The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is a key eco-environmental protection barrier and economic engine in China. Understanding the characteristics of its eco-environmental spatiotemporal evolution and mechanisms driving these changes is important for revealing shifts in ecosystem structure and function. However, the governing elements of the ecological environment and how these components interact remain unclear due to the strong coupling impact of urbanization and climate change. This paper constructed a long-term series remote sensing based ecological index (RSEI) to evaluate the characteristics of eco-environmental variation of YREB during 2000–2024. Subsequently, the fundamental reasons of the eco-environmental evolution were quantitatively analyzed using optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD). Results indicated: (1) The average RSEI of YREB was 0.68, indicating a rather high overall eco-environmental quality (EEQ), with 73% of the region having RSEI values more than 0.60. The regions with excellent conditions were concentrated in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and Hunan, while the poorer areas were in northwestern Yunnan, southwestern Sichuan, and western Hubei. (2) The EEQ of YREB mainly showed a degradation trend, with degraded areas exceeding 80% over the past 25 years. In the future, most areas might face higher risks of ecological degradation. (3) Digital elevation model (DEM), temperature (Tem), and population (POP) were key driving factors of the ecological environment. There were significant interactions between certain factors, with the interaction between DEM and potential evapotranspiration (Pet) explaining 62.2% of the ecological quality distribution. The findings assisted the creation of an ecological civilization by offering policy proposals for managing and conserving ecological environments.
{"title":"The Combined Effects of Topography and Climate Factors Dominate the Spatiotemporal Evolution of the Ecological Environment in the Yangtze River Economic Belt","authors":"Shouhai Shi, Hua Qiu, Shunping Ji, Zhaohui Luo","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5479","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5479","url":null,"abstract":"The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is a key eco-environmental protection barrier and economic engine in China. Understanding the characteristics of its eco-environmental spatiotemporal evolution and mechanisms driving these changes is important for revealing shifts in ecosystem structure and function. However, the governing elements of the ecological environment and how these components interact remain unclear due to the strong coupling impact of urbanization and climate change. This paper constructed a long-term series remote sensing based ecological index (RSEI) to evaluate the characteristics of eco-environmental variation of YREB during 2000–2024. Subsequently, the fundamental reasons of the eco-environmental evolution were quantitatively analyzed using optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD). Results indicated: (1) The average RSEI of YREB was 0.68, indicating a rather high overall eco-environmental quality (EEQ), with 73% of the region having RSEI values more than 0.60. The regions with excellent conditions were concentrated in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and Hunan, while the poorer areas were in northwestern Yunnan, southwestern Sichuan, and western Hubei. (2) The EEQ of YREB mainly showed a degradation trend, with degraded areas exceeding 80% over the past 25 years. In the future, most areas might face higher risks of ecological degradation. (3) Digital elevation model (DEM), temperature (Tem), and population (POP) were key driving factors of the ecological environment. There were significant interactions between certain factors, with the interaction between DEM and potential evapotranspiration (Pet) explaining 62.2% of the ecological quality distribution. The findings assisted the creation of an ecological civilization by offering policy proposals for managing and conserving ecological environments.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991293","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}
The task of soil erosion estimation received a significant push by integrating remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) in the early 1990s due to its ease of applicability. The Topographic (LS) factor played a quintessential role in soil loss determination, especially for undulating regions. In most worldwide soil erosion studies, the topographic factor extracted from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using “LS equations” failed to account for the varying slopes before the material joins a stream or a river. In this study, the slope length (L) and slope steepness factor (S) derived without and with the slope cutoff factor are compared and analyzed for a hilltop mine. The results reflect that the LS factor and, ultimately, soil erosion are over-estimated owing to the absence of any limits on the slope length (L) factor in undulating terrains when used conventionally in a GIS environment. The mean soil erosion estimated with slope cutoff factor is 252.26 ton ha−1 year−1, whereas 332.81 ton ha−1 year−1 in the conventional application of the same LS equation. The overestimation of soil erosion was reduced by 35% as per the volume-based validation study. Thus, the study proves the usefulness of the slope cutoff factor, which, to date, has mostly been neglected in soil loss research and soil erosion studies for undulating terrains. The pattern of soil erosion also highlights the negating impact of vegetation on steep slopes, cementing their role as Nature based Solution (NbS) for soil erosion by dynamic landscapes like Mines.
