Review
Soil Science
Mei-Yee Chin, Sharon Yu Ling Lau, Frazer Midot, Mui Sie Jee, Mei Lieng Lo, Faustina E. Sangok, Lulie Melling
Summary: Soil respiration is a crucial process in terrestrial ecosystems, and accurately determining the contribution of different constituents is essential. The root exclusion technique is commonly used, but it may introduce bias due to its impact on the soil environment. This review summarizes the understanding of root exclusion techniques and suggests future research directions for improvement.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mikael Gillefalk, Dorthe Tetzlaff, Reinhard Hinkelmann, Lena-Marie Kuhlemann, Aaron Smith, Fred Meier, Marco P. Maneta, Chris Soulsby
Summary: The study investigated the role of different vegetation types in urban green spaces in the partitioning of water, showing that trees play a key role in increasing evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. The research provides insights into the importance of vegetation management in sustainable water and land use planning in urban areas.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Timothy M. Gallagher, Lily Serach, Natasha Sekhon, Hanzhi Zhang, Hanlin Wang, Shunchuan Ji, Xi Chang, Huayu Lu, Daniel O. Breecker
Summary: Paleosols in the Red Clay depositional sequence of the Chinese Loess Plateau provide valuable information on vegetation and regional hydrology responses to global temperature variation during the late Miocene and Pliocene. Studying carbon isotopes of pedogenic carbonate and occluded organic matter reveals a decline in moisture availability across the Loess Plateau with higher sensitivity to arid conditions in the northwest. The Jiaxian record shows increasing delta C-13 values over time, with no evidence of C-4 vegetation before 3.6 Ma, and spatial patterns suggest a gradient of higher and more variable delta C-13 values towards the north-northwest direction.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jingjing Zhu, Qiuxia Wu, Fuzhong Wu, Xiangyin Ni
Summary: Soil respiration is the largest carbon flux from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere and partitioning the sources of soil carbon dioxide remains uncertain. Through observations and models, we determined that root + rhizosphere respiration, litter respiration, and soil organic matter-derived microbial respiration accounted for 20.1%, 21.8%, and 62.7% of total soil respiration, respectively. Precipitation was the most important factor influencing the proportions of these components, with higher root- and litter-derived soil CO2 fluxes in tropical forests compared to cold temperate and boreal forests. Accurate partitioning of the sources of soil CO2 flux will provide important insights for global carbon budgets.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhihan Yang, Xinrui Luo, Yuehong Shi, Tao Zhou, Ke Luo, Yunsen Lai, Peng Yu, Liang Liu, Alexander Olchev, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Dalei Hao, Jinshi Jian, Shaohui Fan, Chunju Cai, Xiaolu Tang
Summary: This study used a machine learning approach to predict the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil respiration at a 1 km resolution across China. The results showed that Q10 varied from 1.54 to 4.17, with a weighted average of 2.52. Soil organic carbon was identified as the most important driving factor for Q10, and the spatial and temporal variations were influenced by different environmental factors.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Yang Chen, Lu Wang, Ling Tong, Xinmei Hao, Risheng Ding, Sien Li, Shaozhong Kang
Summary: This research demonstrates that the addition of biochar is an effective strategy to increase both crop carbon sequestration and soil carbon storage under suitable water-saving irrigation methods in arid regions with limited freshwater resources.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Chao Guan, Ning Chen, Linjie Qiao, Changming Zhao
Summary: Vegetation restoration increases the contribution of biocrusts to total soil respiration and changes the characteristics of biocrusts. The driving factors for total soil respiration change from solely soil temperature to soil temperature and moisture after vegetation restoration. Additionally, changes in microbial functional structure play important roles in regulating the effect of vegetation restoration and biocrusts on soil respiration.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jie Zhang, Yanzhi Ji, Yanjie Guo, Xing Yin, Yannan Li, Jian Han, Yang Liu, Chen Wang, Wenzan Wang, Yusha Liu, Lijuan Zhang
Summary: The study found that recommended practice is a suitable strategy for reducing soil C emissions and benefiting SOC storage in vineyards around North China. Fertilizer and irrigation regimes have a significant impact on Rh, with RP treatment being able to effectively increase SOC storage.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Shujing Qin, Yangzhen Fan, Sien Li, Lei Cheng, Lu Zhang, Haiyang Xi, Rangjian Qiu, Pan Liu
Summary: The biophysical processes of drip irrigation technology alter the available energy partitioning in both canopy and soil surface, with increased transpiration and reduced soil evaporation during the partial canopy period. However, the effect shifts during the complete canopy period, with increased sensible heat fluxes in both canopy and soil surface. The soil moisture is the driving factor behind the discrepancy of available energy partitioning.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhenzhen Yu, Chun Wang, Huafen Zou, Hongxuan Wang, Hailiang Li, Haitian Sun, Deshui Yu
Summary: This experiment investigated the effects of aerated irrigation on the soil environment and yield in the root zone of maize. The results showed that aerated irrigation significantly increased soil respiration rate, soil oxygen content, root biomass, and soil bacterial biomass, while reducing soil water content. It also led to increased stem thickness and leaf area of maize plants, resulting in higher fruit yields. Soil respiration rate was found to be correlated with soil temperature, water content, oxygen content, root biomass, and bacterial biomass.
