Articles | Volume 14, issue 24
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5775-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5775-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Dec 2017
Research article |
| 22 Dec 2017
Bryophyte-dominated biological soil crusts mitigate soil erosion in an early successional Chinese subtropical forest
Steffen Seitz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Martin Nebel
State Museum of Natural History, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
Philipp Goebes
Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Kathrin Käppeler
Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Karsten Schmidt
Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Xuezheng Shi
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China
Zhengshan Song
Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China
Carla L. Webber
Department of Geosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, 90040-060, Brazil
Bettina Weber
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Thomas Scholten
Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Related authors
Corinna Gall, Silvana Oldenburg, Martin Nebel, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
SOIL, 11, 199–212, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-199-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-199-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Soil erosion is a major issue in vineyards due to often steep slopes and fallow interlines. While cover crops are typically used for erosion control, moss restoration has not yet been explored. In this study, moss restoration reduced surface runoff by 71.4 % and sediment discharge by 75.8 % compared with bare soil, similar to cover crops. Mosses could serve as ground cover where mowing is impractical, potentially reducing herbicide use in viticulture, although further research is needed.
Wanjun Zhang, Thomas Scholten, Steffen Seitz, Qianmei Zhang, Guowei Chu, Linhua Wang, Xin Xiong, and Juxiu Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3837–3854, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3837-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3837-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall input generally controls soil water and plant growth. We focus on rainfall redistribution in succession sequence forests over 22 years. Some changes in rainwater volume and chemistry in the throughfall and stemflow and drivers were investigated. Results show that shifted open rainfall over time and forest factors induced remarkable variability in throughfall and stemflow, which potentially makes forecasting future changes in water resources in the forest ecosystems more difficult.
Ayumi Katayama, Kazuki Nanko, Seonghun Jeong, Tomonori Kume, Yoshinori Shinohara, and Steffen Seitz
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1275–1282, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Even under forests, soil is eroded by rainfall. This is particularly true when human impact damages vegetation layers. We found that the erosion risk can be greatly increased by structural drip points at branches forming large drops under the tree canopy in the foliated and non-foliated seasons. Our measurements with sand-filled splash cups in Japanese beech forests showed drop energies up to 50 times greater than under freefall precipitation, indicating locally severe sediment detachment.
Nicolás Riveras-Muñoz, Steffen Seitz, Kristina Witzgall, Victoria Rodríguez, Peter Kühn, Carsten W. Mueller, Rómulo Oses, Oscar Seguel, Dirk Wagner, and Thomas Scholten
SOIL, 8, 717–731, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) stabilize the soil surface mainly in arid regions but are also present in Mediterranean and humid climates. We studied this stabilizing effect through wet and dry sieving along a large climatic gradient in Chile and found that the stabilization of soil aggregates persists in all climates, but their role is masked and reserved for a limited number of size fractions under humid conditions by higher vegetation and organic matter contents in the topsoil.
Corinna Gall, Martin Nebel, Dietmar Quandt, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
Biogeosciences, 19, 3225–3245, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental challenges of our time, which also applies to forests when forest soil is disturbed. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) can play a key role as erosion control. In this study, we combined soil erosion measurements with vegetation surveys in disturbed forest areas. We found that soil erosion was reduced primarily by pioneer bryophyte-dominated biocrusts and that bryophytes contributed more to soil erosion mitigation than vascular plants.
S. Seitz, P. Goebes, Z. Song, H. Bruelheide, W. Härdtle, P. Kühn, Y. Li, and T. Scholten
SOIL, 2, 49–61, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-49-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-49-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Different tree species affect interrill erosion, but a higher tree species richness does not mitigate soil losses in young subtropical forest stands. Different tree morphologies and tree traits (e.g. crown cover or tree height) have to be considered when assessing erosion in forest ecosystems. If a leaf litter cover is not present, the remaining soil surface cover by stones and biological soil crusts is the most important driver for soil erosion control.
Kerstin Rau, Katharina Eggensperger, Frank Schneider, Michael Blaschek, Philipp Hennig, and Thomas Scholten
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-166, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-166, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for SOIL (SOIL).
Short summary
Short summary
Uneven data collection can make it hard to predict soil properties accurately in new areas. We developed a method to show where predictions are reliable and where more data is needed. By training a model in one region and applying it to another, we found that our approach effectively recognized river patterns but was biased toward overrepresented soil types. This tool can guide smarter data collection, helping improve predictions and make better use of resources for soil management.
Fedor Scholz, Manuel Traub, Christiane Zarfl, Thomas Scholten, and Martin V. Butz
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4119, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4119, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present a neural network model that estimates river discharge based on gridded elevation, precipitation, and solar radiation. Some instances of our model produce more accurate forecasts than the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) when simulating discharge with lead times of over 100 days on the Neckar river network in Germany. It consists of multiple components that are designed to model distinct sub-processes. We show that this makes the model behave in a more physically realistic way.
Sebastian Brill, Björn Nillius, Jan-David Förster, Paulo Artaxo, Florian Ditas, Dennis Geis, Christian Gurk, Thomas Kenntner, Thomas Klimach, Mark Lamneck, Rafael Valiati, Bettina Weber, Stefan Wolff, Ulrich Pöschl, and Christopher Pöhlker
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-295, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-295, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
Highly resolved vertical profiles are crucial for understanding ecosystem-atmosphere interactions. We developed the robotic lift (RoLi) as a platform for vertical profile measurements at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory in the central Amazon basin. Initial results reveal distinct spatiotemporal patterns in altitude profiles of temperature, humidity, fog, and aerosol properties, offering new insights into the diurnal dynamics of convective daytime mixing and stable nighttime stratification.
Corinna Gall, Silvana Oldenburg, Martin Nebel, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
SOIL, 11, 199–212, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-199-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-199-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Soil erosion is a major issue in vineyards due to often steep slopes and fallow interlines. While cover crops are typically used for erosion control, moss restoration has not yet been explored. In this study, moss restoration reduced surface runoff by 71.4 % and sediment discharge by 75.8 % compared with bare soil, similar to cover crops. Mosses could serve as ground cover where mowing is impractical, potentially reducing herbicide use in viticulture, although further research is needed.
Wanjun Zhang, Thomas Scholten, Steffen Seitz, Qianmei Zhang, Guowei Chu, Linhua Wang, Xin Xiong, and Juxiu Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3837–3854, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3837-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3837-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall input generally controls soil water and plant growth. We focus on rainfall redistribution in succession sequence forests over 22 years. Some changes in rainwater volume and chemistry in the throughfall and stemflow and drivers were investigated. Results show that shifted open rainfall over time and forest factors induced remarkable variability in throughfall and stemflow, which potentially makes forecasting future changes in water resources in the forest ecosystems more difficult.
Ayumi Katayama, Kazuki Nanko, Seonghun Jeong, Tomonori Kume, Yoshinori Shinohara, and Steffen Seitz
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1275–1282, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Even under forests, soil is eroded by rainfall. This is particularly true when human impact damages vegetation layers. We found that the erosion risk can be greatly increased by structural drip points at branches forming large drops under the tree canopy in the foliated and non-foliated seasons. Our measurements with sand-filled splash cups in Japanese beech forests showed drop energies up to 50 times greater than under freefall precipitation, indicating locally severe sediment detachment.
Eliane Gomes Alves, Raoni Aquino Santana, Cléo Quaresma Dias-Júnior, Santiago Botía, Tyeen Taylor, Ana Maria Yáñez-Serrano, Jürgen Kesselmeier, Efstratios Bourtsoukidis, Jonathan Williams, Pedro Ivo Lembo Silveira de Assis, Giordane Martins, Rodrigo de Souza, Sérgio Duvoisin Júnior, Alex Guenther, Dasa Gu, Anywhere Tsokankunku, Matthias Sörgel, Bruce Nelson, Davieliton Pinto, Shujiro Komiya, Diogo Martins Rosa, Bettina Weber, Cybelli Barbosa, Michelle Robin, Kenneth J. Feeley, Alvaro Duque, Viviana Londoño Lemos, Maria Paula Contreras, Alvaro Idarraga, Norberto López, Chad Husby, Brett Jestrow, and Iván Mauricio Cely Toro
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8149–8168, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8149-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8149-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Isoprene is emitted mainly by plants and can influence atmospheric chemistry and air quality. But, there are uncertainties in model emission estimates and follow-up atmospheric processes. In our study, with long-term observational datasets of isoprene and biological and environmental factors from central Amazonia, we show that isoprene emission estimates could be improved when biological processes were mechanistically incorporated into the model.
Yunyao Ma, Bettina Weber, Alexandra Kratz, José Raggio, Claudia Colesie, Maik Veste, Maaike Y. Bader, and Philipp Porada
Biogeosciences, 20, 2553–2572, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2553-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2553-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We found that the modelled annual carbon balance of biocrusts is strongly affected by both the environment (mostly air temperature and CO2 concentration) and physiology, such as temperature response of respiration. However, the relative impacts of these drivers vary across regions with different climates. Uncertainty in driving factors may lead to unrealistic carbon balance estimates, particularly in temperate climates, and may be explained by seasonal variation of physiology due to acclimation.
Nicolás Riveras-Muñoz, Steffen Seitz, Kristina Witzgall, Victoria Rodríguez, Peter Kühn, Carsten W. Mueller, Rómulo Oses, Oscar Seguel, Dirk Wagner, and Thomas Scholten
SOIL, 8, 717–731, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) stabilize the soil surface mainly in arid regions but are also present in Mediterranean and humid climates. We studied this stabilizing effect through wet and dry sieving along a large climatic gradient in Chile and found that the stabilization of soil aggregates persists in all climates, but their role is masked and reserved for a limited number of size fractions under humid conditions by higher vegetation and organic matter contents in the topsoil.
Charlotte M. Beall, Thomas C. J. Hill, Paul J. DeMott, Tobias Köneman, Michael Pikridas, Frank Drewnick, Hartwig Harder, Christopher Pöhlker, Jos Lelieveld, Bettina Weber, Minas Iakovides, Roman Prokeš, Jean Sciare, Meinrat O. Andreae, M. Dale Stokes, and Kimberly A. Prather
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12607–12627, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12607-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12607-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) are rare aerosols that can trigger ice formation in clouds and affect climate-relevant cloud properties such as phase, reflectivity and lifetime. Dust is the dominant INP source, yet few measurements have been reported near major dust sources. We report INP observations within hundreds of kilometers of the biggest dust source regions globally: the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula. Results show that at temperatures > −15 °C, INPs are dominated by organics.
Corinna Gall, Martin Nebel, Dietmar Quandt, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
Biogeosciences, 19, 3225–3245, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental challenges of our time, which also applies to forests when forest soil is disturbed. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) can play a key role as erosion control. In this study, we combined soil erosion measurements with vegetation surveys in disturbed forest areas. We found that soil erosion was reduced primarily by pioneer bryophyte-dominated biocrusts and that bryophytes contributed more to soil erosion mitigation than vascular plants.
