Antarctic Soils Select Copiotroph-Dominated Bacteria.

The life strategies of bacterial communities determine their structure and function and are an important driver of biogeochemical cycling. However, the variations in these strategies under different soil resource conditions remain largely unknown. We explored the bacterial life strategies and changes in structure and functions between Antarctic soils and forest (temperate, subtropical, and tropical) soils.

Grassland degraded patchiness reduces microbial necromass content but increases contribution to soil organic carbon accumulation.

Plant and microbially derived carbon (C) are the two major sources of soil organic carbon (SOC), and their ratio impacts SOC composition, accumulation, stability, and turnover. The contributions of and the key factors defining the plant and microbial C in SOC with grassland patches are not well known. Here, we aim to address this issue by analyzing lignin phenols, amino sugars, glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP), enzyme activities, particulate organic carbon (POC), and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC).

Variability in the home-field advantage of litter decomposition mediates alterations in soil CO and CH fluxes: A transplantation experiment study.

The decomposition of litter is susceptible to the influence of climate change and soil conditions, which can subsequently impact the release of carbon dioxide (CO) from forest soils and the absorption of methane (CH). Ecological theory proposes the existence of a home-field advantage (HFA) in litter decomposition, suggesting that the decomposition rate of litter (such as fallen leaves, twigs, and roots) may be faster in their native habitat than in foreign environments. Therefore, we selected litter from Pinus tabuliformis (PT) and Quercus acutissima Carruth (QC) in the field and conducted a 439-day litter transplant experiment to test the magnitude and direction of the HFA of these two litter types in three forest stands.

Effects of algal organic matters on microporous ceramic emitters clogging in agricultural water distribution systems: Experiment and molecular simulation investigations.

The mechanism by which algal organic matter (AOM) affects the clogging of ceramic emitters remains unclear, which partially reduces the operational life of agricultural water distribution systems. This paper systematically investigated the clogging phenomenon of ceramic emitters under three different AOM concentrations. The results of irrigation tests revealed that the AOM significantly affects the degree of clogging of ceramic emitters, with higher AOM concentrations leading to faster flow reduction.

Efficient selective adsorption of Cr(VI) by S-doped porous carbon prepared from industrial lignin: Waste increment and wastewater treatment.

Industrial lignin is a waste product of the paper industry, which contains a large amount of oxygen group structure, and can be used to treat industrial wastewater containing Cr(VI). However, lignin has very low reactivity, so how to enhance its adsorption performance is a major challenge at present. In this study, a two-stage hydrothermal and activation strategy was used to activate the lignin activity and doping S element to prepare high-performance S-doped lignin-based polyporous carbon (S-LPC).

Vascular plants and biocrusts ameliorate soil properties serving to increase the stability of the Great Wall of China.

The Great Wall, as a World Heritage Site, is constructed with rammed earth and is currently facing the threat of erosion from wind and rain. Vascular plants and biocrusts are the main coverings of the Great Wall, and their role in mitigating soil erosion has attracted increased amounts of attention; however, the understanding of their underlying mechanisms is limited. Here, we conducted an extensive survey of vascular plants, biocrusts, soil properties (soil organic and inorganic binding materials, aggregates, and texture), soil aggregate stability, and soil erodibility at the top of the Great Wall in four different defensive zones in Northwest China.

Variations in water use strategies of at coppice dunes along a precipitation gradient in desert regions of northwest China.

Introduction: The precipitation pattern has changed significantly in arid desert areas, yet it is not clear how the water use strategies of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. on coppice dunes along a natural precipitation gradient are affected.

Methods: In this study, the hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of xylem water, soil water, precipitation, and groundwater were measured by stable isotope techniques in Huocheng, Mosuowan, and Tazhong.

A practical approach for extracting the photosystem II (PSII) contribution to near-infrared solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence.

Recent studies have indicated a good potential for using solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) to estimate photosynthetic CO assimilation. SIF can be emitted by both Photosystem I (PSI) and Photosystem II (PSII), but it is the SIF signals from PSII which are related to photosynthetic carbon fixation. However, since top-of-canopy SIF observations (SIF) always contain contributions from both photosystems, to mechanistically estimate gross primary productivity (GPP) from SIF, it is essential to extract PSII SIF from SIF.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Winter Wheat Planting Area and Meteorology-Driven Effects on Yield under Climate Change in Henan Province of China.

This study examines the impact of climate change on winter wheat production in Henan Province. The analysis, under the utilization of GLASS LAI data, focuses on shifts in the planting areas of winter wheat. In addition, a comprehensive assessment of the spatiotemporal trends in meteorological factors during the winter wheat growth period has also been conducted.

Changes in phosphorus-related performance attributes of dryland winter wheat cultivars released between the 1940s and 2010s in Shaanxi Province, China.

Background: Water and nutrients are two main determinants of wheat yield, which are vital for maintaining high crop yields. In the present study, the effects of water and phosphate fertilization on wheat yield, photosynthetic parameters, water productivity and phosphate use efficiency were investigated. Five dryland wheat cultivars from the 1940s to the 2010s that are widely cultivated in Shaanxi Province, China, were used.

Unforeseen plant phenotypic diversity in a dry and grazed world.

