Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wenjing Li, Lamei Jiang, Yang Zhang, Dexiong Teng, Hengfang Wang, Jinlong Wang, Guanghui Lv
Summary: Soil microbial community structure is influenced by soil water content, salinity, pH, and soil nutrients, with soil nutrients being the main driving factor. Nitrogen has differential effects on different microbial communities, mainly affecting the bacterial community of Alhagi sparsifolia through nitrate nitrogen and the fungal community through ammonium nitrogen.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bo Zhang, Gangliang Tang, Hanlin Luo, Hui Yin, Zhihao Zhang, Jie Xue, Caibian Huang, Yan Lu, Muhammad Shareef, Xiaopeng Gao, Fanjiang Zeng
Summary: Groundwater depth, pH and mineralization, topsoil pH and salt concentration, as well as soil and leaf carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations are key factors affecting the ecological stoichiometry of desert phreatophytes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hui Yin, Hongwei Zheng, Bo Zhang, Akash Tariq, Guanghui Lv, Fanjiang Zeng, Corina Graciano
Summary: The study demonstrates that roots are more sensitive to soil nutrients in Alhagi sparsifolia plants, while the stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in leaves, thorns, and stems is less affected by soil nutrients.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xue Wu, Xueying Wang, Pengqi Wang, Yuanting Gu, Yan Li
Summary: This study investigates the impact of groundwater depth changes on plant ecological stoichiometry by focusing on two dominant species in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The findings demonstrate that groundwater depth is a vital environmental factor affecting the assimilated branches ecological stoichiometry, while soil properties also play a significant role in element accumulation.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Meimei Li, Matthew D. Petrie, Akash Tariq, Fanjiang Zeng
Summary: The research found that in arid ecosystems, Alhagi sparsifolia shows strong nitrogen fixation ability under salt stress, and the fixation rate can be adjusted according to different salinity environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Waqar Islam, Abd Ullah, Fanjiang Zeng
Summary: The response patterns of soil biota in the vertical distribution of Alhagi sparsifolia monoculture in the natural desert ecosystem of China vary among different microbial groups. Bacteria, protists, and metazoa showed a decreasing alpha diversity pattern with increasing soil depth, while fungi and archaea exhibited an opposite trend. Soil physiochemical properties significantly influenced the vertical distribution of soil biota, with different microbial groups responding to different properties.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hui Yin, Akash Tariq, Bo Zhang, Guanghui Lv, Fanjiang Zeng, Corina Graciano, Mauro Santos, Zhihao Zhang, Peng Wang, Shuyong Mu
Summary: The study found that leaf economics and hydraulic traits are coupled in plants in hyper-arid regions, with factors such as mean annual precipitation, soil salt, and soil nutrients influencing these traits. This coupling provides an economical and efficient strategy for plants to adapt to harsh environments.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Pablo A. Meglioli, Pablo E. Villagra, Julieta N. Aranibar, Patricio N. Magliano, Esteban G. Jobbagy
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of livestock settlements on Prosopis flexuosa woodlands in the desert ecosystem, revealing their effects on groundwater level fluctuations and solute transport, as well as the differences compared to undisturbed woodlands. The research found that livestock stations lead to more intense seasonal fluctuations in groundwater levels and increased chloride and nitrate concentrations and salinity in groundwater.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Akash Tariq, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas, Zhihao Zhang, Corina Graciano, Fanjiang Zeng, Olusanya Abiodun Olatunji, Abd Ullah, Kaiwen Pan
Summary: Efficient use of soil resources, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can enhance plant resistance and resilience against drought in arid and semi-arid lands. Intercropping legume and non-legumes can improve phosphorus mineralization uptake and plant nutrient status. However, it is still unclear how intercropping systems using desert plant species impact soil-plant phosphorus fractions and their effects on nitrogen and water uptake capacity. This study investigated the impact of intercropping Alhagi sparsifolia and Karelinia caspia on soil-plant phosphorus fractions and soil-plant nutrients. The results suggested that intercropping improved microbe nitrogen-use efficiency, but had limited effects on phosphorus-use efficiency.
Article
Soil Science
Yanju Gao, Akash Tariq, Fanjiang Zeng, Corina Graciano, Zhihao Zhang, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas
Summary: Desert vegetation in the juncture of the Qira oasis and the Taklamakan Desert typically grows on phosphorus-poor soils. Alhagi sparsifolia, a widely distributed plant in this area, plays an important ecological role and is a valuable forage resource. Researchers studied the foliar-P utilization strategy of A. sparsifolia in different soil sites with varying P availability, finding that foliar-P allocation patterns were closely related to soil-P fractions and properties. These results provide insight into A. sparsifolia's response to environmental nutrients.
