Article
Forestry
Chao Xu, Pieter De Frenne, Haben Blondeel, Karen De Pauw, Dries Landuyt, Eline Lorer, Pieter Sanczuk, Kris Verheyen, Emiel De Lombaerde
Summary: Understanding the distinct impacts of temperature and light on seedling growth is crucial. This study utilized two large-scale experiments to explore the effects of warming and light on tree seedlings in the presence of herbaceous plants. The findings suggest that light has a positive effect on seedling growth, while the interaction between light and warming also influences seedling height, diameter, and biomass. Additionally, the presence of understory herbaceous plants can indirectly affect seedling biomass under warming or illumination. These results provide valuable knowledge for future forest management.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Casey Ryan, John Nikolaus Callow, Wolfgang Lewandrowski, Ryan Tangney
Summary: Many ecosystems have adapted to fire, but the impact of fire seasonality on post-fire recruitment is not well understood. This study found that eucalypt forests in southwestern Western Australia have better seedling emergence after autumn fires compared to spring fires. The emergence of seedlings after spring fires is delayed due to high soil temperatures and water stress, which may lead to seed predation and decay. These findings have important implications for fire management in southwestern Western Australia.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Aline C. de Souza, Kathleen Donohue, Eduardo A. de Mattos
Summary: The timing of seed dispersal can influence seedling establishment success, especially in low-altitude sites where late seed dispersal and unfavorable drought conditions can decrease the probability of seedling establishment. In contrast, at high-altitude sites, seed-dispersal timing does not have a significant effect on seedling establishment. The timing of natural seed dispersal may not be well-matched with favorable environmental conditions for seedling establishment at low-altitude sites.
Article
Forestry
Diana Castillo-Diaz, Huayang Chen, Rhett D. Harrison, Bin Wen, Uromi Manage Goodale
Summary: Early regeneration of Ficus species in subtropical landscapes is constrained by environmental filters, with minimal differences in seed germination probabilities across elevations but higher seedling emergence at higher elevations. Growth form and elevation interact significantly during seed germination and seedling emergence, with the strongest filtering effect observed during the latter stage, particularly for hemiepiphytic species. Successful recruitment is limited by microsite conditions and growth form, with filtering mechanisms primarily affecting the transition from seedling emergence to establishment.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alpo Kapuka, Tomas Hlasny
Summary: Research demonstrates that endozoochory facilitates repeated bilberry seedling recruitment in nature, indicating the importance of frugivores' behaviors for the reproduction of clonal plants. Behaviors such as defecation by bears near their resting sites may be crucial for the adaptation of clonal plants to changing climatic conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Si-Chong Chen, Xiao-Wen Hu, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin
Summary: This study demonstrates that there is no trade-off between seed persistence and seedling emergence from the soil seed bank. Physically dormant seeds are more persistent but exhibit lower emergence. Monocarpic species have both higher persistence and emergence than polycarpic species. Seed mass has a marginal effect on persistence, while emergence increases nearly twofold from the smallest to the largest seeds.
Article
Plant Sciences
Paula Luera, Kimberly Wahl-Villarreal, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Abeny Trevino, Pushpa Soti, Christopher A. Gabler
Summary: The study found that different chemical treatments had varying effects on seed germination of different thornforest species. Ebenopsis seed germination peaked with 40-60 min sulfuric acid treatment, while Cordia seed germination peaked with 100 mg/L gibberellic acid treatment, and Zanthoxylum seed germination was negligible. Seed molding was rare, but stirring during sulfuric acid treatment reduced Ebenopsis molding by 4%.
Article
Plant Sciences
Shuo Wang, Kelli M. Gowland, Loeske E. B. Kruuk, Adrienne B. Nicotra, Pieter A. Arnold
Summary: The study found that while parental warming slightly decreased germination rate, offspring warming greatly increased it. Spring-emerged seedlings grew slower than autumn-emerged seedlings, but were not detrimentally affected by warm offspring temperatures. Inbreeding magnified the negative effects of both parental and offspring warming in this species.
