wetter end of the gradient, while other root traits exhibited various patterns of variation within and among species.
Article
Forestry
Li Sun, Hengfang Wang, Yan Cai, Qi Yang, Caijin Chen, Guanghui Lv
Summary: Studying the variation in plant functional traits can help understand their environmental adaptation strategies and mechanisms of community construction. In this study, the desert plant community in Lake Ebinur watershed was investigated, focusing on five different traits. The results showed that the values of these traits varied with water gradient and there were differences in intraspecific variation under different moisture conditions. The contribution of inter- and intraspecific variation to community weighting also varied with moisture gradient.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Agnieszka Nobis, Dominika Chmolowska, Tomasz H. Szymura, Arkadiusz Nowak, Marcin Nobis
Summary: This study investigates the influence of physicochemical properties of soil on the distribution of river corridor plant species in the large river valleys of Central Europe. The findings suggest that plots located in closer proximity to the river, characterized by higher soil exchangeable potassium content and lower altitudes, exhibit higher coverage of river corridor plant species. Meanwhile, in plots situated along anthropogenic linear landscape elements, higher coverage of river corridor plant species is associated with higher soil exchangeable potassium content and pH values.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Ding Luo, Kangning Xiong, Chenxu Wu, Xing Gu, Zehui Wang
Summary: This study investigated soil nutrients and moisture changes in different karst mountain agroforestry systems. The results showed that the variation in soil nutrients was small in the different agroforestry systems, but significantly different from the secondary forest. Soil water content changes were significantly influenced by precipitation, soil porosity, and permeability. Different agroforestry systems had different lag times in regulating soil water, with HYM having the longest lag time and YSH having the shortest. Seasonal fluctuations in soil moisture content were most prominent in HYM and HTY agroforestry systems. These findings provide important theoretical support for understanding the relationship among agroforestry, soil, moisture, and nutrients in karst areas, and for promoting ecological restoration and agroforestry development.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiangrui Zhou, Zeliang Ju, Guoling Liang, Li Yang, Zhiyu Zhou, Guiqin Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the population density of Artemisia sphaerocephala and its effects on soil properties and plant growth characteristics in the Alashan desert of northwestern China. The results showed that population density was the primary factor determining vegetation growth, with soil water availability, nutrients, and fractal dimensions also playing a role. The optimal population density for A. sphaerocephala was found to be 3 plants per m(2).
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhilong Lan, Shaolei Zhang, Liangchen Xie, Xiong Li, Tanveer Ali Sial, Abdu Ghaffar Shar, Jinglong Fan, Jianguo Zhang, Qiang Dong, Guangjun Fu
Summary: Vegetation restoration is crucial for improving soil ecosystem functions and enhancing the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. In this study, the fine-scale spatial distribution of soil properties in the Mu Us Desert ecosystems was quantified, showing that A. ordosica can enhance soil carbon accumulation and nutrient availability at a fine scale.
JOURNAL OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Matthieu Forster, Carolina Ugarte, Mathieu Lamande, Michel-Pierre Faucon
Summary: The roots of annual crop species can increase soil shear strength and thus preserve soil properties.
Article
Agronomy
Yusen Zhang, Lunjiang Wang, Jing Yang, Qing Wang
Summary: Wildfires increase stemflow velocity by 30-40%. Stemflow velocity is positively related to stemflow rate and tends to increase with stem height. Pine bark fissure depth and width are negatively related to stemflow velocity. Wildfires reduce soil internal friction angle and cohesion by up to 32% and 62% respectively. Enhanced stemflow velocity can cause soil erosion around the base of the trunk.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Liu Xinchun, Kang Yongde, Chen Hongna, Lu Hui
Summary: The Taklimakan Desert, also known as the Sea of Death, is the largest desert in China and the world's second largest remote desert. Soil water and heat are coupled in the freezing-thawing soil of the Taklimakan Desert. During the freezing process, soil temperatures generally trend downward, and the impact of ambient temperature on soil temperature weakens with increasing soil depth.
