Article
Ecology
Oliver Carroll, Evan Batzer, Siddharth Bharath, Elizabeth T. Borer, Sofia Campana, Ellen Esch, Yann Hautier, Timothy Ohlert, Eric W. Seabloom, Peter B. Adler, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori Biederman, Miguel N. Bugalho, Maria Caldeira, Qingqing Chen, Kendi F. Davies, Philip A. Fay, Johannes M. H. Knops, Kimberly Komatsu, Jason P. Martina, Kevin S. McCann, Joslin L. Moore, John W. Morgan, Taofeek O. Muraina, Brooke Osborne, Anita C. Risch, Carly Stevens, Peter A. Wilfahrt, Laura Yahdjian, Andrew S. MacDougall
Summary: Nutrient additions can increase aboveground biomass production but also decrease its stability, with nitrogen and phosphorus disproportionately increasing interannual variability.
Article
Ecology
A. C. Risch, S. Zimmermann, M. Schutz, E. T. Borer, A. A. D. Broadbent, M. C. Caldeira, K. F. Davies, N. Eisenhauer, A. Eskelinen, P. A. Fay, F. Hagedorn, J. M. H. Knops, J. J. Lembrechts, A. S. MacDougall, R. L. McCulley, B. A. Melbourne, J. L. Moore, S. A. Power, E. W. Seabloom, M. L. Silviera, R. Virtanen, L. Yahdjian, R. Ochoa-Hueso
Summary: The microbial metabolic quotient (MMQ) is an important parameter for understanding the microbial regulation of the carbon cycle. The study found that nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion had minimal effects on MMQsoil, while edaphoclimatic variables such as temperature, water holding capacity, and soil organic carbon concentration were the main determinants.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Allison L. Gill, Peter B. Adler, Elizabeth T. Borer, Christopher R. Buyarski, Elsa E. Cleland, Carla M. D'Antonio, Kendi F. Davies, Daniel S. Gruner, W. Stanley Harpole, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Brett A. Melbourne, Joslin L. Moore, John W. Morgan, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schutz, Eric W. Seabloom, Justin P. Wright, Louie H. Yang, Sarah E. Hobbie
Summary: This study found that nitrogen can accelerate early-stage decomposition of above-ground plant litter in temperate grasslands, but slow down late-stage decomposition. These findings have important implications for the effects of nitrogen on soil organic matter formation.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine S. Rocci, Kaydee S. Barker, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Sarah E. Hobbie, Jonathan D. Bakker, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Joslin L. Moore, Xavier Raynaud, Carly J. Stevens, M. Francesca Cotrufo
Summary: Global changes will alter nutrient availability in grassland soil, impacting biogeochemistry and carbon storage. While nutrient availability is known to influence carbon and nitrogen in soil organic matter, the effects on coupling and stability remain poorly understood. This study examined the responses of different soil organic matter fractions to nutrient additions across multiple grassland sites. The results showed that nutrient additions generally decreased the C:N ratios in soil organic matter, but the responses varied depending on soil fertility and environmental conditions. The study also found that nutrient additions promoted carbon storage in particulate organic matter compared to mineral-associated organic matter. These findings highlight the importance of considering soil organic matter fractions and environmental factors when studying nutrient effects on soil C and N dynamics.
