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
Environmental Sciences
Lei Ding, Zhenwang Li, Beibei Shen, Xu Wang, Dawei Xu, Ruirui Yan, Yuchun Yan, Xiaoping Xin, Jingfeng Xiao, Ming Li, Ping Wang
Summary: The biomass models in the eastern Eurasian steppe showed acceptable accuracy, with climatic factors being more important in controlling biomass than anthropogenic drivers.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiong-zhong Ma, Xin-ping Wang
Summary: The study on biomass allocation patterns and allometric models ofSalsola passerinashrub in the Alxa Desert steppe revealed that biomass accumulation increased with age, aboveground components accounted for a high proportion, and root to shoot biomass ratios increased with shrub age. Allometric models with two-input variables outperformed single-variable models, with crown area and basal diameter being the best predictors for biomass ofS. passerinashrub.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Luna Morcillo, Susana Bautista
Summary: Understanding the interactions and coexistence between grass and shrubs in dryland areas is crucial for effective management and restoration. This study investigated the effects of water and nutrient availability, as well as the ontogeny of the shrub species, on the outcome of grass-shrub interaction. Competition was found to be stronger in drier areas and was influenced by resource availability. However, the competition effects weakened over time and shifted towards neutral interaction as the shrubs aged.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jianqiang Qian, Zhengwen Wang, Jitka Klimesova, Xiaotao Lu, Chunyan Zhang
Summary: In the temperate semiarid steppe of Inner Mongolia, China, nitrogen addition was found to decrease total bud density but enhance aboveground productivity, while watering and its combination with nitrogen addition had little impact on total bud density. Different types of bud banks showed specific responses to watering and nitrogen addition, particularly grasses and forbs had opposite responses. Overall, shoot abundance was positively correlated with bud density, and forbs, which are more sensitive to global changes, showed similar responses. Our results suggest that changes in belowground bud bank may influence plant community responses to precipitation change and/or nitrogen deposition under future global change scenarios.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino
Summary: The study found that there are significant differences in invasion niches between medusahead and ventenata, with the former adapting to low elevation, low precipitation areas, and the latter to higher elevation, higher precipitation areas. Both invaders had negative associations with perennial bunchgrasses, but these associations were species-specific depending on the type of perennial bunchgrass.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wei Yang, Junjie Yang, Yi Fan, Quankuan Guo, Nana Jiang, Olubukola Oluranti Babalola, Xingguo Han, Ximei Zhang
Summary: The study investigates the stability of plant and soil microbial community in response to nitrogen (N) deposition. The researchers conducted a long-term field trial in a semiarid steppe, examining resistance and resilience of plants and microbes to N addition. The results show that plant resistance is negatively correlated with N application rate, while microbial resistance is independent of N rate. Mowing reduces plant resistance and resilience, but improves soil microbial resilience. This study provides important insights into the resistance-resilience relationship and offers a theoretical basis for the conservation of semiarid steppe.
Article
Ecology
Cintia Leder, Silvia Torres Robles, Guadalupe Peter
Summary: The study suggests that sites with low-intensity disturbances have more perennial grass recruitment, while sites with severe disturbances or no disturbances have lower recruitment. Shrub patches provide favorable microsites for plant growth on the leeward side. Severe disturbances promote the growth of non-native species.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Agustin Nuneza, Francesca Cotrufo, Meagan Schipanski
Summary: In semiarid agricultural systems, irrigation can increase soil organic matter (SOM), but its impact on the fate of crop residues left on the soil surface is important. Our study found that irrigation had a larger effect on C and N losses from litter, but a smaller effect on the formation of new SOM. Most of the litter-derived organic matter was found in the mineral associated OM pool.