Review
Oceanography
Taro Ichii, Hiromichi Igarashi, Mao Mori, Kedarnath Mahapatra, Haruka Nishikawa, Takehiro Okuda
Summary: We investigated how the climate regime shift around 2000 influenced the variability of Antarctic krill recruitment in the North Antarctic Peninsula (NAP) and South Georgia (SG). The recruitment index was found to be negatively correlated with winter sea surface temperature (SST) in NAP during the 1990s, but positively correlated with autumn SST in the 2000s. Similarly, in SG, recruitment was negatively correlated with NAP winter SST in the 1990s, but positively correlated with autumn SST in the southern Scotia Sea (SSS) in the 2000s. The regime shift weakened the connection between NAP and SG, with SSS becoming the main driver of recruitment at SG.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Xiao Wen Hu, Chun Hui Zhang
Summary: The study found that annuals do not have a wider germination temperature range compared to perennials. Global warming is predicted to have little or no effect on the germination phenology of herbaceous species in temperate eastern North America.
SEED SCIENCE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mark Borchert
Summary: Rodents in the western USA store a large number of seeds, which provide a reliable source of seedling recruitment for desert plants. This study examined the contribution of prefire caching of short-lived seeds to postfire regeneration through artificial caching and greenhouse trials. The results suggest that prefire caches of short-lived seeds may recruit postfire seedlings, but only in specific circumstances.
WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rong Liu, Xuejun Yang, Ruiru Gao, Xinyu Hou, Liping Huo, Zhenying Huang, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen
Summary: The study investigated biomass allocation patterns among 1,022 plants of 62 Artemisia species, supporting allometric partitioning theory (APT) over optimal partitioning theory (OPT) and suggesting that these plants have evolved an allometric strategy to adapt to varying environments.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Ruiru Gao, Jing Hou, Ruihua Zhao, Xuejun Yang, Xinyu Hou, Liping Huo, Siti N. Hidayati, Jeffrey L. Walck
Summary: Elaeagnus mollis seeds have dormancy and low germination rate, suitable temperature and conditions can enhance germination ability, but natural population regeneration is limited by climate and environment.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xuehua Ye, Shuqin Gao, Juan Du, Guofang Liu, Qingguo Cui, Zhenying Huang
Summary: Sand burial significantly affects the aboveground net primary productivity of plant communities, while enhanced precipitation does not have a significant impact on both aboveground and belowground net primary productivity. The combination of sand burial and enhanced precipitation also mediates the vertical allocation of belowground net primary productivity in the community.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Shudong Zhang, Guofang Liu, Qingguo Cui, Zhenying Huang, Xuehua Ye, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen
Summary: There are common wind response patterns in plant-size-related traits across different steppe species, while the response patterns in shoot traits vary among species. It indicates the species-specific ways by which plants balance growth and mechanical support facing wind stress. Our new field wind manipulation methodology was effective in altering wind speed with the intended magnitude, showing great potential for future field wind velocity enhancement experiments to understand the impact of different wind regimes on plant performance.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dandan Hu, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Rong Liu, Xuejun Yang, Zhenying Huang
Summary: Through experiments and analysis, a mucilage-degrading microorganism Phanerochaete chrysosporium was identified in the rhizosphere of the halophyte Artemisia sphaerocephala, with the highest abundance observed in May. Subnetworks indicated positive interactions between the mucilage-degrading fungus and its closely related fungi and bacteria, potentially enhancing mucilage degradation. Additionally, the mucilage-degrading microorganism may regulate root C and N by influencing the structure of rhizosphere microbial communities.
MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Remote Sensing
Hanhao Lu, Guihua Yi, Tingbin Zhang, Jingji Li, Guoyan Wang, Yanbin Qin, Bo Wen
Summary: The study found that the temporal-spatial variations of vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE) in the Western Sichuan Plateau are mainly influenced by sunshine duration, followed by precipitation and air temperature, with no significant lagged response to precipitation.
