Assessment of climatic and anthropogenic influences on vegetation dynamics in China: a consideration of climate time-lag and cumulative effects.

Determining the factors that drive vegetation variation is complicated by the intricate interactions between climatic and anthropogenic influences. Neglecting the short-term time-lag and cumulative effects of climate on vegetation growth (i.e.

Integrating satellite and reanalysis precipitation products for SWAT hydrological simulation in the Jing River Basin, China.

In hydrological studies, satellite and reanalysis precipitation products are increasingly being used to supplement gauge observation data. This study designed the composite simulation index (COSI), considering two factors: F1 (data accuracy assessment) and F2 (hydrological simulation performance), to compare the performance of the latest satellite-based and reanalysis-based precipitation products (IMERG, ERA5, ERA5-Land), the prior precipitation products (TRMM, CMADS), and the multi-source weighted-ensemble precipitation (MSWEP). The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was then applied to compare and analyze the hydrological simulation performance of four preferred products using three data fusion methods including simple model averaging, variance-based weighted averaging, and the latest quantile-based Bayesian model averaging (QBMA).

Response of nutrient loss to natural erosive rainfall events under typical tillage practices of contour ridge system in the rocky mountain areas of Northern China.

Changes in natural rainfall characterized by heavy precipitation and high rainfall intensity would increase the risks and uncertainty of nutrients losses. Losses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) with water erosion from agriculture-related activities has become the principal nutrients resulting the eutrophication of water bodies. However, a little attention has been paid to the loss characteristic of N and P responding to natural rainfall in widely used contour ridge systems.

Should time-lag and time-accumulation effects of climate be considered in attribution of vegetation dynamics? Case study of China's temperate grassland region.

Although the time-lag and time-accumulation effects (TLTAEs) of climatic factors on vegetation growth have been investigated extensively, the uncertainties caused by disregarding TLTAEs in the attribution analysis of long-term changes in vegetation remain unclear. This hinders our understanding of the associated changes in ecosystems and the effects of climate change. In this study, using multiple methods, we evaluate the biases of attribution analyses of vegetation dynamics caused by the non-consideration of TLTAEs in the temperate grassland region (TGR) of China from 2000 to 2019.

Amount and characteristics of microplastic and organic matter in wind-blown sediment at different heights within the aeolian sand saltation layer.

Soils of croplands especially where plastic film mulch is commonly applied, are normally contaminated by Microplastics (MPs). Microplastics can threaten air quality, food and water health, as well as human health by wind erosion processes. In this research, we investigated MPs collected in four wind erosion events at sampling heights between 0 and 60 cm in typical semiarid farmlands in northern China that employ plastic film mulch.

Vegetation restoration restricts rill development on dump slopes in coalfields.

Severe rill erosion on dump slopes poses a great threat to the ecological environment in mining areas. Vegetation restoration is an effective measure for controlling soil erosion on dump slopes. However, few studies have identified the long-term influence of vegetation restoration on rill development on dump slopes.

Survey data on livelihood assets, activities and outcomes of smallholder farm households in China's Loess Plateau.

Smallholders' decisions on land use and their activities and strategies of livelihoods are the critical source of uncertainty in natural resource use and an essential determinant of sustainability challenges. This data article provides a selection of quantitative data from a questionnaire survey on livelihood assets, activities and outcomes of smallholder farm households in Yan'he Township, which lies in the middle part of China's Loess Plateau, one of the representative Grain for Green Project areas [1]. Data include land-use decisions and agronomic practices, fertilisation, use of pesticides, machine and irrigation, farm and non-farm activities, financial performance, and the levels of household income, wellness, and total consumption of food, energy, and education and health care.

Polyethylene film mulching enhances the microbial carbon-use efficiency, physical and chemical protection of straw-derived carbon in an Entisol of the Loess Plateau.

The global use of agricultural polyethylene mulches has emerged as a widespread farming practice, however, its effects on the fate and dynamics of crop straw-derived C in soil microbial biomass C (MBC), aggregate-associated and chemical recalcitrance-related C fractions are rarely assessed in situ. A two-year field experiment using C-labeled maize stem was carried out to quantify the allocation and dynamics of straw-C in an Entisol with and without plastic mulching. The results indicated that across the treatments, from 49.

Revegetation induced change in soil erodibility as influenced by slope situation on the Loess Plateau.

Soil erodibility is an indispensable parameter for predicting soil erosion and evaluating the benefits of soil and water conservation. Slope situation can alter revegetation and its effects on soil properties and root traits, and thus may affect soil erodibility. However, whether slope situation will change the effect of revegetation on soil erodibility through improving soil properties and root traits has rarely been evaluated.

Global change effects on plant communities are magnified by time and the number of global change factors imposed.

Global change drivers (GCDs) are expected to alter community structure and consequently, the services that ecosystems provide. Yet, few experimental investigations have examined effects of GCDs on plant community structure across multiple ecosystem types, and those that do exist present conflicting patterns. In an unprecedented global synthesis of over 100 experiments that manipulated factors linked to GCDs, we show that herbaceous plant community responses depend on experimental manipulation length and number of factors manipulated.

