Land use intensification in a dry-hot valley reduced the constraints of water content on soil microbial diversity and multifunctionality but increased CO production.

Conversion of abandoned land (mainly savanna) into cropland generally occurs in fragile ecosystems such as dry-hot valleys (DHVs) in southwest China, with the intent of increasing land productivity and conducting ecological restoration. However, the effects of conversion on soil microbial communities and carbon turnover of savanna ecosystems remain unclear, since savannas could be a vital but overlooked carbon sink. To illustrate the ecological consequences of land-use change (LUC) for savanna ecosystems, a 1-year field experiment was conducted in DHVs of southwest China.

Litter-derived nitrogen reduces methane uptake in tropical rainforest soils.

Litter comprises a major nutrient source when decomposed via soil microbes and functions as subtract that limits gas exchange between soil and atmosphere, thereby restricting methane (CH4) uptake in soils. However, the impact and inherent mechanism of litter and its decomposition on CH4 uptake in soils remains unknown in forest. Therefore, to declare the mechanisms of litter input and decomposition effect on the soil CH4 flux in forest, this study performed a litter-removal experiment in a tropical rainforest, and investigated the effects of litter input and decomposition on the CH4 flux among forest ecosystems through a literature review.

Data on how tree planting and management practices influence tree seedling survival in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Understanding which trees farmers prefer, what determines their survival and enhancing farmer knowledge of tree management is key to increasing tree cover in agricultural landscapes. This article presents data on tree seedling survival under different tree planting and management practices in Kenya and Ethiopia. Data were collected from 1600 households across three Counties in Kenya and 173 households across four Woredas in Ethiopia, using a structured questionnaire which was administered through the Open Data Kit.

Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration.

Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is being promoted for restoration beyond its original range in the Sahel. FMNR involves farmers selecting and managing natural regeneration on their fields, while keeping them under the primary function of agricultural production. However, little is known about what regenerates in different contexts, even though this underlies potential restoration impact.

Consistency in bird use of tree cover across tropical agricultural landscapes.

In tropical regions where forests have been replaced by agriculture, the future of biodiversity is increasingly dependent on the presence of remnant forest patches and on-farm tree cover within agricultural landscapes. While there is growing evidence of the importance of tree cover within agricultural landscapes, most studies have been conducted in a single landscape, making it difficult to ascertain whether the conservation value of different types of tree cover can be generalized across landscapes. To explore whether use of different forms of tree cover by birds is consistent across landscapes, we compared the number of individuals, species richness, and diversity of birds associated with different forms of tree cover in four agricultural landscapes in Central America, using a standardized methodology and sampling effort.

More stable productivity of semi natural grasslands than sown pastures in a seasonally dry climate.

In the Neotropics the predominant pathway to intensify productivity is generally thought to be to convert grasslands to sown pastures, mostly in monoculture. This article examines how above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) in semi-natural grasslands and sown pastures in Central America respond to rainfall by: (i) assessing the relationships between ANPP and accumulated rainfall and indices of rainfall distribution, (ii) evaluating the variability of ANPP between and within seasons, and (iii) estimating the temporal stability of ANPP. We conducted sequential biomass harvests during 12 periods of 22 days and related those to rainfall.

Maintaining the conservation value of shifting cultivation landscapes requires spatially explicit interventions.

Fallow vegetation within landscapes dominated by shifting cultivation represents a woody species pool of critical importance with considerable potential for biodiversity conservation. Here, through the analysis of factors that influence the early stages of fallow vegetation regrowth in two contrasting forest margin landscapes in Southern Cameroon, we assessed the impact of current trends of land use intensification and expansion of the cultivated areas, upon the conservation potential of shifting cultivation landscapes. We combined the analysis of plot and landscape scale factors and identified a complex set of variables that influence fallow regrowth processes in particular the characteristics of the agricultural matrix and the distance from forest.

Patterns of animal diversity in different forms of tree cover in agricultural landscapes.

As tropical regions are converted to agriculture, conservation of biodiversity will depend not only on the maintenance of protected forest areas, but also on the scope for conservation within the agricultural matrix in which they are embedded. Tree cover typically retained in agricultural landscapes in the neotropics may provide resources and habitats for animals, but little is known about the extent to which it contributes to conservation of animal species. Here, we explore the animal diversity associated with different forms of tree cover for birds, bats, butterflies, and dung beetles in a pastoral landscape in Nicaragua.