Earth harbours an extraordinary plant phenotypic diversity that is at risk from ongoing global changes. However, it remains unknown how increasing aridity and livestock grazing pressure-two major drivers of global change-shape the trait covariation that underlies plant phenotypic diversity. Here we assessed how covariation among 20 chemical and morphological traits responds to aridity and grazing pressure within global drylands.

Substantial terrestrial carbon emissions from global expansion of impervious surface area.

Global impervious surface area (ISA) has more than doubled over the last three decades, but the associated carbon emissions resulting from the depletion of pre-existing land carbon stores remain unknown. Here, we report that the carbon losses from biomass and top soil (0-30 cm) due to global ISA expansion reached 46-75 Tg C per year over 1993-2018, accounting for 3.7-6.

Mechanisms of litter input changes on soil organic carbon dynamics: a microbial carbon use efficiency-based perspective.

Plant litter is an important source of soil organic carbon (SOC) in terrestrial ecosystems, and the pattern of litter inputs is also influenced by global change and human activities. However, the current understanding of the impact of changes in litter inputs on SOC dynamics remains contentious, and the mechanisms by which changes in litter inputs affect SOC have rarely been investigated from the perspective of microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE). We conducted a 1-year experiment with litter treatments (no aboveground litter (NL), natural aboveground litter (CK), and double aboveground litter (DL)) in Robinia pseudoacacia plantation forest on the Loess Plateau.

Fungal necromass contribution to carbon sequestration in global croplands: A meta-analysis of driving factors and conservation practices.

Fungal necromass carbon (FNC) contributes significantly to the build-up of soil organic carbon (SOC) by supplying abundant recalcitrant polymeric melanin present in the fungal cell wall. However, the influence of a wide range of conservation practices and associated factors on FNC accumulation and contribution to SOC in global croplands remains unexplored. Here, a meta-analysis was performed using 873 observations across three continents, together with structural equation modeling, to evaluate conservation practices and factors responsible for the enhancement of FNC and SOC.

Drip Fertigation Increases Maize Grain Yield by Affecting Phenology, Grain Filling Process, Biomass Accumulation and Translocation: A 4-Year Field Trial.

Drip fertigation (DF) is a widely used technology to increase grain yield with water and fertilizer conservation. However, the mechanism of high grain yield (GY) under DF is still unclear. Here, a four-year field experiment assessed the impacts of four treatments (i.

Aridity shapes distinct biogeographic and assembly patterns of forest soil bacterial and fungal communities at the regional scale.

Climate change is exacerbating drought in arid and semi-arid forest ecosystems worldwide. Soil microorganisms play a key role in supporting forest ecosystem services, yet their response to changes in aridity remains poorly understood. We present results from a study of 84 forests at four south-to-north Loess Plateau sites to assess how increases in aridity level (1- precipitation/evapotranspiration) shapes soil bacterial and fungal diversity and community stability by influencing community assembly.

The impact of the Qinghai-Tibet highway on plant community and diversity.

Roads are an increasingly prevalent form of human activity that drives the decrease in plant community functions and threatens global biodiversity. However, few studies have focused on the changes in the function and diversity of alpine meadows caused by road infrastructure in the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, the changes in species diversity, functional diversity, and community stability were examined at different distances from the Qinghai-Tibet highway.

Microplastic pollution promotes soil respiration: A global-scale meta-analysis.

Microplastic (MP) pollution likely affects global soil carbon (C) dynamics, yet it remains uncertain how and to what extent MP influences soil respiration. Here, we report on a global meta-analysis to determine the effects of MP pollution on the soil microbiome and CO emission. We found that MP pollution significantly increased the contents of soil organic C (SOC) (21%) and dissolved organic C (DOC) (12%), the activity of fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (FDAse) (10%), and microbial biomass (17%), but led to a decrease in microbial diversity (3%).

Responses of particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon to temperature changes and their mineral protection mechanisms: A soil translocation experiment.

Mineral protection mechanisms are important in determining the response of particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) to temperature changes. However, the underlying mechanisms for how POC and MAOC respond to temperature changes are remain unclear. By translocating soils across 1304 m, 1425 m and 2202 m elevation gradient in a temperate forest, simulate nine months of warming (with soil temperature change of +1.

Contrasting carbon cycle responses of semiarid abandoned farmland to simulated warmer-drier and warmer-wetter climates.

Rewilding abandoned farmlands provides a nature-based climate solution via carbon (C) offsetting; however, the C-cycle-climate feedback in such restored ecosystems is poorly understood. Therefore, we conducted a 2-year field experiment in Loess Plateau, China, to determine the impacts of warming (∼1.4 °C) and altered precipitation (±25 %, ±50 %, and ambient), alone or in concert on soil C pools and associated C fluxes.

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.

Synergistic enhancement of plant growth and cadmium stress defense by Azospirillum brasilense and plant heme: Modulating the growth-defense relationship.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play important roles in plant growth and defense under heavy metal (HM) stress. The direct integration of microbial and plant signals is key to the regulation of plant growth and HM stress defense, but the underlying mechanisms are still limited. Herein, we reveal a novel mechanism by which PGPR regulates plant growth-regulating substances in plant tissues and coordinates plant growth and defense in pak choi under cadmium (Cd) stress.