Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jianqing Wang, Xiuzhen Shi, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Qiling Guo, Jiaoyan Mao, Yunyan Tan, Guoyou Zhang
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of short-term elevated CO2 and O3 on agroecosystem multifunctionality, and found that the combined treatment significantly increased the multifunctionality index. Soil nematode abundances played a key role in regulating multifunctionality.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chupei Shi, Carolina Urbina-Malo, Ye Tian, Jakob Heinzle, Steve Kwatcho Kengdo, Erich Inselsbacher, Werner Borken, Andreas Schindlbacher, Wolfgang Wanek
Summary: Increasing global temperatures accelerate soil carbon cycling and promote nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. Warming differentially affects ecosystem carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics, intensifying imbalances between soil resources, plants, and soil microorganisms. Long-term soil warming shifts microbial element limitation from carbon to carbon-phosphorus co-limitation, with significant consequences for soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles under warming.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Franciska T. de Vries, Cecile Thion, Michael Bahn, Benoit Bergk Pinto, Sebastien Cecillon, Beat Frey, Helen Grant, Graeme W. Nicol, Wolfgang Wanek, James I. Prosser, Richard D. Bardgett
Summary: Human activities have increased the amount of reactive nitrogen in the biosphere, leading to increased nitrogen inputs in terrestrial ecosystems. Plant and microbial controls on the retention of added nitrogen remain elusive, with plant and microbial properties playing a significant role in the uptake and retention of nitrogen in glacier forelands. Understanding these fundamental controls is crucial for predicting and mitigating the impacts of reactive nitrogen on terrestrial ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Katja Kozjek, Lokeshwaran Manoharan, Dag Ahren, Katarina Hedlund
Summary: Agricultural intensification and extreme weather events can stress soil microorganisms and their functions by affecting soil organic matter degradation. Understanding microbial functional gene diversity can connect microbial communities to ecosystem functions. An agricultural experiment across Europe showed differences in functional gene diversity among regions and responses to factors like organic carbon and water content.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Cassandra Zalman, Emily Hanna, Jessica Rush, Katina Boise, Loralee Larios
Summary: This study investigated the impact of wildfire severity on soil nutrient concentrations and ecosystem function recovery. The results showed that soil nitrogen pulse after the fire was the strongest in shrub dominated soil. The effect of different vegetation types on microbial responses was inconsistent. After one year, soil nitrogen concentrations remained elevated in burned soil, indicating that basal soil nitrogen concentrations were altered. Encouraging the regrowth of opportunistic vegetation will be key to minimize long-term changes in high fire risk ecosystems.
Article
Agronomy
Stefano Mocali, Antonio Gelsomino, Paolo Nannipieri, Roberta Pastorelli, Laura Giagnoni, Beatrix Petrovicova, Giancarlo Renella
Summary: Soil microorganisms play a key role in soil biochemical processes, but their resilience after extreme environmental change is largely unknown. This study investigated the structural and functional responses of microbial communities during recolonization of heat-sterilized forest soils. The results showed rapid changes in enzymatic activity, microbial structure, and catabolic activity during the incubation period. The physicochemical properties of the original soils influenced soil functional diversity, and reinoculation of sterilized soils had a greater impact on bacterial communities than fungal communities.
Article
Microbiology
Danyan Qiu, Nuohan Xu, Qi Zhang, Wenya Zhou, Yan Wang, Zhenyan Zhang, Yitian Yu, Tao Lu, Liwei Sun, Ning-Yi Zhou, W. J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Haifeng Qian
Summary: This study assessed the effects of abamectin on soil microorganisms by treating plant-soil microcosms with abamectin at concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg. The results showed that although abamectin was degradable, it altered soil microbial communities, disrupted microbial interactions, and decreased community complexity and stability. At the higher concentration, opportunistic human diseases and soil-borne pathogens were enriched in the soil. However, most ecological functions in the soil recovered within 21 days after abamectin treatment.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Pan Wan, Ruirui He
Summary: The study found that cover grass altered the bacterial community composition in apple orchard soils, particularly affecting the abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi. Low-intensity and moderate-intensity cover grass treatments changed the soil fungal community composition, but no significant differences were observed at the phylum level.
