Article
Plant Sciences
Shubing Chen, Jinlong Li, Jun Sun, Quanlin Zhong, Dandan Hu, Dongliang Cheng
Summary: By studying 28 subtropical fern species at different elevations in Mount Wuyi National Park in Jiangxi Province, China, it was found that the scaling relationship between leaf area and leaf biomass supports the diminishing returns hypothesis (DRH), with the leaf area scaling exponent being less than 1. This relationship holds true at both individual plant and species levels, indicating that the DRH applies to ferns.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ruoque Shen, Xiuzhi Chen, Lei Chen, Bin He, Wenping Yuan
Summary: This study evaluated the accuracy of satellite-based methods for identifying spatial and temporal changes of vegetation phenophases using ground observations. Results showed that most methods underestimated the advance rates of leaf unfolding dates, mainly due to low temporal resolution of satellite data. Further improvements in methods and satellite datasets are needed for better identification of leaf unfolding dates.
ISPRS JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
P. C. Stoy, A. M. Khan, K. Van Dorsten, P. Sauer, T. Weaver, E. N. J. Brookshire
Summary: Vegetation productivity is increasing in the U.S. Northern Great Plains but decreasing in nearby Northern Rocky Mountain grasslands due to increased aridity. It is unclear if the decrease in productivity can be offset by late-season green-ups after precipitation events.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sander O. Denham, Mallory L. Barnes, Qing Chang, Mitchell Korolev, Jeffery D. Wood, A. Christopher Oishi, Kathryn O. Shay, Paul C. Stoy, Jiquan Chen, Kimberly A. Novick
Summary: Shifts in phenological timing, specifically spring leaf emergence, have important implications for ecosystem processes and summer soil water availability. Delayed spring-onset leads to more rapid canopy development and increases in gross primary production and evapotranspiration. However, when early spring leaf emergence coincides with meteorological conditions that contribute to soil water deficits, summer soil moisture deficits are exacerbated.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ran Wang, John A. Gamon, Jeannine Cavender-Bares
Summary: The relationship between biodiversity and spectral diversity is influenced by scale and temporal variation in leaf traits and canopy structure. Using measurements of leaf pigments and reflectance throughout a growing season, this study investigates the effects of phenology on the scale dependence of the spectral biodiversity - biodiversity relationship.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(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
Biodiversity Conservation
Dexin Gao, Shuai Wang, Fangli Wei, Xutong Wu, Sha Zhou, Lixin Wang, Zidong Li, Peng Chen, Bojie Fu
Summary: The multiple relationships between plant functional traits affect the vulnerability of dryland ecosystems to drought. The study found that semi-arid ecosystems have low integration and high sensitivity to environmental change.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
K. C. Cushman, John Armston, Ralph Dubayah, Laura Duncanson, Steven Hancock, David Janik, Kamil Kral, Martin Krucek, David M. Minor, Hao Tang, James R. Kellner
Summary: In this study, the sensitivity of Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) data and aboveground biomass density (AGBD) predictions to leaf phenology was tested. The results suggest that, with consideration of model choice, GEDI data without considering leaf status can be used for AGBD prediction, which increases data availability and reduces sampling error in some forests.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Constantin M. Zohner, Leila Mirzagholi, Susanne S. Renner, Lidong Mo, Dominic Rebindaine, Raymo Bucher, Daniel Palous, Yann Vitasse, Yongshuo H. Fu, Benjamin D. Stocker, Thomas W. Crowther
Summary: Climate change is altering the growing seasons of plants, affecting species performance and biogeochemical cycles. The timing of autumn leaf senescence in Northern Hemisphere forests is uncertain, but early-season and late-season warming have opposite effects on leaf senescence, with a reversal occurring after the summer solstice. Increased temperature and vegetation activity before the solstice led to an earlier senescence onset, while warmer post-solstice temperatures extended senescence duration. These changes in leaf senescence can impact growing-season length and forest productivity in the Northern Hemisphere.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yi Wang, Miao Liu, Youchao Chen, Tao Zeng, Xuyang Lu, Bin Yang, Yafeng Wang, Lin Zhang, Xiaowei Nie, Feipeng Xiao, Zhigang Zhang, Jian Sun
Summary: Plant communities and soil microbes are correlated with ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) in terrestrial ecosystems. The study revealed contrasting patterns of low and high EMF in the alpine grassland ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau, with high EMF showing higher sensitivity to environmental factors. Soil properties play a critical role in mediating the impact of community functions on low EMF.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nikolay V. Shabanov, Vyacheslav A. Egorov, Tatiana S. Miklashevich, Ekaterina A. Stytsenko, Sergey A. Bartalev
Summary: The retrieval of land surface phenology metrics depends on the choice of base variables, with LAI showing better sensitivity and more conservative estimates compared to other variables. Additionally, this study demonstrates the presence of latitudinal dependence in phenometrics over Russian forests.