Article
Agronomy
Mbezele Junior Yannick Ngaba, Roland Bol, Ya-Lin Hu
Summary: The study found that the impacts of LCC on soil C and N concentrations are related to climatic factors, and that the increased decomposition of soil C in PF can be compensated by higher C inputs with increasing MAT and MAP.
Article
Agronomy
Luisina Carbonell-Silletta, Agustin Cavallaro, Daniel A. Pereyra, Javier O. Askenazi, Guillermo Goldstein, Fabian G. Scholz, Sandra J. Bucci
Summary: Soil respiration and N-mineralization are key processes in carbon and nitrogen cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. The effects of soil nutrient and water additions on these processes were investigated in the Patagonian steppe. Moderate increases in precipitation did not have long-term effects on soil processes, but high levels of soil nutrient input increased soil respiration and nutrient immobilization. These findings suggest that soil nutrient enrichment can strengthen the positive feedback between the carbon cycle and climate change in arid ecosystems if not compensated by higher carbon capture.
Article
Agronomy
Marta M. Kohmann, Maria L. Silveira, Abmael da Silva Cardoso, Rosvel Bracho
Summary: This study evaluated the short-term effects of prescribed fire on C, N, and P stocks in subtropical native rangelands in Florida, USA. The results showed that prescribed fire had no impact on soil temperature but increased surface temperature. It led to a reduction in aboveground vegetation stocks of C, N, and P, while soil stocks remained unaffected.
Article
Soil Science
Guangyu Zhu, Zhouping Shangguan, Lei Deng
Summary: In this study, the dynamics of soil aggregate associated organic carbon (OC) following temperate natural forest development in China were investigated. It was found that different soil depths showed varying trends in OC changes, and factors such as land use change, soil particle characteristics, plant diversity, and C:N ratio had significant impacts on SOC stocks, rate of total SOC increase, and decomposition rate constants.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Ke Chen, Guodong Liu, Chengcheng Xia, Yuchuan Meng, Doerthe Tetzlaff, Qiao Zhong, Jianghao Chang
Summary: Understanding water cycling and partitioning in urban woodlands is crucial for water management strategies, especially in subtropical monsoon regions. Using stable water isotopes, we conducted a sampling campaign in a woodland near Chengdu, China to assess changes in water cycling during a warm and wet summer. The isotopic signals showed the transfer and exchange of water in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, improving our understanding of water cycling in urban woodlands.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Stacy L. Hines, Timothy E. Fulbright, Alfonso J. Ortega-S, Stephen L. Webb, David G. Hewitt, Thomas W. Boutton
Summary: In North American ecosystems, cattle and deer compatibility is mostly determined by geographic region, followed by cattle stocking rate and season, and marginally by soil texture. Conservative cattle stocking rates of 0.12-0.17 AUY ha(-1) have minimal impact on deer in rangelands, but stocking rates in forested ecoregions may need to be further reduced to minimize impacts on deer and their habitat requirements.
RANGELAND ECOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Letter
Ecology
Cindy E. Prescott, Sue J. Grayston, Helja-Sisko Helmisaari, Eva Kastovska, Christian Korner, Hans Lambers, Ina C. Meier, Peter Millard, Ivika Ostonen
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Correction
Environmental Sciences
Yong Zhou, Ayumi Hyodo, Thomas W. Boutton
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yong Zhou, Ayumi Hoydo, Thomas W. Boutton
Summary: Global woody encroachment into grass-dominated ecosystems has significant impacts on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. In a subtropical savanna, the transition from grassland to woodland amplified landscape-scale sulfur dynamics, leading to an enriched sulfur environment that supports woody plant productivity and proliferation by providing sufficient sulfur relative to demand.
Article
Soil Science
Andrea Leptin, David Whitehead, Kate H. Orwin, Samuel R. McNally, John E. Hunt, Keith C. Cameron, Niklas J. Lehto
Summary: This study investigated the effects of high nitrogen addition on carbon rhizodeposition, the composition of main soil microbial groups, and microbial processing of rhizodeposited carbon for two grassland species. The results showed that high nitrogen addition increased rhizodeposited carbon concentration and caused compositional differences in soil microbial groups. The effects were more pronounced for one of the grassland species.