Kai Tang, Beatriz Sánchez-Parra, Petya Yordanova, Jörn Wehking, Anna T. Backes, Daniel A. Pickersgill, Stefanie Maier, Jean Sciare, Ulrich Pöschl, Bettina Weber, and Janine Fröhlich-Nowoisky
Biogeosciences, 19, 71–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-71-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-71-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Metagenomic sequencing and freezing experiments of aerosol samples collected on Cyprus revealed rain-related short-term changes of bioaerosol and ice nuclei composition. Filtration experiments showed a rain-related enhancement of biological ice nuclei > 5 µm and < 0.1 µm. The observed effects of rainfall on the composition of atmospheric bioaerosols and ice nuclei may influence the hydrological cycle as well as the health effects of air particulate matter (pathogens, allergens).
Maria Prass, Meinrat O. Andreae, Alessandro C. de Araùjo, Paulo Artaxo, Florian Ditas, Wolfgang Elbert, Jan-David Förster, Marco Aurélio Franco, Isabella Hrabe de Angelis, Jürgen Kesselmeier, Thomas Klimach, Leslie Ann Kremper, Eckhard Thines, David Walter, Jens Weber, Bettina Weber, Bernhard M. Fuchs, Ulrich Pöschl, and Christopher Pöhlker
Biogeosciences, 18, 4873–4887, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4873-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4873-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Bioaerosols in the atmosphere over the Amazon rain forest were analyzed by molecular biological staining and microscopy. Eukaryotic, bacterial, and archaeal aerosols were quantified in time series and altitude profiles which exhibited clear differences in number concentrations and vertical distributions. Our results provide insights into the sources and dispersion of different Amazonian bioaerosol types as a basis for a better understanding of biosphere–atmosphere interactions.
Sascha Scherer, Benjamin Höpfer, Katleen Deckers, Elske Fischer, Markus Fuchs, Ellen Kandeler, Jutta Lechterbeck, Eva Lehndorff, Johanna Lomax, Sven Marhan, Elena Marinova, Julia Meister, Christian Poll, Humay Rahimova, Manfred Rösch, Kristen Wroth, Julia Zastrow, Thomas Knopf, Thomas Scholten, and Peter Kühn
SOIL, 7, 269–304, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-269-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-269-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper aims to reconstruct Middle Bronze Age (MBA) land use practices in the northwestern Alpine foreland (SW Germany, Hegau). We used a multi-proxy approach including biogeochemical proxies from colluvial deposits in the surroundings of a MBA settlement, on-site archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data and off-site pollen data. From our data we infer land use practices such as plowing, cereal growth, forest farming and use of fire that marked the beginning of major colluvial deposition.
Nina Löbs, David Walter, Cybelli G. G. Barbosa, Sebastian Brill, Rodrigo P. Alves, Gabriela R. Cerqueira, Marta de Oliveira Sá, Alessandro C. de Araújo, Leonardo R. de Oliveira, Florian Ditas, Daniel Moran-Zuloaga, Ana Paula Pires Florentino, Stefan Wolff, Ricardo H. M. Godoi, Jürgen Kesselmeier, Sylvia Mota de Oliveira, Meinrat O. Andreae, Christopher Pöhlker, and Bettina Weber
Biogeosciences, 17, 5399–5416, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5399-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5399-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Cryptogamic organisms, such as bryophytes, lichens, and algae, cover major parts of vegetation in the Amazonian rain forest, but their relevance in biosphere–atmosphere exchange, climate processes, and nutrient cycling is largely unknown.
Over the duration of 2 years we measured their water content, temperature, and light conditions to get better insights into their physiological activity patterns and thus their potential impact on local, regional, and even global biogeochemical processes.
Nina Löbs, Cybelli G. G. Barbosa, Sebastian Brill, David Walter, Florian Ditas, Marta de Oliveira Sá, Alessandro C. de Araújo, Leonardo R. de Oliveira, Ricardo H. M. Godoi, Stefan Wolff, Meike Piepenbring, Jürgen Kesselmeier, Paulo Artaxo, Meinrat O. Andreae, Ulrich Pöschl, Christopher Pöhlker, and Bettina Weber
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 153–164, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-153-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-153-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Bioaerosols are considered to play a relevant role in atmospheric processes, but their sources, properties, and spatiotemporal distribution in the atmosphere are not yet well characterized. Measurement data on the release of fungal spores under natural conditions are also sparse. Here, we present an experimental approach to analyze and quantify the spore release from fungi and other spore-producing organisms under natural and laboratory conditions.
Christopher Pöhlker, David Walter, Hauke Paulsen, Tobias Könemann, Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero, Daniel Moran-Zuloaga, Joel Brito, Samara Carbone, Céline Degrendele, Viviane R. Després, Florian Ditas, Bruna A. Holanda, Johannes W. Kaiser, Gerhard Lammel, Jošt V. Lavrič, Jing Ming, Daniel Pickersgill, Mira L. Pöhlker, Maria Praß, Nina Löbs, Jorge Saturno, Matthias Sörgel, Qiaoqiao Wang, Bettina Weber, Stefan Wolff, Paulo Artaxo, Ulrich Pöschl, and Meinrat O. Andreae
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8425–8470, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8425-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8425-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) has been established to monitor the rain forest's biosphere–atmosphere exchange, which experiences the combined pressures from human-made deforestation and progressing climate change. This work is meant to be a reference study, which characterizes various geospatial properties of the ATTO footprint region and shows how the human-made transformation of Amazonia may impact future atmospheric observations at ATTO.
Jan Johannes Miera, Jessica Henkner, Karsten Schmidt, Markus Fuchs, Thomas Scholten, Peter Kühn, and Thomas Knopf
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 75–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates Neolithic settlement dynamics by combining archaeological source criticism and archaeopedological data from colluvial deposits. It is shown that the distribution of Neolithic sites in the Baar region is distorted by superimposition due to erosion. Furthermore, the preservation conditions for pottery are limited by weathering effects. By complementing archaeological data with phases of colluviation we are able to point out settlement dynamics throughout the Neolithic.
Lars A. Meier, Patryk Krauze, Isabel Prater, Fabian Horn, Carlos E. G. R. Schaefer, Thomas Scholten, Dirk Wagner, Carsten W. Mueller, and Peter Kühn
Biogeosciences, 16, 2481–2499, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
James Ross Island offers the opportunity to study the undisturbed interplay of microbial activity and pedogenesis. Soils from two sites representing coastal and inland conditions were chosen and analyzed with a wide range of techniques to describe soil properties. We are able to show that coastal conditions go along with more intense weathering and therefore favor soil formation and that microbial communities are initially more affected by weathering and structure than by chemical parameters.
Philipp Porada, Alexandra Tamm, Jose Raggio, Yafang Cheng, Axel Kleidon, Ulrich Pöschl, and Bettina Weber
Biogeosciences, 16, 2003–2031, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2003-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2003-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The trace gases NO and HONO are crucial for atmospheric chemistry. It has been suggested that biological soil crusts in drylands contribute substantially to global NO and HONO emissions, based on empirical upscaling of laboratory and field observations. Here we apply an alternative, process-based modeling approach to predict these emissions. We find that biological soil crusts emit globally significant amounts of NO and HONO, which also vary depending on the type of biological soil crust.
Dorothea S. Macholdt, Jan-David Förster, Maren Müller, Bettina Weber, Michael Kappl, A. L. David Kilcoyne, Markus Weigand, Jan Leitner, Klaus Peter Jochum, Christopher Pöhlker, and Meinrat O. Andreae
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 97–111, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-97-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-97-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Focused ion beam (FIB) slicing is a widely used technique to prepare ultrathin slices for the microanalysis of geological and environmental samples. During our investigations of the manganese oxidation states in rock varnish slices, we found an FIB-related reduction of manganese(IV) to manganese(II) at the samples’ surfaces. This study characterizes the observed reduction artifacts and emphasizes that caution is needed in the analysis of transition metal oxidation states upon FIB preparation.
Daniel Moran-Zuloaga, Florian Ditas, David Walter, Jorge Saturno, Joel Brito, Samara Carbone, Xuguang Chi, Isabella Hrabě de Angelis, Holger Baars, Ricardo H. M. Godoi, Birgit Heese, Bruna A. Holanda, Jošt V. Lavrič, Scot T. Martin, Jing Ming, Mira L. Pöhlker, Nina Ruckteschler, Hang Su, Yaqiang Wang, Qiaoqiao Wang, Zhibin Wang, Bettina Weber, Stefan Wolff, Paulo Artaxo, Ulrich Pöschl, Meinrat O. Andreae, and Christopher Pöhlker
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 10055–10088, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10055-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10055-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents multiple years of aerosol coarse mode observations at the remote ATTO site in the Amazon Basin. The results are discussed in light of the frequent and episodic long-range transport of Saharan dust plumes in the early wet season as well as the persistent background bioaerosol cycling in the rain forest ecosystem. This work provides a solid basis for future studies on the dynamic coarse mode aerosol cycling and its biogeochemical relevance in the Amazon.
Jennifer Caesar, Alexandra Tamm, Nina Ruckteschler, Anna Lena Leifke, and Bettina Weber
Biogeosciences, 15, 1415–1424, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1415-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1415-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In our study we analyzed the efficiency of different chlorophyll extraction solvents and investigated the effect of different preparatory steps to determine the optimal extraction method for biological soil crusts. Based on our results we confirm a DMSO-based chlorophyll extraction method without grinding pretreatment and suggest to insert an intermediate shaking step for complete chlorophyll extraction.
Hannah Meusel, Alexandra Tamm, Uwe Kuhn, Dianming Wu, Anna Lena Leifke, Sabine Fiedler, Nina Ruckteschler, Petya Yordanova, Naama Lang-Yona, Mira Pöhlker, Jos Lelieveld, Thorsten Hoffmann, Ulrich Pöschl, Hang Su, Bettina Weber, and Yafang Cheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 799–813, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-799-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-799-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The photolysis of nitrous acid (HONO) forms the OH radical. However, not all sources are known. Recent studies showed that HONO can be emitted from soil but they did not evaluate the importance to the HONO budget. In this work HONO emissions from 43 soil and biological soil crust samples from Cyprus were measured in a dynamic chamber and extrapolated to the real atmosphere. A large fraction of the local missing source (published earlier; Meusel et al., 2016) could be assigned to soil emissions.
Ramchandra Karki, Shabeh ul Hasson, Lars Gerlitz, Udo Schickhoff, Thomas Scholten, and Jürgen Böhner
Earth Syst. Dynam., 8, 507–528, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-507-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-507-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Dynamical downscaling of climate fields at very high resolutions (convection- and topography-resolving scales) over the complex Himalayan terrain of the Nepalese Himalayas shows promising results. It clearly demonstrates the potential of mesoscale models to accurately simulate present and future climate information at very high resolutions over remote, data-scarce mountainous regions for the development of adaptation strategies and impact assessments in the context of changing climate.
Philipp Porada, Ulrich Pöschl, Axel Kleidon, Christian Beer, and Bettina Weber
Biogeosciences, 14, 1593–1602, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1593-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1593-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Lichens and bryophytes have been shown to release nitrous oxide, which is a strong greenhouse gas and atmospheric ozone-depleting agent. Here we apply a process-based computer model of lichens and bryophytes at the global scale, to estimate growth and respiration of the organisms. By relating respiration to nitrous oxide release, we simulate global nitrous oxide emissions of 0.27 (0.19–0.35) Tg yr−1. Moreover, we quantify different sources of uncertainty in nitrous oxide emission rates.
