Stefanny Martins de Souza, Maiara Bezerra Ramos, Maria Gracielle Rodrigues Maciel, Sonaly Silva da Cunha, José João Lelis Leal de Souza, Sérgio de Faria Lopes
The Brazilian Caatinga is among the most diverse dry forests in the world, yet half of its original coverage has been degraded. Natural regeneration is influenced by climatic and edaphic conditions, as well as the existing adult stratum. Despite its significance, this process remains poorly understood in the Caatinga. Thus, our study aimed to analyze how anthropogenic disturbance, vegetation cover, and soil properties affect the regenerating stratum under different levels of Caatinga vegetation cover. The research was conducted in the driest region of Brazil. The selected sites represent low (Area I) and high (Area II) normalized difference vegetation index. Six vegetable plots (50 × 20 m each) were delimited to study adult stratum, and four vegetable plots (10 × 10 m each) to regeneration stratum. Topsoil was sampled in all vegetable plots. Our results reveal interactions between soil characteristics and the adult and regenerating strata. Area II exhibited higher diversity and a greater number of exclusive species, while Area I was dominated by species more resistant to limiting conditions, such as Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart. & Zucc. The C and N content in the soil showed a positive and significant correlation with the diversity of the regenerating stratum. The data suggest that the area with less vegetation cover, richness, and diversity shows signs of desertification.
{"title":"Effects of Vegetable Cover on the Regeneration Process in Degraded Dry Forest in Brazil","authors":"Stefanny Martins de Souza, Maiara Bezerra Ramos, Maria Gracielle Rodrigues Maciel, Sonaly Silva da Cunha, José João Lelis Leal de Souza, Sérgio de Faria Lopes","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5316","url":null,"abstract":"The Brazilian Caatinga is among the most diverse dry forests in the world, yet half of its original coverage has been degraded. Natural regeneration is influenced by climatic and edaphic conditions, as well as the existing adult stratum. Despite its significance, this process remains poorly understood in the Caatinga. Thus, our study aimed to analyze how anthropogenic disturbance, vegetation cover, and soil properties affect the regenerating stratum under different levels of Caatinga vegetation cover. The research was conducted in the driest region of Brazil. The selected sites represent low (Area I) and high (Area II) normalized difference vegetation index. Six vegetable plots (50 × 20 m each) were delimited to study adult stratum, and four vegetable plots (10 × 10 m each) to regeneration stratum. Topsoil was sampled in all vegetable plots. Our results reveal interactions between soil characteristics and the adult and regenerating strata. Area II exhibited higher diversity and a greater number of exclusive species, while Area I was dominated by species more resistant to limiting conditions, such as <jats:italic>Aspidosperma pyrifolium</jats:italic> Mart. & Zucc. The C and N content in the soil showed a positive and significant correlation with the diversity of the regenerating stratum. The data suggest that the area with less vegetation cover, richness, and diversity shows signs of desertification.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"80 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142449607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jie Zheng, Muhammad Arif, Wenqiu Cao, Changxiao Li
Understanding the biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationship is critical for predicting the consequences of species loss on the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. Both theoretical and empirical studies generally demonstrate a positive biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationship. However, the underlying mechanisms linking soil multifunctionality (SMF) to plant diversity remain unclear, particularly in dynamic riparian habitats. In this study, we investigated the plant community, 10 soil functions, and their drivers within the riparian zone regulated by the Three Gorges Dam in China. Our results showed that taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity affect SMF at alpha and beta scales in both positive and negative ways. Notably, most diversity metrics are negatively correlated with SMF, especially at lower elevations and in areas near the dam. Alpha and beta diversity contribute equally to SMF, whereas functional diversity explains SMF better than taxonomic or phylogenetic diversity. Furthermore, abiotic variables explain 24% of the variance in SMF, significantly exceeding the 3% explained by biotic variables. Dam inundation has both direct effects on SMF and indirect effects mediated by soil pH, bulk density, and functional dispersion, all of which are critical variables in elucidating SMF changes. Our findings indicate that dam inundation modulates the effect of plant diversity on SMF and underscore the roles of biotic factors and functional diversity in mediating this effect. This study challenges the prevalent notion that biodiversity universally positively affects ecosystem multifunctionality and broadens our understanding of the linkages between plant diversity and SMF, as well as its drivers under dam-induced hydrological changes.