Article
Soil Science
YunFei Zhao, Xia Wang, SiLong Jiang, JinJin Xiao, Jia Li, XiaoHe Zhou, HuiYing Liu, ZhiGuo Hao, KaiChang Wang
Summary: The relationship between plant productivity and diversity is crucial for understanding ecosystem functions. This study conducted investigations in alpine grassland sites on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and found that plant species richness and aboveground biomass exhibited a positive relationship. Factors such as precipitation, altitude, soil nitrogen content, and soil cation exchange capacity had significant effects on vegetation characteristics. Drought and low soil development limited plant productivity, highlighting the importance of conserving diversity in vulnerable ecosystems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Grzegorz Swacha, Mateusz Meserszmit, Lenka Pavlu, Vilem V. Pavlu, Klara Kajzrova, Teowdroes Kassahun, Malgorzata W. Radula, Jan Titera, Zygmunt Kacki
Summary: Semi-natural grasslands provide important ecosystem services, especially in terms of biomass production. This study in the Sudetes Mountains investigated the factors influencing species-specific biomass and found that soil acidity, mowing cessation, temperature, and precipitation significantly affected biomass turnover. High inequality in biomass among coexisting plant species was observed, but this inequality decreased with increasing functional diversity. The study emphasizes the importance of both common and less frequent species in contributing to the total aboveground biomass and suggests that maintaining species diversity is crucial for sustaining ecosystem services.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Huimei Meng, Jingrui Yang, Wenjuan Sun, Liujun Xiao, Guocheng Wang
Summary: The aboveground biomass (AGB) in managed grasslands in China varies depending on factors such as species, environment, and management practices. The average AGB is around 630 g/m2, with Medicago sativa being the most commonly planted species and showing an AGB of 692 g/m2. Establishing managed grasslands can contribute to enhancing AGB and restoring degraded natural grasslands.
Article
Forestry
Marleen A. E. Vos, Dieke de Boer, Wim de Vries, Jan den Ouden, Frank J. Sterck
Summary: This study compared the distribution of biomass, carbon, and nutrients in different aboveground tree compartments for mature trees of European beech, Douglas fir, and Scots pine in different canopy positions, and found that carbon concentrations were relatively constant while nutrient concentrations increased from stem to needles. Canopy position had only minor effects on carbon and nutrient concentrations and on the distribution of biomass, carbon, and nutrients between aboveground tree components.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Eduardo Vazquez, Elizabeth T. Borer, Miguel N. Bugalho, Maria C. Caldeira, Rebecca L. McCulley, Anita C. Risch, Eric W. Seabloom, George R. Wheeler, Marie Spohn
Summary: The synergistic response of aboveground plant biomass production to combined nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition has been observed in many ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the mechanisms underlying this response, including changes in biomass allocation, increased nutrient uptake by plants, and enhanced ecosystem nutrient retention.
Article
Plant Sciences
Varsha Meena, Shivani Sharma, Gazaldeep Kaur, Bhupinder Singh, Ajay Kumar Pandey
Summary: The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) is a group of secondary transporters found in all kingdoms of life, and zinc-induced facilitator-like (ZIFL) transporters are a subset of this family. They have been shown to play important roles in various plant species, such as transporting secondary metabolites and maintaining auxin homeostasis. The functions of ZIFL proteins highlight their significance in crop species.
Article
Agronomy
Archana Joshi-Saha, Sunil K. Sethy, G. Misra, G. P. Dixit, A. K. Srivastava, Ashutosh Sarker
Summary: Legumes are staple food in many regions, and over 2 billion people globally lack important mineral micronutrients. Genetic biofortification to improve the nutritional quality of legumes is a sustainable solution.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Richard D. Semba, Sufia Askari, Sarah Gibson, Martin W. Bloem, Klaus Kraemer
Summary: This review summarizes the potential effects of climate change on agricultural yield and micronutrient quality of plant foods, as well as the availability of animal foods. The study suggests that climate change is likely to affect the availability of micronutrient-rich foods, rather than their nutrient content. Mitigating and adaptive strategies should be considered to reduce the risk of micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable populations.