Article
Plant Sciences
Khadijeh Bahalkeh, Mehdi Abedi, Ghasem Ali Dianati Tilaki, Richard Michalet
Summary: The study revealed that a dominant foundation shrub may have contrasting short- and long-term effects on different groups of understorey species, contributing to explain community composition, although balancing at the community level.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Meng Kou, Juying Jiao
Summary: This study investigated the changes in vegetation and soil properties over time in natural and artificial vegetation types. It found that natural vegetation improved both plant community and soil properties, while artificial vegetation only improved soil nutrients but caused soil desiccation which is difficult to recover.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xi Yang, Ming'an Shao, Tongchuan Li, Qingyin Zhang, Miao Gan, Mingyu Chen, Xiao Bai
Summary: Studies on vertical soil nutrient distribution beneath different types of artificially restored vegetation in a transition zone from desert to loess revealed distinct hierarchies in soil nutrient content, with Medicago saliva vegetation being the most suitable for restoration. Soil nutrient content was positively correlated with soil water content, plant coverage, and clay, silt, and litter nutrient content, but negatively correlated with soil bulk density, sand content, and litter C/N ratio.
Article
Environmental Sciences
W. Lee Ellenburg, Vikalp Mishra, Jason B. Roberts, Ashutosh S. Limaye, Jonathan L. Case, Clay B. Blankenship, Keith Cressman
Summary: This study evaluates the impact of soil texture and moisture conditions on desert locust breeding, emphasizing the importance of model-derived soil moisture estimates in locust monitoring. Thresholds for optimal breeding conditions were determined by comparing and combining datasets, improving predictive accuracy of breeding periods. Incorporating soil moisture reduced areas of optimal egg laying conditions from 33% to less than 20% on average, enhancing monitoring efforts for desert locust outbreaks.
Article
Soil Science
Linna Ma, Guofang Liu, Xiaofeng Xu, Xiaoping Xin, Wenming Bai, Lihua Zhang, Shiping Chen, Renzhong Wang
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2018)
Article
Soil Science
Liang Chang, Baifeng Wang, Xiumin Yan, Linna Ma, Gadi V. P. Reddy, Donghui Wu
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Soil Science
Linna Ma, Xiuli Gao, Guofang Liu, Xiaofeng Xu, Xiaotao Lu, Xiaoping Xin, Yixia Lu, Chaoxue Zhang, Lihua Zhang, Renzhong Wang
Article
Soil Science
Li-Jia Dong, Lin-Na Ma, Wei-Ming He
Summary: This study found that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in driving the invasion of Solidago canadensis, with their positive feedback effect on the growth of S. canadensis being stronger than their negative feedback effect on native plants. Additionally, S. canadensis grew larger and had lower competitive suppression in conspecific soils, indicating the importance of different soil microbial guilds in plant invasions.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Linna Ma, Chaoxue Zhang, Jinchao Feng, Guofang Liu, Xiaofeng Xu, Yixia Lue, Weiming He, Renzhong Wang
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Linna Ma, Xiaofeng Xu, Chaoxue Zhang, Yixia Lv, Guofang Liu, Qibing Zhang, Jinchao Feng, Renzhong Wang
Summary: The study found that deciduous trees maintain a high level of nitrogen uptake throughout the non-growing season, challenging the traditional view that deciduous trees remain dormant during this time. Soil nitrogen transformation remained active in winter, with microbial nitrogen immobilization reaching its peak in late winter. Evergreen and deciduous trees showed higher uptake rates for NH4+ and glycine than NO3- and tyrosine, while deciduous shrubs and herbs preferred NO3- over other forms of nitrogen.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Linna Ma, Chaoxue Zhang, Yixia Lv, Renzhong Wang
Summary: This study reveals the high potential of warm temperate forest ecosystems in retaining early-spring nitrogen input, with litter and plants playing significant roles in sustaining the nitrogen resources. Considering winter nitrogen deposition is important for better understanding nitrogen cycling in temperate ecosystems.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Congwen Wang, Linna Ma, Xiaoan Zuo, Xuehua Ye, Renzhong Wang, Zhenying Huang, Guofang Liu, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen
Summary: The interactions between plants and soil microbes play crucial roles in modulating the function and stability of terrestrial ecosystems. The study found that plant diversity is positively correlated with soil fungal diversity, particularly for predicted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and saprotrophic fungi. However, the correlation between plant and soil bacterial diversity varies by phyla and functional guilds.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Linna Ma, Chaoxue Zhang, Xiaofeng Xu, Congwen Wang, Guofang Liu, Cunzhu Liang, Xiaoan Zuo, Chengjie Wang, Yixia Lv, Renzhong Wang
Summary: Soil microbial communities play a crucial role in regulating ecosystem functions and services. This study investigated the importance of bacterial and fungal communities in predicting soil multifunctionality in grassland ecosystems. The results showed that soil multifunctionality was driven by fungal diversity, while bacterial diversity had a weaker impact. Dominant bacterial taxa and fungal biomass also influenced soil multifunctionality. Loss of fungal diversity, dominant bacterial taxa, and microbial biomass could reduce soil multifunctionality in grassland ecosystems.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Congwen Wang, Zhangkai Liu, Wanying Yu, Xuehua Ye, Linna Ma, Renzhong Wang, Zhenying Huang, Guofang Liu
Summary: Soil microbial communities in grasslands are affected by degradation levels, with degradation influencing fungal community structure more significantly than bacterial community structure. Soil properties, such as nutrients and texture, are major drivers of fungal community composition and structure, while soil pH plays a larger role in bacterial community. This study emphasizes the importance of managing and restoring degraded grasslands by prioritizing soil fungal community.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Congwen Wang, Xu Pan, Wanying Yu, Xuehua Ye, Enkhmaa Erdenebileg, Chengjie Wang, Linna Ma, Renzhong Wang, Zhenying Huang, Tuvshintogtokh Indree, Guofang Liu
Summary: Soil microbes play important roles in regulating the functions and services of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change and human disturbance. Soil microbial networks are influenced by complex interactions and environmental factors such as aridity and soil heterogeneity. This study found that aridity was the main driver of soil microbial network structure and decreased complexity and stability. Soil heterogeneity, on the other hand, increased microbial network complexity and stability by promoting diverse host plants and mediating soil resource distribution. Overall, this research highlights the importance of climate and soil variables, as well as environmental heterogeneity, in regulating soil microbial networks.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Congwen Wang, Wanying Yu, Linna Ma, Xuehua Ye, Enkhmaa Erdenebileg, Renzhong Wang, Zhenying Huang, Tuvshintogtokh Indree, Guofang Liu
Summary: Ecosystem functioning is crucial for human welfare, and grassland ecosystems provide multiple ecosystem services known as ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). This study investigated the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on EMF in grasslands. Biotic factors, such as plant species diversity and soil microbial diversity, had interactive effects on EMF, while abiotic factors, such as soil texture, had stronger effects on EMF. Understanding these factors is essential for managing and maintaining grassland EMF.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
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
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kailiang Yu, Johan van den Hoogen, Zhiqiang Wang, Colin Averill, Devin Routh, Gabriel Reuben Smith, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Kate M. Scow, Fei Mo, Mark P. Waldrop, Yuanhe Yang, Weize Tang, Franciska T. De Vries, Richard D. Bardgett, Peter Manning, Felipe Bastida, Sara G. Baer, Elizabeth M. Bach, Carlos Garcia, Qingkui Wang, Linna Ma, Baodong Chen, Xianjing He, Sven Teurlincx, Amber Heijboer, James A. Bradley, Thomas W. Crowther
Summary: Fungi and bacteria are the dominant groups of soil microbial communities worldwide. They play a crucial role in regulating carbon cycling by controlling the turnover of soil organic matter. This study provides the first quantitative and high-spatial-resolution map of soil fungal proportion across terrestrial ecosystems, revealing striking latitudinal trends where fungal dominance increases in cold and high-latitude environments. The study also found a strong nonlinear response of fungal dominance to environmental factors, such as mean annual temperature and net primary productivity. These findings have important implications for improving predictions of soil organic matter turnover under current and future climate scenarios.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2022)
