Article
Ecology
Felicien Meunier, Geertje M. F. van Der Heijden, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Hannes P. T. De Deurwaerder, Hans Verbeeck
Summary: The calibrated Ecosystem Demography model (ED2) shows that liana removal can enhance long-term carbon storage, reduce soil organic carbon dynamics, and increase net ecosystem productivity.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Josh Dorrough, James Val, Samantha K. Travers, Brian Wilson, David J. Eldridge, Yolima Carrillo, Uffe N. Nielsen, Jeff R. Powell, Gabriel Wilks, Paul McPherson, Ian Oliver
Summary: A Bayesian hierarchical model was used to combine multiple aboveground and belowground indicators for a comprehensive assessment of ecosystem recovery. A cost-effective subset of indicators was identified to accurately estimate ecosystem status.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Haozhi Ma, Lidong Mo, Thomas W. Crowther, Daniel S. Maynard, Johan van den Hoogen, Benjamin D. Stocker, Cesar Terrer, Constantin M. Zohner
Summary: The study reveals significant gradients in root-mass fractions among different vegetation types, largely influenced by resource availability. High RMFs are found in cold and dry ecosystems, while low RMFs dominate in warm and wet regions.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Yuting Ji, Gerlinde B. De Eyn, Naili Zhang, Hongwei Xu, Minggang Wang, T. Martijn Bezemer
Summary: Nematodes play a significant role in plant growth and diversity in soil, and their community structure can be influenced by soil microbes and aboveground herbivory. The study found that foliar-feeding aphids reduced plant biomass and increased plant diversity, but had no impact on nematode communities. In contrast, soil microbial inoculations reduced nematode abundance and increased nematode diversity. There were no significant aboveground-belowground interactions observed in this study.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Olivier Hullot, Isabelle Lamy, Raphael Tiziani, Tanja Mimmo, Lisa Ciadamidaro
Summary: The study found that earthworm inoculation increased the content of all studied trace elements in soil solution. Lower concentrations of Cd and Zn were found in plants in the presence of earthworms, and the bioavailability decreased. The bioaccumulation of trace elements in earthworms did not lead to direct toxicity. The presence of A. caliginosa in contaminated soils promoted plant adaptation and biomass production, reducing trace element uptake.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Qian Xu, Honglin He, Xiaoli Ren, Li Zhang, Li Lin, Fawei Zhang, Guangming Cao, Mathew Williams, Rong Ge, Zhongen Niu, Yan Lv
Summary: The study demonstrates the importance of parameter dynamics in accurately capturing interannual variations in carbon pools and improving carbon sink estimation accuracy. Temporal variations of key parameters, such as those related to photosynthesis and allocation processes, under changing environmental conditions provide insights into ecosystem adaptation and are crucial for reducing uncertainty in terrestrial carbon cycle models.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Anna K. Schweiger, John A. Gamon, Hamed Gholizadeh, Kimberly Helzer, Cathleen Lapadat, Michael D. Madritch, Philip A. Townsend, Zhihui Wang, Sarah E. Hobbie
Summary: The study shows that imaging spectroscopy can detect vegetation information and predict belowground plant and soil processes. There are contrasting relationships between aboveground vegetation quantity and quality with belowground soil attributes, indicating differences in influencing factors for belowground processes in different grassland systems.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lei Ding, Zhenwang Li, Beibei Shen, Xu Wang, Dawei Xu, Ruirui Yan, Yuchun Yan, Xiaoping Xin, Jingfeng Xiao, Ming Li, Ping Wang
Summary: The biomass models in the eastern Eurasian steppe showed acceptable accuracy, with climatic factors being more important in controlling biomass than anthropogenic drivers.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marcela C. N. S. Terra, Matheus Henrique Nunes, Cleber R. Souza, Gabriel W. D. Ferreira, Jamir A. do Prado-Junior, Vanessa L. Rezende, Rafaella Maciel, Vanessa Mantovani, Andre Rodrigues, Vinicius Augusto Morais, Jose Roberto Soares Scolforo, Jose Marcio de Mello
Summary: Savannas in South America contribute significantly to terrestrial net primary productivity and carbon storage. A unique dataset of 21 Cerrado sites in Southeastern Brazil was used to assess the patterns of above and belowground carbon stocks. Environmental factors and tree diversity had significant effects on carbon stocks, with belowground carbon storage being particularly important. The findings highlight the need for better management and protection of the Cerrado.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Zhiyong Zhang, Han Wang, Fan Ding, Rutger A. Wilschut, Zhaojie Jia, Xiaoke Zhang, Di Zhang, Sergio Rasmann, Sara Sanchez-Moreno, Bingxue Li
Summary: This study investigated the effects of aboveground and belowground plant carbon inputs on soil nematode communities. The results showed that belowground inputs supported a higher abundance of nematodes and favored a bacterial-driven decomposition channel, while aboveground inputs favored a fungal decomposition channel. Compared to aboveground inputs, belowground inputs increased the metabolic activity of higher functional guilds of nematodes, the growth and respiration rates of bacterivores, omnivores predators, and total nematodes, and the carbon use efficiency of omnivores-predators and total nematodes.
