Effect of nitrogen addition on soil net nitrogen mineralization in topsoil and subsoil regulated by soil microbial properties and mineral protection: Evidence from a long-term grassland experiment.

Soil net nitrogen mineralization (N), a microbial-mediated conversion of organic to inorganic N, is critical for grassland productivity and biogeochemical cycling. Enhanced atmospheric N deposition has been shown to substantially increase both plant and soil N content, leading to a major change in N. However, the mechanisms underlying microbial properties, particularly microbial functional genes, which drive the response of N to elevated N deposition are still being discussed.

Exploring main soil drivers of vegetation succession in abandoned croplands of Minqin Oasis, China.

Background: The Minqin Oasis, which is located in Wuwei City, Gansu Province, China, faces a very serious land desertification problem, with about 94.5% of its total area desertified. Accordingly, it is crucial to implement ecological restoration policies such as cropland abandonment in this region.

[Soil Microbial Community Structure and Functional Diversity Character of Abandoned Farmland in Minqin Oasis].

To clarify the impact of the structure and function of soil microbial communities in the stage of abandoned farmland, three different stages of land abandoned in desert oasis areas were selected as the research objects. We used metagenomic sequencing technology to research soil microbial community structure and functional diversity characteristics of different stages of abandoned farmland. The results showed that there were significant differences in the relative abundance of the dominant phyla Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes in the soil of the three stages of returning farmland.

Identification and expression analysis of the small auxin-up RNA () gene family in .

The plant hormone auxin regulates numerous aspects of plant growth and development, and small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) is the largest family of early auxin response genes in higher plants. SAUR has been implicated in the regulation of multiple biological processes. However, no comprehensive analysis of genes has been reported in .

UV-B Radiation Effects on the Alpine Plant in a Qinghai-Tibet Alpine Meadow.

Enhanced UV-B radiation resulting from stratospheric ozone depletion has been documented both globally and on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. The response of Kobresia humilis, an important alpine meadow plant species, to enhanced UV-B radiation was experimentally investigated at the Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Research Station (37°29′−37°45′ N, 101°12′−101°23′ E; alt. 3200 m).

Effects of environmental factors on anthocyanin accumulation in the fruits of Lycium ruthenicum Murray across different desert grasslands.

Anthocyanins can help plants adapt and resist adverse environments and have important nutritional and medicinal effects on human beings. However, how environmental factors affect the anthocyanins accumulation of plants and how to improve the anthocyanins content of plants in different soils needs further exploration. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects of environmental factors on the accumulation of cyanidin, petunidin, malvidin, and delphinidin in the fruits of Lycium ruthenicum in sandy desert grassland (SS), gravel desert grassland (GD), and saline-alkali desert grassland (SD) in the lower reaches of the Shiyang River Basin.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of (Cactaceae).

Gillies ex Salm-Dyck 1834 (Cactaceae) acts as an invasive species due to its ability to survive in various environments. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of , which was 122,740 bp in length. The genome contained 100 genes, including 65 protein-coding genes, 31 tRNA genes and four rRNA genes.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of (Leguminosae).

is the only evergreen broadleaf shrub in the northwest desert of China, which can survive in long-term aridity and extremely cold environments. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of was reported based on the Illumina NovaSeq Platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA). The chloroplast genome is 156,077 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeated (IR) regions (14,698 bp) that are separated by a large single copy (LSC) region of 88,025 bp, and a small single copy (SSC) region of 36,606 bp.

Genome evolution of the psammophyte for desert adaptation and further speciation.

Deserts exert strong selection pressures on plants, but the underlying genomic drivers of ecological adaptation and subsequent speciation remain largely unknown. Here, we generated de novo genome assemblies and conducted population genomic analyses of the psammophytic genus (Brassicaceae). Our results indicated that this bispecific genus had undergone an allopolyploid event, and the two parental genomes were derived from two ancestral lineages with different chromosome numbers and structures.

Numerical simulation of wind field and sand flux in crescentic sand dunes.

Sand flux is the key factor to determine the migration of sand dunes and the erosion to the surrounding environment. There are crescent-shaped sand dunes of various scales in the desert, and there are significant differences in spatial wind field and sand flux among them. However, due to the difficulty of monitoring, it is difficult to continuously observe the spatial wind field and sand flux around the larger crescentic dunes.

Effects of microbial inoculation on enzyme activity, available nitrogen content, and bacterial succession during pig manure composting.

This study evaluated enzyme activity, available nitrogen, and bacterial succession during pig manure composting with and without microbial inoculation (ABB and CK, respectively). ABB reached the thermophilic stage 2 days than CK. Cellulose, urease, phosphatase, and sucrase activities were higher in ABB than in CK on days 12-24 of composting, but catalase activity was lesser in ABB than in CK throughout composting.

Fluctuation analysis in the dynamic characteristics of continental glacier based on Full-Stokes model.

Ice thickness has a great influence on glacial movement and ablation. Over the course of the change in thickness, area and external climate, the dynamic process of how glaciers change and whether a glacier's changes in melting tend to be stable or irregular is a problem that needs to be studied in depth. In our study, the changes in the dynamic process of the No.

Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions and Global Warming Potential of Wolfberry Production in Jingtai Oasis, Gansu Province, China.

