Regulation of warming on the mixed decomposition of and litter in Mu Us Desert, China is time-dependent.

Warming drives material cycling in terrestrial ecosystems by affecting litter decomposition, as it can alter litter yield, quality and decomposer composition and activity. The effect of warming on the decomposition of mixed litter in arid and semi-arid zones remains unknown. We investigated the mass loss and nutrient release dynamics during 450 days of decomposition of , , and their mixture in Mu Us Desert by open-top chambers and litter bags.

[Environmental regulation of water use efficiency in in Mu Us Sandy Land: From leaf to ecosystem].

Water use efficiency (WUE) is a key indicator for predicting the impacts of climate change on ecosystem carbon and water cycles. Most studies have explored the changes in the response environment of WUE at a particular scale. Few studies have examined how WUE responds to environments at multiple scales, thus limiting our in-depth understanding of the cross-scale carbon and water cycles.

Partitioning of evapotranspiration and the influencing factors of evapotranspiration components in a shrub ecosystem dominated by and var. in the Mu Us Desert, Northwest China.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important part of water cycle and energy flow in ecosystem. Accurate estimation of ET and its components is critical for understanding the impacts of ecophysiological processes on ecosystem water balance and plant water use strategy. Using the eddy-covariance technique and the micro-lysimeter, we measured ET, evaporation (), transpiration () of the - var.

[Net carbon exchange and its environmental affecting factors in a forest plantation in Badaling, Beijing of China].

By using eddy covariance technique, a year-round (November, 2011-October, 2012) continuous measurement of net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange (NEE) was conducted in a 4-year old mixed forest plantation in Badaling of Beijing. The forest plantation ecosystem was a net carbon sink in July and August, but a carbon source in the rest months. The monthly net carbon loss and uptake were the largest in April and July, respectively.

Influence of disturbance on soil respiration in biologically crusted soil during the dry season.

Soil respiration (Rs) is a major pathway for carbon cycling and is a complex process involving abiotic and biotic factors. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are a key biotic component of desert ecosystems worldwide. In desert ecosystems, soils are protected from surface disturbance by BSCs, but it is unknown whether Rs is affected by disturbance of this crust layer.

Respiratory responses of Scots pine stems to 5 years of exposure to elevated CO2 concentration and temperature.

Stem respiration in 20-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees was examined following 5 years of exposure to ambient conditions (CON), elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) (ambient + 350 micromol mol(-1), (EC)), elevated temperature (ambient + 2-6 degrees C, (ET)) or a combination of elevated [CO2] and elevated temperature (ECT). Stem respiration varied seasonally regardless of the treatment and displayed a similar trend to temperature, with maximum rates occurring around Day 190 in summer and minimum rates in winter.