Tag: grasslands

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

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community ecology

Grassland bud banks in responses to short- and long-term drought

Jianqiang Qian, Zhiming Zhang, Yawei Dong, Qun Ma, Qiang Yu, Jinlei Zhu, Xiaoan Zuo, Caitlin M. Broderick, Scott L. Collins, Xingguo Han, Wentao Luo This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Plants can regenerate sexually through the production of seeds, or asexually via growth from belowground meristems. In perennial grasslands, however, population dynamics and primary … Continue reading Grassland bud banks in responses to short- and long-term drought

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community ecology

Drought resistance and recovery of community traits in semiarid grasslands

Wentao Luo, Robert J. Griffin-Nolan, Lin Song, Niwu Te, Jiaqi Chen, Yuan Shi, Taofeek O. Muraina, Zhengwen Wang, Melinda D. Smith, Qiang Yu, Alan K. Knapp, Xingguo Han, Scott L. Collins This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Global climate change is expected to increase rainfall variability, potentially increasing the frequency of extreme droughts during … Continue reading Drought resistance and recovery of community traits in semiarid grasslands

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ecosystems ecology

How do soil bacterial and fungal communities affect soil multifunctionality in grasslands?

Linna Ma, Chaoxue Zhang, Xiaofeng Xu, Congwen Wang, Guofang Liu, Cunzhu Liang, Xiaoan Zuo, Chengjie Wang, Yixia Lv, Renzhong Wang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. The worldwide loss of biodiversity is an increasingly challenge for sustaining ecosystem functions and services. Biodiversity is a complex term that involves numerous of metrics, majorly including species … Continue reading How do soil bacterial and fungal communities affect soil multifunctionality in grasslands?

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plant physiological ecology

Maladaptation versus smart acclimation to expected climate change in wooded pasture grasses

Pierre Vollenweider, Géraldine Hildbrand, Davide De Masi, Konstantin Gavazov, Vivian Zufferey, Alexandre Buttler, Georg von Arx This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Mountain grasslands are characterized by high biodiversity, low management intensity and plant species adapted to cool and moist climate conditions. With climate warming, however, they may undergo losses in biodiversity. Investigating the … Continue reading Maladaptation versus smart acclimation to expected climate change in wooded pasture grasses

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ecosystems ecology

Soil nitrogen supply capacity of different plateau grasslands 

Shuya Hu, Changhui Wang, Anita C Risch, Yuan Liu, Yang Li, Lei Li, Xiaohui Xu, Nianpeng He, Xingguo Han, Jianhui Huang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Soil nitrogen (N) supply capacity is a key biogeochemical process influencing plant available N and net primary productivity (NPP) in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the spatial variations and … Continue reading Soil nitrogen supply capacity of different plateau grasslands 

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evolutionary ecology

Nutrient resorption in a grassland-dominant plant with high phenotypic plasticity

Zuxin Zhang, Jing Zheng, Yingjie Guang, Lijun Chen, Xinping Luo, Dali Chen, Xiaowen Hu This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Leaf nutrient resorption is an important strategy that plants use to conserve nutrients. Resorption can reduce the plant’s dependence on soil nutrient supply and enhance its nutrient use efficiency, thus it is considered as … Continue reading Nutrient resorption in a grassland-dominant plant with high phenotypic plasticity

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community ecology

Native and Exotic species respond differently to litter accumulation and the presence of small mammals in invaded grasslands

Lachlan Charles, John Maron, Loralee Larios This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which is published here. In many invaded grasslands, fast-growing exotic species can produce large quantities of litter. This litter can impede the growth of native species, while simultaneously improving the conditions that reinforce the spread of exotic species. Reasons for this disparity between exotic and native species performance … Continue reading Native and Exotic species respond differently to litter accumulation and the presence of small mammals in invaded grasslands

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A grass root cross-section stained with Safranin-O and Fast Green, coverslipped, and imaged at ×200 on a Zeiss 880 confocal microscope. Image analysis was performed at ~850 × 850 µm with a 0.83-µm pixel size using a multitrack configuration, digital dual-bandpass filters and a GaAsP detector for enhanced sensitivity
plant physiological ecology

Root traits indicate water-use strategies for tallgrass prairie plants

O’Keefe, Kimberly; Bachle, Seton; Keen, Rachel; Tooley, E.; Nippert, Jesse Read the full research here Plant roots are important components of terrestrial ecosystems, but little is known about how root traits differ between plant species or vary across space in natural ecosystems. In this study, we investigated how root traits vary across grasses and woody shrubs in a tallgrass prairie located in Manhattan, KS, USA. … Continue reading Root traits indicate water-use strategies for tallgrass prairie plants

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