Hannah Meusel, Uwe Kuhn, Andreas Reiffs, Chinmay Mallik, Hartwig Harder, Monica Martinez, Jan Schuladen, Birger Bohn, Uwe Parchatka, John N. Crowley, Horst Fischer, Laura Tomsche, Anna Novelli, Thorsten Hoffmann, Ruud H. H. Janssen, Oscar Hartogensis, Michael Pikridas, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Efstratios Bourtsoukidis, Bettina Weber, Jos Lelieveld, Jonathan Williams, Ulrich Pöschl, Yafang Cheng, and Hang Su
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 14475–14493, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14475-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14475-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
There are many studies which show discrepancies between modeled and measured nitrous acid (HONO, precursor of OH radical) in the troposphere but with no satisfactory explanation. Ideal conditions to study the unknown sources of HONO were found on Cyprus, a remote Mediterranean island. Budget analysis of trace gas measurements indicates a common source of NO and HONO, which is not related to anthropogenic activity and is most likely derived from biologic activity in soils and subsequent emission.
S. Seitz, P. Goebes, Z. Song, H. Bruelheide, W. Härdtle, P. Kühn, Y. Li, and T. Scholten
SOIL, 2, 49–61, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-49-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-49-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Different tree species affect interrill erosion, but a higher tree species richness does not mitigate soil losses in young subtropical forest stands. Different tree morphologies and tree traits (e.g. crown cover or tree height) have to be considered when assessing erosion in forest ecosystems. If a leaf litter cover is not present, the remaining soil surface cover by stones and biological soil crusts is the most important driver for soil erosion control.
M. O. Andreae, O. C. Acevedo, A. Araùjo, P. Artaxo, C. G. G. Barbosa, H. M. J. Barbosa, J. Brito, S. Carbone, X. Chi, B. B. L. Cintra, N. F. da Silva, N. L. Dias, C. Q. Dias-Júnior, F. Ditas, R. Ditz, A. F. L. Godoi, R. H. M. Godoi, M. Heimann, T. Hoffmann, J. Kesselmeier, T. Könemann, M. L. Krüger, J. V. Lavric, A. O. Manzi, A. P. Lopes, D. L. Martins, E. F. Mikhailov, D. Moran-Zuloaga, B. W. Nelson, A. C. Nölscher, D. Santos Nogueira, M. T. F. Piedade, C. Pöhlker, U. Pöschl, C. A. Quesada, L. V. Rizzo, C.-U. Ro, N. Ruckteschler, L. D. A. Sá, M. de Oliveira Sá, C. B. Sales, R. M. N. dos Santos, J. Saturno, J. Schöngart, M. Sörgel, C. M. de Souza, R. A. F. de Souza, H. Su, N. Targhetta, J. Tóta, I. Trebs, S. Trumbore, A. van Eijck, D. Walter, Z. Wang, B. Weber, J. Williams, J. Winderlich, F. Wittmann, S. Wolff, and A. M. Yáñez-Serrano
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 10723–10776, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10723-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10723-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO), a new atmosphere-biosphere observatory located in the remote Amazon Basin. It presents results from ecosystem ecology, meteorology, trace gas, and aerosol measurements collected at the ATTO site during the first 3 years of operation.
U. Schickhoff, M. Bobrowski, J. Böhner, B. Bürzle, R. P. Chaudhary, L. Gerlitz, H. Heyken, J. Lange, M. Müller, T. Scholten, N. Schwab, and R. Wedegärtner
Earth Syst. Dynam., 6, 245–265, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-245-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-245-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Near-natural Himalayan treelines are usually krummholz treelines, which are relatively unresponsive to climate change. Intense recruitment of treeline trees suggests a great potential for future treeline advance. Competitive abilities of tree seedlings within krummholz thickets and dwarf scrub heaths will be a major source of variation in treeline dynamics. Tree growth-climate relationships show mature treeline trees to be responsive in particular to high pre-monsoon temperature trends.
H. D. Zhang, D. S. Yu, Y. L. Ni, L. M. Zhang, and X. Z. Shi
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-2653-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-2653-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Matching soil grid unit resolution with polygon unit map scale is important to minimize uncertainty of regional soil organic carbon (SOC) pool simulation by DeNitrification–DeComposition (DNDC) process-based model as their strong influences on the uncertainty. A series of soil grid units at varying cell sizes were derived from soil polygon units. Both format soil units were used for regional SOC pool simulation with DNDC model, to determine an optimal raster resolution of grid simulation units.
A.-K. Schatz, T. Scholten, and P. Kühn
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-10-469-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-10-469-2014, 2014
Revised manuscript not accepted
Related subject area
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: Terrestrial
Water usage of old-growth oak at elevated CO2 in the FACE (Free-Air CO2 Enrichment) of climate change
Elephant megacarcasses increase local nutrient pools in African savanna soils and plants
Narrowing down dune establishment drivers on the beach
Combined effects of topography, soil moisture, and snow cover regimes on growth responses of grasslands in a low- mountain range (Vosges, France)
Soil smoldering in temperate forests: a neglected contributor to fire carbon emissions revealed by atmospheric mixing ratios
Enhancing environmental models with a new downscaling method for global radiation in complex terrain
On the predictability of turbulent fluxes from land: PLUMBER2 MIP experimental description and preliminary results
The fungal collaboration gradient drives root trait distribution and ecosystem processes in a tropical montane forest
Measuring and modeling waterlogging tolerance to predict the future for threatened lowland ash forests
Role of air-soil temperature on the LAI course and role of height-DBH on the maximum LAI during foliation of Platanus orientalis L. along an urban-rural greenway system
Crowd-sourced trait data can be used to delimit global biomes
Biomass yield potential, feedstock quality, and nutrient removal of perennial buffer strips under continuous zero fertilizer application
Leaf habit drives leaf nutrient resorption globally alongside nutrient availability and climate
Soil and Biomass Carbon Storage is Much Higher in Central American than Andean Montane Forests
Optimal set of leaf and whole-tree elements for predicting forest functioning
Reviews and syntheses: Current perspectives on biosphere research – 2024
Ecosystem leaf area, gross primary production, and evapotranspiration responses to wildfire in the Columbia River Basin
Linking geomorphological processes and wildlife microhabitat selection: nesting birds select refuges generated by permafrost degradation in the Arctic
Distinguishing mature and immature trees allows estimating forest carbon uptake from stand structure
“Blooming” of litter-mixing effects: the role of flower and leaf litter interactions on decomposition in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
From simple labels to semantic image segmentation: leveraging citizen science plant photographs for tree species mapping in drone imagery
Plant functional traits modulate the effects of soil acidification on above- and belowground biomass
Regional effects and local climate jointly shape the global distribution of sexual systems in woody flowering plants
Ideas and perspectives: Sensing energy and matter fluxes in a biota-dominated Patagonian landscape through environmental seismology – introducing the Pumalín Critical Zone Observatory
Comparison of carbon and water fluxes and the drivers of ecosystem water use efficiency in a temperate rainforest and a peatland in southern South America
Kilometre-scale simulations over Fennoscandia reveal a large loss of tundra due to climate warming
Microclimate mapping using novel radiative transfer modelling
Root distributions predict shrub–steppe responses to precipitation intensity
Thermophilisation of Afromontane forest stands demonstrated in an elevation gradient experiment
Above-treeline ecosystems facing drought: lessons from the 2022 European summer heat wave
Canopy gaps and associated losses of biomass – combining UAV imagery and field data in a central Amazon forest
Ideas and perspectives: Beyond model evaluation – combining experiments and models to advance terrestrial ecosystem science
Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)
Contemporary biodiversity pattern is affected by climate change at multiple temporal scales in steppes on the Mongolian Plateau
Quantifying vegetation indices using terrestrial laser scanning: methodological complexities and ecological insights from a Mediterranean forest
Revisiting and attributing the global controls over terrestrial ecosystem functions of climate and plant traits at FLUXNET sites via causal graphical models
Dynamics of short-term ecosystem carbon fluxes induced by precipitation events in a semiarid grassland
Throughfall exclusion and fertilization effects on tropical dry forest tree plantations, a large-scale experiment
Tectonic controls on the ecosystem of the Mara River basin, East Africa, from geomorphological and spectral index analysis
Spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) cause up to 700 times higher bark BVOC emission rates compared to healthy Norway spruce (Picea abies)
Technical note: Novel estimates of the leaf relative uptake rate of carbonyl sulfide from optimality theory
Observed water and light limitation across global ecosystems
A question of scale: modeling biomass, gain and mortality distributions of a tropical forest
Seed traits and phylogeny explain plants' geographic distribution
Effect of the presence of plateau pikas on the ecosystem services of alpine meadows
Allometric equations and wood density parameters for estimating aboveground and woody debris biomass in Cajander larch (Larix cajanderi) forests of northeast Siberia
Strong influence of trees outside forest in regulating microclimate of intensively modified Afromontane landscapes
Excess radiation exacerbates drought stress impacts on canopy conductance along aridity gradients
Dispersal of bacteria and stimulation of permafrost decomposition by Collembola
Modeling the effects of alternative crop–livestock management scenarios on important ecosystem services for smallholder farming from a landscape perspective
Susan E. Quick, Giulio Curioni, Nicholas J. Harper, Stefan Krause, and A. Robert MacKenzie
Biogeosciences, 22, 1557–1581, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1557-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1557-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To study the effects of rising CO2 levels on water usage of old-growth temperate oak forest, we monitored trees in an open-air elevated CO2 experiment for 5 years. We found 4 %–16 % leaf-on season reduction in daylight water usage for ~35% increase in atmospheric CO2. July-only reduction varied more widely. Tree water usage depended on tree size, i.e. stem size and projected canopy area, across all treatments. Experimental infrastructure increased the water usage of the trees in leaf-on season.
Courtney G. Reed, Michelle L. Budny, Johan T. du Toit, Ryan Helcoski, Joshua P. Schimel, Izak P. J. Smit, Tercia Strydom, Aimee Tallian, Dave I. Thompson, Helga van Coller, Nathan P. Lemoine, and Deron E. Burkepile
Biogeosciences, 22, 1583–1596, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1583-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1583-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We seek to understand the ecological legacies of elephants after death. We sampled soil and leaves at elephant carcass sites in South Africa and found that elephant carcasses release nutrients into soil, which plants take up and make available for consumption by herbivores. This research reveals a key way that elephants contribute to nutrient cycling in savannas after death. It also highlights an important process that may be lost in areas where elephant populations are in decline.
Jan-Markus Homberger, Sasja van Rosmalen, Michel Riksen, and Juul Limpens
Biogeosciences, 22, 1301–1320, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1301-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1301-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding what determines the establishment of dune-building vegetation could help to better predict coastal dune initiation and development. We monitored the establishment of dune-building grasses and dune initiation in a large field experiment. Our results show that dune initiation takes place during peaks in dune-building grass establishment, which depend on favorable environmental conditions. Our findings can potentially be integrated into beach restoration and management strategies.
Pierre-Alexis Herrault, Albin Ullmann, and Damien Ertlen
Biogeosciences, 22, 705–724, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-705-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-705-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mountain grasslands are impacted by climate change and need to adapt. Low-mountain grasslands are poorly understood compared to high-mountain massifs. Thanks to satellite archives, we found that grasslands occurring in the Vosges Mountains (France) exhibited stable productivity or tended to decrease in specific regions of the massif, with a reverse signal observed in high-mountain massifs. We also noted a high responsiveness in their growth strategy to soil moisture, snow regime, and topography.