{"title":"Dam Inundation Modulates the Effect of Plant Diversity on Soil Multifunctionality in the Riparian Zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir","authors":"Jie Zheng, Muhammad Arif, Wenqiu Cao, Changxiao Li","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5317","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5317","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationship is critical for predicting the consequences of species loss on the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. Both theoretical and empirical studies generally demonstrate a positive biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationship. However, the underlying mechanisms linking soil multifunctionality (SMF) to plant diversity remain unclear, particularly in dynamic riparian habitats. In this study, we investigated the plant community, 10 soil functions, and their drivers within the riparian zone regulated by the Three Gorges Dam in China. Our results showed that taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity affect SMF at alpha and beta scales in both positive and negative ways. Notably, most diversity metrics are negatively correlated with SMF, especially at lower elevations and in areas near the dam. Alpha and beta diversity contribute equally to SMF, whereas functional diversity explains SMF better than taxonomic or phylogenetic diversity. Furthermore, abiotic variables explain 24% of the variance in SMF, significantly exceeding the 3% explained by biotic variables. Dam inundation has both direct effects on SMF and indirect effects mediated by soil pH, bulk density, and functional dispersion, all of which are critical variables in elucidating SMF changes. Our findings indicate that dam inundation modulates the effect of plant diversity on SMF and underscore the roles of biotic factors and functional diversity in mediating this effect. This study challenges the prevalent notion that biodiversity universally positively affects ecosystem multifunctionality and broadens our understanding of the linkages between plant diversity and SMF, as well as its drivers under dam-induced hydrological changes.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"232 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142448381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pedro Antonio Plaza-Álvarez, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, María Dolores Carmona-Yáñez, David Candel-Pérez, Demetrio Antonio Zema
Soil mulching has been studied as a postfire management action to reduce soil erosion in several forest environments. Less research exists about the effectiveness of mulching with straw and wood chips beyond the first year after a wildfire on sites with different slopes. To fill this gap, this study has measured soil erosion in three burned sites (untreated soils, and soils mulched using wheat straw or pine wood chips) throughout a 2.5-year observation period in a forest of Castilla-La Mancha (Central Eastern Spain). Soil condition and slope (gentle, < 32%, gentle vs. steep, > 38%, slopes) significantly influenced erosion, which, however, was of low entity due to the relatively low rainfall erosivity. Mulching was generally effective after the most intense events (maximum 30-min rainfall intensity over 15 mm/h). On the gentle hillslopes, mulch application did not reduce postfire soil loss compared with the untreated sites. In contrast, on the steep slopes, the effectiveness of soil mulching was significant for the two most intense rainfall events (−30% of soil loss in plots treated with wheat straw compared with the burned and untreated sites). The cumulated soil loss significantly decreased on the treated sites (−40%) only when wheat straw was used. On steep slopes, the anti-erosive effects of mulching were almost durable, since the mulch covered more than one-third of the plot areas until the end of the monitoring period. These results help land managers adopt the most effective measures of postfire management in semi-arid forests affected by severe wildfires.
{"title":"Mid-Term Effects of Postfire Mulching With Straw or Wood Chips on Soil Erosion in Semi-Arid Forests","authors":"Pedro Antonio Plaza-Álvarez, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, María Dolores Carmona-Yáñez, David Candel-Pérez, Demetrio Antonio Zema","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5312","url":null,"abstract":"Soil mulching has been studied as a postfire management action to reduce soil erosion in several forest environments. Less research exists about the effectiveness of mulching with straw and wood chips beyond the first year after a wildfire on sites with different slopes. To fill this gap, this study has measured soil erosion in three burned sites (untreated soils, and soils mulched using wheat straw or pine wood chips) throughout a 2.5-year observation period in a forest of Castilla-La Mancha (Central Eastern Spain). Soil condition and slope (gentle, < 32%, gentle vs. steep, > 38%, slopes) significantly influenced erosion, which, however, was of low entity due to the relatively low rainfall erosivity. Mulching was generally effective after the most intense events (maximum 30-min rainfall intensity over 15 mm/h). On the gentle hillslopes, mulch application did not reduce postfire soil loss compared with the untreated sites. In contrast, on the steep slopes, the effectiveness of soil mulching was significant for the two most intense rainfall events (−30% of soil loss in plots treated with wheat straw compared with the burned and untreated sites). The cumulated soil loss significantly decreased on the treated sites (−40%) only when wheat straw was used. On steep slopes, the anti-erosive effects of mulching were almost durable, since the mulch covered more than one-third of the plot areas until the end of the monitoring period. These results help land managers adopt the most effective measures of postfire management in semi-arid forests affected by severe wildfires.