Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Weiwei Cong, Xiaoya Li, Xubin Pan, Xiuping Liu, Qi Lu, Feng Wang
Summary: This study assessed the dynamics of ecological quality in Otindag sandy land in Northern China by establishing an assessment framework. The results showed that the vegetation quality remained stable, soil quality improved in some areas but also degraded in others, and atmosphere quality increased in most areas. Overall, the ecological quality of Otindag sandy land improved in some areas but also degraded in others following the launch of national ecological restoration projects.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Scott R. Abella, Dominic M. Gentilcore, Lindsay P. Chiquoine
Summary: The study examines resilience models, alternative stable states, and convergent-divergent trajectories of plant communities in the Mojave Desert following 31 wildfires over a period of 36 years. Results show differences in recovery time and methods between different vegetation community types.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Xinwei Yin, Qi Feng, Yan Li, Wei Liu, Meng Zhu, Jutao Zhang, Linshan Yang, Chengqi Zhang, Xue Wu, Xinjun Zheng
Summary: Drought poses significant risks to the stability of groundwater-dependent ecosystems in drylands. This study examines the impact of ecological drought on vegetation transition, ecological resilience, and ecosystem services in arid endorheic basins. The findings show that different plant species exhibit contrasting water use strategies driven by eco-physiological traits and environmental regimes. However, both low-resilient and high-resilient vegetation tend to undergo bistable transition under drought stress. Ecological drought accelerates catastrophic shifts in Haloxylon ecosystems, reducing ecological resilience and ecosystem services.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Damaris A. Chenoweth, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jessi L. Brown, Alexandra K. Urza, Brice Hanberry, David Board, Michele Crist, John B. Bradford
Summary: This study developed and examined new ecological drought metrics in dryland areas of the western United States. The inclusion of these metrics increased the dimensionality of the climate metrics dataset and provided new insights into patterns of soil moisture and temperature in dryland ecosystems.
Article
Ecology
Yanning Qiu, Zhiwei Xu, Chi Xu, Milena Holmgren
Summary: This study investigates the changes in vegetation spatial patterns after large-scale straw checkerboards restoration projects in the sand dune systems of the Tengger Desert in northern China. The results show that after 5 years of restoration, vegetation cover, plant species richness, and diversity increased rapidly, approaching the level of the naturally vegetated sand dunes. In addition, a larger diversity of patch sizes and a constant positive recovery rate in vegetation cover were observed, which are consistent with theoretical predictions of transitions to alternative ecosystem states.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jinfang Sun, Guodong Liu, Xingzhong Yuan
Summary: This study reconstructed an optimized ecological polder wetland and a lake wetland using landscape design and evaluated the alternative stable states of the two wetland ecosystems using emergy/eco-exergy and fractal dimensions. The results showed that the reconstructed wetland ecosystems were dominated by renewable energy flows and were highly sustainable. The fractal dimensions of the wetlands reflected their spatial occupation capacity. The study is important for exploring the symbiosis between traditional culture and the ecological environment in wetland-rich regions with severe disturbances.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alice Reis, Andre Scarlate Rovai, Paulo da Cunha Lana, Francisco Barros
Summary: Mangroves and saltmarshes are important coastal habitats that provide various services to humans. There are both positive and negative interactions between these ecosystems, with different effects observed during different stages of their life cycles.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Barjeece Bashir, Chunxiang Cao, Bo Xie, Yiyu Chen, Zhibin Huang, Xiaojuan Lin, Hafiza Nayab Gul, Faisal Mumtaz, Robert Shea Duerler, Adeel Ahmad, Talha Hassan
Summary: This study analyzed the desertification process and the role of restoration projects in Mu Us Desert from 2001 to 2018. The results showed that ecological restoration activities are an important driver of vegetation restoration in the desert, but the impact of climatic factors on vegetation cover change is limited. Furthermore, the study revealed that 41.42% of the significant restoration area is attributed to ecological restoration programs, out of which 40.42% has shown improvement in all three sub-indicators of land degradation.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Pulok Kumar Mukherjee, Bhaskar Das, Pardeep K. Bhardwaj, Soibam Tampha, Huidrom Khelemba Singh, Leimapokpam Demi Chanu, Nanaocha Sharma, Sarangthem Indira Devi
Summary: As the global population and living standards rise, the demand for basic amenities increases. The linear economy approach has led to waste production and resource depletion, giving rise to the concept of the circular economy. By reducing energy and resource consumption, the circular economy has the potential to protect the environment and improve the economy.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yue Xue, Haibin Kang, Yongxing Cui, Sheng Lu, Hang Yang, Jiaqi Zhu, Zhenjie Fu, Chenglong Yan, Dexiang Wang