{"title":"Impact of Slope Cutoff Factor on Soil Erosion Estimates: A Hilltop Mine-Based Comparative Geospatial Study","authors":"Thappitla Srinivas Rohit, Vasantha Govind Kumar Villuri","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5478","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5478","url":null,"abstract":"The task of soil erosion estimation received a significant push by integrating remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) in the early 1990s due to its ease of applicability. The Topographic (LS) factor played a quintessential role in soil loss determination, especially for undulating regions. In most worldwide soil erosion studies, the topographic factor extracted from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using “LS equations” failed to account for the varying slopes before the material joins a stream or a river. In this study, the slope length (L) and slope steepness factor (S) derived without and with the slope cutoff factor are compared and analyzed for a hilltop mine. The results reflect that the LS factor and, ultimately, soil erosion are over-estimated owing to the absence of any limits on the slope length (L) factor in undulating terrains when used conventionally in a GIS environment. The mean soil erosion estimated with slope cutoff factor is 252.26 ton ha<sup>−1</sup> year<sup>−1</sup>, whereas 332.81 ton ha<sup>−1</sup> year<sup>−1</sup> in the conventional application of the same LS equation. The overestimation of soil erosion was reduced by 35% as per the volume-based validation study. Thus, the study proves the usefulness of the slope cutoff factor, which, to date, has mostly been neglected in soil loss research and soil erosion studies for undulating terrains. The pattern of soil erosion also highlights the negating impact of vegetation on steep slopes, cementing their role as Nature based Solution (NbS) for soil erosion by dynamic landscapes like Mines.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991289","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}
Microplastics has emerged as a pervasive pollutant with far-reaching implications for agriculture. This review paper evaluates existing research on microplastics in agricultural systems, exploring their impacts on land, crop growth, farm animals, and consumer health. Using the PRISMA framework and systematic review process, 811 papers were identified in the initial search, and only 164 papers were used for this study after following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Our study found that high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride are widely used plastic types in agriculture, followed by polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate. This prevalence is likely due to the extensive use of plastics in agriculture systems, such as for mulching, handling harvested products, bags for fertilizers and pesticides, samplings, and seed storage. The study found serious adverse consequences of microplastics on crops, animal health, soil, and consumers. It also highlights the need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate these impacts, by using bioplastics, application of treated water for irrigation, proper disposal of plastics, and following sustainable agricultural practices. Adaptation measures such as soil remediation, different microplastic removal technologies, and policy interventions emerge as a crucial strategy to cope with microplastic pollution. The paper concludes with a call for interdisciplinary research to better understand the complexities of microplastic pollution and to develop sustainable solutions to protect natural ecosystems, agricultural ecosystems, human health, and food security.