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"78 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142448769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guo Chen, Hao Wang, Qing-wei Zhang, Ren Geng, Jian Wang, Yuan-bi Yi, Ming Li, Ding He
Variation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) largely affects the regional and even global carbon cycle. Both optical techniques and ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry have their advantages and disadvantages, and the combination of them can better track DOM cycles. However, the relationship between the optical and molecular characteristics of DOM in the runoff from slopes covered with biocrusts are still unclear. Therefore, optical techniques and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) were combined to explore the DOM composition in the runoff from different runoff plots (i.e., bare runoff plot [BP], cyanobacterial crusts covered runoff plot [CP], mixed crusts covered runoff plot [MIP], moss crusts covered runoff plot [MOP]) under different rainfall intensities in the current study. The findings stated that the runoff from BP and CP exhibited a higher proportion of terrestrial DOM under heavy rainfall intensity (HRI), whereas DOM in the runoff from MIP and MOP were primarily controlled by microbial sources. The DOM unique molecules in the runoff from CP were more recalcitrant under HRI than those under light rainfall intensity (LRI), and these differences decreased with the increased with the succession stage of biocrusts. The results of aromaticity characterized by optical method and FT-ICR MS were generally consistent. Meanwhile, Spearman correlation analysis also indicated that the optical parameters can be utilized for the estimation of molecular characteristics and labile in the runoff from slopes covered with biocrusts after the necessary calibration of the correction between the optical and molecular parameters.
溶解有机物(DOM)的变化在很大程度上影响着区域甚至全球的碳循环。光学技术和超高分辨率质谱技术各有优缺点,两者结合可以更好地追踪溶解有机物的循环。然而,被生物簇覆盖的山坡径流中 DOM 的光学特征与分子特征之间的关系尚不清楚。因此,本研究将光学技术与傅立叶变换离子回旋共振质谱技术相结合,探讨了不同降雨强度下不同径流地块(即裸露径流地块[BP]、蓝藻结壳覆盖径流地块[CP]、混合结壳覆盖径流地块[MIP]、苔藓结壳覆盖径流地块[MOP])径流中 DOM 的组成。研究结果表明,在强降雨强度(HRI)下,BP 和 CP 的径流中陆生 DOM 所占比例较高,而 MIP 和 MOP 径流中的 DOM 主要由微生物源控制。与小雨强度(LRI)相比,CP 径流中的 DOM 独特分子在 HRI 条件下更难降解,而且这些差异随着生物群落演替阶段的增加而减小。光学法和 FT-ICR MS 法表征的芳香度结果基本一致。同时,斯皮尔曼相关分析也表明,在对光学参数和分子参数进行必要的校正后,可以利用光学参数来估计生物簇覆盖斜坡径流的分子特征和易变性。
{"title":"Variation of Dissolved Organic Matter Chemistry in the Runoff From Slopes Covered With Biocrusts Under Rainfall: Insights From the Linkages Between the Optical and Molecular Composition Analyses","authors":"Guo Chen, Hao Wang, Qing-wei Zhang, Ren Geng, Jian Wang, Yuan-bi Yi, Ming Li, Ding He","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5340","url":null,"abstract":"Variation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) largely affects the regional and even global carbon cycle. Both optical techniques and ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry have their advantages and disadvantages, and the combination of them can better track DOM cycles. However, the relationship between the optical and molecular characteristics of DOM in the runoff from slopes covered with biocrusts are still unclear. Therefore, optical techniques and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) were combined to explore the DOM composition in the runoff from different runoff plots (i.e., bare runoff plot [BP], cyanobacterial crusts covered runoff plot [CP], mixed crusts covered runoff plot [MIP], moss crusts covered runoff plot [MOP]) under different rainfall intensities in the current study. The findings stated that the runoff from BP and CP exhibited a higher proportion of terrestrial DOM under heavy rainfall intensity (HRI), whereas DOM in the runoff from MIP and MOP were primarily controlled by microbial sources. The DOM unique molecules in the runoff from CP were more recalcitrant under HRI than those under light rainfall intensity (LRI), and these differences decreased with the increased with the succession stage of biocrusts. The results of aromaticity characterized by optical method and FT-ICR MS were generally consistent. Meanwhile, Spearman correlation analysis also indicated that the optical parameters can be utilized for the estimation of molecular characteristics and labile in the runoff from slopes covered with biocrusts after the necessary calibration of the correction between the optical and molecular parameters.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142444400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}