Tag: ecosystems

ecosystems ecology

Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Will stress change how much carbon they can store?

Lucy Gwen Gillis, Inés G. Viana , Carmen B. de los Santos This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology perspective article which can be found here. Per area, coastal ecosystems—such as mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and salt marshes—absorb more carbon than terrestrial systems. These ecosystems are known as blue carbon ecosystems. The plants in these ecosystems have specific features called plant traits, … Continue reading Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Will stress change how much carbon they can store?

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ecosystems ecology

Drought may pose a greater threat to stream ecosystems than climate warming

Daniel Nelson, Michelle H. Busch, Darin A. Kopp, Daniel C. Allen This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Climate warming and changes in streamflow patterns are two global change stressors affecting stream ecosystems worldwide. In particular, warming stream temperatures and stream drying are predicted to alter the metabolism of stream ecosystems. Stream ecosystem metabolism is … Continue reading Drought may pose a greater threat to stream ecosystems than climate warming

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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

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ecosystems ecology

No risk – no fun: penalty and recovery from spring frost damage in deciduous temperate trees

Frederik Baumgarten, Arthur Gessler & Yann Vitasse This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Getting the timing right to unfold fresh leaves in spring is a gamble for deciduous trees in seasonal climates that has a long evolutionary history. Too early and the whole investment might be sacrificed to a single frost event; too late … Continue reading No risk – no fun: penalty and recovery from spring frost damage in deciduous temperate trees

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ecosystems ecology

Multidimensional change of biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Guiyao Zhou, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Shengen Liu, Hang-Wei Hu, Ji-Zheng He, Xinxin Wang, Zheng Jiang, Xuhui Zhou, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Mediterranean forests are one of the most important global hotspots of biodiversity, and are critical for supporting ecosystem function and climate change mitigation. Over the past decades, these forests … Continue reading Multidimensional change of biodiversity and ecosystem functions

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ecosystems ecology

Where does organic matter go once it reaches the soil?

Carlos Lozano Fondón, Marco Scotti, Michele Innangi, Cristina Bondavalli, Anna De Marco, Amalia Virzo De Santo, Antonietta Fioretto, Cristina Menta, Antoni Bodini This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Soils host a great variety of organisms that eat each other so that multiple feeding relationships arise through which organic matter is being processed. The transformation … Continue reading Where does organic matter go once it reaches the soil?

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ecosystems ecology

Biocrusts reduce response of microbial C decomposition to increasing temperature compared with bare soil in dryland

Gang Huang, Yan-gui Su＊, Guo-peng Wu, Zheng-yi Huang, Si-nuo Lin, Hao Cheng This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Biocrusts are universal in drylands and are found on the soil surface and in the top few millimeters to centimeters of soil. They are composed of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, and algae in different proportions and can … Continue reading Biocrusts reduce response of microbial C decomposition to increasing temperature compared with bare soil in dryland

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ecosystems ecology

Soil carbon is related to tree growth strategy in naturally regenerating tropical forests

Abby Wallwork, Lindsay F. Banin, Daisy H. Dent, Ute Skiba, Emma Sayer This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Forests which are left to naturally regenerate following human disturbance now make up over half of all remaining tropical forest and are increasingly important for their role in the global carbon budget. During forest regrowth, carbon … Continue reading Soil carbon is related to tree growth strategy in naturally regenerating tropical forests

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ecosystems ecology

What will happen to early vegetation growth at different stages as plant litter increases?

Xiaoyue Zhang, Xiangyin Ni, Petr Heděnec, Kai Yue, Xinyu Wei, Jing Yang, Fuzhong Wu This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Vegetation regeneration is a complex process, involving many stages from seeds and seedlings to plant establishment and development. As the first thing the seed contacts on the soil floor, litter could provide nutrients and … Continue reading What will happen to early vegetation growth at different stages as plant litter increases?

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ecosystems ecology

Specific impact of mesozooplankton feeding strategies on carbon flows

Blanche Saint-Béat, Gérald Darnis, Maxime Leclerc, Marcel Babin, Frederic Maps This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Through their feeding interactions, Arctic marine organisms regulate the transfer of carbon produced during the short summer season and drive the functioning of Arctic marine ecosystems. Mesozooplankton—small animals drifting in oceanic currents—form a crucial hub of matter and … Continue reading Specific impact of mesozooplankton feeding strategies on carbon flows

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