Article
Ecology
Qinggui Wang, Guoyong Yan, Xi Luo, Guancheng Liu, Honglin Wang, Yajuan Xing
Summary: Based on forest inventory data from Northeast China, this study found that the pattern of tree aboveground and belowground C allocation is related to the symbiotic types with fungi. Trees associated with ectomycorrhizal (EM) symbiosis have a higher ratio of aboveground to belowground C pool compared to those associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. The response of tree aboveground and belowground C allocation to factors such as mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT) is influenced by the symbiotic mycorrhizal types. Additionally, climate factors (MAT and MAP) have similar effects on the tree C allocation of both EM- and AM-associated trees, with increasing MAT and MAP significantly increasing belowground and aboveground C allocation, respectively.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Xin Jing, Case M. Prager, Litong Chen, Haiyan Chu, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Jin-Sheng He, Yu Shi, Teng Yang, Biao Zhu, Aimee T. Classen, Nathan J. Sanders
Summary: The study found that the taxonomic composition of plants, soil bacteria, and soil fungi communities is related to local climate, with the effects of local climate on the spatial turnover of nutrient pools being mainly indirect through plant and soil bacteria species composition, but not through soil fungal species composition. Furthermore, the replacement component of soil bacterial beta-diversity and the richness difference of plant beta-diversity were identified as direct predictors of nutrient pools in alpine grasslands. These results suggest that conserving above- and belowground biodiversity can mitigate the impacts of local climate on the functions of climate-sensitive alpine grasslands.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Lise Pingault, Saumik Basu, Prince Zogli, W. Paul Williams, Nathan Palmer, Gautam Sarath, Joe Louis
Summary: The study showed that resistance responses of Mp708 plants against ECB and WCR larvae involve changes in root physiology, including downregulation of genes related to defense mechanisms, indicating the presence of long-distance signaling-mediated defense in Mp708 plants.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Matthew T. Costa, Exequiel Ezcurra, Paula Ezcurra, Pelayo Salinas-de-Leon, Benjamin Turner, Joy Kumagai, James Leichter, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza
Summary: Estimating the long-term sedimentary carbon sinks of mangroves and other blue carbon ecosystems is important for coastal research and conservation. This study assessed the limits of mangrove sedimentary carbon storage by sampling sediments in diverse mangrove environments. The results demonstrated that sediment depth largely explained the variation in carbon stock across the areas studied.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Qing Qu, Lei Deng, Zhouping Shangguan, Jian Sun, Jinsheng He, Kaibo Wang, Zhengchao Zhou, Jiwei Li, Josep Penuelas
Summary: Grazing exclusion is a widely implemented strategy for restoring degraded grassland ecosystems and increasing carbon stocks. This study analyzed data from 199 experiments to understand the temporal responses and factors influencing plant and soil carbon stocks following grazing exclusion in different grassland ecosystems. The results showed that plant biomass carbon stocks and soil organic carbon stocks decreased exponentially or rationally with years since enclosure. Grazing exclusion had positive effects on aboveground biomass carbon, but the effects on belowground biomass and soil carbon were influenced by climate, initial carbon levels, and grazing exclusion duration. The response of carbon stocks to grazing exclusion stabilized after approximately 40 years, with soil carbon sequestration showing a lagged pattern compared to plant biomass carbon. The study highlighted the effectiveness of grazing exclusion in regions with low carbon content and non-water limited conditions. However, it might not be an effective measure to increase soil organic carbon stocks in water-limited areas like desert grasslands.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Xavier Domene, Stefania Mattana, Sara Sanchez-Moreno