Article
Plant Sciences
Paula Berenstecher, Patricia Araujo, Amy T. Austin
Summary: The study found that litter position is the key factor influencing carbon turnover in semi-arid steppe ecosystems, with litter quality and soil resources also playing significant but relatively minor roles. Above-ground litter decomposition was almost entirely independent of soil resources, with surface litter decomposing rapidly, while the counterintuitive relationship between litter quality and decomposition suggests that photodegradation may lead to minimal contribution of above-ground litter to soil organic matter formation in the long term.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Shenglong Zhao, Tonghui Zhang, Ping Yue, Peng Lv, Ya Hu, Eduardo Medina-Roldan, Xiaoan Zuo
Summary: The study found that heavy grazing decreases vegetation cover, aboveground plant biomass, and litter mass in both communities, leading to differences in aboveground plant biomass between the two communities. In the shrub community, heavy grazing eliminated associations between aboveground plant biomass and specific leaf area and leaf carbon content, while in the grass community, it led to positive or negative associations. The structural equation modeling showed that grazing indirectly decreased aboveground plant biomass through its effect on leaf thickness in the shrub community and through its effect on plant height in the grass community.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Yawen Shen, Jiguang Feng, Daiyang Zhou, Keyi He, Biao Zhu
Summary: This study investigated the effects of aboveground and belowground plant inputs on soil greenhouse gas emissions. The results showed that aboveground litter input increased CO2 and N2O emissions while reducing CH4 uptake. The absence of roots decreased CO2 emission and CH4 uptake but increased N2O emission. These findings suggest that both aboveground and belowground plant inputs have significant influences on soil greenhouse gas emissions through various pathways.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guang Hao, Nan Yang, Ke Dong, Yujuan Xu, Xinfeng Ding, Xinjian Shi, Lei Chen, Jinlong Wang, Nianxi Zhao, Yubao Gao
Summary: Understanding the effects of fencing duration and shrub cover on community stability and assembly mechanisms can help predict community dynamics in semiarid steppe regions. Shrub cover positively affects community stability, while fencing duration has a negative effect, with both factors influencing phylogenetic structure indirectly through vegetation cover regulation. The response of community stability and assembly to changes in shrub cover and fencing duration suggests that shrub-encroached grasslands represent an alternative stable community state in this region.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Jose A. Vega, Stefano Arellano-Perez, Juan Gabriel Alvarez-Gonzalez, Cristina Fernandez, Enrique Jimenez, Jose Maria Fernandez-Alonso, Daniel J. Vega-Nieva, Carlos Briones-Herrera, Cecilia Alonso-Rego, Teresa Fonturbel, Ana Daria Ruiz-Gonzalez
Summary: Shrub-dominated ecosystems are crucial in ecological processes worldwide, with aboveground biomass serving as a key fuel source for wildfires. This study developed equations to estimate aboveground biomass and fuel loads for different shrub communities in NW Spain based on stand biometric variables. The results show the feasibility of using a stand level approach to construct operational models for accurate estimation of fuel loads in shrublands.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mingxing Zhong, Chun Liu, Xiukang Wang, Wei Hu, Ning Qiao, Hongquan Song, Ji Chen, Yuan Miao, Gang Wang, Dong Wang, Zhongling Yang
Summary: Predicting species responses to climate change and land use practices requires considering the effects of belowground root and aboveground light competition on seedling establishment. This study reveals that belowground root competition can alter the response of grass seedlings to light, particularly under long-term nitrogen addition and mowing.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Nereida Melguizo-Ruiz, Gerardo Jimenez-Navarro, Eva De Mas, Joaquina Pato, Stefan Scheu, Amy T. Austin, David H. Wise, Jordi Moya-Larano
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Forestry
Patricia Araujo, Amy T. Austin
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2020)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carlos Urcelay, Amy T. Austin
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paula Berenstecher, Lucia Vivanco, Luis Perez, Carlos L. Ballare, Amy T. Austin
Article
Ecology
P. Araujo, J. M. Pineiro-Guerra, L. Yahdjian, M. M. Acreche, C. Alvarez, C. R. Alvarez, A. Costantini, J. Chalco Vera, J. De Telleria, T. Della Chiesa, N. A. Lewczuk, M. Petrasek, C. Piccinetti, L. Picone, S. Portela, G. Posse, M. Seijo, C. Videla, G. Pineiro
Summary: This study quantified N2O emissions in grasslands and forests in Argentina and identified differences in drivers between spatial and temporal models. Distal drivers such as temperature and soil properties controlled emissions in spatial model, while proximal drivers like soil nitrate were more important in temporal model. Increasing temperature due to global warming may further enhance N2O emissions from natural ecosystems, contributing to positive feedback on earth system warming.
Article
Plant Sciences
Paula Berenstecher, Patricia Araujo, Amy T. Austin
Summary: The study found that litter position is the key factor influencing carbon turnover in semi-arid steppe ecosystems, with litter quality and soil resources also playing significant but relatively minor roles. Above-ground litter decomposition was almost entirely independent of soil resources, with surface litter decomposing rapidly, while the counterintuitive relationship between litter quality and decomposition suggests that photodegradation may lead to minimal contribution of above-ground litter to soil organic matter formation in the long term.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
M. Soledad Mendez, Carlos L. Ballare, Amy T. Austin
Summary: Plant litter decomposition is a crucial process for carbon turnover in terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated the effects of solar radiation on plant litter decomposition and found that solar radiation was correlated with non-biotic mass loss and degradation of lignin, saccharification, microbial activity, and biotic decay of plant litter. The research also suggested that even small reductions in litter lignin due to exposure to sunlight could have significant consequences for biotic decay.