Lilian Vallet, Charbel Abdallah, Thomas Lauvaux, Lilian Joly, Michel Ramonet, Philippe Ciais, Morgan Lopez, Irène Xueref-Remy, and Florent Mouillot
Biogeosciences, 22, 213–242, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-213-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-213-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The 2022 fire season had a huge impact on European temperate forest, with several large fires exhibiting prolonged soil combustion reported. We analyzed CO and CO2 concentration recorded at nearby atmospheric towers, revealing intense smoldering combustion. We refined a fire emission model to incorporate this process. We estimated 7.95 Mteq CO2 fire emission, twice the global estimate. Fires contributed to 1.97 % of France's annual carbon footprint, reducing forest carbon sink by 30 % this year.
Arsène Druel, Julien Ruffault, Hendrik Davi, André Chanzy, Olivier Marloie, Miquel De Cáceres, Albert Olioso, Florent Mouillot, Christophe François, Kamel Soudani, and Nicolas K. Martin-StPaul
Biogeosciences, 22, 1–18, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate radiation data are essential for understanding ecosystem functions and dynamics. Traditional large-scale data lack the precision needed for complex terrain. This study introduces a new model, which accounts for sub-daily direct and diffuse radiation effects caused by terrain features, to enhance the radiation data resolution using elevation maps. Tested on a mountainous area, this method significantly improved radiation estimates, benefiting predictions of forest functions.
Gab Abramowitz, Anna Ukkola, Sanaa Hobeichi, Jon Cranko Page, Mathew Lipson, Martin G. De Kauwe, Samuel Green, Claire Brenner, Jonathan Frame, Grey Nearing, Martyn Clark, Martin Best, Peter Anthoni, Gabriele Arduini, Souhail Boussetta, Silvia Caldararu, Kyeungwoo Cho, Matthias Cuntz, David Fairbairn, Craig R. Ferguson, Hyungjun Kim, Yeonjoo Kim, Jürgen Knauer, David Lawrence, Xiangzhong Luo, Sergey Malyshev, Tomoko Nitta, Jerome Ogee, Keith Oleson, Catherine Ottlé, Phillipe Peylin, Patricia de Rosnay, Heather Rumbold, Bob Su, Nicolas Vuichard, Anthony P. Walker, Xiaoni Wang-Faivre, Yunfei Wang, and Yijian Zeng
Biogeosciences, 21, 5517–5538, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5517-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5517-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper evaluates land models – computer-based models that simulate ecosystem dynamics; land carbon, water, and energy cycles; and the role of land in the climate system. It uses machine learning and AI approaches to show that, despite the complexity of land models, they do not perform nearly as well as they could given the amount of information they are provided with about the prediction problem.
Mateus Dantas de Paula, Tatiana Reichert, Laynara Lugli, Erica McGale, Kerstin Pierick, João Paulo Darela-Filho, Liam Langan, Jürgen Homeier, Anja Rammig, and Thomas Hickler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3259, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3259, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores how plant roots, with different forms and functions, rely on fungal partnerships for nutrient uptake. This relationship was integrated into a vegetation model and was tested in a tropical forest in Ecuador. The model accurately predicted root traits and showed that without fungi, biomass decreased by up to 80 %. The findings highlight the critical role of fungi in ecosystem processes and suggest that root-fungal interactions should be considered in vegetation models.
Eric Gustafson, Dustin Bronson, Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Robert A. Slesak, and Deahn Donner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3332, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3332, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Black ash forests provide many ecological and tribal cultural benefits but may soon be killed by invasive insects. Black ash trees maintain forests on very wet sites by removing enough water to allow other species to survive. We combined results from physical experiments and a simulation model to project the ecological outcome of strategies to replace ash with species not killed by the insect. We found that this should work if ways can be found to ensure that planted trees survive to maturity.
Melih Öztürk, Turgay Biricik, and Rıdvan Koruyan
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3372, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3372, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Oriental plane LAI values have changed with definite pattern compatible with phenological periods. Air-soil temperatures were significantly definitive on course of mean LAI particularly during foliation. However, tree height and DBH were not significantly correlated with point-based maximum LAIs. Point-based mean LAI increased from 0.80 m2 m-2 to 2.76 m2 m-2 during foliation period. Mean tree height and DBH for point-based canopies ranged between 17.0–26.7 m and 26.5–38.2 cm respectively.
Simon Scheiter, Sophie Wolf, and Teja Kattenborn
Biogeosciences, 21, 4909–4926, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4909-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4909-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Biomes are widely used to map vegetation patterns at large spatial scales and to assess impacts of climate change, yet there is no consensus on a generally valid biome classification scheme. We used crowd-sourced species distribution data and trait data to assess whether trait information is suitable for delimiting biomes. Although the trait data were heterogeneous and had large gaps with respect to the spatial distribution, we found that a global trait-based biome classification was possible.
Cheng-Hsien Lin, Colleen Zumpf, Chunhwa Jang, Thomas Voigt, Guanglong Tian, Olawale Oladeji, Albert Cox, Rehnuma Mehzabin, and DoKyoung Lee
Biogeosciences, 21, 4765–4784, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4765-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Riparian areas are subject to environmental issues (nutrient leaching) associated with low productivity. Perennial grasses can improve ecosystem services from riparian zones while producing forage/bioenergy feedstock biomass as potential income for farmers. The forage-type buffer can be an ideal short-term candidate due to its great efficiency of nutrient scavenging; the bioenergy-type buffer showed better sustainability than the forage buffer and a continuous yield supply potential.
Gabriela Sophia, Silvia Caldararu, Benjamin David Stocker, and Sönke Zaehle
Biogeosciences, 21, 4169–4193, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4169-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4169-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Through an extensive global dataset of leaf nutrient resorption and a multifactorial analysis, we show that the majority of spatial variation in nutrient resorption may be driven by leaf habit and type, with thicker, longer-lived leaves having lower resorption efficiencies. Climate, soil fertility and soil-related factors emerge as strong drivers with an additional effect on its role. These results are essential for comprehending plant nutrient status, plant productivity and nutrient cycling.
Cecilia M. Prada, Katherine D. Heineman, Maria J. Pardo, Camille Piponiot, and James W. Dalling
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2738, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2738, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The influence of elevation and soil nutrient availability on carbon stocks has not been evaluated for ectomycorrhizal forests in the tropics. In western Panama we calculated C pools in ten plots in an elevational gradient varying in relative abundance of EM-trees. We found exceptionally high aboveground soil C in high elevation EM-forest, in contrast to arbuscular mycorrhizal-dominated Andean forests.
Ecio Souza Diniz, Eladio Rodríguez-Penedo, Roger Grau-Andrés, Jordi Vayreda, and Marcos Fernández-Martínez
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2572, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2572, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we found that the accumulation of nutrients (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium) in leaves is an important factor in explaining tree growth in forest ecosystems. This result provides evidence for forest growth studies aimed at forest conservation and restoration to better direct their resources to data collection and measurement. Collecting data on nutrient stocks in tree leaves can also provide valuable information to broaden our understanding of forest functioning.
Friedrich J. Bohn, Ana Bastos, Romina Martin, Anja Rammig, Niak Sian Koh, Giles B. Sioen, Bram Buscher, Louise Carver, Fabrice DeClerck, Moritz Drupp, Robert Fletcher, Matthew Forrest, Alexandros Gasparatos, Alex Godoy-Faúndez, Gregor Hagedorn, Martin Hänsel, Jessica Hetzer, Thomas Hickler, Cornelia B. Krug, Stasja Koot, Xiuzhen Li, Amy Luers, Shelby Matevich, H. Damon Matthews, Ina C. Meier, Awaz Mohamed, Sungmin O, David Obura, Ben Orlove, Rene Orth, Laura Pereira, Markus Reichstein, Lerato Thakholi, Peter Verburg, and Yuki Yoshida
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2551, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2551, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
An interdisciplinary collaboration of 35 international researchers from 34 institutions highlighting nine recent findings in biosphere research. Within these themes, they discuss issues arising from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, and highlight the co-benefits of nature-based solutions and ecosystem services. They discuss recent findings in the context of global trade and international policy frameworks, and highlight lessons for local implementation of nature-based solutions.
Mingjie Shi, Nate McDowell, Huilin Huang, Faria Zahura, Lingcheng Li, and Xingyuan Chen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.22541/au.171053013.30286044/v2, https://doi.org/10.22541/au.171053013.30286044/v2, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data products, we quantitatively estimate the resistance and resilience of ecosystem functions to wildfires that occurred in the Columbia River Basin in 2015. Carbon state exhibits lower resistance and resilience than the ecosystem fluxes. The random forest feature importance analysis indicates that burn severity plays a minor role in the resilience of grassland, while it has a relatively major role in the resilience of forest and savanna.
Madeleine-Zoé Corbeil-Robitaille, Éliane Duchesne, Daniel Fortier, Christophe Kinnard, and Joël Bêty
Biogeosciences, 21, 3401–3423, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3401-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3401-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In the Arctic tundra, climate change is transforming the landscape, and this may impact wildlife. We focus on three nesting bird species and the islets they select as refuges from their main predator, the Arctic fox. A geomorphological process, ice-wedge polygon degradation, was found to play a key role in creating these refuges. This process is likely to affect predator–prey dynamics in the Arctic tundra, highlighting the connections between nature's physical and ecological systems.
Samuel M. Fischer, Xugao Wang, and Andreas Huth
Biogeosciences, 21, 3305–3319, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3305-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the drivers of forest productivity is key for accurately assessing forests’ role in the global carbon cycle. Yet, despite significant research effort, it is not fully understood how the productivity of a forest can be deduced from its stand structure. We suggest tackling this problem by identifying the share and structure of immature trees within forests and show that this approach could significantly improve estimates of forests’ net productivity and carbon uptake.
Mery Ingrid Guimarães de Alencar, Rafael D. Guariento, Bertrand Guenet, Luciana S. Carneiro, Eduardo L. Voigt, and Adriano Caliman
Biogeosciences, 21, 3165–3182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Flowers are ephemeral organs for reproduction, and their litter is functionally different from leaf litter. Flowers can affect decomposition and interact with leaf litter, influencing decomposition non-additively. We show that mixing flower and leaf litter from the Tabebuia aurea tree creates reciprocal synergistic effects on decomposition in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. We highlight that flower litter input can generate biogeochemical hotspots in terrestrial ecosystems.
Salim Soltani, Olga Ferlian, Nico Eisenhauer, Hannes Feilhauer, and Teja Kattenborn
Biogeosciences, 21, 2909–2935, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2909-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2909-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this research, we developed a novel method using citizen science data as alternative training data for computer vision models to map plant species in unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) images. We use citizen science plant photographs to train models and apply them to UAV images. We tested our approach on UAV images of a test site with 10 different tree species, yielding accurate results. This research shows the potential of citizen science data to advance our ability to monitor plant species.