Summary: This study assessed the medium-term impact of low and high rates of pine gasification biochar application on nematode communities in outdoor mesocosms cropped to barley. The results suggest that biochar additions have the potential to regulate plant-parasitic nematodes in agroecosystems, with the regulation dependent on the rate of addition. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and determine the necessary rates of biochar addition to mitigate unintended effects.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Miguel Talavera, Tim C. Thoden, Maria D. Vela-Delgado, Soledad Verdejo-Lucas, Sara Sanchez-Moreno
Summary: The novel sulfonamide nematicide fluazaindolizine showed high selectivity towards root-knot nematodes, with minimal impact on other plant-parasitic nematodes. However, there were some slight adverse effects on soil functions as indicated by changes in certain soil food web indices.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Caroline Brock, Douglas Jackson-Smith, Subbu Kumarappan, Steve Culman, Cathy Herms, Douglas Doohan
Summary: The survey found that most organic corn growers in the region had small farms with diversified livestock operations, and emphasized soil fertility and health management. Organic corn growers heavily relied on moldboard plow tillage, and all producers had positive net returns to labor and management in 2017. These findings have implications for assessing the sustainability of organic farming systems and designing research programs to meet the needs of the diverse organic farming population in the region.
Article
Ecology
Sarah Semeraro, Alan Kergunteuil, Sara Sanchez-Moreno, Jeremy Puissant, Tim Goodall, Robert Griffiths, Sergio Rasmann
Summary: Ecosystem productivity depends heavily on soil nutrient cycling, which is regulated by decomposition rates controlled by below-ground microbial and soil communities. The impact of climate change on soil biota and ecosystem functioning remains unclear. This study investigates the differences in soil microbial and nematode communities at different elevations in the Alps and examines how climatic conditions can influence their functional and taxonomic characteristics. The results highlight the potential effects of soil biodiversity changes on soil fertility and carbon-cycle dynamics under climate change.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Jose A. Lopez-Perez, Sara Sanchez-Moreno
Summary: The combination of wine vinasse and animal manure has been effective in reducing plant parasite infection and improving crop yield. The application of wine vinasse and other organic matter can improve soil fertility and reduce the number of pests.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alba Llovet, Stefania Mattana, Juan Chin-Pampillo, Gabriel Gasco, Sara Sanchez, Claudio Mondini, Maria Jesus Iglesias Briones, Laura Marquez, Josep Maria Alcaniz, Angela Ribas, Xavier Domene
Summary: The application of biochar can increase carbon sequestration in soil, but high doses may have adverse effects on soil functions such as greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient cycling, and soil biological diversity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Klaus Birkhofer, Andreas Fliessbach, Maria Pilar Gavin-Centol, Katarina Hedlund, Maria Ingimarsdottir, Helene Bracht Jorgensen, Katja Kozjek, Svenja Meyer, Marta Montserrat, Sara Sanchez Moreno, Jordi Moya Larano, Stefan Scheu, Diego Serrano-Carnero, Jaak Truu, Dominika Kundel
Summary: The study found that soil organisms have a strong adaptability to experimental short-term drought, but conventional farming has a significant weakening effect on soil biota and ecosystem functions. Organic farming can mitigate the impact of drought on soil biota.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Sara Martinez, Sara Sanchez-Moreno, Jose Luis Gabriel, Cristina alvarez, Maria del Mar Delgado