During the last decade, China's agro-food production has increased rapidly and been accompanied by the challenge of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental pollutants from fertilizers, pesticides, and intensive energy use. Understanding the energy use and environmental impacts of crop production will help identify environmentally damaging hotspots of agro-production, allowing environmental impacts to be assessed and crop management strategies optimized. Conventional farming has been widely employed in wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) cultivation in China, which is an important cash tree crop not only for the rural economy but also from an ecological standpoint.

[Net carbon exchange and its driving factors of Haloxylon ammodendron plantation in the oasis-desert ecotone of Minqin, China].

Carbon fluxes in a Haloxylon ammodendron plantation in the oasis-desert ecotone of Minqin was measured using an eddy covariance system. To provide scientific data for carbon source/sink assessment, we quantitatively analyzed the characteristics of CO flux and its driving factors in the growing season from May to October, 2018. The results showed that the trend of daily net carbon exchange in the growing season followed a symmetrical "U" shape curve.

Exploring the contribution of precipitation to water within the active layer during the thawing period in the permafrost regions of central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by stable isotopic tracing.

Stable isotopic tracing has proven to be a useful tool for assessing surface water source dynamics and hydrological connectivity in permafrost regions. This study has investigated the contribution of precipitation to water within the active layer at three long-term observation sites, including Fenghuoshan (FHS), Hoh Xil (KKXL) and Wudaoliang (WDL), by using isotopic tracer technique and two-component mixing model. The results showed that precipitation was the predominant source for water within the active layer, permafrost and ground ice near permafrost table at the three sites.

Impacts of Sand Burial and Wind Erosion on Regeneration and Growth of a Desert Clonal Shrub.

Sand burial and wind erosion caused by sand movement are common phenomena in desert environments, but the effects on clonal shrub have rarely been investigated. Here, we assessed how sand movements affect the population regeneration capacity of juvenile clonal fragments of the shrub growing in mobile desert sand dunes. We investigated the population status and natural regeneration capacity in three types of mobile dunes (heavy wind erosion, heavy sand burial and moderate sand burial).

The Bet-Hedging Strategies for Seedling Emergence of to Adapt to the Extreme Desert Environments in Northwestern China.

is a dominant native perennial shrub on sand dunes in arid deserts of northwestern China, and is therefore widely used in sand dune stabilization in these regions. However, it remains largely unknown how seedling emergence of has adapted to unpredictable sand movement and extreme drought. Here we examined effects of seed burial depth, light intensity, and seed age on seedling emergence, and considered seed germination and seedling emergence strategies for the shrub's adaption to the desert environment.

[Time lag characteristics of the stem sap flow of Haloxylon ammodendron in the Minqin oasis-desert ectone, China.].

The stem sap flow rate of Haloxylon ammodendron plantation in the Minqin oasis-desert ectone was measured by the thermal dissipation probe (TDP). A cross-correlation analysis was used to estimate the time lag between the stem sap flow and the environmental factors influencing transpiration, including photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and water vapor pressure deficit (VPD). The results showed that the stem sap flow rate of H.

Factors influencing the natural regeneration of the pioneering shrub in sand dune stabilization plantations in arid deserts of northwest China.

is a successful pioneer shrub to combat desertification, which is widely used for vegetation restoration in the desert regions of northwest China. In order to reveal the limitations to natural regeneration of by asexual and sexual reproduction, following the process of sand dune stabilization, we assessed clonal shoots, seedling emergence, soil seed bank density, and soil physical characteristics in mobile and stabilized sand dunes. Controlled field and pot experiments were also conducted to assess germination and seedling emergence in different dune soil types and seed burial depths.

Hydrochemical characteristics of ground ice in permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Ground ice is a distinctive feature of permafrost terrain. The vertical distribution and factors controlling the hydrochemistry of ground ice are important for studying soil moisture and salt migration during the freeze-thaw process in soil. These factors are also important components of hydrological cycles in cold regions.

Nonlinear spectral mixture effects for photosynthetic/non-photosynthetic vegetation cover estimates of typical desert vegetation in western China.

Desert vegetation plays significant roles in securing the ecological integrity of oasis ecosystems in western China. Timely monitoring of photosynthetic/non-photosynthetic desert vegetation cover is necessary to guide management practices on land desertification and research into the mechanisms driving vegetation recession. In this study, nonlinear spectral mixture effects for photosynthetic/non-photosynthetic vegetation cover estimates are investigated through comparing the performance of linear and nonlinear spectral mixture models with different endmembers applied to field spectral measurements of two types of typical desert vegetation, namely, Nitraria shrubs and Haloxylon.

Soil moisture and texture primarily control the soil nutrient stoichiometry across the Tibetan grassland.

Soil nutrient stoichiometry and its environmental controllers play vital roles in understanding soil-plant interaction and nutrient cycling under a changing environment, while they remain poorly understood in alpine grassland due to lack of systematic field investigations. We examined the patterns and controls of soil nutrients stoichiometry for the top 10cm soils across the Tibetan ecosystems. Soil nutrient stoichiometry varied substantially among vegetation types.

Changes in wind erosion over a 25-year restoration chronosequence on the south edge of the Tengger Desert, China: implications for preventing desertification.

Wind erosion is a primary cause of desertification as well as being a serious ecological problem in arid and semi-arid areas across the world. To determine mechanisms for restoring desertified lands, an unrestored shifting sand dune and three formerly shifting sand dunes (desertified lands) that had been enclosed and afforested for 5, 15, and 25 years were selected for evaluation on the south edge of the Tengger Desert, China. Based on sampling heights between 0.