Article
Soil Science
Shuxia Jia, Aizhen Liang, Shixiu Zhang, Xuewen Chen, Neil B. McLaughlin, Bingjie Sun, Xiaoping Zhang, Donghui Wu
Summary: The study found that in a normal year, moldboard ploughing (MP) increased maize yield and C emission efficiency compared to no-tillage (NT), while in a dry year, MP decreased maize yield and C emission efficiency. However, there were no significant differences in annual soil CO2 emission between NT and MP. NT significantly increased soil microbial PLFA contents, especially in a dry year.
Article
Soil Science
Ye Tian, Andreas Schindlbacher, Carolina Urbina Malo, Chupei Shi, Jakob Heinzle, Steve Kwatcho Kengdo, Erich Inselsbacher, Werner Borken, Wolfgang Wanek
Summary: Global warming has different effects on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in a temperate mountain forest. Soil warming decreases microbial biomass C but increases microbial biomass-specific growth, respiration, and enzyme activities. It also stimulates gross N mineralization but reduces protein depolymerization. Overall, long-term warming leads to lower soil C and N storage due to decreased microbial C and N incorporation into biomass and increased release of inorganic C and N into the environment.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Lingling Chen, Hongbin Xu, Jiahui Sun, Taogetao Baoyin
Summary: The study found that soil disturbance techniques have direct and indirect effects on soil fungal community composition, with SP facilitating Leymus chinensis recovery but reducing plant richness. HA and NR showed positive effects on both plant and soil microbial community recovery in degraded grasslands over short timescales. The long-term impacts of soil disturbance techniques on soil microbial communities need further investigation.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Nagissa Mahmoudi, Roland C. Wilhelm
Summary: Climate change is a pressing environmental issue with broad impacts. Microbes play a crucial role in regulating carbon fluxes and greenhouse gas emissions from organic carbon reservoirs. Understanding and managing microbial systems through ecological principles and technological advances are key to effectively addressing the fate of organic carbon.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zekun Zhong, Xing Wang, Gaihe Yang, Xinhui Han, Lin Zhu, Rentao Liu
Summary: Soil warming accelerates microbial carbon degradation and increases CO2 emissions, contributing to global warming. In semiarid restored ecosystems, short-term soil warming stimulates CO2 emissions but does not reverse the carbon source status of abandoned farmland. Long-term comparisons and studies are necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms of carbon cycling changes caused by restoration and warming.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bryn Stewart, Wei Zhi, Kayalvizhi Sadayappan, Gary Sterle, Adrian Harpold, Li Li
Summary: The study investigates DIC concentrations in over 100 minimally-impacted rivers in the contiguous United States. The results show that instantaneous concentrations are strongly influenced by changes in river discharge, while mean concentrations are regulated by climate. The study highlights the significance of subsurface flow paths in land-river connectivity and emphasizes the importance of characterizing subsurface CO2 distribution.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
R. Hijbeek, M. P. van Loon, W. Ouaret, B. Boekelo, M. K. van Ittersum
Summary: Applying lime can increase maize yields in acidic soils in Western Kenya, but positive economic profits were only observed when combined with fertiliser application. The pay-back period for lime investments is at least two years, and GHG emissions per tonne of grain maize were offset by yield increases.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhiqun Huang, Bao Liu, Murray Davis, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas, Sharon Billings
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michael Philben, Sharon A. Billings, Kate A. Edwards, Frances A. Podrebarac, Geert van Biesen, Susan E. Ziegler
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sharon A. Billings, Daniel Hirmas, Pamela L. Sullivan, Christoph A. Lehmeier, Samik Bagchi, Kyungjin Min, Zachary Brecheisen, Emma Hauser, Rena Stair, Rebecca Flournoy, Daniel deB. Richter
ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
(2018)
Article
Ecology
S. A. Billings, K. Lajtha, A. Malhotra, A. A. Berhe, M. -A. deGraaff, S. Earl, J. Fraterrigo, K. Georgiou, S. Grandy, S. E. Hobbie, J. A. M. Moore, K. Nadelhoffer, D. Pierson, C. Rasmussen, W. L. Silver, B. N. Sulman, S. Weintraub, W. Wieder
Summary: Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in regulating terrestrial ecosystem functioning, and standardized sampling of SOC data is helpful for research in various disciplines. With robust technologies available for managing large data sets, efforts to expand SOC data sets through standardized protocols are important in advancing ecological research.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ligia F. T. de Souza, Sharon A. Billings
Summary: The impacts of temperature and pH on enzyme activity and their role in changing the flow ratios of released resources during decay were studied in this paper. It was found that these factors can have biosphere-scale significance on the stoichiometry of bioavailable soil resources. The study highlights the importance of incorporating well-defined kinetic constraints of microbes' exoenzymes into models for projecting terrestrial ecosystem functioning in a changing climate.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hang Wen, Pamela L. Sullivan, Sharon A. Billings, Hoori Ajami, Alejandro Cueva, Alejandro Flores, Daniel R. Hirmas, Aaron N. Koop, Katie Murenbeeld, Xi Zhang, Li Li
Summary: Soil biota generates carbon that is released into the atmosphere and transported to streams and rivers. The processes involved in this carbon export depend on flow paths and chemical weathering. This study used a reactive transport model to investigate the differences in carbon transformation, weathering, and solute export across different hydrological and subsurface structures. The results show that droughts promote deeper flow paths, carbonate precipitation, and mineralization of organic carbon, while storms lead to carbonate dissolution, reduced mineralization of organic carbon, and increased lateral fluxes of inorganic carbon. Differences in permeability contrasts also affect the lateral fluxes, with high permeability contrasts enhancing the fluxes. Overall, this study provides insights into the complex interactions between hydrological processes, subsurface structures, and carbon dynamics.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emma Hauser, Pamela L. Sullivan, Alejandro N. Flores, Daniel Hirmas, Sharon A. Billings
Summary: Rooting depth is an ecosystem trait that is influenced by changes in land cover due to agricultural expansion and climate change. These changes in rooting depth have implications for water, carbon, and nutrient cycling in the hydrosphere-atmosphere-lithosphere feedback system.
Article
Soil Science
Emma Hauser, Jon Chorover, Charles W. Cook, Daniel Markewitz, Craig Rasmussen, Daniel D. Richter, Sharon A. Billings
Summary: Nearly 50 years ago, Walker and Syers proposed the hypothesis that the sources of most terrestrial nutrients shift from mineral to organic matter as soils weather over millennia. By combining this soil development framework with vegetation dynamics, we investigated how it offers insights into ecosystem functioning. Our findings suggest that the dominant sources of tree phosphorus may shift from organic matter to minerals as roots expand during forest growth and encounter deeper soils. This highlights the importance of the interaction between dominant phosphorus form and root system growth for ecosystem phosphorus nutrition and soil development.
Article
Ecology
Frances A. Podrebarac, Sharon A. Billings, Kate A. Edwards, Jerome Laganiere, Matthew J. Norwood, Susan E. Ziegler
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of soil horizon connectivity on microbial C and N substrate use and its relationship to the temperature sensitivity of respiration. The results showed that cross-horizon exchange within whole soil profiles enhanced soil respiratory responses to temperature. Specifically, the impact of a labile C priming mechanism was most evident in soils from warmer regions.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
William R. Wieder, Derek Pierson, Stevan Earl, Kate Lajtha, Sara G. Baer, Ford Ballantyne, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Sharon A. Billings, Laurel M. Brigham, Stephany S. Chacon, Jennifer Fraterrigo, Serita D. Frey, Katerina Georgiou, Marie-Anne de Graaff, A. Stuart Grandy, Melannie D. Hartman, Sarah E. Hobbie, Chris Johnson, Jason Kaye, Emily Kyker-Snowman, Marcy E. Litvak, Michelle C. Mack, Avni Malhotra, Jessica A. M. Moore, Knute Nadelhoffer, Craig Rasmussen, Whendee L. Silver, Benjamin N. Sulman, Xanthe Walker, Samantha Weintraub
Summary: Data collected from research networks offer opportunities to test theories and develop models on the factors affecting long-term persistence and vulnerability of soil organic matter. However, synthesizing these diverse datasets is challenging due to the legacy of existing soil data and the expansion of new network science initiatives. The Soils Data Harmonization database (SoDaH) aims to address this challenge by providing a flexible platform to harmonize soil carbon data from multiple research networks and facilitate synthesis across ecosystems.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Kate M. Buckeridge, Kate A. Edwards, Kyungjin Min, Susan E. Ziegler, Sharon A. Billings
Meeting Abstract
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pamela Sullivan, Yves Godderis, Jacques Schott, Yuning Shi, Xin Gu, Lixin Jin, Sharon Billings, Susan Brantley
ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2017)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Susan E. Ziegler, Ronald Benner, Sharon A. Billings, Kate A. Edwards, Michael Philben, Xinbiao Zhu, Jerome Laganiere
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Ecology
Michael Philben, Sara Butler, Sharon A. Billings, Ronald Benner, Kate A. Edwards, Susan E. Ziegler