Summary: The study found that using bio-stabilized municipal solid waste as organic fertilizer can achieve positive results in faba bean cultivation. Compared to mineral fertilizers, both organic and mineral fertilizers showed similar effects in terms of biomass production, plant growth, seed yield, nitrogen and protein content, and pigment content. Additionally, organic fertilizers can improve soil properties and nutrient content, providing a suitable soil environment for faba bean growth.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ayaz Hyder, Angela Blatt, Allan D. Hollander, Casey Hoy, Patrick R. Huber, Matthew C. Lange, James F. Quinn, Courtney M. Riggle, Ruth Sloan, Thomas P. Tomich
Summary: Current studies on data sharing in the food system have focused on infrastructure development, neglecting the role of power dynamics among stakeholders. This study used a workshop to explore power dynamics in relation to data sharing and health outcomes. The findings reveal imbalances in power relationships among stakeholders and emphasize the need for initiatives to increase power across stakeholder groups.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eugene P. Law, Sandra Wayman, Christopher J. Pelzer, Steven W. Culman, Miguel Gomez, Antonio DiTommaso, Matthew R. Ryan
Summary: Kernza(R) intermediate wheatgrass is a novel perennial cool-season grass that can be used as a dual-purpose grain and forage crop through intercropping with medium red clover or corn-soybean-spelt rotation. The sustainability of this cropping system is highly dependent on how the hay or straw co-product is used and the extent to which external inputs can be substituted with locally available renewable resources.
Article
Soil Science
Sara Sanchez-Mareno, Jorge Curiel Yuste
Summary: The severe droughts associated with climate change are causing dieback in Mediterranean holm-oak forests. These diebacks have negative effects on soil microbial communities and functioning, but little evidence exists on the effects on soil faunal diversity. This study found complex and unexpected effects of tree dieback on soil microfaunal communities.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
M. Pilar Gavin-Centol, Diego Serrano-Carnero, Marta Montserrat, Svenja Meyer, Stefan Scheu, Dominika Kundel, Andreas Fliessbach, Jaak Truu, Klaus Birkhofer, Sara Sanchez-Moreno, Jordi Moya-Larano
Summary: Soil invertebrates play a crucial role in decomposition and their activity is affected by climate change. However, data on the impact of rainfall pattern shifts on soil biota and ecosystem processes are lacking. This study found that extreme drought and conventional farming reduced the feeding activity of detritivores, and soil water and mineral nitrogen contents strongly influenced their activity.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Javier Palomino, Pablo Garcia-Palacios, Gerlinde B. B. De Deyn, Laura Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, Sara Sanchez-Moreno, Ruben Milla
Summary: Plant domestication has led to changes in leaf litter quality, affecting decomposition and soil decomposer communities. Domesticated litters decompose faster and have different impacts on soil bacteria, fungi, and nematodes.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Thomas P. Tomich, Casey Hoy, Michael R. Dimock, Allan D. Hollander, Patrick R. Huber, Ayaz Hyder, Matthew C. Lange, Courtney M. Riggle, Michael T. Roberts, James F. Quinn
Summary: Public interest in the origin and production of food has grown, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing weaknesses in food systems' ability to support livelihoods and the environment. Addressing these issues requires collaborative research, innovation, and measurable benchmarks to increase inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience within food systems. Food systems informatics can enhance these aspects through user-driven interaction and experimentation, creating verifiable sustainability claims and improving health outcomes.
Article
Ecology
Sara Sanchez-Moreno, Miguel Iglesias, Francisco M. Usero, Christian Kindler, Cristina Armas
Summary: Global Change factors such as climate change, land use change, nitrogen deposition and phosphorus deposition from Saharian dust have significant impacts on high mountain ecosystems. The simulation study showed that nitrogen deposition increased the biomass of bacterivore nematodes, while phosphorus deposition increased the contribution of microbivores, simplifying the soil food webs.