ADVANCES IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Wenjuan Wu, Guangsheng Zhou, Zhenzhu Xu
Summary: Grassland plants contribute to carbon fixation and biomass production through photosynthesis. The response of biomass productivity to climate-plant-soil patterns in different grassland ecosystems vary. Climate is the most important factor determining biomass production, followed by soil and plant factors. The findings improve our understanding of the mechanisms of different grasslands and their response to environmental change.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Chia-Wen Lu, Yi-Chen Lee, Chia-Sheng Kuo, Chien-Hsieh Chiang, Hao-Hsiang Chang, Kuo-Chin Huang
Summary: It was found in the study that higher serum levels of zinc, copper, and iron were associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome and the number of metabolic factors, independent of BMI and insulin resistance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Magda Garbowski, Elizabeth Boughton, Anne Ebeling, Philip Fay, Yann Hautier, Hanna Holz, Anke Jentsch, Stephanie Jurburg, Emma Ladouceur, Jason Martina, Timothy Ohlert, Xavier Raynaud, Christiane Roscher, Gregory Sonnier, Pedro Maximiliano Tognetti, Laura Yahdjian, Peter Wilfahrt, Stan Harpole
Summary: Seasonal niche partitioning is crucial for maintaining biodiversity in plant communities, but the influence of climate and global change drivers on seasonal niche partitioning is still limited. This study used compositional data from grassland sites worldwide to investigate the relationships between climate variability and intra-annual species segregation, and to assess the impact of nutrient enrichment on seasonal diversity. The results showed that nutrient enrichment increased seasonal diversity and altered the dynamics of specific functional groups in grassland communities.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Pengfei Zhang, Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Merel B. Soons, Mariet M. Hefting, George A. Kowalchuk, Peter B. Adler, Chengjin Chu, Xiaolong Zhou, Cynthia S. Brown, Zhi Guo, Xianhui Zhou, Zhigang Zhao, Guozhen Du, Yann Hautier
Summary: Sustainable ecosystem management requires accurate prediction of changes in plant diversity. A new indicator called space resource utilization (SRUD) based on percent cover and maximum height of dominant plant species has been proven to be more effective than community biomass in predicting plant diversity dynamics. This study tested the hypothesis that SRUD captures both abundance- and functional-based processes, and found that SRUD successfully predicts plant diversity dynamics by capturing changes in light availability and individual numbers. The analysis also showed that rare species play a disproportionately large role in species loss, highlighting the importance of considering their conservation.
Article
Soil Science
Beat Frey, Barbara Moser, Bjorn Tytgat, Stephan Zimmermann, Juan Alberti, Lori A. Biederman, Elizabeth T. Borer, Arthur A. D. Broadbent, Maria C. Caldeira, Kendi F. Davies, Nico Eisenhauer, Anu Eskelinen, Philip A. Fay, Frank Hagedorn, Yann Hautier, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Joslin L. Moore, Maximilian Nepel, Sally A. Powers, Eric W. Seabloom, Eduardo Vazquez, Risto Virtanen, Laura Yahdjian, Anita C. Risch
Summary: This study collected soil samples from grasslands worldwide and analyzed the impact of nitrogen addition on the soil microbiome. The results showed that nitrogen addition had a significant effect on the community structure of soil diazotrophs, but had minimal impact on their diversity and abundance. In contrast, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) responded differently to nitrogen addition. Overall, long-term nitrogen addition had a greater impact on AOB communities compared to soil diazotrophs and AOA.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marc Estiarte, Matteo Campioli, Maria Mayol, Josep Penuelas
Summary: Foliar nutrient resorption is crucial for ecosystem functioning and plant nutrient economy. It is regulated by cell biochemistry, physiology, and subcellular anatomy, which influence the efficiency and limits of nutrient resorption.