{"title":"Far-Reaching Impact of Microplastics on Agricultural Systems: Options for Mitigation and Adaptation","authors":"S. Rajendrakumar, Dil Bahadur Rahut","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5459","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5459","url":null,"abstract":"Microplastics has emerged as a pervasive pollutant with far-reaching implications for agriculture. This review paper evaluates existing research on microplastics in agricultural systems, exploring their impacts on land, crop growth, farm animals, and consumer health. Using the PRISMA framework and systematic review process, 811 papers were identified in the initial search, and only 164 papers were used for this study after following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Our study found that high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride are widely used plastic types in agriculture, followed by polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate. This prevalence is likely due to the extensive use of plastics in agriculture systems, such as for mulching, handling harvested products, bags for fertilizers and pesticides, samplings, and seed storage. The study found serious adverse consequences of microplastics on crops, animal health, soil, and consumers. It also highlights the need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate these impacts, by using bioplastics, application of treated water for irrigation, proper disposal of plastics, and following sustainable agricultural practices. Adaptation measures such as soil remediation, different microplastic removal technologies, and policy interventions emerge as a crucial strategy to cope with microplastic pollution. The paper concludes with a call for interdisciplinary research to better understand the complexities of microplastic pollution and to develop sustainable solutions to protect natural ecosystems, agricultural ecosystems, human health, and food security.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142990542","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}
The study focuses on the intricate dynamic of agricultural value-added, water reservoir management, and food security in the United States between 1980 and 2021. The importance of agricultural value-added in food security is examined in this study, which adds to the current literature. Furthermore, the study examines how food security is impacted by economic growth, land use, innovation, and efficient water management. According to the findings, the enhancement of food security is significant due to increased agricultural productivity, driven by value-added practices, and robust water reservoir management. The study demonstrates the connection between economic growth and better food security, emphasizing the significance of sustainable economic policies. Efficient land use and technological innovations in agriculture can be used to ensure food supply stability. The research has revealed that water reservoirs have a moderating effect, demonstrating their significance in sustaining agricultural productivity and value-added activities. These insights are crucial for policymakers and practitioners, suggesting that a holistic approach, integrating economic, agricultural, and environmental strategies, is essential for addressing the multifaceted challenges of food security in the United States. A contemporary perspective is provided through the study's time frame, reflecting recent trends and policy implications in food security.
{"title":"Consequences of Land Utilization, Agriculture and Water to Handle the Food Security Issues","authors":"Suleman Sarwar","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5475","url":null,"abstract":"The study focuses on the intricate dynamic of agricultural value-added, water reservoir management, and food security in the United States between 1980 and 2021. The importance of agricultural value-added in food security is examined in this study, which adds to the current literature. Furthermore, the study examines how food security is impacted by economic growth, land use, innovation, and efficient water management. According to the findings, the enhancement of food security is significant due to increased agricultural productivity, driven by value-added practices, and robust water reservoir management. The study demonstrates the connection between economic growth and better food security, emphasizing the significance of sustainable economic policies. Efficient land use and technological innovations in agriculture can be used to ensure food supply stability. The research has revealed that water reservoirs have a moderating effect, demonstrating their significance in sustaining agricultural productivity and value-added activities. These insights are crucial for policymakers and practitioners, suggesting that a holistic approach, integrating economic, agricultural, and environmental strategies, is essential for addressing the multifaceted challenges of food security in the United States. A contemporary perspective is provided through the study's time frame, reflecting recent trends and policy implications in food security.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142987898","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}
Shiyu Fan, Jihong Qin, Hui Sun, Zhenchu Dan, Zhi Li, Jiyuan Yang
Alpine wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau are important carbon pools and are undergoing severe degradation, generally with decreasing vegetation and soil water contents. However, the ecological responses of alpine wetlands to hydrological changes vary greatly among habitats. In this study, topsoil from alpine wetlands and meadows (degraded wetlands) was incubated under 50%, 70%, and 100% saturated water content (SWC) and then characterized based on soil nutrients, enzyme activities, the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter (metabolomes), and microbial communities (metagenomes). Compared with meadow soils, wetland soils had greater nutrient contents and hydrolase activities and more complex compositions of metabolomes and metabolomes. After incubation, wetland soils presented the highest activities of all enzymes under 70% SWC, whereas meadow soils presented the highest activities of β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase under 50% SWC, both together with the lowest dissolved organic carbon content and the highest dissolved phosphorus content. Drought increased the number of microbial species in wetland soils but decreased that in meadow soils. The Shannon and Pielou indices were highest under 100% SWC (in wetlands) or 70% SWC (in meadows) and lowest under 50% SWC (in both soils) and were significantly positively correlated with acid phosphatase activity in wetland soils. Distance-based redundancy analysis revealed the important role of peroxidase in alpine wetlands. Procrustes analysis further indicated the different drought-induced ecological responses in two alpine soils. This study deepens our understanding of the soil-type-related ecological responses in alpine ecosystems and provides a valuable reference for the application of emerging multiomics techniques.
