Article
Soil Science
Andrea Roman-Sanchez, Arnaud Temme, Garry Willgoose, Denys van den Berg, Colleen M. Gura, Tom Vanwalleghem
Summary: This study investigated the weathering mechanisms causing particle fragmentation in different lithologies, demonstrating that lithology is a key determinant of rock fragmentation mechanisms. The results also showed that rock fragmentation models can be used to identify geomorphological processes, such as soil redistribution and armouring. Further research is needed to generate more data on weathering sequences in various environments.
Article
Geography, Physical
Simon Terweh, Marwan A. Hassan, Luca Mao, Lothar Schrott, Thomas O. Hoffmann
Summary: The dynamics of sediment in river catchments are influenced by tectonics, climate, and biota, with tectonics shaping the topography and erodibility, climate affecting weathering and transport efficiency, and vegetation playing a role in accelerating weathering and mass wasting. The study in Chilean catchments showed a strong correlation between fine material production and bio-chemical weathering intensity, as well as an increase in coarse fraction in arid to sub-humid conditions, indicating a higher intensity of mass wasting processes. Channels exhibit varying degrees of size selectivity and supply-limited transport conditions, with channel sediments closely related to hillslope supply, suggesting a bio-climatic control from hillslopes to the channel system.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Samikshya Mohanty, Debashis Banerjee, Debashish Sengupta, Somnath Adak
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the influence of specific grain sizes on the abundance of Th-232 and U-238 in order to optimize mining resources. The relationship between radioactivity counts and grain size for Th-232 and U-238 was established for the first time. It was found that sand particles ranging from 125 to 180 μm exhibited higher concentrations of Th-232 and U-238. The study area showed enhanced levels of Th-232 and U-238, regardless of grain size and depth, suggesting potential for further exploration.
ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Irene Conenna, Luca Santini, Ricardo Rocha, Ara Monadjem, Mar Cabeza, Danilo Russo
Summary: The study found that bats exhibit changes in functional traits such as wing morphology, echolocation, and body size along a global aridity gradient, suggesting that traits favoring mobility and larger body size are advantageous in arid environments.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yu Kuai, Stefan Aarninkhof, Zheng Bing Wang
Summary: Intertidal flats are important for their socio-economic and ecological value, but the relationship between alongshore slope and sediment grain size is unexpectedly opposite along the Jiangsu Coast. The hypothesis of alongshore hydrodynamic gradient being the cause was tested through numerical model simulations, and it was found that sediment provenance is the key factor explaining the inconsistency.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Panjun Wang, Xuequn Cheng, Ziyue Zhang, Yao Huang, Lingwei Ma, Xiaogang Li, Dawei Zhang
Summary: The study found that grain refinement has a positive effect on the corrosion behavior of weathering steels. Grain refinement can accelerate the formation of a more stable, compact, and protective rust layer, and enhance the enrichment of important elements within the rust layer. Moreover, grain refinement shows promise in inhibiting non-uniform corrosion and the formation of deep-and-narrow corrosion pits.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xunming Wang, Bingqi Zhu, Zhenting Wang, Caixia Zhang, Xin Geng, Likun Han, Yang Zheng, Diwen Cai, Danfeng Li
Summary: This study conducted experimental observations on the physical weathering of surface sediments in the Gobi Desert and explored its driving factors. The results showed that the intensity of physical weathering was higher than previously estimated, and the d(0.1) size was found to be a sensitive indicator of physical weathering.
Article
Ecology
Zhongyi Yao, Yin Qi, Bisong Yue, Jinzhong Fu
Summary: Research on the Asiatic Toad showed that brain size decreases with altitude, supporting the expensive brain hypothesis and functional constraint hypothesis. Further studies are needed to explain the evolution of brain size in natural populations.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yoni Israeli, Eyal Salhov, Simon Emmanuel
Summary: The texture of rocks, including grain size and the presence of cracks and stylolites, plays a critical role in influencing weathering rates. Different structural patterns impact weathering rates and grain size differently. Weathering rates increase with density of discontinuities, but decrease as the tortuosity of the pattern increases.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lina Zhang, Erqi Xu
Summary: Agricultural development in alpine ecosystems has significant effects on soil nutrients. This study in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin found that agricultural land significantly improved soil nutrient levels, with the most impact occurring within the 0-30 cm soil layer.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Petros Vahamidis, Angeliki Stefopoulou, Vassilis Kotoulas, Panagiota Bresta, Dimosthenis Nikolopoulos, George Karabourniotis, Georgios Mantonanakis, Christos Vlachos, Nicholas Dercas, Garifalia Economou
Summary: In Mediterranean type environments, the variability in grain plumpness is a significant source of uncertainty for brewers and farmers. Understanding the effects of genotype x environment interaction on grain size and yield variation can help breeders improve stability and grain size.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Charlie J. G. Loewen, Donald A. Jackson, Benjamin Gilbert
Summary: This study found contrasting responses in species richness, phylogenetic relationships, and functional diversity along geographic temperature gradients in western North America. The results suggest that elevational and latitudinal equivalence assumptions in ecological response models, especially regarding climatic refuges for dispersing species, may not hold true. The study also revealed different patterns of environmental filters and limiting similarity in community assembly with increasing elevation and latitude. Additionally, the study found that predictions of how climate change will influence diversity differ between elevation and latitude gradients.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Huimin Lu, Meng Sun, Yuandan Ma, Minyue Si, Jiangbo Xie, Zhongyuan Wang, Tonggui Wu, Yan Li, Hui Zhang
Summary: This study investigated foliar pH of two common species along a water availability gradient in China and found that the foliar pH of Ulmus pumila decreased with increasing water availability, while Setaria viridis showed a quadratic curve with the knee point at a humidity index of 0.63.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Qing Liu, Peipei Yang, Zhou Hu, Qiang Shu, Ye Chen
Summary: The spatial variation of heavy metals in the surface sediments of tidal flats is influenced by factors such as sediment grain size, total organic carbon, total inorganic carbon, clay, sand, silt, and total phosphorus content. Different regions show variations in the sources and levels of heavy metals in sediments.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Fazhu Zhao, Jieying Wang, Yi Li, Xiaofeng Xu, Liyuan He, Jun Wang, Chengjie Ren, Yaoxing Guo
Summary: The study investigated the metagenomic basis of the priming effect in forest soils along an elevational gradient. It found positive priming effects at five forest sites and a positive correlation between the abundance of microbial C decomposition genes and priming effects. The study also identified the microbial functional genes driving the positive priming effects and the association of certain bacterial species with the priming effect.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)