REMOTE SENSING LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guoyan Wang, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Xuejun Yang, Guofang Liu, Xuehua Ye, Zhenying Huang
Summary: The timing of seed germination in alpine plants is regulated by dormancy, with seeds needing to germinate early in the spring to ensure seedlings can grow to a critical size during the short growing season. Factors such as burial time and dormancy cycle affect the germination timing and season, with seeds remaining dormant until optimal conditions for growth are met.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhaoren Wang, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Xuejun Yang, Guofang Liu, Xuehua Ye, Zhenying Huang, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen
Summary: Plants adapt to environmental changes through TGP, with plasticity decreasing with generations. Under stressful conditions, plants grown in favorable salinity have lower biomass but larger seeds. In stress conditions, the proportion of C seeds increases while A seeds decrease.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Xuejun Yang, Lorena Gomez-Aparicio, Christopher J. Lortie, Miguel Verdu, Lohengrin A. Cavieres, Zhenying Huang, Ruiru Gao, Rong Liu, Yonglan Zhao, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen
Summary: This study uses a global database to examine the patterns of plant interactions and their effects on climate. It finds that competition occurs more frequently than facilitation in plant communities worldwide and that plant interactions show weak relationships with latitude and climate. The study highlights competition as a fundamental mechanism structuring plant communities globally.
Article
Ecology
Congwen Wang, Linna Ma, Xiaoan Zuo, Xuehua Ye, Renzhong Wang, Zhenying Huang, Guofang Liu, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen
Summary: The interactions between plants and soil microbes play crucial roles in modulating the function and stability of terrestrial ecosystems. The study found that plant diversity is positively correlated with soil fungal diversity, particularly for predicted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and saprotrophic fungi. However, the correlation between plant and soil bacterial diversity varies by phyla and functional guilds.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Enkhmaa Erdenebileg, Congwen Wang, Wanying Yu, Xuehua Ye, Xu Pan, Zhenying Huang, Guofang Liu, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen
Summary: The study investigated the carbon and nitrogen dynamics of leaf and root litters of different qualities in different positions, revealing the influence of plant functional types on decomposition rates and C:N ratios.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Congwen Wang, Zhangkai Liu, Wanying Yu, Xuehua Ye, Linna Ma, Renzhong Wang, Zhenying Huang, Guofang Liu
Summary: Soil microbial communities in grasslands are affected by degradation levels, with degradation influencing fungal community structure more significantly than bacterial community structure. Soil properties, such as nutrients and texture, are major drivers of fungal community composition and structure, while soil pH plays a larger role in bacterial community. This study emphasizes the importance of managing and restoring degraded grasslands by prioritizing soil fungal community.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruhan Ye, Wanying Yu, Ding Yang, Fengyan Yi, Pujin Zhang, Xiao Qiu, Wulan Tuya, Hailian Sun, Xuehua Ye, Xuejun Yang, Zhenying Huang, Guofang Liu
Summary: Annual precipitation and grazing are important drivers of plant community structure and function in grasslands. However, the mechanisms underlying their effects on plant communities are not well understood. This study investigated the impacts of annual precipitation variability and grazing pressure on plant community structure and function in a desert steppe. The results showed that higher annual precipitation increased the abundance of forbs, while grazing pressure increased the abundance of dominant grasses and decreased the abundance of subdominant forbs. Plant traits, such as leaf nitrogen concentration, directly or indirectly affected plant abundance through sheep diet selection. Annual precipitation variability and grazing pressure independently regulated plant diversity, aboveground biomass, and total cover, with the former having a greater effect. There was a slower decrease in grass biomass compared to forb biomass with increasing grazing pressure, indicating that dominant grasses are more resilient to grazing. Additionally, the positive correlation between plant diversity and aboveground biomass was driven by both annual precipitation variability and grazing pressure. These findings highlight the direct and indirect effects of annual precipitation and grazing on the structure and function of desert steppe ecosystems.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhangkai Liu, Congwen Wang, Xuejun Yang, Guofang Liu, Qingguo Cui, Tuvshintogtokh Indree, Xuehua Ye, Zhenying Huang
Summary: Soil microorganisms are essential in improving nutrient cycling and maintaining soil fertility in desert ecosystems like the West Ordos desert ecosystem in Northern China, which is home to endangered plants. This study focused on the endangered dominant plant species Tetraena mongolica and found that soil properties and microorganisms significantly influenced its community structure and growth. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the conservation of Tetraena mongolica and biodiversity in desert ecosystems.