BIOLOGY AND FERTILITY OF SOILS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gabriel Y. K. Moinet, Manpreet K. Dhami, John E. Hunt, Anastasija Podolyan, Liyin L. Liang, Louis A. Schipper, David Whitehead, Jonathan Nunez, Adriano Nascente, Peter Millard
Summary: The study found that soil microbial communities adapt to long-term warming, but substrate quality and quantity exert a stronger influence on selecting for distinct thermal traits than temperature.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
MacKenzie K. Kjeldgaard, Pierre-Andre Eyer, Collin C. McMichael, Alison A. Bockoven, Joanie T. King, Ayumi Hyodo, Thomas W. Boutton, Edward L. Vargo, Micky D. Eubanks
Summary: Evaluating factors promoting invasive ant abundance is crucial for assessing ecological impact and management. This study examined nestmate discrimination and colony boundaries in red imported fire ants, finding that both monogyne and polygyne colonies maintain strict boundaries and polygyne worker relatedness levels were higher than previously reported in North America.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yong Zhou, Robert J. Taylor, Thomas W. Boutton
Summary: This study analyzed the spatial distribution of nutrient elements in a subtropical savanna landscape experiencing woody encroachment, revealing divergent patterns in surface soils. Nutrient accumulation and redistribution were found underneath woody canopies for certain elements, while the distributions of other elements were influenced by soil pH, clay content, and slope rather than woody encroachment. The study highlights the significant variation in nutrient distributions in response to woody encroachment and underscores the role of landscape patterns in mediating ecosystem processes.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark D. McDonald, Katie L. Lewis, Paul B. DeLaune, Thomas W. Boutton, Jacob D. Reed, Terry J. Gentry
Summary: The study shows that different conservation practices and timing of nitrogen fertilization have a significant impact on soil nitrous oxide emissions and bacterial communities. Negative fluxes of N2O-N were observed in some treatments, likely due to low inorganic nitrogen concentrations and the influence of N2O consuming bacterial population.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Stacy L. Hines, Timothy E. Fulbright, Alfonso Ortega Santos, David B. Wester, David G. Hewitt, Thomas W. Boutton, Tyler Campbell
Summary: Formative patterns of vegetation responses to cattle grazing can be difficult to detect, but can be explained using appropriate experimental designs and statistical analyses. Retention of negative vegetation consumption values in experiments can affect interpretation and it is recommended to use a biologically paired experimental design and retain all negative vegetation consumption values to ensure conservative metrics guide management decisions.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Perejitei E. Bekewe, Jamie L. Foster, Clark B. Neely, Haly L. Neely, Katie L. Lewis, Lauren E. Tomlin, Ronnie W. Schnell, A. Peyton Smith, Thomas W. Boutton, Brandon Gerrish
Summary: Wheat production in Texas relies on conventional tillage and summer fallow, which can degrade the soil. This study compared different tillage methods and summer cropping on wheat yield, and found that the impact varied across regions and years. However, overall, summer cropping had a minimal negative effect on wheat production.
Article
Soil Science
Qian Zhang, Thomas W. Boutton, Che-Jen Hsiao, Ryan M. Mushinski, Liming Wang, Roland Bol, Erwin Klumpp
Summary: Soil colloids consisting of clay minerals and organic matter are important in ion exchange capacity and biogeochemical processes. This study assessed the impacts of woody encroachment, livestock grazing, and fire on soil colloidal properties in a juniper-oak savanna. The results showed that woody encroachment increased the retention of organic carbon and phosphorus by soil colloids, resulting in an increase in overall C and P pools in savanna soils.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Nick W. Smith, Andrew J. Fletcher, Peter Millard, Jeremy P. Hill, Warren C. McNabb
Summary: This study presents a mathematical model that can forecast the future cropland requirement for a given quantity of crop mass, in conjunction with the DELTA Model that calculates global availability of 29 nutrients against human requirements. The results show that crops with the greatest yield variation between high and low production are nuts, fruits, and vegetables. The potential for increasing global food production lies in improving yield for maize, wheat, and rice.
FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Tanjila Jesmin, Richard L. Mulvaney, Thomas W. Boutton
Summary: By increasing the input of corn residues, synthetic nitrogen fertilization can enhance soil storage of organic carbon. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to compare C mineralization in two soils with different indigenous N contents, and exogenous N had a greater stimulatory effect on CO2 production in the low N supplying soil. Microbial activities were maximized by incubating the low N soil with exogenous N, while cellulolytic enzyme activities were greater for the high N soil. Intensive N fertilization can increase the productivity of low-fertility soils, but the additional residue inputs promote C mineralization rather than sequestration.
SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yong Zhou, Barbara Bomfim, William J. J. Bond, Thomas W. W. Boutton, Madelon F. F. Case, Corli Coetsee, Andrew B. B. Davies, Edmund C. C. February, Emma F. F. Gray, Lucas C. R. Silva, Jamie L. L. Wright, A. Carla Staver
Summary: A case study in South Africa combined with a synthesis of global data on tropical savannas shows that grasses contribute more than half of the soil organic carbon (SOC) across these regions. The assumption that increasing tree cover leads to significant gains in SOC may not reflect the actual changes, as SOC in savannas is also derived from grasses. The study highlights the substantial contribution of grasses to SOC and the uncertainty in SOC responses to increasing tree cover in tropical savannas.
Article
Soil Science
C. Beraud, F. Piola, J. Gervaix, G. Meiffren, C. Creuze des Chatelliers, A. Delort, C. Boisselet, S. Poussineau, E. Lacroix, A. A. M. Cantarel
Summary: This study investigated the soil factors influencing the development of biological denitrification inhibition (BDI) and found that initial soil moisture, ammonium concentration, and the initial abundance of certain microbial genes play significant roles in BDI development. Additionally, the research highlighted the relevance of biotic factors in explaining BDI and proposed the use of procyanidin concentration from plant belowground system as a new proxy for measuring BDI intensity.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Yizhu Qiao, Tingting Wang, Qiwei Huang, Hanyue Guo, He Zhang, Qicheng Xu, Qirong Shen, Ning Ling
Summary: Soil microbial community coalescence, the mixing and interaction of microbial communities, has been found to enhance the stability and complexity of rhizobacterial networks, leading to improved plant health and biomass. This study investigated the effects of different degrees of bacterial community coalescence on plant disease resistance by mixing soils from healthy and diseased habitats for watermelon planting. The results showed that mixing in more healthy soil reduced the plant disease index and increased biomass by improving the stability and complexity of the rhizobacterial network. Core taxa Nitrospirillum and Singulisphaera were enriched in the rhizosphere from healthy soils and played important roles in disease suppression and regulating the positive cohesion and modularity of the networks. Overall, these findings provide insights into the potential mechanism of microbial community coalescence for improving plant microbial community function and suggest new tools for enhancing plant fitness via soil microbiota mixing.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Mengqiu He, Shending Chen, Lei Meng, Xiaoqian Dan, Wenjie Wang, Qinying Zhu, Zucong Cai, Jinbo Zhang, Pierfrancesco Nardi, Christoph Mueller
Summary: Maize genotypes directly affect gene expression and nitrogen uptake capacity. The feedback between maize genotypes and soil nitrogen transformations, as well as their regulations on nitrogen uptake capacity, have been studied. The findings suggest that maize genotypes play a central role in regulating these feedbacks, which are important for maize breeding and enhancing maize production.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Ke Shi, Jiahui Liao, Xiaoming Zou, Han Y. H. Chen, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Zhengming Yan, Tingting Ren, Honghua Ruan
Summary: Through rewilding, microbial extracellular and cellular residues can continuously accumulate in soils and significantly contribute to soil organic carbon sequestration. Extracellular residues are mainly driven by fine root biomass, while cellular residues are mainly driven by soil nitrogen and organic carbon content.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Sensen Chen, Ying Teng, Yongming Luo, Eiko Kuramae, Wenjie Ren
Summary: This study comprehensively assesses the effects of NMs on the soil microbiome through a global meta-analysis. The results reveal significant negative impacts of NMs on soil microbial diversity, biomass, activity, and function. Metal NMs, especially Ag NMs, have the most pronounced negative effects on various soil microbial community metrics.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Shareen K. D. Sanders, Gerard Martinez-De Leon, Ludovico Formenti, Madhav P. Thakur
Summary: Collembolans, the diverse group of soil invertebrates, are affected by anthropogenic climate warming, which alters their diversity and density. In addition to abiotic stressors, changes in food availability, specifically the abundance of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi, influence Collembola responses to climate warming. Collembolans prefer saprotrophic fungi but rely on mycorrhizal fungi when food sources are scarce. Understanding the mechanisms behind these dietary shifts in warm-dry and warm-wet soil conditions is crucial for predicting the impact of climate change on Collembola-fungal interactions.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Wimonsiri Pingthaisong, Sergey Blagodatsky, Patma Vityakon, Georg Cadisch
Summary: A study found that mixing high-C/N ratio rice straw with low-C/N ratio groundnut stover can improve the chemical composition of the input, stimulate microbial growth, decrease the loss of residue-derived carbon in the soil, and reduce native soil carbon and nitrogen consumption.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Jiachen Wang, Jie Zhao, Rong Yang, Xin Liu, Xuyuan Zhang, Wei Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan, Kelin Wang
Summary: Nitrogen is vital for ecosystem productivity, restoration, and succession processes. This study found that legume intercropping was more effective than chemical nitrogen fertilizers in promoting the complexity and stability of the soil micro-food web, as it increased microbial and nematode communities and enhanced energy flow patterns.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)