Decoupled response of aboveground and belowground ecosystem multifunctionality to shrub encroachment in a semiarid grassland.

Large-scale shrub encroachment poses significant challenges for the preservation and enhancement of ecosystem functions and services in grassland ecosystems. However, the impacts of shrub encroachment on grassland ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) remain poorly understood. This study assessed the impact of shrub encroachment on 23 key ecosystem functions in a semiarid grassland, as well as the influence of plant, soil, and microbial factors on both aboveground and belowground EMF.

Copper distribution in water-dispersible colloids of swine manure and its transport through quartz sand.

To demonstrate the potential risks associated with the application of solid agricultural wastes, we investigated Cu distribution in water-dispersible colloids derived from swine manure and its transport through quartz sand. Samples were sequentially centrifuged to obtain five colloid suspensions (<10, <1, <0.45, <0.