Article
Plant Sciences
Esfandiar Jahantab, Mohammad Reza Mahmoudi, Mohsen Sharafatmandrad, Vahid Karimian, Esmaeil Sheidai-Karkaj, Abdolvahab Khademi, Mohammad Reza Morshedloo, Christophe Hano, Jose M. Lorenzo
Summary: The study identified the environmental factors important for the distribution of K. doratissima in Iran using BMLR modeling, with elevation, evaporation, and slope found to have significant effects on the species' distribution. Elevation had the highest impact on distribution, followed by evaporation and slope.
Article
Ecology
Anvar Sanaei, Emma J. Sayer, Zuoqiang Yuan, Hugo Saiz, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Majid Sadeghinia, Parvaneh Ashouri, Sahar Ghafari, Hasan Kaboli, Mansoureh Kargar, Eric W. Seabloom, Arshad Ali
Summary: Plant diversity supports ecosystem functions, including carbon sequestration, but it is influenced by factors such as grazing and environmental conditions. We assessed how grazing intensity modifies the relationship between plant diversity and carbon stocks across different environments. Our study found that above-ground carbon stocks increased with plant diversity, with the strongest relationship observed for forbs. Soil carbon stocks were influenced by soil fertility, aridity, grazing, and topography. High grazing intensity led to declines in carbon stocks and modified the relationship between plant diversity and carbon stocks. Potential losses in plant diversity under grazing intensification could reduce carbon storage in rangelands. The mechanisms underlying rangeland BEF relationships require further research.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Zhiying Ning, Xueyong Zhao, Yulin Li, Lilong Wang, Jie Lian, Hongling Yang, Yuqiang Li
Summary: Grassland has suffered serious desertification due to inappropriate human activity in arid and semi-arid areas, disrupting ecosystem structure and function. Desertification has led to non-proportional losses of soil organic C and nutrients, with the greatest loss for organic C, followed by total N and total P. Plant community C:N:P stoichiometry was mediated by soil nutrients and plant functional groups driven by soil nutrient changes during desertification.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Zekun Liu, Jie Li, Kechang Bayaerta, Kechang Niu
Summary: The natural landscape of alpine grassland consists of distinct communities that differ in dominant plants and soil microbiome. This study explored the relationship between plant and soil microbial diversity in mosaic plots dominated by different plant functional groups in a Tibetan alpine meadow. The results showed that plant and soil microbial diversity varied between communities and were influenced by plant diversity, soil properties, and nutrient availability. These findings highlight the importance of the complex interactions between soil, plants, and microbes in maintaining ecosystem function and services in phosphorus-limited mosaic meadows.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Paul B. Reed, Lauren M. Hallett
Summary: This study investigates the changes in plant communities in the western USA and finds that the increase in annual plants is mainly driven by non-native species invasions. These changes are more pronounced in regions with heterogeneous topography and soil conditions.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Xinwei Ren, Shan Yin, Lan Wang, Jingchun Tang
Summary: This review summarizes recent studies on microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in soil. MPs and NPs in soil have various sources and can impact soil properties, microbial communities, and plants. However, there are research gaps in understanding their effects on soil ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Wanting Li, Qinghua Liu, Lulu Xie, Chunying Yin
Summary: Mixed forests improve biomass productivity and soil quality compared with monospecific stands. The mechanisms by which mixed stands improve tree growth and soil nutrient availability are still unclear. This study shows that mixed forests increase soil bacterial and fungal diversity, network stability, and abundance of keystone taxa, leading to improved soil nutrient availability.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Shanying He, Yufei Wei, Chunping Yang, Zhenli He
Summary: In recent years, there has been increasing research on the characterization and detection of microplastics (MPs) in soils, as well as their interactions with organic pollutants (OPs) and heavy metals (HMs). However, a comprehensive review on the distribution characteristics of MPs in soils, the sorption characteristics and mechanisms of soil contaminants by MPs, and the interactions of MPs and their complexes with pollutants in the soil-plant systems is lacking. This review focuses on the sorption features and mechanisms of pollutants by MPs in soil and discusses the effects of MPs and their complexing with pollutants on soil properties, microbe and plants.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Moslem Savari
Summary: Rangeland is crucial for the protection of biodiversity, but it is threatened by degradation caused by ranchers. This study aims to explain ranchers' behavior towards rangeland conservation in western Iran. A questionnaire was used as the main research tool, and the value-belief-norm (VBN) approach was employed to identify research variables. Results show that ranchers' egoistic behaviors contribute to the destruction of rangeland, and the VBN framework explains 53.9% of rangeland conservation behavior. Findings provide the basis for implementing policies that protect natural rangelands and preserve biodiversity.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. S. Dastgheyb Shirazi, A. Ahmadi, N. Abdi, H. Toranj Zar, M. R. Khaleghi
Summary: Heavy grazing causes worrying consequences in the first soil depth. With increasing grazing intensity, plant production percentage and vegetation density decrease, while the amount of bare soil increases. Additionally, pH, EC, clay, saturated moisture, and N decrease with increasing grazing intensity, while silt, sand, K, P, Ca, lime, and SOM increase. The study suggests that moderate grazing is recommended for sustainable soil conservation and utilization.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Christian Korner
Summary: The alpine life zone is a unique biome where mountains are high enough to host small stature plants with varying morphology, anatomy, and physiology. This article summarizes several principles that govern life in this cold and hostile environment, including the role of aerodynamic decoupling, the concepts of limitation and stress in an evolutionary context, and the importance of developmental flexibility and functional diversity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhenyu Yao, Yue Xin, Liu Yang, Liqing Zhao, Arshad Ali
Summary: This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of climatic factors on species diversity and aboveground biomass in large-scale grasslands. The results suggest that the relationship between plant coverage and aboveground biomass is stronger than the relationship between species diversity and aboveground biomass. Additionally, precipitation and temperature are identified as key climatic drivers affecting species richness, evenness, plant coverage, and aboveground biomass through complex pathways. The study highlights the sensitivity of grasslands to climate change and emphasizes the importance of considering temperature and precipitation in grassland management.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Chao Wang, Yanhui Hou, Ruilun Zheng, Yanxia Hu, Xiaona Li
Summary: The effects of nitrogen enrichment and biodiversity on stoichiometric networks of plants, soils, and soil microbes have been overlooked. Nitrogen addition had minor effects on most stoichiometries, while plant species richness showed significant associations. Increases in soil ammonium nitrogen decreased network connectivity but increased modularity. Plant species richness was negatively associated with network connectivity but positively correlated with modular complexity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. S. Dastgheyb Shirazi, A. Ahmadi, N. Abdi, H. Toranj, M. R. Khaleghi
Summary: The study evaluated the impact of long-term grazing exclosure on soil physicochemical and erodibility properties as well as vegetation in the Bozdaghi region of Iran. The results showed significant positive effects on soil properties, particularly an increase in soil organic matter and total nitrogen in the surface layer of the soil.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Luca Bragazza, Mario Fontana, Thomas Guillaume, Kate M. Scow, Sokrat Sinaj
Summary: The study revealed that nutrient ratios of cover crop biomass are species-specific, while the nutrient stoichiometry of soil microbes is more stable and not affected by cover crop identity or soil type. Results from nutrient comparison experiments indicate that cover crops have an impact on soil type, while soil type plays a more significant role in microbial metabolism.