Article
Ecology
Jing Fang, James A. Lutz, Herman H. Shugart, Leibin Wang, Feng Liu, Xiaodong Yan
Summary: This study developed a new parameterization method to predict continental-scale leaf phenology and validated it using forest observations in North America. The results showed that phenology parameters vary with local climatic conditions, and over the past decades, the end of the growing season was delayed and the length of the growing season increased, but the start of the growing season did not show a significant trend.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
G. Bellocchi, Z. Barcza, R. Hollos, M. Acutis, E. Bottyan, L. Doro, D. Hidy, E. Lellei-Kovacs, S. Ma, J. Minet, V. Pacsko, A. Perego, F. Ruget, G. Seddaiu, L. Wu, R. Sandor
Summary: Grassland models exhibit higher uncertainty compared to arable crop models due to complex interactions and undocumented sensitivity to environmental factors. This study assessed the impact of temperature, precipitation, and CO2 changes on soil water content, evapotranspiration, primary production, and biomass using a multi-model framework. The simulations showed general consistency in the direction of soil water content and evapotranspiration changes, but less agreement for primary production and biomass changes. The results suggest a paradigm shift in grassland modelling and highlight the importance of improving model representation of soil hydrology.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jiyou Yuan, Zhiyun Ouyang, Hua Zheng, Yirong Su
Summary: The study showed that total ecosystem carbon storage in FG, UG, and MG significantly increased over time, outperforming the control group. These three grassland restoration methods are expected to make significant contributions to global ecosystem carbon sequestration after more than 20 years. The ranking of total ecosystem carbon storage content is FG> MG> UG> CK. Soil carbon storage in the 0-30 cm and 0-50 cm depth ranges accounted for 41.81-60.13% and 59.42-80.80% of the total soil pool, respectively, across all treatments.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaojie Gao, Ian R. R. McGregor, Josh M. M. Gray, Mark A. A. Friedl, Minkyu Moon
Summary: Vegetation green leaf phenology has a direct impact on the gross primary productivity (GPP) of terrestrial ecosystems. Satellite observations of land surface phenology (LSP) provide a valuable tool for monitoring the timing of vegetation green leaf development. However, discrepancies between satellite-derived LSP proxies and in situ measurements of GPP make it challenging to quantify the effects of climate-induced changes in green leaf phenology on annual GPP.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Daniel E. Pabon-Moreno, Mirco Migliavacca, Markus Reichstein, Miguel D. Mahecha
Summary: In the past decade, various methodologies have been developed to estimate the spatiotemporal dynamics of GPP. Predictions of GPP using machine learning techniques or semiempirical models, especially the availability of red-edge bands for estimating canopy chlorophyll content, have shown significant potential.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
David Martini, Karolina Sakowska, Georg Wohlfahrt, Javier Pacheco-Labrador, Christiaan van der Tol, Albert Porcar-Castell, Troy S. Magney, Arnaud Carrara, Roberto Colombo, Tarek S. El-Madany, Rosario Gonzalez-Cascon, Maria Pilar Martin, Tommaso Julitta, Gerardo Moreno, Uwe Rascher, Markus Reichstein, Micol Rossini, Mirco Migliavacca