PLANT COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Angela C. Bartlett, Tim M. Blackburn, Rod Randall, Jane A. Catford
Summary: Humans selecting and introducing plants outside their native ranges directly or indirectly lead to species invasion. The choice of invasive species may not necessarily reflect their invasive potential, but rather which species had the opportunity to invade. This study investigates characteristics of failed introductions and successful invasions, examining variation in plant characteristics across invasion stages and how these characteristics predict species movement through invasion stages.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Max Zaret, Linda Kinkel, Elizabeth T. T. Borer, Eric W. W. Seabloom
Summary: A combination of theory and experiments predicts that increasing soil nutrients will modify herbivore and microbial impacts on ecosystem carbon cycling. Few studies of herbivores and soil nutrients have measured both ecosystem carbon fluxes and carbon pools. We added nutrients to a long-term experiment manipulating various factors and measured carbon fluxes and plant biomass to determine the effects of nutrients on consumer impacts on ecosystem carbon cycling.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Natalie J. Oram, Johannes Ingrisch, Richard D. Bardgett, Fiona Brennan, Georg Dittmann, Gerd Gleixner, Paul Illmer, Nadine Praeg, Michael Bahn
Summary: Grasslands face increasing drought intensity, but their response to it is unclear. This study investigated the effects of drought intensity on plant productivity, plant-soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. The results showed that slow-strategy plant communities were more drought resistant and had higher productivity thresholds compared to fast-strategy communities. Increasing past drought intensity resulted in greater microbial uptake of recent plant-assimilated carbon and increased soil nitrogen availability. The recovery responses of plant communities varied depending on their strategies, with the fast-strategy community exhibiting greater compensatory growth and the slow community allocating more carbon to microbial biomass.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Eric W. Seabloom, Angela Peace, Lale Asik, Rebecca A. Everett, Thijs Frenken, Angelica L. Gonzalez, Alexander T. Strauss, Dedmer B. van de Waal, Lauren A. White, Elizabeth T. Borer
Summary: This study develops a theoretical framework combining disease and ecosystem perspectives to investigate the consequences of feedbacks between living and dead hosts on disease dynamics and carbon cycling. The results show that the effects of pathogens on carbon cycling provide novel hypotheses and insights at the nexus of disease and ecosystem ecology.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Daniel S. S. Park, Xiao Feng, Shinobu Akiyama, Marlina Ardiyani, Neida Avendano, Zoltan Barina, Blandine Baertschi, Manuel Belgrano, Julio Betancur, Roxali Bijmoer, Ann Bogaerts, Asuncion Cano, Jiri Danihelka, Arti Garg, David E. E. Giblin, Rajib Gogoi, Alessia Guggisberg, Marko Hyvaerinen, Shelley A. A. James, Ramagwai J. J. Sebola, Tomoyuki Katagiri, Jonathan A. A. Kennedy, Tojibaev Sh. Komil, Byoungyoon Lee, Serena M. L. Lee, Donatella Magri, Rossella Marcucci, Siro Masinde, Denis Melnikov, Patrik Mraz, Wieslaw Mulenko, Paul Musili, Geoffrey Mwachala, Burrell E. E. Nelson, Christine Niezgoda, Carla Novoa Sepulveda, Sylvia Orli, Alan Paton, Serge Payette, Kent D. D. Perkins, Maria Jimena Ponce, Heimo Rainer, L. Rasingam, Himmah Rustiami, Natalia M. M. Shiyan, Charlotte Sletten Bjora, James Solomon, Fred Stauffer, Alex Sumadijaya, Melanie Thiebaut, Barbara M. M. Thiers, Hiromi Tsubota, Alison Vaughan, Risto Virtanen, Timothy J. S. Whitfeld, Dianxiang Zhang, Fernando O. O. Zuloaga, Charles C. C. Davis
Summary: Herbarium collections play a critical role in our understanding of Earth's flora and tackling global change. However, the formation of these collections is not immune to sociopolitical issues. Despite efforts to address representation and colonialism, herbaria have received less attention. This study examines the colonial legacy of botanical collections, revealing disparities in the distribution of plant diversity and herbarium holdings. The findings highlight the need to acknowledge the colonial history and implement a more equitable approach to collecting, curating, and utilizing herbarium collections.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Joshua I. Brian, Jane A. Catford
Summary: The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) is an important explanation for the high performance of exotic species, but the current framework of ERH does not explicitly link enemy release with exotic performance. This study provides evidence supporting the ERH by analyzing factors and contexts, allowing for predictions and effective management of exotic species.