{"title":"Different Responses of Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Microbial Activities to Soil Moisture Changes in Alpine Wetlands and Meadows on the Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Shiyu Fan, Jihong Qin, Hui Sun, Zhenchu Dan, Zhi Li, Jiyuan Yang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5472","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5472","url":null,"abstract":"Alpine wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau are important carbon pools and are undergoing severe degradation, generally with decreasing vegetation and soil water contents. However, the ecological responses of alpine wetlands to hydrological changes vary greatly among habitats. In this study, topsoil from alpine wetlands and meadows (degraded wetlands) was incubated under 50%, 70%, and 100% saturated water content (SWC) and then characterized based on soil nutrients, enzyme activities, the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter (metabolomes), and microbial communities (metagenomes). Compared with meadow soils, wetland soils had greater nutrient contents and hydrolase activities and more complex compositions of metabolomes and metabolomes. After incubation, wetland soils presented the highest activities of all enzymes under 70% SWC, whereas meadow soils presented the highest activities of β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase under 50% SWC, both together with the lowest dissolved organic carbon content and the highest dissolved phosphorus content. Drought increased the number of microbial species in wetland soils but decreased that in meadow soils. The Shannon and Pielou indices were highest under 100% SWC (in wetlands) or 70% SWC (in meadows) and lowest under 50% SWC (in both soils) and were significantly positively correlated with acid phosphatase activity in wetland soils. Distance-based redundancy analysis revealed the important role of peroxidase in alpine wetlands. Procrustes analysis further indicated the different drought-induced ecological responses in two alpine soils. This study deepens our understanding of the soil-type-related ecological responses in alpine ecosystems and provides a valuable reference for the application of emerging multiomics techniques.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142987137","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}
Xavier G. H. Koenig, Prakash N. K. Deenapanray, Jean-Louis Weber, Solofo Rakotondraompiana, Tony Arison Ramihangihajason
The cover image is based on the article Are Neutrality Targets Alone Sufficient for Protecting Nature? Learning From Land Cover Change and Land Degradation Neutrality Targets in Mauritius by Xavier Koenig et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5359.
{"title":"Featured Front Cover","authors":"Xavier G. H. Koenig, Prakash N. K. Deenapanray, Jean-Louis Weber, Solofo Rakotondraompiana, Tony Arison Ramihangihajason","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5480","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ldr.5480","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The cover image is based on the article <i>Are Neutrality Targets Alone Sufficient for Protecting Nature? Learning From Land Cover Change and Land Degradation Neutrality Targets in Mauritius</i> by Xavier Koenig et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5359.\u0000\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"36 1","pages":"i"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ldr.5480","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142981700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zeeshan Khan, Ramez Abubakr Badeeb, Sher Ali, Yuriy Bilan, Sebastian Majewski
Land productivity including both water and agriculture are equally important for sustainable environment. The study investigate the role of water productivity and agriculture land along with the non-linear effect of green finance on environment. Specifically, this research aims to investigate the effect of agriculture land, water productivity, green finance, environmental taxes and technologies on environmental sustainability in the Group of Seven (G7) countries, covering the timeframe of 1990–2020. The study also scrutinized the effect of green innovation and environmental regulations on the environment. This study uses novel panel data methods that are robust to nonparametric data. The empirical data are confirmed to be nonnormally distributed; therefore, the quantile regression approach is used. The empirical results confirmed an inverted U-shaped curve for green finance, as its linear term is positive, and its nonlinear term negatively impacts carbon emissions. This supports the idea that green finance is effective for a group of seven economies; however, its magnitude should increase. Moreover, agricultural land, water productivity, environmental regulations, and green innovation negatively impact carbon emissions. By contrast, increasing economic activities, such as gross domestic product, increase carbon emissions. This study recommends increasing the focus on green finance, agricultural land, water productivity, and environmental regulations for the G7 countries to achieve the target of COP 27 and address climate change.