Xue Feng, Ruzhen Wang, Tianpeng Li, Jiangping Cai, Heyong Liu, Hui Li, and Yong Jiang
Biogeosciences, 21, 2641–2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2641-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2641-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Plant functional traits have been considered as reflecting adaptations to environmental variations, indirectly affecting ecosystem productivity. How soil acidification affects above- and belowground biomass by altering leaf and root traits remains poorly understood. We found divergent trait responses driven by soil environmental conditions in two dominant species, resulting in a decrease in aboveground biomass and an increase in belowground biomass.
Minhua Zhang, Xiaoqing Hu, and Fangliang He
Biogeosciences, 21, 2133–2142, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2133-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2133-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Plant sexual systems are important to understanding the evolution and maintenance of plant diversity. We quantified region effects on their proportions while incorporating local climate factors and evolutionary history. We found regional processes and climate effects both play important roles in shaping the geographic distribution of sexual systems, providing a baseline for predicting future changes in forest communities in the context of global change.
Christian H. Mohr, Michael Dietze, Violeta Tolorza, Erwin Gonzalez, Benjamin Sotomayor, Andres Iroume, Sten Gilfert, and Frieder Tautz
Biogeosciences, 21, 1583–1599, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1583-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1583-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coastal temperate rainforests, among Earth’s carbon richest biomes, are systematically underrepresented in the global network of critical zone observatories (CZOs). Introducing here a first CZO in the heart of the Patagonian rainforest, Chile, we investigate carbon sink functioning, biota-driven landscape evolution, fluxes of matter and energy, and disturbance regimes. We invite the community to join us in cross-disciplinary collaboration to advance science in this particular environment.
Jorge F. Perez-Quezada, David Trejo, Javier Lopatin, David Aguilera, Bruce Osborne, Mauricio Galleguillos, Luca Zattera, Juan L. Celis-Diez, and Juan J. Armesto
Biogeosciences, 21, 1371–1389, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1371-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1371-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
For 8 years we sampled a temperate rainforest and a peatland in Chile to estimate their efficiency to capture carbon per unit of water lost. The efficiency is more related to the water lost than to the carbon captured and is mainly driven by evaporation instead of transpiration. This is the first report from southern South America and highlights that ecosystems might behave differently in this area, likely explained by the high annual precipitation (~ 2100 mm) and light-limited conditions.
Fredrik Lagergren, Robert G. Björk, Camilla Andersson, Danijel Belušić, Mats P. Björkman, Erik Kjellström, Petter Lind, David Lindstedt, Tinja Olenius, Håkan Pleijel, Gunhild Rosqvist, and Paul A. Miller
Biogeosciences, 21, 1093–1116, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1093-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1093-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Fennoscandian boreal and mountain regions harbour a wide range of ecosystems sensitive to climate change. A new, highly resolved high-emission climate scenario enabled modelling of the vegetation development in this region at high resolution for the 21st century. The results show dramatic south to north and low- to high-altitude shifts of vegetation zones, especially for the open tundra environments, which will have large implications for nature conservation, reindeer husbandry and forestry.
Florian Zellweger, Eric Sulmoni, Johanna T. Malle, Andri Baltensweiler, Tobias Jonas, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Christian Ginzler, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Pieter De Frenne, David Frey, and Clare Webster
Biogeosciences, 21, 605–623, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-605-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-605-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The microclimatic conditions experienced by organisms living close to the ground are not well represented in currently used climate datasets derived from weather stations. Therefore, we measured and mapped ground microclimate temperatures at 10 m spatial resolution across Switzerland using a novel radiation model. Our results reveal a high variability in microclimates across different habitats and will help to better understand climate and land use impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Andrew Kulmatiski, Martin C. Holdrege, Cristina Chirvasă, and Karen H. Beard
Biogeosciences, 21, 131–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-131-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-131-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Warmer air and larger precipitation events are changing the way water moves through the soil and into plants. Here we show that detailed descriptions of root distributions can predict plant growth responses to changing precipitation patterns. Shrubs and forbs increased growth, while grasses showed no response to increased precipitation intensity, and these responses were predicted by plant rooting distributions.
Bonaventure Ntirugulirwa, Etienne Zibera, Nkuba Epaphrodite, Aloysie Manishimwe, Donat Nsabimana, Johan Uddling, and Göran Wallin
Biogeosciences, 20, 5125–5149, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5125-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5125-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Twenty tropical tree species native to Africa were planted along an elevation gradient (1100 m, 5.4 °C difference). We found that early-successional (ES) species, especially from lower elevations, grew faster at warmer sites, while several of the late-successional (LS) species, especially from higher elevations, did not respond or grew slower. Moreover, a warmer climate increased tree mortality in LS species, but not much in ES species.
Philippe Choler
Biogeosciences, 20, 4259–4272, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4259-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4259-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The year 2022 was unique in that the summer heat wave and drought led to a widespread reduction in vegetation growth at high elevation in the European Alps. This impact was unprecedented in the southwestern, warm, and dry part of the Alps. Over the last 2 decades, water has become a co-dominant control of vegetation activity in areas that were, so far, primarily controlled by temperature, and the growth of mountain grasslands has become increasingly sensitive to moisture availability.
Adriana Simonetti, Raquel Fernandes Araujo, Carlos Henrique Souza Celes, Flávia Ranara da Silva e Silva, Joaquim dos Santos, Niro Higuchi, Susan Trumbore, and Daniel Magnabosco Marra
Biogeosciences, 20, 3651–3666, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3651-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3651-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We combined 2 years of monthly drone-acquired RGB (red–green–blue) imagery with field surveys in a central Amazon forest. Our results indicate that small gaps associated with branch fall were the most frequent. Biomass losses were partially controlled by gap area, with branch fall and snapping contributing the least and greatest relative values, respectively. Our study highlights the potential of drone images for monitoring canopy dynamics in dense tropical forests.
Silvia Caldararu, Victor Rolo, Benjamin D. Stocker, Teresa E. Gimeno, and Richard Nair
Biogeosciences, 20, 3637–3649, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3637-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3637-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Ecosystem manipulative experiments are large experiments in real ecosystems. They include processes such as species interactions and weather that would be omitted in more controlled settings. They offer a high level of realism but are underused in combination with vegetation models used to predict the response of ecosystems to global change. We propose a workflow using models and ecosystem experiments together, taking advantage of the benefits of both tools for Earth system understanding.
Katharina Ramskogler, Bettina Knoflach, Bernhard Elsner, Brigitta Erschbamer, Florian Haas, Tobias Heckmann, Florentin Hofmeister, Livia Piermattei, Camillo Ressl, Svenja Trautmann, Michael H. Wimmer, Clemens Geitner, Johann Stötter, and Erich Tasser
Biogeosciences, 20, 2919–2939, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2919-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2919-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Primary succession in proglacial areas depends on complex driving forces. To concretise the complex effects and interaction processes, 39 known explanatory variables assigned to seven spheres were analysed via principal component analysis and generalised additive models. Key results show that in addition to time- and elevation-dependent factors, also disturbances alter vegetation development. The results are useful for debates on vegetation development in a warming climate.
Zijing Li, Zhiyong Li, Xuze Tong, Lei Dong, Ying Zheng, Jinghui Zhang, Bailing Miao, Lixin Wang, Liqing Zhao, Lu Wen, Guodong Han, Frank Yonghong Li, and Cunzhu Liang
Biogeosciences, 20, 2869–2882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2869-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2869-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We used random forest models and structural equation models to assess the relative importance of the present climate and paleoclimate as determinants of diversity and aboveground biomass. Results showed that paleoclimate changes and modern climate jointly determined contemporary biodiversity patterns, while community biomass was mainly affected by modern climate. These findings suggest that contemporary biodiversity patterns may be affected by processes at divergent temporal scales.
William Rupert Moore Flynn, Harry Jon Foord Owen, Stuart William David Grieve, and Emily Rebecca Lines
Biogeosciences, 20, 2769–2784, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Quantifying vegetation indices is crucial for ecosystem monitoring and modelling. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has potential to accurately measure vegetation indices, but multiple methods exist, with little consensus on best practice. We compare three methods and extract wood-to-plant ratio, a metric used to correct for wood in leaf indices. We show corrective metrics vary with tree structure and variation among methods, highlighting the value of TLS data and importance of rigorous testing.
Haiyang Shi, Geping Luo, Olaf Hellwich, Alishir Kurban, Philippe De Maeyer, and Tim Van de Voorde
Biogeosciences, 20, 2727–2741, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2727-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2727-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In studies on the relationship between ecosystem functions and climate and plant traits, previously used data-driven methods such as multiple regression and random forest may be inadequate for representing causality due to limitations such as covariance between variables. Based on FLUXNET site data, we used a causal graphical model to revisit the control of climate and vegetation traits over ecosystem functions.
Josué Delgado-Balbuena, Henry W. Loescher, Carlos A. Aguirre-Gutiérrez, Teresa Alfaro-Reyna, Luis F. Pineda-Martínez, Rodrigo Vargas, and Tulio Arredondo
Biogeosciences, 20, 2369–2385, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2369-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2369-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In the semiarid grassland, an increase in soil moisture at shallow depths instantly enhances carbon release through respiration. In contrast, deeper soil water controls plant carbon uptake but with a delay of several days. Previous soil conditions, biological activity, and the size and timing of precipitation are factors that determine the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. Thus, future changes in precipitation patterns could convert ecosystems from carbon sinks to carbon sources.
German Vargas Gutiérrez, Daniel Pérez-Aviles, Nanette Raczka, Damaris Pereira-Arias, Julián Tijerín-Triviño, L. David Pereira-Arias, David Medvigy, Bonnie G. Waring, Ember Morrisey, Edward Brzostek, and Jennifer S. Powers
Biogeosciences, 20, 2143–2160, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2143-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2143-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
To study whether nutrient availability controls tropical dry forest responses to reductions in soil moisture, we established the first troughfall exclusion experiment in a tropical dry forest plantation system crossed with a fertilization scheme. We found that the effects of fertilization on net primary productivity are larger than the effects of a ~15 % reduction in soil moisture, although in many cases we observed an interaction between drought and nutrient additions, suggesting colimitation.
Alina Lucia Ludat and Simon Kübler
Biogeosciences, 20, 1991–2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1991-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1991-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite-based analysis illustrates the impact of geological processes for the stability of the ecosystem in the Mara River basin (Kenya/Tanzania). Newly detected fault activity influences the course of river networks and modifies erosion–deposition patterns. Tectonic surface features and variations in rock chemistry lead to localized enhancement of clay and soil moisture values and seasonally stabilised vegetation growth patterns in this climatically vulnerable region.
Erica Jaakkola, Antje Gärtner, Anna Maria Jönsson, Karl Ljung, Per-Ola Olsson, and Thomas Holst
Biogeosciences, 20, 803–826, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-803-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-803-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Increased spruce bark beetle outbreaks were recently seen in Sweden. When Norway spruce trees are attacked, they increase their production of VOCs, attempting to kill the beetles. We provide new insights into how the Norway spruce act when infested and found the emitted volatiles to increase up to 700 times and saw a change in compound blend. We estimate that the 2020 bark beetle outbreak in Sweden could have increased the total monoterpene emissions from the forest by more than 10 %.