Summary: The study investigated the impact of the 2018 European heatwave on the GPP-SIF relationship in evergreen broadleaved trees, revealing an inversion of the photosynthesis-fluorescence relationship due to extreme heat stress and changes in energy dissipation pathways.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Benjamin Dechant, Youngryel Ryu, Grayson Badgley, Philipp Kohler, Uwe Rascher, Mirco Migliavacca, Yongguang Zhang, Giulia Tagliabue, Kaiyu Guan, Micol Rossini, Yves Goulas, Yelu Zeng, Christian Frankenberg, Joseph A. Berry
Summary: Our study highlights the strong relationship between canopy structure and far-red SIF, indicating that the contribution of leaf physiology to SIF variability is small compared to structure and radiation components. The near-infrared reflectance of vegetation multiplied by incoming sunlight (NIRvP) emerges as a robust proxy for far-red SIF across different scales, showing potential for reliable vegetation monitoring at the global level.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christopher Krich, Miguel D. Mahecha, Mirco Migliavacca, Martin G. De Kauwe, Anne Griebel, Jakob Runge, Diego G. Miralles
Summary: In the face of more frequent extreme high temperatures in the future, research has found evidence of decoupling between photosynthesis and transpiration, which can prevent lethal leaf temperatures. The occurrence of decoupling depends on ecosystem characteristics and canopy energy balance. However, the occurrence of this decoupling phenomenon is still limited. Causal-inference approaches are valuable for analyzing complex physiological processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ludovica Oddi, Mirco Migliavacca, Edoardo Cremonese, Gianluca Filippa, Giorgio Vacchiano, Consolata Siniscalco, Umberto Morra di Cella, Marta Galvagno
Summary: Climate change increases the risk of forest role transition and has important consequences for tree species in the Alps. This study investigates the response of a high-altitude Larix decidua Mill. forest to heat and drought. The results show advancements in phenological development and seasonal trajectories in response to warm spells, but no significant changes in ecosystem gas exchanges during extreme years. However, in 2017, there was a reduction in larch stem growth and a shorter growing season due to drought events and high water deficit.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Dongdong Kong, Tim R. McVicar, Mingzhong Xiao, Yongqiang Zhang, Jorge L. Pena-Arancibia, Gianluca Filippa, Yuxuan Xie, Xihui Gu
Summary: This article introduces an open-source R package called phenofit$$ phenofit $$ for extracting vegetation phenological information from satellite-derived vegetation indices (VIs). phenofit$$ phenofit $$ adopts state-of-the-art phenology extraction methods and provides flexible input and output options, practical growing season division function, and robust performance.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Economics
Gianluca Cerruti, Gianluca Mazzarella, Mauro Migliavacca
Summary: This paper investigates the impact of Italy's 2015 Jobs Act on the household formation and fertility intentions of young Italians. The study finds that the reform seems to have leveled out the differences in intentions among individuals living in different districts. The research utilizes the variation in court efficiency to assess the reform's impact.
