Fine scale spatial variation in soil moisture influences plant performance, species distributions and diversity. However, detailed information on local soil moisture variation is scarce, particularly in species-rich tropical forests. We measured soil water potential and soil water content in the 50-ha Forest Dynamics Plot on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, one of the best-studied tropical forests in the world. We present maps of soil water potential for several dry season stages during a regular year and during an El Niño drought. Additionally, we provide code that allows users to create maps for specific dates. The maps can be combined with other freely available datasets such as long-term vegetation censuses (ranging from seeds to adult trees), data on other resources (e.g. light and nutrients) and remote sensing data (e.g. LiDAR and imaging spectroscopy). Users can study questions in various disciplines such as population and community ecology, plant physiology and hydrology under current and future climate conditions.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6525163 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0072-z | DOI Listing |
Recent Adv Food Nutr Agric
January 2025
Environmental Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Introduction: Saltwater intrusion poses a serious risk to global food security. As a soil amendment, biochar mitigates the negative effects of saltwater intrusion in rice, yet the beneficial effects on agricultural productivity with different exposure times and salt concentrations have not been fully examined.
Methods: A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of 30% (w/w) rice husk biochar on the growth, ion accumulation, and yield of the Phitsanulok 2 rice cultivar under salt stress due to saltwater intrusion.
Natl Sci Rev
December 2024
Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, China.
PeerJ
January 2025
Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Grazing can alter the physicochemical properties of soil and quickly influence the composition of microbial communities. However, the effects of grazing intensity on fungal community composition in different soil depth remain unclear. On the Inner Mongolia Plateau, we studied the effects of grazing intensity treatments including no grazing (NG), light grazing (LG), moderate grazing (MG), heavy grazing (HG), and over grazing (OG) on the physicochemical properties and fungal community composition of surface (0-20 cm) and subsurface (20-40 cm) soil layers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTree Physiol
January 2025
Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.
Although the separate effects of water and nitrogen (N) limitations on forest growth are well known, the question of how to predict their combined effects remains a challenge for modeling of climate change impacts on forests. Here, we address this challenge by developing a new eco-physiological model that accounts for plasticity in stomatal conductance and leaf N concentration. Based on optimality principle, our model determines stomatal conductance and leaf N concentration by balancing carbon uptake maximization, hydraulic risk and cost of maintaining photosynthetic capacity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Commun
January 2025
Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:
Roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil, support the plant's aboveground organs, and detect environmental changes, making them crucial targets for improving crop productivity. Roots are particularly sensitive to soil salinity, a major abiotic stress that poses a serious threat to global agriculture. In response to salt stress, plants suppress root meristem size, thus reducing root growth; however, the mechanisms underlying this growth restriction remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!