Summary: This study investigated the nutrient limitations of plant and microbial communities during natural vegetation restoration in China. The results showed that there was a shift from nitrogen limitation to phosphorus limitation as the restoration progressed. Soil nutrient stoichiometry, especially the soil C:N ratio, played a significant role in determining the nutrient limitations of plants and microbes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Colin Averill, Claire Fortunel, Daniel S. Maynard, Johan van den Hoogen, Michael C. Dietze, Jennifer M. Bhatnagar, Thomas W. Crowther
Summary: Most trees on Earth form a symbiotic relationship with specific fungi, which can generate positive feedbacks to maintain the stability of forests.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Qiangqiang Sun, Ping Zhang, Xin Jiao, Wenchao Han, Yanan Sun, Danfeng Sun
Summary: This study introduced a framework for identifying state transitions in dryland landscape patterns based on the interactions between vegetation and soil components, revealing the crucial role of ecological governance in state shifts. The findings suggest the potential for sustainable management practices to maintain land degradation neutrality, especially when integrated with land use cover change analysis.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Daikui Li, Ping He, Liping Hou
Summary: The concepts of ecological thresholds and alternative stable states have been proposed to explain nonlinear changes. However, a lack of data and research experience has hindered the advancement of these theories and their managerial applications. This study integrates Chinese cases and data from the China Ecological Thresholds and Alternative Stable States Database (CETASSD) to provide a comprehensive understanding of ecological thresholds and alternative stable states in different ecosystems in China. The study identifies several peculiarities of the Chinese case studies and suggests future research directions and applications of ecological thresholds.
ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ilan N. Rubin, Iaroslav Ispolatov, Michael Doebeli
Summary: Recent studies have shown that natural populations may get stuck in low diversity states following an adaptive radiation, due to mutations of small phenotypic effect. These low diversity states can be maintained by limited resources and finite population sizes, despite the presence of higher-diversity stable states.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Li, Milena Holmgren, Chi Xu
Summary: This study reveals that changes in vegetation condition in response to climate warming in northern high latitudes are closely linked to changes in surface water cover, explaining the contrasting trajectories of ecosystem dynamics. This has significant implications for ecosystem functioning, carbon sequestration, and feedbacks to the climate system.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Dan Wu, Chi Xu, Shaopeng Wang, Lai Zhang, Susanne Kortsch
Summary: The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions has been widely studied, but the variation in ecosystem functions across systems with similar species diversity has been rarely addressed. In this study, a food web model and empirical data were used to examine the relationships between species richness and variation in ecosystem functions. The results suggest that the variation in ecosystem functions is influenced by trophic interactions and the diversity of basal species, which has implications for biodiversity loss and ecosystem predictability.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiao Ma, Guang Zheng, Xu Chi, Long Yang, Qiang Geng, Jiarui Li, Yifan Qiao
Summary: A generalizable approach to mapping large-scale distributions of building heights using GEDI-derived relative height metrics, optical data, and radar data is proposed. The approach was applied to the Yangtze River Delta region in China, revealing spatial distribution patterns of building heights and the effect of urbanization on mean building heights.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Florian Grziwotz, Chun -Wei Chang, Vasilis Dakos, Egbert H. van Nes, Markus Schwarzlaender, Oliver Kamps, Martin Hessler, Isao T. Tokuda, Arndt Telschow, Chih-hao Hsieh
Summary: Critical transitions occur in various real-world systems and forecasting their occurrence is of great interest. This study introduces a powerful early warning signal called dynamical eigenvalue (DEV) that estimates the dominant eigenvalue of a system using bifurcation theory. The efficacy of the DEV approach is demonstrated in model systems with known bifurcation types and tested on various critical transitions in real-world systems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ana Sofia Cardoso, Sofiya Bryukhova, Francesco Renna, Luis Reino, Chi Xu, Zixiang Xiao, Ricardo Correia, Enrico Di Minin, Joana Ribeiro, Ana Sofia Vaz
Summary: E-commerce has become a thriving market for wildlife trafficking due to its accessibility and lack of supervision. Artificial intelligence, particularly deep learning, has emerged as a promising tool for analyzing and monitoring online content related to wildlife trade. We used freely available AI models to train and identify instances of pangolin trade, achieving a high success rate but leaving room for further improvements.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biology
Lai Zhang, Cao Shen, Sheng-jia Xue, Chi Xu
PHYSICS OF LIFE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qinghua Zhao, Paul J. Van den Brink, Chi Xu, Shaopeng Wang, Adam T. Clark, Canan Karakoc, George Sugihara, Claire E. Widdicombe, Angus Atkinson, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Ryuichiro Shinohara, Shuiqing He, Yingying. X. G. Wang, Frederik De Laender