REVIEW OF ECONOMICS OF THE HOUSEHOLD
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Edoardo Bellini, Marco Moriondo, Camilla Dibari, Luisa Leolini, Nicolina Stagliano, Laura Stendardi, Gianluca Filippa, Marta Galvagno, Giovanni Argenti
Summary: The use of long-term spatial datasets from satellites has provided opportunities for monitoring vegetation phenology. This study aims to develop a reliable method for estimating grassland phenological dates from satellite data and assess climate change impacts on European grasslands from 2001 to 2021.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pu Yan, Marcos Fernandez-Martinez, Koenraad Van Meerbeek, Guirui Yu, Mirco Migliavacca, Nianpeng He
Summary: This study systematically explores the role of different biodiversity attributes, including species richness, phylogenetic and functional diversity, and community-weighted mean (CWM) and ecosystem traits, in the key axes of ecosystem functions. The findings emphasize the critical importance of biodiversity conservation in sustaining terrestrial ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) and ensuring human well-being.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
L. Brilli, R. Martin, G. Argenti, M. Bassignana, M. Bindi, R. Bonet, P. Choler, E. Cremonese, M. Della Vedova, C. Dibari, G. Filippa, M. Galvagno, L. Leolini, M. Moriondo, A. Piccot, L. Stendardi, S. Targetti, G. Bellocchi
Summary: Over the past century, pastoral systems have experienced significant changes in management to meet the livelihood needs of alpine communities. However, global warming has resulted in a serious decline in the ecological status of pastoral systems in the western alpine region. Using remote-sensing products and process-based models, we evaluated changes in pasture dynamics and projected the impacts of climate change on alpine pastures. The findings suggest that the growing season will lengthen, water stress may limit productivity, earlier grazing onset could enhance productivity, higher livestock densities may increase biomass regrowth, and carbon sequestration potential could decrease due to limited water availability and warming.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Javier Pacheco-Labrador, Francesco de Bello, Mirco Migliavacca, Xuanlong Ma, Nuno Carvalhais, Christian Wirth
Summary: Remote sensing aims to produce global-coverage maps of plant functional diversity (PFD) across scales. We propose a generalizable normalization approach based on the maximum potential dissimilarity and compare it to traditional methods. By simulating plant communities and comparing remote sensing-based diversity measurements, we find that this approach enables comparison of different remote sensing data.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wantong Li, Javier Pacheco-Labrador, Mirco Migliavacca, Diego Miralles, Anne Hoek van Dijke, Markus Reichstein, Matthias Forkel, Weijie Zhang, Christian Frankenberg, Annu Panwar, Qian Zhang, Ulrich Weber, Pierre Gentine, Rene Orth
Summary: This study investigates the physiological responses of global vegetation to drought using remote sensing data, machine learning, and model simulations. The findings show that the decrease in vegetation functionality is mainly driven by the downregulation of physiological processes, such as stomatal conductance and light use efficiency, with the most significant downregulation in water-limited regions. The study also highlights the role of abnormal hydro-meteorological conditions and vegetation types in modulating physiological drought responses.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexander Graf, Georg Wohlfahrt, Sergio Aranda-Barranco, Nicola Arriga, Christian Bruemmer, Eric Ceschia, Philippe Ciais, Ankur R. Desai, Sara Di Lonardo, Mana Gharun, Thomas Gruenwald, Lukas Hoertnagl, Kuno Kasak, Anne Klosterhalfen, Alexander Knohl, Natalia Kowalska, Michael Leuchner, Anders Lindroth, Matthias Mauder, Mirco Migliavacca, Alexandra C. Morel, Andreas Pfennig, Hendrik Poorter, Christian Poppe Teran, Oliver Reitz, Corinna Rebmann, Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa, Marius Schmidt, Ladislav Sigut, Enrico Tomelleri, Ke Yu, Andrej Varlagin, Harry Vereecken
Summary: Research finds that climate change mitigation efforts through increasing carbon uptake can lead to a decrease in land surface albedo, causing a warming effect, especially in afforestation and snow-free environments. However, a balanced approach that optimizes both carbon uptake and albedo can achieve long-term cooling without causing warming in any time period.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Arthur Bayle, Bradley Z. Carlson, Anais Zimmer, Sophie Vallee, Antoine Rabatel, Edoardo Cremonese, Gianluca Filippa, Cedric Dentant, Christophe Randin, Andrea Mainetti, Erwan Roussel, Simon Gascoin, Dov Corenblit, Philippe Choler
Summary: Glacier forefields have been used as a model for studying plant succession patterns after glacier retreat. Through plant surveys and field sampling, we found that the time lag, growth rates, and initial plant community composition of early plant succession varied significantly depending on the local environmental context. Our study demonstrates the complementary nature of remote sensing and field-based approaches in understanding and predicting plant succession patterns in glacier forefields.