Georg Wohlfahrt, Albin Hammerle, Felix M. Spielmann, Florian Kitz, and Chuixiang Yi
Biogeosciences, 20, 589–596, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-589-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-589-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The trace gas carbonyl sulfide (COS), which is taken up by plant leaves in a process very similar to photosynthesis, is thought to be a promising proxy for the gross uptake of carbon dioxide by plants. Here we propose a new framework for estimating a key metric to that end, the so-called leaf relative uptake rate. The values we deduce by applying principles of plant optimality are considerably lower than published values and may help reduce the uncertainty of the global COS budget.
François Jonard, Andrew F. Feldman, Daniel J. Short Gianotti, and Dara Entekhabi
Biogeosciences, 19, 5575–5590, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5575-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5575-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of light and water limitation in plant function at the ecosystem scale. Using satellite observations, we characterize the nonlinear relationships between sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and water and light availability. This study highlights that soil moisture limitations on SIF are found primarily in drier environments, while light limitations are found in intermediately wet regions.
Nikolai Knapp, Sabine Attinger, and Andreas Huth
Biogeosciences, 19, 4929–4944, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4929-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4929-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The biomass of forests is determined by forest growth and mortality. These quantities can be estimated with different methods such as inventories, remote sensing and modeling. These methods are usually being applied at different spatial scales. The scales influence the obtained frequency distributions of biomass, growth and mortality. This study suggests how to transfer between scales, when using forest models of different complexity for a tropical forest.
Kai Chen, Kevin S. Burgess, Fangliang He, Xiang-Yun Yang, Lian-Ming Gao, and De-Zhu Li
Biogeosciences, 19, 4801–4810, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4801-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4801-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Why does plants' distributional range size vary enormously? This study provides evidence that seed mass, intraspecific seed mass variation, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny contribute to explaining species distribution variation on a geographic scale. Our study clearly shows the importance of including seed life-history traits in modeling and predicting the impact of climate change on species distribution of seed plants.
Ying Ying Chen, Huan Yang, Gen Sheng Bao, Xiao Pan Pang, and Zheng Gang Guo
Biogeosciences, 19, 4521–4532, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4521-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4521-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Investigating the effect of the presence of plateau pikas on ecosystem services of alpine meadows is helpful to understand the role of the presence of small mammalian herbivores in grasslands. The results of this study showed that the presence of plateau pikas led to higher biodiversity conservation, soil nitrogen and phosphorus maintenance, and carbon sequestration of alpine meadows, whereas it led to lower forage available to livestock and water conservation of alpine meadows.
Clement Jean Frédéric Delcourt and Sander Veraverbeke
Biogeosciences, 19, 4499–4520, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4499-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4499-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides new equations that can be used to estimate aboveground tree biomass in larch-dominated forests of northeast Siberia. Applying these equations to 53 forest stands in the Republic of Sakha (Russia) resulted in significantly larger biomass stocks than when using existing equations. The data presented in this work can help refine biomass estimates in Siberian boreal forests. This is essential to assess changes in boreal vegetation and carbon dynamics.
Iris Johanna Aalto, Eduardo Eiji Maeda, Janne Heiskanen, Eljas Kullervo Aalto, and Petri Kauko Emil Pellikka
Biogeosciences, 19, 4227–4247, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4227-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4227-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Tree canopies are strong moderators of understory climatic conditions. In tropical areas, trees cool down the microclimates. Using remote sensing and field measurements we show how even intermediate canopy cover and agroforestry trees contributed to buffering the hottest temperatures in Kenya. The cooling effect was the greatest during hot days and in lowland areas, where the ambient temperatures were high. Adopting agroforestry practices in the area could assist in mitigating climate change.
Jing Wang and Xuefa Wen
Biogeosciences, 19, 4197–4208, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4197-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4197-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Excess radiation and low temperatures exacerbate drought impacts on canopy conductance (Gs) among transects. The primary determinant of drought stress on Gs was soil moisture on the Loess Plateau (LP) and the Mongolian Plateau (MP), whereas it was the vapor pressure deficit on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Radiation exhibited a negative effect on Gs via drought stress within transects, while temperature had negative effects on stomatal conductance on the TP but no effect on the LP and MP.
Sylvain Monteux, Janine Mariën, and Eveline J. Krab
Biogeosciences, 19, 4089–4105, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4089-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4089-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Quantifying the feedback from the decomposition of thawing permafrost soils is crucial to establish adequate climate warming mitigation scenarios. Past efforts have focused on abiotic and to some extent microbial drivers of decomposition but not biotic drivers such as soil fauna. We added soil fauna (Collembola Folsomia candida) to permafrost, which introduced bacterial taxa without affecting bacterial communities as a whole but increased CO2 production (+12 %), presumably due to priming.
Mirjam Pfeiffer, Munir P. Hoffmann, Simon Scheiter, William Nelson, Johannes Isselstein, Kingsley Ayisi, Jude J. Odhiambo, and Reimund Rötter
Biogeosciences, 19, 3935–3958, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3935-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3935-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Smallholder farmers face challenges due to poor land management and climate change. We linked the APSIM crop model and the aDGVM2 vegetation model to investigate integrated management options that enhance ecosystem functions and services. Sustainable intensification moderately increased yields. Crop residue grazing reduced feed gaps but not for dry-to-wet season transitions. Measures to improve soil water and nutrient status are recommended. Landscape-level ecosystem management is essential.
Cited articles
Allen, C. D.: Biogeomorphology and biological soil crusts: a symbiotic research relationship, Geomorphologie, 16, 347–358, https://doi.org/10.4000/geomorphologie.8071, 2010.
Barnes, B. V. and Spurr, S. H.: Forest Ecology, 4th ed., Wiley, New York, 774 pp., 1998.
Beck, E., Hartig, K., Roos, K., Preußig, M., and Nebel, M.: Permanent removal of the forest: construction of roads and power supply lines, in: Gradients in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of Ecuador, edited by: Beck, E., Ecological Studies, vol. 198, Springer, Berlin, 361–370, 2008.
Behrens, T., Schmidt, K., and Scholten, T.: An approach to removing uncertainities in nominal environmental covariates and soil class maps, in: Digital Soil Mapping with Limited Data, edited by: Hartemink, A. E., McBratney, A. B., Mendonça-Santos, Maria de Lourdes, Springer, Dordrecht, London, 213–224, 2008.
Belnap, J.: The potential roles of biological soil crusts in dryland hydrologic cycles, Hydrol. Process., 20, 3159–3178, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6325, 2006.
Belnap, J. and Büdel, B.: Biological soil crusts as soil stabilizers, in: Biological Soil Crusts: an Organizing Principle in Drylands, edited by: Weber, B., Büdel, B., Belnap, J., Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis, vol. 226, Springer, Switzerland, 305–320, 2016.
Belnap, J. and Gillette, D. A.: Disturbance of biological soil crusts: impacts on potential wind erodibility of sandy desert soils in southeastern Utah, Land Degrad. Dev., 8, 355–362, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-145X(199712)8:4<355::AID-LDR266>3.0.CO;2-H, 1997.
Belnap, J. and Lange, O. L. (Eds.): Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, Springer, Berlin, 503 pp., 2003.
Belnap, J., Kaltenecker, J. H., Rosentreter, R., Williams, J., Leonard, S., and Eldridge, D. J.: Biological Soil Crusts: Ecology and Management, Technical Reference, 1730-2, United States Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management, US Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management, Denver, Colorado, 2001.
Belnap, J., Büdel, B., and Lange, O. L.: Biological soil crusts: characteristics and distribution, in: Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, edited by: Belnap, J., Lange, O. L., Springer, Berlin, 3–30, 2003a.
Belnap, J., Prasse, R., and Harper, K. T.: Influence of biological soil crusts on soil environments and vascular plants, in: Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, edited by: Belnap, J., Lange, O. L., Springer, Berlin, 281–300, 2003b.
Berkeley, A., Thomas, A. D., and Dougill, A. J.: Cyanobacterial soil crusts and woody shrub canopies in Kalahari rangelands, Afr. J. Ecol., 43, 137–145, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2005.00560.x, 2005.
Bischler-Causse, H.: Marchantia L.: The Asiatic and Oceanic Taxa, J. Cramer, Berlin, 317 pp., 1989.
Bormann, F. H., Likens, G. E., Fisher, D. W., and Pierce, R. S.: Nutrient loss accelerated by clear-cutting of a forest ecosystem, Science, 159, 882–884, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.159.3817.882, 1968.
Bowker, M. A.: Biological soil crust rehabilitation in theory and practice: an underexploited opportunity, Restor Ecol., 15, 13–23, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2006.00185.x, 2007.
Bowker, M. A., Reed, S. C., Belnap, J., and Phillips, S. L.: Temporal variation in community composition, pigmentation, and F(v)∕F(m) of desert cyanobacterial soil crusts, Microb. Ecol., 43, 13–25, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-001-1013-9, 2002.
Bowker, M. A., Belnap, J., Bala Chaudhary, V., and Johnson, N. C.: Revisiting classic water erosion models in drylands: The strong impact of biological soil crusts, Soil Biol. Biochem., 40, 2309–2316, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.05.008, 2008.
Bowker, M. A., Belnap, J., Büdel, B., Sannier, C., Pietrasiak, N., Eldridge, D. J., and Rivera-Aguilar, V.: Controls on distribution patterns of biological soil crusts at micro- to global scales, in: Biological Soil Crusts: an Organizing Principle in Drylands, edited by: Weber, B., Büdel, B., Belnap, J., Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis, vol. 226, Springer, Switzerland, 173–197, 2016.
Bruelheide, H., Nadrowski, K., Assmann, T., Bauhus, J., Both, S., Buscot, F., Chen, X.-Y., Ding, B., Durka, W., Erfmeier, A., Gutknecht, J. L. M., Guo, D., Guo, L.-D., Härdtle, W., He, J.-S., Klein, A.-M., Kühn, P., Liang, Y., Liu, X., Michalski, S., Niklaus, P. A., Pei, K., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Scholten, T., Schuldt, A., Seidler, G., Trogisch, S., Oheimb, G. von, Welk, E., Wirth, C., Wubet, T., Yang, X., Yu, M., Zhang, S., Zhou, H., Fischer, M., Ma, K., Schmid, B., and Muller-Landau, H.: Designing forest biodiversity experiments: general considerations illustrated by a new large experiment in subtropical China, Methods Ecol. Evol., 5, 74–89, https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12126, 2014.
Bu, C., Wu, S., Zhang, K., Yang, Y., and Gao, G.: Biological soil crusts: an eco-adaptive biological conservative mechanism and implications for ecological restoration, Plant Biosyst., 149, 364–373, https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2013.819820, 2013.
Bu, C., Wu, S., Han, F., Yang, Y., and Meng, J.: The combined effects of moss-dominated biocrusts and vegetation on erosion and soil moisture and implications for disturbance on the Loess Plateau, China, PloS one, 10, e0127394, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0127394, 2015.
Bu, C., Zhang, P., Wang, C., Yang, Y., Shao, H.-B., and Wu, S.: Spatial distribution of biological soil crusts on the slope of the Chinese Loess Plateau based on canonical correspondence analysis, CATENA, 137, 373–381, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2015.10.016, 2016.
Büdel, B.: Biological soil crusts of Asia including the Don and Volga Region, in: Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, edited by: Belnap, J., Lange, O. L., Springer, Berlin, 87–94, 2003.