Article
Plant Sciences
Peter A. Wilfahrt, Eric W. Seabloom, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori Biederman, Miguel N. Bugalho, Marc W. Cadotte, Maria C. Caldeira, Jane A. Catford, Qingqing Chen, Ian Donohue, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Sylvia Haider, Robert W. Heckman, Anke Jentsch, Sally E. Koerner, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Ramesh Laungani, Andrew MacDougall, Jason P. Martina, Holly Martinson, Joslin L. Moore, Yujie Niu, Timothy Ohlert, Harry Olde Venterink, Devyn Orr, Pablo Peri, Edwin Pos, Jodi Price, Xavier Raynaud, Zhengwei Ren, Christiane Roscher, Nicholas G. Smith, Carly J. Stevens, Lauren L. Sullivan, Michelle Tedder, Pedro M. Tognetti, Ciska Veen, George Wheeler, Alyssa L. Young, Hillary Young, Elizabeth T. Borer
Summary: This study highlights the importance of both resource availability and historical abundance in determining the persistence of species dominance following environmental perturbations. Fertilization and exclusion of vertebrates influence the rate at which species lose dominance, with initial cover playing a significant role. The ability of plant species to maintain dominance following perturbations affects ecosystem functions and community compositions.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dajana Radujkovic, Sara Vicca, Margaretha van Rooyen, Peter Wilfahrt, Leslie Brown, Anke Jentsch, Kurt O. Reinhart, Charlotte Brown, Johan De Gruyter, Gerald Jurasinski, Diana Askarizadeh, Sandor Bartha, Ryan Beck, Theodore Blenkinsopp, James Cahill, Giandiego Campetella, Roberto Canullo, Stefano Chelli, Lucas Enrico, Lauchlan Fraser, Xiying Hao, Hugh A. L. Henry, Maria Hohn, Mohammad Hassan Jouri, Marian Koch, Rachael Lawrence Lodge, Frank Yonghong Li, Janice M. Lord, Patrick Milligan, Hugjiltu Minggagud, Todd Palmer, Birgit Schroeder, Gabor Szabo, Tongrui Zhang, Zita Zimmermann, Erik Verbruggen
Summary: This study used a network of 18 grassland sites to examine the factors influencing soil microbial communities and their relationship with plant community composition. The results showed that soil properties and plant community composition are important predictors of bacterial and fungal community composition in grasslands. Additionally, the study found that microbial community composition can distinguish high and low-productivity soils across different grasslands. These findings have implications for understanding the impact of global changes on soil microbial communities and identifying indicators for soil fertility.
Article
Ecology
Max A. A. Schuchardt, Bernd J. J. Berauer, Anh Le Duc, Johannes Ingrisch, Yujie Niu, Michael Bahn, Anke Jentsch
Summary: Warming in mountain regions is projected to be three times faster than the global average. Pronounced climate change will likely lead to species reshuffling in mountain plant communities and consequently change ecosystem resilience and functioning. Yet, little is known about the role of inter- versus intraspecific changes of plant traits and their consequences for functional richness and evenness of mountain plant communities under climate change.
Correction
Ecology
Gregory Sonnier, Betsie B. Rothermel, Rebecca C. Tucker, Elizabeth H. Boughton
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anu Eskelinen, Maria-Theresa Jessen, Hector A. Bahamonde, Jonathan D. Bakker, Elizabeth T. Borer, Maria C. Caldeira, W. Stanley Harpole, Meiyu Jia, Luciola S. Lannes, Carla Nogueira, Harry Olde Venterink, Pablo L. Peri, Anita J. Porath-Krause, Eric W. Seabloom, Katie Schroeder, Pedro M. Tognetti, Simone-Louise E. Yasui, Risto Virtanen, Lauren L. Sullivan
Summary: Seed banks are important reservoirs of plant diversity, but nutrient addition and herbivory can have significant effects on their composition and abundance. This study conducted research across multiple sites on different continents and found that nutrient addition decreases diversity and increases similarity between aboveground and seed bank communities. However, the presence of herbivores can interact with nutrient addition to increase seed bank abundance. These findings highlight the importance of considering herbivory when assessing the effects of nutrient enrichment on seed bank abundance.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lina K. K. Muehlbauer, Giorgio Zavattoni, Risto Virtanen, Martin Grube, Bettina Weber, Adam Thomas Clark
Summary: The importance of microclimate conditions in ecological research is increasingly recognized. Measuring microclimate variability requires a large number of sensors that can sample across small and large scales, which calls for cost-effective sensor networks.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2023)
