Development of evaluation method for radiocesium availability in soil by biomimetic approach.

Applicability of biomimetic approach with simulation of plant uptake for assessment of radiocesium availability in soil was investigated. The soil spiked with 137Cs tracer was contacted with wicking material and copper-substituted prussian blue (Cu-PB), which simulate transpirationally induced mass flow and concentration gradient-induced diffusion of radiocesiumin the soil, respectively. Comparison of the removed 137Cs to the wick and the wick + Cu-PB from the soil during the contact period of 12 weeks suggested that the diffusion process has larger contribution than the mass flow process in radiocesium dynamics in root zone.

Effects of elevated CO₂, warming and precipitation change on plant growth, photosynthesis and peroxidation in dominant species from North China grassland.

Warming, watering and elevated atmospheric CO₂-concentration effects have been extensively studied separately; however, their combined impact on plants is not well understood. In the current research, we examined plant growth and physiological responses of three dominant species from the Eurasian Steppe with different functional traits to a combination of elevated CO₂, high temperature, and four simulated precipitation patterns. Elevated CO₂ stimulated plant growth by 10.

Linking temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter decomposition to its molecular structure, accessibility, and microbial physiology.

Temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition may have a significant impact on global warming. Enzyme-kinetic hypothesis suggests that decomposition of low-quality substrate (recalcitrant molecular structure) requires higher activation energy and thus has greater temperature sensitivity than that of high-quality, labile substrate. Supporting evidence, however, relies largely on indirect indices of substrate quality.