Büdel, B.: Microorganisms of biological crusts on soil surfaces, in: Microorganisms in Soils: Roles in Genesis and Functions, edited by: Buscot, F., Varma, A., Springer, New York, 307–324, 2005.
Büdel, B., Darienko, T., Deutschewitz, K., Dojani, S., Friedl, T., Mohr, K. I., Salisch, M., Reisser, W., and Weber, B.: Southern African biological soil crusts are ubiquitous and highly diverse in drylands, being restricted by rainfall frequency, Microb. Ecol., 57, 229–247, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-008-9449-9, 2009.
Büdel, B., Colesie, C., Green, T. G. A., Grube, M., Lazaro Suau, R., Loewen-Schneider, K., Maier, S., Peer, T., Pintado, A., Raggio, J., Ruprecht, U., Sancho, L. G., Schroeter, B., Turk, R., Weber, B., Wedin, M., Westberg, M., Williams, L., and Zheng, L.: Improved appreciation of the functioning and importance of biological soil crusts in Europe: the Soil Crust International Project (SCIN), Biodivers. Conserv., 23, 1639–1658, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0645-2, 2014.
Buscot, F. and Varma, A. (eds.): Microorganisms in Soils: Roles in Genesis and Functions, Springer, New York, 2005.
Cantón, Y., Domingo, F., Solé-Benet, A., and Puigdefábregas, J.: Influence of soil-surface types on the overall runoff of the Tabernas badlands (south-east Spain): field data and model approaches, Hydrol. Process., 16, 2621–2643, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1052, 2002.
Cantón, Y., Solé-Benet, A., Vente, J. de, Boix-Fayos, C., Calvo-Cases, A., Asensio, C., and Puigdefábregas, J.: A review of runoff generation and soil erosion across scales in semiarid south-eastern Spain, J. Arid Environ., 75, 1254–1261, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.03.004, 2011.
Chamizo, S., Cantón, Y., Rodríguez-Caballero, E., Domingo, F., and Escudero, A.: Runoff at contrasting scales in a semiarid ecosystem: A complex balance between biological soil crust features and rainfall characteristics, J. Hydrol., 452–453, 130–138, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.05.045, 2012.
Chamizo, S., Cantón, Y., Domingo, F., and Belnap, J.: Evaporative losses from soils covered by physical and different types of biological soil crusts, Hydrol. Process., 27, 324–332, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.8421, 2013.
Chamizo, S., Belnap, J., Eldridge, D. J., Cantón, Y., and Malam Issa, O.: The role of biocrusts in arid land hydrology, in: Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands, edited by: Weber, B., Büdel, B., Belnap, J., Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis, vol. 226, Springer, Switzerland, 321–346, 2016.
Chiquoine, L. P., Abella, S. R., and Bowker, M. A.: Rapidly restoring biological soil crusts and ecosystem functions in a severely disturbed desert ecosystem, Ecol. Appl., 26, 1260–1272, 2016.
Colesie, C., Felde, V. J. M., and Büdel, B.: Composition and macrostructure of biological soil crusts, in: Biological Soil Crusts: An Organizing Principle in Drylands, edited by: Weber, B., Büdel, B., Belnap, J., Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis, vol. 226, Springer, Switzerland, 159–172, 2016.
Condon, L. A. and Pyke, D. A.: Filling the interspace-restoring arid land mosses: source populations, organic matter, and overwintering govern success, Ecol. Evol., 6, 7623–7632, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2448, 2016.
Dojani, S., Büdel, B., Deutschewitz, K., and Weber, B.: Rapid succession of Biological Soil Crusts after experimental disturbance in the Succulent Karoo, South Africa, Appl. Soil Ecol., 48, 263–269, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2011.04.013, 2011.
Drahorad, S., Steckenmesser, D., Felix-Henningsen, P., Lichner, Ĺ., and Rodný, M.: Ongoing succession of biological soil crusts increases water repellency – a case study on Arenosols in Sekule, Slovakia, Biologia, 68, 309, https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-013-0247-6, 2013.
Eldridge, D. J.: Soil crust lichens and mosses on calcrete-dominant soils at Maralinga in arid South Australia, J. Adelaide Botanic Gardens, 18, 9–24, 1998.
Eldridge, D. J.: Distribution and floristics of moss- and lichen-dominated soil crusts in a patterned Callitris glaucophylla woodland in eastern Australia, Acta Oecol., 20, 159–170, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1146-609X(99)80029-0, 1999.
Eldridge, D. J. and Greene, R. S. B.: Assessment of sediment yield by splash erosion on a semi-arid soil with varying cryptogam cover, J. Arid Environ., 26, 221–232, https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.1994.1025, 1994.
Eldridge, D. J. and Tozer, M. E.: Environmental factors relating to the distribution of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in semi-arid eastern Australia, Bryologist, 100, 28, https://doi.org/10.2307/3244384, 1997.
Evans, R. D. and Johansen, J. R.: Microbiotic crusts and ecosystem processes, Crit. Rev. Plant Sci., 18, 183–225, https://doi.org/10.1080/07352689991309199, 1999.
Fenton, N. J. and Frego, K. A.: Bryophyte (moss and liverwort) conservation under remnant canopy in managed forests, Biol. Conserv., 122, 417–430, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.09.003, 2005.
Fischer, T., Gypser, S., Subbotina, M., and Veste, M.: Synergic hydraulic and nutritional feedback mechanisms control surface patchiness of biological soil crusts on tertiary sands at a post-mining site, J. Hydrol. Hydromech., 62, 293–302, https://doi.org/10.2478/johh-2014-0038, 2014.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 01: Sphagnaceae – Leucobryaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 273 pp., 1999.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 02: Fissidentaceae – Phytomitriaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 283 pp., 2001.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 06: Hookeriaceae – Thuidiaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 2002.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 03: Grimmiaceae – Tetraphidaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 141 pp., 2003.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 08: Sematophyllaceae – Polytrichaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 2005.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 04: Bryaceae – Timmiaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 211 pp., 2007.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 07: Amblystegiaceae – Plagiotheciaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 258 pp., 2008.
Gao, C., Crosby, M. R., and He, S.: Moss flora of China: Volume 05: Erpodiaceae – Climaciaceae, English Version, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden, Beijing, St. Louis, 2011.
Garcia-Pichel, F. and Belnap, J.: Small-scale environments and distribution of biological soil crusts, in: Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, edited by: Belnap, J., Lange, O. L., Springer, Berlin, 193–201, 2003.
George, D. B., Davidson, D. W., Schliep, K. C., and Patrell-Kim, L. J.: Microtopography of microbiotic crusts on the Colorado Plateau, and distribution of component organisms, West. N. Am. Naturalist, 60, 343–354, 2000.
Gilliam, F. S.: The ecological significance of the herbaceous layer in temperate forest ecosystems, BioScience, 57, 845, https://doi.org/10.1641/B571007, 2007.
Goebes, P., Seitz, S., Geißler, C., Lassu, T., Peters, P., Seeger, M., Nadrowski, K., and Scholten, T.: Momentum or kinetic energy – How do substrate properties influence the calculation of rainfall erosivity?, J. Hydrol., 517, 310–316, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.05.031, 2014.
Goebes, P., Seitz, S., Kühn, P., Li, Y., Niklaus, P. A., Oheimb, G. von, and Scholten, T.: Throughfall kinetic energy in young subtropical forests: Investigation on tree species richness effects and spatial variability, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 213, 148–159, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2015.06.019, 2015.
Goffinet, B. and Shaw, A. J.: Bryophyte Biology, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Chapt. XIV, p. 565, 2009.
Harper, K. T. and Belnap, J.: The influence of biological soil crusts on mineral uptake by associated vascular plants, J. Arid Environ., 47, 347–357, https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.2000.0713, 2001.
Hawkes, C. V.: Effects of biological soil crusts on seed germination of four endangered herbs in a xeric Florida shrubland during drought, Plant Ecol., 170, 121–134, https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000019035.56245.91, 2004.
Hothorn, T. and Hornik, K.: exactRankTests: Exact Distributions for Rank and Permutation Tests, 2015.
Keenan, R. J. and Kimmins, J. P.: The ecological effects of clear-cutting, Environ. Rev., 1, 121–144, https://doi.org/10.1139/a93-010, 1993.
Kidron, G. J.: The impact of microbial crust upon rainfall–runoff-sediment yield relationships on longitudinal dune slopes, Nizzana, western Negev Dessert, Israel, PhD Thesis, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 1995.
Kidron, G. J., Vonshak, A., and Abeliovich, A.: Microbiotic crusts as biomarkers for surface stability and wetness duration in the Negev Desert, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 34, 1594–1604, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1843, 2009.
Kidron, G. J., Yaalon, D. H., and Vonshak, A.: Two causes for runoff initiation on microbiotic crusts: hydrophobicity and pore clogging, Soil Sci., 164, 18–27, https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-199901000-00004, 1999.
Kleiner, E. F. and Harper, K. T.: Soil properties in relation to cryptogamic groundcover in Canyonlands National Park, J. Range Manage. Archives, 30, 202–205, 1977.
Kutiel, P., Lavee, H., and Ackermann, O.: Spatial distribution of soil surface coverage on north and south facing hillslopes along a Mediterranean to extreme arid climatic gradient, Geomorphology, 23, 245–256, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-555X(98)00007-5, 1998.
Kuznetsova, A., Brockhoff, P. B., and Christensen, R. H.: lmerTest: Tests in Linear Mixed Effects Models, 2014.
Langhans, T. M., Storm, C., and Schwabe, A.: Biological soil crusts and their microenvironment: Impact on emergence, survival and establishment of seedlings, flora – morphology, distribution, Funct. Ecol. Plants, 204, 157–168, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2008.01.001, 2009.
Li, Y., Härdtle, W., Bruelheide, H., Nadrowski, K., Scholten, T., von Wehrden, H., and Oheimb, G. von: Site and neighborhood effects on growth of tree saplings in subtropical plantations (China), Forest Ecol. Manag., 327, 118–127, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2014.04.039, 2014.
Maestre, F. T., Bowker, M. A., Cantón, Y., Castillo-Monroy, A. P., Cortina, J., Escolar, C., Escudero, A., Lazaro Suau, R., and Martínez, I.: Ecology and functional roles of biological soil crusts in semi-arid ecosystems of Spain, J. Arid Environ., 75, 1282–1291, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2010.12.008, 2011.
Malam Issa, O., Trichet, J., Défarge, C., Couté, A., and Valentin, C.: Morphology and microstructure of microbiotic soil crusts on a tiger bush sequence (Niger, Sahel), CATENA, 37, 175–196, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(99)00052-1, 1999.
Malam Issa, O., Le Bissonnais, Y., Défarge, C., and Trichet, J.: Role of a cyanobacterial cover on structural stability of sandy soils in the Sahelian part of western Niger, Geoderma, 101, 15–30, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7061(00)00093-8, 2001.
Malam Issa, O., Défarge, C., Le Bissonnais, Y., Marin, B., Duval, O., Bruand, A., D'Acqui, L. P., Nordenberg, S., and Annerman, M.: Effects of the inoculation of cyanobacteria on the microstructure and the structural stability of a tropical soil, Plant Soil, 290, 209–219, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-006-9153-9, 2007.
