Do cropping system and fertilization rate change water-stable aggregates associated carbon and nitrogen storage?

Soil aggregates not only store carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) but hold a critical role in determining the nutrients supply, crop productivity, and climate change mitigation. However, the impact of cropping system and N fertilization on aggregate-associated C and N in both topsoil and subsoil remains unclear. Here, we assessed the effect of cropping systems (wheat-soybean vs.

Stoichiometric constraints on the microbial processing of carbon with soil depth along a riparian hillslope.

Soil organic matter (SOM) content is a key indicator of riparian soil functioning and in the provision of ecosystem services such as water retention, flood alleviation, pollutant attenuation and carbon (C) sequestration for climate change mitigation. Here, we studied the importance of microbial biomass and nutrient availability in regulating SOM turnover rates. C stabilisation in soil is expected to vary both vertically, down the soil profile and laterally across the riparian zone.

Quantifying the contribution of riparian soils to the provision of ecosystem services.

Riparian areas, the interface between land and freshwater ecosystems, are considered to play a pivotal role in the supply of regulating, provisioning, cultural and supporting services. Most previous studies, however, have tended to focus on intensive agricultural systems and only on a single ecosystem function. Here, we present the first study which attempts to assess a wide range of ecological processes involved in the provision of the ecosystem service of water quality regulation across a diverse range of riparian typologies.

Experimental evidence for drought induced alternative stable states of soil moisture.

Ecosystems may exhibit alternative stable states (ASS) in response to environmental change. Modelling and observational data broadly support the theory of ASS, however evidence from manipulation experiments supporting this theory is limited. Here, we provide long-term manipulation and observation data supporting the existence of drought induced alternative stable soil moisture states (irreversible soil wetting) in upland Atlantic heath, dominated by Calluna vulgaris (L.