Category: ecosystems ecology

ecosystems ecology

Some soil microorganisms degrade dead leaves faster than others, and our study shows how this can happen

José M. Murúa & Aurora Gaxiola This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Leaf litter decomposition is a biological process in which other organisms chemically transform a percentage of a dead leaf into mineral nutrients. Studying the rate at which a given litter decomposes provides information about how much and how fast leaf nutrients and … Continue reading Some soil microorganisms degrade dead leaves faster than others, and our study shows how this can happen

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

Forests that keep fires small, and how they do it

Philip Zylstra, Grant Wardell-Johnson, Daniel Falster, Melissa Howe, Nathan McQuoid, Simon Neville This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. South-western Australia has long prided itself on its record of prescribed burning to reduce fuels, but a recent analysis of their records gave some surprising findings. Burning kept fire risk down for a few years, but, … Continue reading Forests that keep fires small, and how they do it

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

Glyphosate in grassland ecosystems alters litter decomposition

Lucía Vivanco, María Victoria Sánchez, Magdalena Druille, Marina Omacini This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Plant litter decomposition, together with plant growth, is part of the yin and yang that balances life in natural ecosystems. Decomposition is carried out by a diversity of soil organisms that use plant litter for living. During this process, … Continue reading Glyphosate in grassland ecosystems alters litter decomposition

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

Shoots of young cordgrass plants prefer some personal space

Clea N. van de Ven, Valérie C. Reijers, Carlijn Lammers, Jim van Belzen, Yeyeong Chung, Tjeerd J. Bouma, Tjisse van der Heide This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Coastal vegetated landscapes such as dunes, seagrass meadows, and salt marshes are shaped by clonal grasses that improve their own growing conditions by capturing and stabilizing … Continue reading Shoots of young cordgrass plants prefer some personal space

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

When the past determines the future: Do soil temperature histories affect microbial responses to freeze-thaw cycles?

Melissa A. Pastore, Aimée T. Classen, Marie E. English, Serita D. Frey, Melissa A. Knorr, Karin Rand, E. Carol Adair This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. In temperate regions, climate change is decreasing snow cover, a blanket that helps to insulate soils. With less snow cover, soils are projected to undergo more frequent cycles … Continue reading When the past determines the future: Do soil temperature histories affect microbial responses to freeze-thaw cycles?

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

Soil microbial C and P limitation varied with seasons and elevations

Dandan Zhang, Baoyun Wu, Jinsheng Li, Xiaoli Cheng This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Soil microbes secrete carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorous (P) enzymes, which play an important role in soil organic matter (SOM) transformation and decomposition. While soil enzyme activities and their respective ratios reflect changes in soil microbial nutrient requirements and … Continue reading Soil microbial C and P limitation varied with seasons and elevations

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

No home-field advantage in litter decomposition from the desert to temperate forest

Liesbeth van den Brink, Rafaella Canessa, Harald Neidhardt, Timo Knüver, Rodrigo S. Rios, Alfredo Saldaña, Lohengrin A. Cavieres, Yvonne Oelmann, Maaike Y. Bader, Katja Tielbörger This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. The breakdown of fallen plant material and the release of its nutrients to soils is influenced by climatic conditions (for example, rainfall and … Continue reading No home-field advantage in litter decomposition from the desert to temperate forest

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

Blue Carbon and Global Climate Change

Shaopan Xia, Zhaoliang Song, Weiqi Wang, Yaran Fan, Laodong Guo, Lukas Van Zwieten, Iain P. Hartley, Yin Fang, Yidong Wang, Zhenqing Zhang, Cong-Qiang Liu, Hailong Wang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. At present, global warming is the major environmental problem. Soils store 1500 gigatons (Gt) of organic carbon in the upper one meter … Continue reading Blue Carbon and Global Climate Change

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

Change on the Range: Plant species loss from over-grazing will reduce rangeland carbon storage

Anvar Sanaei, Emma J. Sayer, Zuoqiang Yuan, Hugo Saiz,Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo,Majid Sadeghinia, Parvaneh Ashouri, Sahar Ghafari, Hasan Kaboli, Mansoureh Kargar, Eric W. Seabloom, Arshad Ali This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Livestock grazing in rangelands supports the livelihoods of millions of people in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Unfortunately, over-grazing and climate change … Continue reading Change on the Range: Plant species loss from over-grazing will reduce rangeland carbon storage

Functional EcologyLeave a comment
ecosystems ecology

Anthropogenic stressors might not always reduce dryland community stability

Pin Wen, Bing Wang, Shenen Liu, Liji Wu, Lingyan Yue, Ying Wu, Huasong Chen, Yongfei Bai, Dima Chen This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Many studies have explored the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the inter-annual stability of plant communities. However, the effects of multiple anthropogenic stressors on seasonal community stability and their underlying … Continue reading Anthropogenic stressors might not always reduce dryland community stability

Functional EcologyLeave a comment