Marsh, J., Nouvet, S., Sanborn, P., and Coxson, D.: Composition and function of biological soil crust communities along topographic gradients in grasslands of central interior British Columbia (Chilcotin) and southwestern Yukon (Kluane), Can. J. Bot., 84, 717–736, https://doi.org/10.1139/b06-026, 2006.
Müller, S. J., Gütle, D. D., Jacquot, J.-P., and Reski, R.: Can mosses serve as model organisms for forest research?, Ann. For. Sci., 73, 135–146, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-015-0468-7, 2016.
Ponzetti, J. M. and McCune, B. P.: Biotic soil crusts of Oregon's Shrub Steppe: community composition in relation to soil chemistry, climate, and livestock activity, Bryologist, 104, 212–225, https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745(2001)104[0212:BSCOOS]2.0.CO;2, 2001.
Pribyl, D. W.: A critical review of the conventional SOC to SOM conversion factor, Geoderma, 156, 75–83, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2010.02.003, 2010.
R Core Team: R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, 2014.
Read, C. F., Duncan, D. H., Vesk, P. A., and Elith, J.: Surprisingly fast recovery of biological soil crusts following livestock removal in southern Australia, J. Veg. Sci., 22, 905–916, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2011.01296.x, 2011.
Read, C. F., Elith, J., Vesk, P. A., and Pugnaire, F.: Testing a model of biological soil crust succession, J. Veg. Sci., 27, 176–186, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12332, 2016.
Riley, S. J., Degloria, S. D., and Elliot, R.: A Terrain Ruggedness Index that quantifies topographic heterogeneity, Intermountain J. Sci., 5, 23–27, 1999.
Roberts, D. W.: Ordination on the basis of fuzzy set theory, Vegetatio, 66, 123–131, 1986.
Rodríguez-Caballero, E., Cantón, Y., Chamizo, S., Afana, A., and Solé-Benet, A.: Effects of biological soil crusts on surface roughness and implications for runoff and erosion, Geomorphology, 145–146, 81–89, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.12.042, 2012.
Rodríguez-Caballero, E., Cantón, Y., Chamizo, S., Lazaro Suau, R., and Escudero, A.: Soil loss and runoff in semiarid ecosystems: a complex interaction between biological soil crusts, micro-topography, and hydrological drivers, Ecosystems, 16, 529–546, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-012-9626-z, 2013.
Rosentreter, R., Eldridge, D. J., and Kaltenecker, J. H.: Monitoring and management of biological soil crusts, in: Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, edited by: Belnap, J., Lange, O. L., Springer, Berlin, 457–468, 2003.
Scheffer, F., Schachtschabel, P., and Blume, H.-P.: Lehrbuch der Bodenkunde, 16th ed., Spektrum Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin, 569 pp., 2010.
Scholten, T., Goebes, P., Kühn, P., Seitz, S., Assmann, T., Bauhus, J., Bruelheide, H., Buscot, F., Erfmeier, A., Fischer, M., Härdtle, W., He, J.-S., Ma, K., Niklaus, P. A., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schmid, B., Shi, X., Song, Z., Oheimb, G. von, Wirth, C., Wubet, T., and Schmidt, K.: On the combined effect of soil fertility and topography on tree growth in subtropical forest ecosystems – a study from SE China, J. Plant Ecol.-UK, 10, 111–127, https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtw065, 2017.
Seitz, S.: Main Experiment: Runoff Plots in the Main Experiment – Data, BEF China data portal, available at: http://china.befdata.biow.uni-leipzig.de/datasets/376 (last access: 18 December 2017), 2016a.
Seitz, S.: Main Experiment: Cover of Biological Soil Crusts in Runoff Plots (2011–2015), BEF China data portal, available at: http://china.befdata.biow.uni-leipzig.de/datasets/598 (last access: 18 December 2017), 2016b.
Seitz, S., Goebes, P., Zumstein, P., Assmann, T., Kühn, P., Niklaus, P. A., Schuldt, A., and Scholten, T.: The influence of leaf litter diversity and soil fauna on initial soil erosion in subtropical forests, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 40, 1439–1447, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3726, 2015.
Seitz, S., Goebes, P., Song, Z., Bruelheide, H., Härdtle, W., Kühn, P., Li, Y., and Scholten, T.: Tree species and functional traits but not species richness affect interrill erosion processes in young subtropical forests, Soil, 2, 49–61, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-49-2016, 2016.
Seppelt, R. D., Downing, A. J., Deane-Coe, K. K., Zhang, Y., and Zhang, J.: Bryophytes Within Biological Soil Crusts, in: Biological Soil Crusts: an Organizing Principle in Drylands, edited by: Weber, B., Büdel, B., Belnap, J., Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis, vol. 226, Springer, Switzerland, 101–120, 2016.
Söderström, L., Hagborg, A., Konrat, M. von, Bartholomew-Began, S., Bell, D., Briscoe, L., Brown, E., Cargill, D. C., Costa, D. P., Crandall-Stotler, B. J., Cooper, E. D., Dauphin, G., Engel, J. J., Feldberg, K., Glenny, D., Gradstein, S. R., He, X., Heinrichs, J., Hentschel, J., Ilkiu-Borges, A. L., Katagiri, T., Konstantinova, N. A., Larraín, J., Long, D. G., Nebel, M., Pócs, T., Puche, F., Reiner-Drehwald, E., Renner, M. A. M., Sass-Gyarmati, A., Schäfer-Verwimp, A., Moragues, José Gabriel Segarra, Stotler, R. E., Sukkharak, P., Thiers, B. M., Uribe, J., Váňa, J., Villarreal, J. C., Wigginton, M., Zhang, L., and Zhu, R.-L.: World checklist of hornworts and liverworts, PhytoKeys, 59, 1–828, https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.59.6261, 2016.
Spitale, D.: Forest and substrate type drive bryophyte distribution in the Alps, J. Bryol., 39, 128–140, https://doi.org/10.1080/03736687.2016.1274090, 2017.
Su, Y.-G., Li, X.-R., Cheng, Y.-W., Tan, H.-J., and Jia, R.-L.: Effects of biological soil crusts on emergence of desert vascular plants in North China, Plant Ecol., 191, 11–19, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-006-9210-8, 2007.
Tinya, F. and Ódor, P.: Congruence of the spatial pattern of light and understory vegetation in an old-growth, temperate mixed forest, Forest Ecol. Manag., 381, 84–92, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.09.027, 2016.
Trogisch, S., Schuldt, A., Bauhus, J., Blum, J. A., Both, S., Buscot, F., Castro-Izaguirre, N., Chesters, D., Durka, W., Eichenberg, D., Erfmeier, A., Fischer, M., Geißler, C., Germany, M. S., Goebes, P., Gutknecht, J. L. M., Hahn, C. Z., Haider, S., Härdtle, W., He, J.-S., Hector, A., Hönig, L., Huang, Y., Klein, A.-M., Kühn, P., Kunz, M., Leppert, K. N., Li, Y., Liu, X., Niklaus, P. A., Pei, Z., Pietsch, K. A., Prinz, R., Proß, T., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schmidt, K., Scholten, T., Seitz, S., Song, Z., Staab, M., Oheimb, G. von, Weißbecker, C., Welk, E., Wirth, C., Wubet, T., Yang, B., Yang, X., Zhu, C.-D., Schmid, B., Ma, K., and Bruelheide, H.: Toward a methodical framework for comprehensively assessing forest multifunctionality, Ecol. Evol., 49, 277, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3488, 2017.
Ullmann, I. and Büdel, B.: Ecological determinants of species composition of biological soil crusts on a landscape scale, in: Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, edited by: Belnap, J., Lange, O. L., Springer, Berlin, 203–213, 2003.
Warren, S. D.: Synopsis: Influence of biological soil crusts on arid land hydrology and soil stability, in: Biological Soil Crusts: Structure, Function and Management, 1st ed., rev. 2nd printing, edited by: Belnap, J., Lange, O. L., Springer, Berlin, 349–360, 2003.
Weber, B., Büdel, B., and Belnap, J. (eds.): Biological soil crusts: an organizing principle in drylands, in: Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis, vol. 226, Springer, Switzerland, 1 online resource (ix), 603, 2016.
West, N. E.: Structure and Function of Microphytic Soil Crusts in Wildland Ecosystems of Arid to Semi-arid Regions, Adv. Ecol. Res., 20, 179–223, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2504(08)60055-0, 1990.
Wickham, H.: Ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis, Use R!, Springer, Dordrecht, New York, 1 online resource (viii), 212, 2009.
Williams, A. J., Buck, B. J., Soukup, D. A., and Merkler, D. J.: Geomorphic controls on biological soil crust distribution: A conceptual model from the Mojave Desert (USA), Geomorphology, 195, 99–109, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.04.031, 2013.
Yair, A., Almog, R., and Veste, M.: Differential hydrological response of biological topsoil crusts along a rainfall gradient in a sandy arid area: Northern Negev desert, Israel, CATENA, 87, 326–333, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2011.06.015, 2011.
Yang, X., Bauhus, J., Both, S., Fang, T., Härdtle, W., Kröber, W., Ma, K., Nadrowski, K., Pei, K., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Scholten, T., Seidler, G., Schmid, B., Oheimb, G. von, and Bruelheide, H.: Establishment success in a forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning experiment in subtropical China (BEF-China), Eur. J. Forest Res., 132, 593–606, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-013-0696-z, 2013.
Zaady, E., Karnieli, A., and Shachak, M.: Applying a field spectroscopy technique for assessing successional trends of biological soil crusts in a semi-arid environment, J. Arid Environ., 70, 463–477, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.01.004, 2007.
Zhang, Y., Aradottir, A. L., Serpe, M., and Boeken, B.: Interactions of biological soil crusts with vascular plants, in: Biological Soil Crusts: an Organizing Principle in Drylands, edited by: Weber, B., Büdel, B., Belnap, J., Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis, 226, Springer, Switzerland, 385–406, 2016.
Zhao, Y. and Xu, M.: Runoff and soil loss from revegetated grasslands in the hilly Loess Plateau region, China: influence of biocrust patches and plant canopies, J. Hydrol. Eng., 18, 387–393, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000633, 2013.
Zhao, Y., Xu, M., and Belnap, J.: Response of biocrusts' photosynthesis to environmental factors: a possible explanation of the spatial distribution of biocrusts in the Hilly Loess Plateau region of China, Acta Ecologica Sinica, 30, 4668–4675, 2010.
Zhao, Y., Qin, N., Weber, B., and Xu, M.: Response of biological soil crusts to raindrop erosivity and underlying influences in the hilly Loess Plateau region, China, Biodivers. Conserv., 23, 1669–1686, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0680-z, 2014.
Zhu, R.-L.: New Checklist of Chinese Liverworts, Hornworts, and Takakiophytes: 3rd version in January 2006, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 2006.
Short summary
This study investigated biological soil crusts (biocrusts, e.g. cyanobacteria and mosses) within an early-stage mesic subtropical forest in China, where they were particularly abundant. Biocrust covers significantly decreased soil erosion and were more effective in erosion reduction than stone cover. Hence, they play an important role in mitigating soil erosion under forest and are of particular interest for erosion control in forest plantations.
This study investigated biological soil crusts (biocrusts, e.g. cyanobacteria and mosses) within...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint