Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rupert Seidl, Monica G. Turner
Summary: Forest ecosystems are strongly affected by climate change and disturbance activities. The short time window after a disturbance event plays a crucial role in shaping future forest development. Understanding and predicting forest reorganization through analyzing forest structure and composition is essential for anticipating forest change.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fucheng Lue, Yunkun Song, Xiaodong Yan
Summary: This study investigates the response of carbon balance in southwestern forests to different climate change scenarios using the forest ecosystem carbon budget model for China (FORCCHN). The results demonstrate that forests will continue to be a carbon sink, but the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) will peak and decline in the 2030s. The NEP in the SSP1-2.6 scenario is higher and more stable compared to other climate change scenarios.
Article
Forestry
Li Zhang, Yulian Yang, Zebin Jiao, Zihao Chen, Ya Shen, Yao Liu, Linhui Zhang, Lixia Wang, Sining Liu, Qinggui Wu, Han Li
Summary: Forest litter accumulation can affect soil nitrogen mineralization, but the effects vary depending on litter quality and seasons. This study investigates the effects of litter change on net nitrogen mineralization, nitrification, and ammonification in coniferous, mixed, and broad-leaved forests in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that litter removal had a greater impact on nitrogen mineralization in broad-leaved forests during the growing and thawing seasons. Microbial biomass nitrogen was a common factor affecting nitrogen mineralization rates in all three forest types.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexia Paul, Christophe Hissler, Alessandro Florio, Serge Didier, Benoit Pollier, Gregory van der Heijden, Etienne Dambrine, Jacques Ranger, Bernd Zeller, Arnaud Legout
Summary: In rural areas, nitrate concentrations in surface waters are mainly affected by excess nitrogen fertilizer in agricultural lands. However, Douglas-fir plantations can result in an imbalance in the nitrogen cycle, leading to higher nitrate production in the soil. This study found that streams draining Douglas-fir catchments had significantly higher nitrate concentrations compared to other land covers. Nitrate concentrations in groundwater and soil were also elevated under Douglas-fir. The study suggests that excessive nitrate production under Douglas-fir is responsible for the high nitrate concentrations in stream water.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephen Caron, Sarah M. M. Garvey, Jonathan Gewirtzman, Kyle Schultz, Jennifer M. M. Bhatnagar, Charles Driscoll, Lucy R. R. Hutyra, Pamela H. H. Templer
Summary: Nitrogen availability has been declining in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, but urban forests in the northeastern U.S. exhibit higher soil nitrogen availability and uptake by trees compared to rural forests, countering the trend of N oligotrophication. Forest fragmentation diminishes the increase in available nitrogen, indicating an opposite effect of urbanization on nitrogen availability and demand by trees.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Mathieu Delandmeter, Joel Leonard, Fabien Ferchaud, Bernard Heinesch, Tanguy Manise, Ariane Faures, Jerome Bindelle, Benjamin Dumont
Summary: Carbon emissions in agriculture are significant in climate change. Modeling studies enable investigation of climate change impact on crops, accounting for soil organic carbon feedbacks and CO2 concentrations. Crop models need to properly consider CO2 exchanges in crop rotations. The model accurately simulates CO2 fluxes in a long-term and diversified crop rotation.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tao Zhou, Yuting Hou, Zhihan Yang, Benjamin Laffitte, Ke Luo, Xinrui Luo, Dan Liao, Xiaolu Tang
Summary: This study used a random forest model to predict the variation of global net primary production (NPP) at different spatial resolutions. The results showed that NPP exhibited similar spatial patterns and interannual variation trends at different resolutions, but there were significant differences in total global NPP. Therefore, the study emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate spatial resolution when modeling carbon fluxes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Adam F. A. Pellegrini, Andrew M. Hein, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Rebecca A. Montgomery, A. Carla Staver, Fernando Silla, Sarah E. Hobbie, Peter B. Reich
Summary: Global change is altering disturbance regimes, potentially causing rapid shifts in ecosystems. Interactions between disease and fire can have severe effects, with disease reversing the effects of fire exclusion in forests. Simulation models show that disease can lead to transitions in forest ecosystems, affecting ecosystem resilience and biome boundaries.
Article
Ecology
Roger Grau-Andres, David A. Wardle, Marie-Charlotte Nilsson, Paul Kardol
Summary: The study investigated the impacts of reduced precipitation volume and frequency on CO2 exchange, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export, and moss growth in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Results showed that decreased precipitation led to lower CO2 efflux, DOC export, and moss growth. The study also highlighted the buffering effect of the bryosphere on environmental variation at the forest floor, leading to consistent responses of carbon cycling to external perturbations across highly contrasting ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Txomin Hermosilla, Alex Bastyr, Nicholas C. Coops, Joanne C. White, Michael A. Wulder
Summary: Knowledge of tree species is essential for forest management and monitoring, and can be achieved through remote sensing and spatial modeling. This study used National Forest Inventory data and machine learning algorithms to map and classify tree species in Canada's forest-dominated ecosystems. The overall accuracy of the classification models was 93.1%, with geographic, climatic, and topographic variables being the most influential. The most common leading tree species nationally were black spruce, trembling aspen, and lodgepole pine, while regionally there was dominance of other tree species.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. Fesenko, S. Spridonov, S. Geras'kin
Summary: This paper comprehensively summarizes key data on radiation effects observed in Russian studies on acute forest irradiation. The experiments were conducted using an ecosystem approach and assessed radiation impacts through a variety of endpoints. The findings include effects at the cellular level, such as increased chromosome aberrations, as well as effects at the tissue levels and tree mortality. Seasonal differences in radiation sensitivity were also noted.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Ashley M. Matheny
Summary: Vegetation dynamically responds to local microclimates, influencing carbon, water, and energy cycles. Differences in microclimate can induce structural and functional acclimations within ecosystems, highlighting the importance of comprehensive analyses of vegetation in its environment.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hoseung Jung, Cornelius Senf, Burkhard Beudert, Tobias Krueger
Summary: The study investigates the impact of large-scale forest dieback on vegetation ecosystem function and nitrogen cycling, using statistical mechanistic modeling to interpret the processes in the catchment area.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ting Li, Yang Liu, Qi Wang, Changhong Lai, Yuming Qiu, David T. Tissue, Jiangtao Xiao, Xuhua Li, Li Peng
Summary: Mountain forest ecosystems play an important role in global carbon sequestration, and different forest types respond differently to climate variations. This study assessed the impact of abiotic and biotic factors on net tree carbon accumulation, growth, and mortality in different forest types on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. The study found that tree carbon stock increased with forest growth, and different forest types had different rates of growth and mortality. Tree richness and density were important biotic factors, while monthly mean temperature and precipitation were important abiotic factors. Overall, climate warming will lead to an increase in tree carbon stocks in certain forest types.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ernest D. Osburn, Julia S. Simpson, Brian D. Strahm, J. E. Barrett
Summary: The study revealed that the effects of drought on forests are influenced by historical land use and soil parameters. Disturbed soils showed significantly higher respiration following drought-rewetting, while reference watershed soils exhibited reduced microbial biomass but increased extractable nitrogen levels and ammonium content.