{"title":"Land productivity and environmental sustainability for G7 economies: Does an inverted U-shaped curve exhibit green finance?","authors":"Zeeshan Khan, Ramez Abubakr Badeeb, Sher Ali, Yuriy Bilan, Sebastian Majewski","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5251","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ldr.5251","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Land productivity including both water and agriculture are equally important for sustainable environment. The study investigate the role of water productivity and agriculture land along with the non-linear effect of green finance on environment. Specifically, this research aims to investigate the effect of agriculture land, water productivity, green finance, environmental taxes and technologies on environmental sustainability in the Group of Seven (G7) countries, covering the timeframe of 1990–2020. The study also scrutinized the effect of green innovation and environmental regulations on the environment. This study uses novel panel data methods that are robust to nonparametric data. The empirical data are confirmed to be nonnormally distributed; therefore, the quantile regression approach is used. The empirical results confirmed an inverted U-shaped curve for green finance, as its linear term is positive, and its nonlinear term negatively impacts carbon emissions. This supports the idea that green finance is effective for a group of seven economies; however, its magnitude should increase. Moreover, agricultural land, water productivity, environmental regulations, and green innovation negatively impact carbon emissions. By contrast, increasing economic activities, such as gross domestic product, increase carbon emissions. This study recommends increasing the focus on green finance, agricultural land, water productivity, and environmental regulations for the G7 countries to achieve the target of COP 27 and address climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"36 3","pages":"706-723"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974618","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}
Nitrogen deposition can alter the interactions between litter types during their decomposition, and thus affect material cycling and ecosystem stability. However, it is unclear how the differences in the initial chemical properties of litter mixtures affect their response to nitrogen deposition. In this study, we investigated three litter mixtures: high quality–high quality (Robinia pseudoacacia–Stipa grandis, Rp‐Sg, mixed form F1), high quality–low quality (Rp–Setaria viridis, Rp‐Sv, F2), and low quality–low quality (Artemisia gmelinii–Sv, Ag‐Sv, F3). Each of the litter types can be found in Rp plantations in the Loess Hilly Region, China. We subjected the litter mixtures to nitrogen deposition treatments (0 and 4–12 g·m−2·a−1) in a 326‐day indoor decomposition experiment. Decomposition parameters of each litter type in monospecific and mixed decomposition were compared to investigate the interactions between litter types under nitrogen deposition. The results indicated that, in the early stage of mixed decomposition, litter types of similar substrate quality did not affect the decomposition of each other (i.e., in the F1 and F3 mixtures). In contrast, the decomposition of low‐quality litter (Sv) was accelerated by that of high‐quality litter (Rp) when there was no nitrogen deposition. The overall degree of the mutual effects (Rinter,t) for the litter decomposition rate in F1, which has an overall higher quality, increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen deposition; whereas the Rinter,t for the litter decomposition rate in F2 and F3, which have an overall poor quality (p < 0.05), increased continuously. In general, nitrogen deposition increased the interactions between litter types during the early stage of mixed decomposition. Given that most interactions were synergistic, this effect of nitrogen deposition may alleviate its inhibitory effects on litter decomposition in the study region.