Article
Plant Sciences
Suwan Ji, Lamei Jiang, Dong Hu, Guanghui Lv
Summary: The study in the desert ecosystem of the Ebinur Lake basin found that the stoichiometric ratios of soil and leaves have significant effects on species diversity, with differences in different moisture and salinity environments. The stoichiometric ratios of leaves and soil are closely related to species diversity and are affected by soil moisture and salinity. Compared with soil, leaf stoichiometric ratios have a greater impact on species diversity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanju Gao, Zhihao Zhang, Bo Zhang, Hui Yin, Xutian Chai, Mengqi Xu, Akash Tariq, Fanjiang Zeng
Summary: The allocation of foliar phosphorus fractions in desert plants is influenced by the availability of phosphorus in the environment, with plants allocating more phosphorus to nucleic acid than to metabolites and structural phosphorus. Soil and groundwater properties play a crucial role in the allocation of foliar phosphorus fractions in these plants.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei Yajuan, Dang Xiaohong, Wang Ji, Gao Junliang, Gao Yan
Summary: Nitraria tangutorum nebkhas in different successional stages exhibit significant variations in vegetation and soil stoichiometric characteristics, strongly impacting soil nutrients and ecosystem stability. Changes in leaf carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents and ratios throughout succession stages suggest limitation in shrub growth due to high N:P ratios surpassing theoretical limits of 14.
JOURNAL OF ARID LAND
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Yangui Qiao, Liang Liu, Chun Miao, Guannan Zhu, Lin Miao, Weiwei She, Shugao Qin, Yuqing Zhang
Summary: The study found a close relationship between aboveground plant traits and root microbial compositions, which are related to plant resource acquisition strategies. By regulating aboveground and belowground feedback loops, the studied plant species can sustain their resource strategies under stressful environmental conditions.
Article
Forestry
Bo Chen, Lyuyi Chen, Lan Jiang, Jing Zhu, Jiajia Chen, Qingrong Huang, Jinfu Liu, Daowei Xu, Zhongsheng He
Summary: The internal correlation and response to the environment of plant, litter and soil stoichiometric characteristics are important for understanding nutrient cycling mechanisms. However, little research has been done on nutrient relationships and stock along elevational gradients. In this study, we investigated the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents and stoichiometric ratios of plant, litter and soil layers at different elevations in Daiyun Mountain. The results showed significant correlations and coupling among plant, litter and soil nutrients, providing insights into nutrient cycling in the subtropical forest ecosystem of China.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yufeng Wu, Xiaopeng Gao, Xuejun Liu, Zhang Wen, Jian Liu, Xiangyi Li, Fanjiang Zeng
Summary: The composition of atmospheric nitrogen deposition differed significantly between a grassland and a desert ecosystem in Northwestern China. The grassland had a higher proportion of bulk deposition, while the desert had a higher proportion of dry deposition. Both ecosystems had exceeded the critical load for fragile ecosystems, underscoring the need to reduce anthropogenic N emission sources.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Zeeshan Ahmed, Dongwei Gui, Sikandar Ali, Xiaoping Chen, Zhiming Qi
Summary: This study reveals that limited water availability and extremely arid conditions due to climate change have significant impacts on cotton production. Reducing irrigation can help improve yield under limited water resources, which should be considered as a management strategy for cotton production in the future.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Mario Tenuta, Xiaopeng Gao, Kevin H. D. Tiessen, Kevin Baron, Brad Sparling
Summary: This study examined the effects of different urea sources and placement methods on fertilizer nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and canola grain yield. The results showed that SuperU fertilizer consistently reduced N2O emissions compared to urea, with significant reductions occurring in four out of six site-years. Subsurface banding of urea reduced N2O emissions in drier conditions but increased emissions with higher rainfall. The nitrogen placement did not greatly affect canola yield or fertilizer recovery efficiency. The study highlights the need to overcome the added cost of enhanced efficiency fertilizers for widespread adoption and to achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets in Canadian agriculture.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mengtao Ci, Qi Liu, Dongwei Gui, Jianping Zhao, Ze Li, XinLong Feng, Guangyan Wang, Guanghui Wei
Summary: This study used a semi-supervised model to accurately simulate the suitable habitats for endangered species with a small sample size, achieving an accuracy of 85%. The results showed that the suitable habitat for Populus euphratica was mainly concentrated near the river channel, accounting for 13.49% of the study area. This model can be used to evaluate suitable habitats for endangered species with limited sample data and provide a basis for their conservation.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Xianneng Zha, Huaiwei Sun, Hao Jiang, Lei Cao, Jie Xue, Dongwei Gui, Dong Yan, Ye Tuo
Summary: Updating risk measures is important for reservoir management practice and decision-making. A risk assessment framework using Bayesian network and copula-based estimation was proposed. The framework was applied to the Danjiangkou Reservoir and provided valuable decision-making information. The Bayesian network based on copula-based estimation was more robust and accurate in simulating the dependence of hydrological variables.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yulin Zhang, Yi Du, Zichun Guo, Xutian Chai, Bo Zhang, Akash Tariq, Zhihao Zhang, Fanjiang Zeng
Summary: This study explores the intraspecific variation of leaf traits in desert plants and investigates the influencing factors of the leaf economic spectrum. The results show that precipitation has the greatest impact on the leaf traits of Elaeagnus angustifolia. This research is significant for understanding plant resource utilization strategies and predicting ecosystem structure and function.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xiaohan Yu, Xiankui Zeng, Dongwei Gui, Xiaolan Li, Qiqi Gou, Dong Wang, Jichun Wu