Article
Agronomy
Paula Berenstecher, Lucia Vivanco, Amy T. Austin
Summary: The study demonstrates the importance of dry season sunlight in influencing carbon turnover in a Mediterranean-type climate ecosystem with heterogeneous vegetation. Summer sunlight exposure accelerates carbon loss from both standing litter and soil, and has lasting effects on the decomposition of grass litter in the following rainy season.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amy E. Zanne, Habacuc Flores-Moreno, Jeff R. Powell, William K. Cornwell, James W. Dalling, Amy T. Austin, Aimee T. Classen, Paul Eggleton, Kei-Ichi Okada, Catherine L. Parr, E. Carol Adair, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Md Azharul Alam, Carolina Alvarez-Garzon, Deborah Apgaua, Roxana Aragon, Marcelo Ardon, Stefan K. Arndt, Louise A. Ashton, Nicholas A. Barber, Jacques Beauchene, Matty P. Berg, Jason Beringer, Matthias M. Boer, Jose Antonio Bonet, Katherine Bunney, Tynan J. Burkhardt, Dulcineia Carvalho, Dennis Castillo-Figueroa, Lucas A. Cernusak, Alexander W. Cheesman, Taina M. Cirne-Silva, Jamie R. Cleverly, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen, Timothy J. Curran, Andre M. D'Angioli, Caroline Dallstream, Nico Eisenhauer, Fidele Evouna Ondo, Alex Fajardo, Romina D. Fernandez, Astrid Ferrer, Marco A. L. Fontes, Mark L. Galatowitsch, Grizelle Gonzalez, Felix Gottschall, Peter R. Grace, Elena Granda, Hannah M. Griffiths, Mariana Guerra Lara, Motohiro Hasegawa, Mariet M. Hefting, Nina Hinko-Najera, Lindsay B. Hutley, Jennifer Jones, Anja Kahl, Mirko Karan, Joost A. Keuskamp, Tim Lardner, Michael Liddell, Craig Macfarlane, Cate Macinnis-Ng, Ravi F. Mariano, M. Soledad Mendez, Wayne S. Meyer, Akira S. Mori, Aloysio S. Moura, Matthew Northwood, Roma Ogaya, Rafael S. Oliveira, Alberto Orgiazzi, Juliana Pardo, Guille Peguero, Josep Penuelas, Luis I. Perez, Juan M. Posada, Cecilia M. Prada, Tomas Privetivy, Suzanne M. Prober, Jonathan Prunier, Gabriel W. Quansah, Victor Resco De Dios, Ronny Richter, Mark P. Robertson, Lucas F. Rocha, Megan A. Rua, Carolina Sarmiento, Richard P. Silberstein, Mateus C. Silva, Flavia Freire Siqueira, Matthew Glenn Stillwagon, Jacqui Stol, Melanie K. Taylor, Francois P. Teste, David Y. P. Tng, David Tucker, Manfred Turke, Michael D. Ulyshen, Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes, Eduardo Van den Berg, Richard S. P. Van Logtestijn, G. F. (Ciska) Veen, Jason G. Vogel, Timothy J. Wardlaw, Georg Wiehl, Christian Wirth, Michaela J. Woods, Paul-Camilo Zalamea
Summary: Deadwood is a significant global carbon store, with its size influenced by biotic decay. Termites, as important decomposers in the tropics, show higher sensitivity to temperature changes than microbes in terms of wood consumption. As the climate warms and shifts towards tropical climates, termites are likely to have a greater impact on wood decay.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amy T. Austin, Carlos L. Ballare
Summary: Interactions among organisms in natural ecosystems are crucial, but human activity is altering these interactions, threatening biodiversity and disrupting ecosystem functioning. The focus of species conservation should not only be on endangered species, but also on the consequences of imbalances between plants and their attackers due to global change. Introductions, range shifts, and their combination are the main drivers behind profound ecosystem changes, and urgent recognition and predictive power are needed to mitigate these imbalances and preserve the structure, function, and biodiversity of entire ecosystems.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Agustin Sarquis, Ignacio Andres Siebenhart, Amy Theresa Austin, Carlos A. Sierra
Summary: This paper introduces an open database called aridec, which contains litter mass loss data from aridlands worldwide. The database helps in predicting and understanding the degradation of organic matter, and explores suitable model structures for integration with the database. Recommendations are also provided for adding more decomposition studies to the database.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
G. H. Bernhard, R. E. Neale, P. W. Barnes, P. J. Neale, R. G. Zepp, S. R. Wilson, A. L. Andrady, A. F. Bais, R. L. McKenzie, P. J. Aucamp, P. J. Young, J. B. Liley, R. M. Lucas, S. Yazar, L. E. Rhodes, S. N. Byrne, L. M. Hollestein, C. M. Olsen, A. R. Young, T. M. Robson, J. F. Bornman, M. A. K. Jansen, S. A. Robinson, C. L. Ballare, C. E. Williamson, K. C. Rose, A. T. Banaszak, D-P Haeder, S. Hylander, S-A Wangberg, A. T. Austin, W-C Hou, N. D. Paul, S. Madronich, B. Sulzberger, K. R. Solomon, H. Li, T. Schikowski, J. Longstreth, K. K. Pandey, A. M. Heikkila, C. C. White
PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guadalupe L. Fernandez-Milmanda, Carlos D. Crocco, Michael Reichelt, Carlos A. Mazza, Tobias G. Koellner, Tong Zhang, Miriam D. Cargnel, Micaela Z. Lichy, Anne-Sophie Fiorucci, Christian Fankhauser, Abraham J. Koo, Amy T. Austin, Jonathan Gershenzon, Carlos L. Ballare