{"title":"Nitrogen Deposition Enhances Interactions Between Litter Types During the Early Stage of Decomposition","authors":"Jiahao Li, Yuxin Dong, Kaixuan Liu, Lingsu Chen, Xiaoxi Zhang, Yangfei Zhang, Enxiu Yang, Lihong Wei","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5470","url":null,"abstract":"Nitrogen deposition can alter the interactions between litter types during their decomposition, and thus affect material cycling and ecosystem stability. However, it is unclear how the differences in the initial chemical properties of litter mixtures affect their response to nitrogen deposition. In this study, we investigated three litter mixtures: high quality–high quality (<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>Robinia pseudoacacia</jats:italic></jats:styled-content>–<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>Stipa grandis</jats:italic></jats:styled-content>, Rp‐Sg, mixed form F1), high quality–low quality (Rp–<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>Setaria viridis</jats:italic></jats:styled-content>, Rp‐Sv, F2), and low quality–low quality (<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>Artemisia gmelinii</jats:italic></jats:styled-content>–Sv, Ag‐Sv, F3). Each of the litter types can be found in Rp plantations in the Loess Hilly Region, China. We subjected the litter mixtures to nitrogen deposition treatments (0 and 4–12 g·m<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup>·a<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) in a 326‐day indoor decomposition experiment. Decomposition parameters of each litter type in monospecific and mixed decomposition were compared to investigate the interactions between litter types under nitrogen deposition. The results indicated that, in the early stage of mixed decomposition, litter types of similar substrate quality did not affect the decomposition of each other (i.e., in the F1 and F3 mixtures). In contrast, the decomposition of low‐quality litter (Sv) was accelerated by that of high‐quality litter (Rp) when there was no nitrogen deposition. The overall degree of the mutual effects (<jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sub>inter,t</jats:sub>) for the litter decomposition rate in F1, which has an overall higher quality, increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen deposition; whereas the <jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sub>inter,t</jats:sub> for the litter decomposition rate in F2 and F3, which have an overall poor quality (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.05), increased continuously. In general, nitrogen deposition increased the interactions between litter types during the early stage of mixed decomposition. Given that most interactions were synergistic, this effect of nitrogen deposition may alleviate its inhibitory effects on litter decomposition in the study region.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"53 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974619","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}
Lan Liu, Zhaochen Zhang, Meng Wang, Xin Wang, Ran Zhang, Junxiang Li, Jian Zhang
Urbanization is known to cause biotic homogenization, but the processes controlling biotic homogenization are not well understood. Here, we analyzed microbial communities from 258 soil samples covering the large landscape heterogeneity of the entire Shanghai megacity. We measured the urbanization intensity by incorporating habitat fragmentation, connectivity, and distance to the city center. We determined the extent to which bacterial and fungal community composition varied with urbanization intensity and how different assembly processes contributed to the variations. We found significantly positive effects of urbanization on the compositional homogenization of bacteria and fungi, and the proportions of generalists and specialists were significantly related to homogenization. Dispersal and ecological drift explained at least 60% of bacterial and fungal compositional variations, with increased influences of dispersal and ecological drift reducing the specialists. Environmental variables explained < 28% of compositional variations, and higher urbanization intensity led to a simplified co‐occurrence network and an increased proportion of generalists in the network. These results indicate that dispersal and ecological drift homogenized soil microbial communities in the city by shifting the proportions of generalist and specialist microbes, with weak effects from environmental selection. Therefore, to conserve urban biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the face of complex human impacts, management strategies should consider not only environmental conditions but also influences of dispersal and drift, as well as species habitat preferences, to increase the effectiveness of management actions.
{"title":"Assembly Processes Underlying Biotic Homogenization of Soil Microbial Communities in an Urban Ecosystem","authors":"Lan Liu, Zhaochen Zhang, Meng Wang, Xin Wang, Ran Zhang, Junxiang Li, Jian Zhang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5471","url":null,"abstract":"Urbanization is known to cause biotic homogenization, but the processes controlling biotic homogenization are not well understood. Here, we analyzed microbial communities from 258 soil samples covering the large landscape heterogeneity of the entire Shanghai megacity. We measured the urbanization intensity by incorporating habitat fragmentation, connectivity, and distance to the city center. We determined the extent to which bacterial and fungal community composition varied with urbanization intensity and how different assembly processes contributed to the variations. We found significantly positive effects of urbanization on the compositional homogenization of bacteria and fungi, and the proportions of generalists and specialists were significantly related to homogenization. Dispersal and ecological drift explained at least 60% of bacterial and fungal compositional variations, with increased influences of dispersal and ecological drift reducing the specialists. Environmental variables explained < 28% of compositional variations, and higher urbanization intensity led to a simplified co‐occurrence network and an increased proportion of generalists in the network. These results indicate that dispersal and ecological drift homogenized soil microbial communities in the city by shifting the proportions of generalist and specialist microbes, with weak effects from environmental selection. Therefore, to conserve urban biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the face of complex human impacts, management strategies should consider not only environmental conditions but also influences of dispersal and drift, as well as species habitat preferences, to increase the effectiveness of management actions.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974607","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}
Lihong Lu, Fuping Zeng, Zhaoxia Zeng, Hu Du, Chen Zhang, Hao Zhang
As the climax community of karst in southwest China without human disturbance, the mechanisms through which biodiversity maintains ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) in evergreen and deciduous broad‐leaved mixed forest are still unclear. This study employed structural equation modeling to analyze the correlations between EMF and three key variables: plant diversity, soil microbial diversity, and rock exposure ratio within this karst forest. Plant and soil microbial diversity were the main biotic drivers of EMF. Within these biotic factors, soil microbial diversity provided a preferable explanation for EMF compared to plant diversity, with fungal diversity and the co‐occurrence network complexity playing dominant roles. Functional, species, and phylogenetic diversity indices of plant explain the changes in EMF better than the community‐weighted mean of traits, indicating that the niche complementarity hypothesis holds greater relevance in explaining the biodiversity‐maintenance mechanism of EMF. Moreover, the rock exposure ratio directly affects EMF as well as indirectly through plant diversity. Collectively, soil microbial diversity, plant diversity, and rock exposure ratio account for 87% of the variability in EMF. Specifically, plant diversity, fungal diversity, and its co‐occurrence network complexity exerted a positive and direct impact on EMF, while bacterial diversity mainly affected EMF by positively contributing to fungal co‐occurrence network complexity. These findings emphasized the significance of comprehensive protection of aboveground and underground biodiversity and have strengthened our comprehension of the biodiversity‐maintenance mechanisms of EMF in karst forests.
{"title":"Biodiversity and Rock Exposure Ratio Jointly Affected the Ecosystem Multifunctionality of Karst Evergreen and Deciduous Broad‐Leaved Mixed Forest","authors":"Lihong Lu, Fuping Zeng, Zhaoxia Zeng, Hu Du, Chen Zhang, Hao Zhang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5452","url":null,"abstract":"As the climax community of karst in southwest China without human disturbance, the mechanisms through which biodiversity maintains ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) in evergreen and deciduous broad‐leaved mixed forest are still unclear. This study employed structural equation modeling to analyze the correlations between EMF and three key variables: plant diversity, soil microbial diversity, and rock exposure ratio within this karst forest. Plant and soil microbial diversity were the main biotic drivers of EMF. Within these biotic factors, soil microbial diversity provided a preferable explanation for EMF compared to plant diversity, with fungal diversity and the co‐occurrence network complexity playing dominant roles. Functional, species, and phylogenetic diversity indices of plant explain the changes in EMF better than the community‐weighted mean of traits, indicating that the niche complementarity hypothesis holds greater relevance in explaining the biodiversity‐maintenance mechanism of EMF. Moreover, the rock exposure ratio directly affects EMF as well as indirectly through plant diversity. Collectively, soil microbial diversity, plant diversity, and rock exposure ratio account for 87% of the variability in EMF. Specifically, plant diversity, fungal diversity, and its co‐occurrence network complexity exerted a positive and direct impact on EMF, while bacterial diversity mainly affected EMF by positively contributing to fungal co‐occurrence network complexity. These findings emphasized the significance of comprehensive protection of aboveground and underground biodiversity and have strengthened our comprehension of the biodiversity‐maintenance mechanisms of EMF in karst forests.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974529","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}
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