Summary: Temperature and biodiversity changes can affect the ecological stability of natural food webs, but their joint effects are unclear. This study assessed these effects in 19 planktonic food webs and found that warmer temperatures were associated with lower stability, while biodiversity had inconsistent effects. The responses of stability were linked to the contributions from different trophic groups and the synchrony of species within the food web.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ronny Rotbarth, Egbert H. Van Nes, Marten Scheffer, Jane Uhd Jepsen, Ole Petter Laksforsmo Vindstad, Chi Xu, Milena Holmgren
Summary: Climate change is causing a northward shift of the boreal biome, but evidence of this shift is rare. Using satellite data, researchers found that tree cover change in the North American boreal biome has a strong north-south asymmetry, with no expansion at the northern boundary but a marked increase in the core range. However, tree cover declined at the southern boundary due to wildfires and logging, indicating a possible contraction of the biome that could lead to long-term carbon declines.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kang Zhang, Jiaguo Yan, Qiang He, Chi Xu, Johan van de Koppel, Bo Wang, Baoshan Cui, Quan-Xing Liu
Summary: Self-organized patterning resulting from biological and physical processes is widespread in nature. Previous studies have shown that biologically triggered self-organization can enhance ecosystem resilience, but the role of purely physical forms of self-organization remains unknown. In a Red Beach salt marsh in China, physically self-organized mud cracking was found to be an important facilitating process for the establishment of seepweeds. The cracks can promote plant survival and growth, enhance water infiltration, and contribute to the resilience of the salt marsh landscape.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shruti Setty, Margot J. Cramwinckel, Egbert H. van Nes, Ingrid A. van de Leemput, Henk A. Dijkstra, Lucas J. Lourens, Marten Scheffer, Appy Sluijs
Summary: In this study, we analyze climate and carbon cycle indicators from marine sediments to investigate three major punctuated events during the late Paleocene-early Eocene warming. The results suggest that these events were triggered by climate-driven carbon cycle tipping points, and there is an intensifying coupling between the carbon cycle and climate during the long-term warming trend.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Timothy M. Lenton, Chi Xu, Jesse F. Abrams, Ashish Ghadiali, Sina Loriani, Boris Sakschewski, Caroline Zimm, Kristie L. Ebi, Robert R. Dunn, Jens-Christian Svenning, Marten Scheffer
Summary: The costs of climate change are often expressed in monetary terms, but this brings up ethical concerns. This study calculates the costs in terms of the number of people excluded from the 'human climate niche', which represents the historically consistent distribution of population density with respect to temperature. It was found that current climate policies leading to 2.7 degrees C global warming by the end of the century could leave one-third of the global population outside this niche, emphasizing the urgency for decisive action to address climate change.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Letter
Ecology
J. Jelle Lever, Egbert H. H. Van Nes, Marten Scheffer, Jordi Bascompte
Summary: Theory suggests that long, negative feedback loops may destabilize food webs as complexity increases. However, the specific ways in which these feedbacks affect ecosystems' response to environmental change have received less attention. In this study, we describe five ways in which these feedbacks might lead to abrupt transitions and species losses. By combining models, we show that the likelihood of such transitions increases with the number of interacting species and the stability of network patterns. These findings raise questions about the stability of ecosystems under global environmental change.
Article
Ecology
Shenglai Yin, Ning Li, Wenjie Xu, Daniel J. Becker, Willem F. de Boer, Chi Xu, Taej Mundkur, Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones, Chunlin Li, Guan-zhu Han, Qiang Wu, Diann J. Prosser, Lijuan Cui, Zheng Y. X. Huang
Summary: Species functional traits can affect pathogen transmission, host status, and infection risk. Our study on European waterbird species found that traits like diet guild and dispersal ability influence host status and pathogen diversity. We also discovered a correlation between community-level risk of HPAI H5Nx occurrence and the community-weighted means of functional traits. Additionally, we found that functional diversity can reduce infection risk. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating trait-based ecology in understanding diversity-disease relationships and provide insights for HPAI prediction and prevention.
Article
Plant Sciences
Shan Rao, Xin-Yu Miao, Shu-Ya Fan, Yu-Hao Zhao, Chi Xu, Shao-Peng Li
Summary: Understanding community phylogenetic and functional structures in forest communities during succession is limited by the lack of long-term time-series data. Using a 68-year dataset, we found that community phylogenetic structure became more dispersed, while functional structure shifted from overdispersion to clustering over time. Species colonization increased phylogenetic diversity, while species with similar traits to residents were more likely to colonize, resulting in functional clustering. Our study highlights the importance of colonization and extinction in shaping community structures over long-term succession.
JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Guangjing Qian, Lai Zhang, Yuxin Chen, Chi Xu
Summary: We investigate the cascading effects of microplastic ingestion by fish on both upper and lower trophic levels in a well-studied aquatic ecosystem model, and find that increasing microplastics in planktivorous fish can cause population structure effects and abrupt declines in fish biomass and reproduction, leading to an ecosystem-level tipping point.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
