Runoff and erosion reduction benefits of vegetation during natural succession on fallow grassland slopes.

Vegetation restoration is an effective and important measure for controlling soil erosion in arid and -arid regions. Both its aboveground and underground parts play a crucial role in controlling surface runoff and soil detachment on slopes. But how much the parts of vegetation contribute to the runoff and sediment reducing benefits of rill erosion on slopes is unclear.

Variability in the home-field advantage of litter decomposition mediates alterations in soil CO and CH fluxes: A transplantation experiment study.

The decomposition of litter is susceptible to the influence of climate change and soil conditions, which can subsequently impact the release of carbon dioxide (CO) from forest soils and the absorption of methane (CH). Ecological theory proposes the existence of a home-field advantage (HFA) in litter decomposition, suggesting that the decomposition rate of litter (such as fallen leaves, twigs, and roots) may be faster in their native habitat than in foreign environments. Therefore, we selected litter from Pinus tabuliformis (PT) and Quercus acutissima Carruth (QC) in the field and conducted a 439-day litter transplant experiment to test the magnitude and direction of the HFA of these two litter types in three forest stands.

Critical factors in soil organic carbon mineralization induced by drying, wetting and wet-dry cycles in a typical watershed of Loess Plateau.

As global climate change progresses, soil will experience prolonged periods of both drought and heavy rainfall, leading to a more frequent drought-re-wetting process that may impact the ecosystem's carbon (C) cycle. However, understanding the extent to which different water conditions and wet-dry cycles alter the process of soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization remains limited. Therefore, our study focused on the dammed land unique to the Loess Plateau, silted by check dams constructed for erosion control.

Study on the trade-off/synergy between ecosystem services and human well-being based on land use in Weinan City, China.

Change of land use have important impacts on ecosystem services (ESs) and human well-being (HWB), yet the trade-off/synergy among land use, ESs, and HWB has still not received sufficient attention at city regional scales level. Weinan City in the southern of the Loess Plateau of China was taken as the study area. Based on ArcGIS, InVEST model, and RUSLE model, the characteristics of spatial and temporal variations of land use and ESs from 2000 to 2020 were analyzed, and the trade-off/synergy relationship between land use, ESs, and HWB was quantified using correlation analysis.

The effects of freeze-thaw process on soil water migration in dam and slope farmland on the Loess Plateau, China.

The seasonal freeze-thaw process affects soil water migration, which influence spring planting, especially in arid and semi-arid regions that cannot be irrigated on the Loess Plateau. This study was conducted to evaluate differences in the freeze-thaw process and water migration between dam farmland (DF) and slope farmland (SF). To accomplish this, two typical agricultural soils (DF and SF), soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature (ST) were monitored at different depths (15, 30, 60 and 90 cm), were investigated under freeze-thaw conditions from November 2015 to April 2016 in the Northwest China.

Runoff change and sediment source during rainstorms in an ecologically constructed watershed on the Loess Plateau, China.

The sediment-reducing effect of check dams and the safety issues following dam breaks are long-standing concerns. This study analyzed the runoff change and sediment source during rainstorms in a small watershed using a multivariate mixed model and a comparative analysis of watersheds. The problem of sediment loss from dammed farmland following check dam break during rainstorms was evaluated.

[Effects of short-term elevated CO2 concentration and drought stress on the rhizosphere effects of soil carbon, nitrogen and microbes of Bothriochloa ischaemum.].

A water control pot experiment was conducted in climate controlled chambers to study soil carbon, nitrogen and microbial community structure and their rhizosphere effects in the rhizosphere and non rhizosphere soil of Bothriochloa ischaemum at elevated CO2 concentrations (800 μmol·mol) under three water regimes, i.e., well watered (75%-80% of field capacity, FC), moderate drought stress (55%-60% of FC), and severe drought stress (35%-40% of FC).

A new method to optimize root order classification based on the diameter interval of fine root.

Plant roots are a highly heterogeneous and hierarchical system. Although the root-order method is superior to the root diameter method for revealing differences in the morphology and physiology of fine roots, its complex partitioning limits its application. Whether root order can be determined by partitioning the main root based on its diameter remains uncertain.

Elevated CO and nitrogen addition have minimal influence on the rhizospheric effects of Bothriochloa ischaemum.

The influence of elevated CO and nitrogen (N) addition on soil microbial communities and the rhizospheric effects of Bothriochloa ischaemum were investigated. A pot-cultivation experiment was conducted in climate-controlled chambers under two levels of CO (400 and 800 μmol mol) and three levels of N addition (0, 2.5, and 5 g N m y).

Growth, Morphological, and Physiological Responses to Drought Stress in .

Water shortage in the arid-semiarid regions of China seriously hampers ecosystem construction. Therefore, elucidation of the mechanisms by which vegetation in that area responds to drought stress may enable us to improve utilization of limited water resources and thus contend with the problem of drought and water shortage. We studied , a native grass species, conducted potting control tests to compare several indicators of grown under three different moisture conditions (80%, 60%, 40% Field capacity represent sufficient water supply, mild water stress, and serious water stress, respectively).

[Effects of nitrogen addition and elevated CO concentration on soil dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere of Bothriochloa ischaemum].

A pot experiment was conducted to study soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere of Bothriochloa ischaemum in loess hilly-gully region under the different treatments of CO concentrations (400 and 800 μmol·mol) and nitrogen addition (0, 2.5, 5.0 g N·m·a).

Staurosporine from the endophytic Streptomyces sp. strain CNS-42 acts as a potential biocontrol agent and growth elicitor in cucumber.

Chinese medicinal plants and their surrounding rhizospheric soil serve as promising sources of actinobacteria. A total of 180 actinobacteria strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil, leaves, stems, and roots of nine selected plants and have been identified as potential biocontrol agents against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.