[Relationship between soil moisture dynamics, crop growth and precipitation in rain-fed area of the Loess Tableland, China].

Studying soil water dynamics is critical to agricultural production and ecological environment construction. Based on a 4-year field experiment, we measured soil moisture in both winter wheat and spring corn fields in rain-fed Changwu Tableland of the Loess Plateau from 2012 to 2015, explored soil desiccation and analyzed the effects of soil moisture on crop growth, the effect of precipitation on soil reservoir, and the effect of crop on soil water dynamics. The results showed that the dominant factor for the formation of dried soil layer was yearly precipitation pattern in winter wheat field and was uneven distribution of precipitation among months in each year in spring corn field.

[Influences of different irrigation amounts on carbon sequestration in wheat-maize rotation system].

Irrigation can influence greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and carbon footprint in agricultural production. In this study, annual GHG emissions (including CO, CH, and NO) were monitored with static opaque chamber and gas chromatography from a wheat-maize rotation system under different irrigation treatments in the Guanzhong Plain of China during 2014-2015. A total of four different irrigation treatments were conducted, e.

Spatial variation in the storages and age-related dynamics of forest carbon sequestration in different climate zones-evidence from black locust plantations on the Loess Plateau of China.

Knowledge about the long-term influences of climate change on the amount of potential carbon (C) sequestration in forest ecosystems, including age-related dynamics, remains unclear. This study used two similar age-sequences of black locust forests (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in the semi-arid and semi-humid zones of China's Loess Plateau to assess the variation in C stocks and age-related dynamics.

Arsenate adsorption onto Fe-TNTs prepared by a novel water-ethanol hydrothermal method: mechanism and synergistic effect.

Arsenate adsorption onto Fe2O3 was highly restricted at acidic condition due to dramatic dissolution. To overcome this difficulty, iron oxide nanoparticle-grafted titanate nanotubes (Fe-TNTs) were synthesized by a facile one-step water-ethanol hydrothermal method and used to remove As(V) from aqueous solutions. This new adsorbent was acid-resistant, and showed a large As(V) adsorption capacity of 90.

[Impact of the land-use change on the non-point source nitrogen load in Yunmeng Lake watershed].

Take potable water sources in Linyi City Yunmeng Lake watershed as a case study, it obtains the nutrient export coefficient of land use by the export coefficient model and simulative rainfall experiment. On the basis of GIS and RS, it analyses the effect of the non-point source (NPS) pollution load because of the land-use change during the past 25 years. The result indicates that the TN increased from 3.

Modulation Role of abscisic acid (ABA) on growth, water relations and glycinebetaine metabolism in two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars under drought stress.

The role of plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in plants under drought stress (DS) is crucial in modulating physiological responses that eventually lead to adaptation to an unfavorable environment; however, the role of this hormone in modulation of glycinebetaine (GB) metabolism in maize particularly at the seedling stage is still poorly understood. Some hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the modulation role of ABA on plant growth, water relations and GB metabolism in the leaves of two maize cultivars, Zhengdan 958 (ZD958; drought tolerant), and Jundan 20 (JD20; drought sensitive), subjected to integrated root-zone drought stress (IR-DS) simulated by the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG, 12% w/v, MW 6000). The IR-DS substantially resulted in increased betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) activity and choline content which act as the key enzyme and initial substrate, respectively, in GB biosynthesis.

[Soil water resource use limit in semi-arid loess hilly area].

Taking Caragana korshinskii as test object, and by using neutron probe, a long term observation was conducted on the soil water and plant growth during the process of vegetation restoration in semi-arid loess hilly area. The results showed that after seeding on waste land, the capability of plant community in conserving soil and water was promoted with time, with the depth of roots to absorb and use soil water increased and the soil water content reduced. Then, the dried soil layer appeared, and its deepness and thickness increased with increasing plant age.

[Effects of irrigation amount on leaf structure, photosynthetic physiology, and fruit yield of Lycium barbarum in arid area].

Lycium barbarum is an important traditional medicinal plant in China. Under controlled condition, a field experiment was conducted to study the effects of different monthly irrigation quota on the leaf structure, photosynthetic physiology, and fruit yield of L. barbarum, aimed to determine an appropriate irrigation amount for the plant.

[Root system hydraulic conductivity of different genotype maize and its relationship with root anatomy].

Under solution culture condition and by using pressure chamber techniques, this paper studied the difference of root system hydraulic conductivity (Lpr) of different genotype maize at the level of individual root, and its relationship with root anatomy. The results showed that the Lpr of root system was different with different genotype, and there existed heterosis in F, generation. Under normal culture condition, the root with wider vessels had higher Lpr and drought resistance; while under water deficit, there was a significantly negative correlation between the width of root vessel and the Lpr and drought resistance.

[Effects of long-term application of nitrogen fertilizer on leaf chlorophyll fluorescence of upland winter wheat].

The effects of long-term nitrogen fertilization of chlorophyll fluorescence of winter wheat at its grain-filling stage on Loess Plateau highland were studied. The results showed that the actual photochemical efficiency of PS II reaction center (phi PS II) was decreased with leaf water stress aggravated, while was increased by nitrogen supply. The phi PS II of 0 kg.