Summary: This study projected flash droughts in the headstream area of the Tarim River Basin using the VIC model and found that the frequency and intensity of flash droughts are expected to increase in the future, especially in the alpine region. The CMIP6 model was identified as the most important source of uncertainty in flash drought projections.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wennong Kuang, Yufeng Wu, Xiaopeng Gao, Mingyuan Yin, Dongwei Gui, Fanjiang Zeng
Summary: This study investigated the effects of different nitrogen inputs (synthetic fertilizer, animal manure) and irrigation types on nitrous oxide (N2O) production and effluxes in the soil. The results showed that animal manure and flood irrigation significantly increased N2O production in different soil depths. The study suggests that the response of N2O production/diffusion to irrigation and nitrogen management in different soil depths should be considered when developing agricultural N2O emission reduction measures.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Fen Zhang, Xiao Ma, Xiaopeng Gao, Hailing Cao, Fabo Liu, Junjie Wang, Guangzheng Guo, Tao Liang, Yan Wang, Xinping Chen, Xiaozhong Wang
Summary: High nitrogen inputs in subtropical vegetable systems increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, but there is limited information on N management strategies in these systems. Two field experiments were conducted in southwest China to investigate the effects of different N management strategies on N2O emissions from a pepper production system. The results showed that the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers at an optimum N rate reduced N2O emissions and increased pepper yield, promoting sustainable vegetable production in subtropical regions.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Haolin Wang, Qi Liu, Dongwei Gui, Xinlong Feng, Jia Qu, Jianping Zhao, Guangyan Wang, Guanghui Wei
Summary: Awareness of potential natural vegetation (PNV) is crucial in ecological restoration. This study developed a precise regional multiple PNV framework in drylands based on climatic variables, soil properties, groundwater depth, and topographical variables through a maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt). The results showed that incorporating groundwater depth improved the performance of regional PNV simulation, and the lower Tarim River Basin has significant potential for ecological restoration.
Article
Soil Science
Mingyuan Yin, Xiaopeng Gao, Wennong Kuang, Mario Tenuta
Summary: Livestock grazing can impact nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from grassland ecosystems by changing soil properties. This study analyzed 83 published studies and found that heavy and moderate grazing reduced N2O emissions, nitrification, and denitrification rates, while light grazing had no effect. Furthermore, grazing decreased the abundance of certain functional genes involved in nitrogen processes. Moderately to heavily grazed grasslands had lower abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea, as well as nitrate and nitrite reductases. Overall, moderate to heavy grazing can reduce N2O emissions and contribute to greenhouse gas mitigation, but heavy grazing may increase the risk of grassland degradation.
Article
Ecology
Jia Qu, Qi Liu, Dongwei Gui, Xinlong Feng, Haolin Wang, Jianping Zhao, Guangyan Wang, Guanghui Wei
Summary: Precise vegetation restoration is critical in drylands, and a new framework combining potential natural vegetation (PNV) and potential normalized difference vegetation index (PNDVI) was proposed to achieve this. The model, based on multiple machine learning algorithms, accurately identified suitable restoration patterns in the lower Tarim River Basin (LTRB). The study estimated the suitable restoration locations, area, and vegetation types, revealing a significant potential for further expansion of trees and grass in LTRB.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Michelle Katherine Carkner, Xiaopeng Gao, Martin H. H. Entz
Summary: Organic farming in extensive production regions, such as the Canadian prairies, faces challenges in replenishing soil phosphorus reserves. Due to limited availability of animal manures and low solubility of organic fertilizers, many organic farms on the prairies lack plant-available phosphorus, leading to decreased productivity. This study proposes a hypothetical wheat ideotype for organic production systems to improve phosphorus uptake efficiency while reducing translocation of phosphorus to the grain. The implications of low seed phosphorus and high vegetative phosphorus are discussed from physiological, environmental, and human nutrition perspectives.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
Zeeshan Ahmed, Dongwei Gui, Ghulam Murtaza, Liu Yunfei, Sikandar Ali
Summary: This paper highlights the challenges of water scarcity, low water productivity, and food insecurity in global drylands. It discusses the limitations of traditional irrigation methods and presents various smart irrigation approaches that can improve water use efficiency and guarantee food security.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mingyuan Yin, Xiaopeng Gao, Wennong Kuang, Yaohong Zhang
Summary: The application of nitrification inhibitors (NIs) in agricultural systems plays a crucial role in improving fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency and reducing soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. A global meta-analysis of 88 published studies revealed that NIs significantly decreased the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria ammonia monooxygenase (AOB amoA) genes, AOB amoA transcript, and nitrite reductase (nirS and nirK) genes. The effectiveness of NIs in reducing AOB amoA abundance was influenced by factors such as N form, soil texture, soil pH, and experimental type. Overall, NIs led to a considerable reduction in N2O emissions through inhibiting AOB amoA, nirS, and nirK genes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)