Impact of fragmented habitats on reproductive success in dominant shrubs: natural selection on floral display and pollinator visitation.

Flowering shrubs in fragmented habitats often experience pollen limitation, which can lead to strong natural selection on floral display and affect reproductive success. Effective management and protection of dominant shrubs in fragmented habitats require a thorough understanding of the factors driving plant reproduction. However, the impact of fragmented habitats on reproductive success through floral display and pollinator visitation has not been experimentally quantified.

Impact of nitrogen fertilizer types and concentrations on soil seed bank germination and seedling growth in semi-fixed dunes of the Horqin Sandy Land.

Horqin Sandy Land is one of the most effective human-driven ecological restoration areas in northern China, while demonstrating particular sensitivity to nitrogen deposition. Existed studies have mainly focused on levels of nitrogen concentration, yet the differential effects of nitrogen fertilizer types on vegetation dynamics remain poorly understood. To investigate the effects of different types of N fertilizers on the soil seed bank in semi-fixed dunes, we collected soil seed bank samples from the top 10 cm of the dunes in the Horqin Sandy Land and cultivated them in pots in a greenhouse.

Seed Traits and Germination of Invasive Plant (Solanaceae) in the Arid Zone of Northern China Indicate Invasion Patterns.

The ability of seeds to germinate under a wide range of environmental conditions is an important characteristic of invasive alien plant species. Dunal, has been widely distributed in the Northeast and Northwest of China and is causing huge damage to the local agricultural production. Studies on seed germination and response among populations to environmental stress may assist in revealing the adaptability of invasive plants and how they cope with climate change.

Plant functional traits mediate the response magnitude of plant-litter-soil microbial C: N: P stoichiometry to nitrogen addition in a desert steppe.

Global nitrogen deposition is significantly altering the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry in terrestrial ecosystems, yet how N deposition simultaneously affects plant-litter-soil-soil microbial stoichiometry in arid grassland is still unclear. In a five-year experimental study conducted in a desert steppe in Northern China, we investigated the effects of N addition on the C:N:P stoichiometry of plants, litter, soil, and soil microbes. We also used structural equation modelling (SEM) exploring the direct or indirect effects of N addition, plant species diversity, functional traits and diversity, soil microbial diversity, soil pH, soil electrical conductivity (EC) and moisture on the stoichiometry in plant-soil system.

Impact of altered groundwater depth on soil microbial diversity, network complexity and multifunctionality.

Understanding the effects of groundwater depth on soil microbiota and multiple soil functions is essential for ecological restoration and the implementation of groundwater conservation. The current impact of increased groundwater levels induced by drought on soil microbiota and multifunctionality remains ambiguous, which impedes our understanding of the sustainability of water-scarce ecosystems that heavily rely on groundwater resources. This study investigated the impacts of altered groundwater depths on soil microbiota and multifunctionality in a semi-arid region.

Impact of deeper groundwater depth on vegetation and soil in semi-arid region of eastern China.

Introduction: Understanding the impact of deep groundwater depth on vegetation communities and soil in sand dunes with different underground water tables is essential for ecological restoration and the conservation of groundwater. Furthermore, this understanding is critical for determining the threshold value of groundwater depth that ensures the survival of vegetation.

Method: This paper was conducted in a semi-arid region in eastern China, and the effects of deep groundwater depth (6.

Effects of nitrogen addition and plant litter manipulation on soil fungal and bacterial communities in a semiarid sandy land.

The plant and soil microbial communities are influenced by variability in environmental conditions (e.g., nitrogen addition); however, it is unclear how long-term nitrogen addition and litter manipulation affect soil microbial communities in a semiarid sandy grassland.

Increasing precipitation weakened the negative effects of simulated warming on soil microbial community composition in a semi-arid sandy grassland.

Soil microbial diversity, composition, and function are sensitive to global change factors. It has been predicted that the temperature and precipitation will increase in northern China. Although many studies have been carried out to reveal how global change factors affect soil microbial biomass and composition in terrestrial ecosystems, it is still unexplored how soil microbial diversity and composition, especially in microbial functional genes, respond to increasing precipitation and warming in a semiarid grassland of northern China.

Extreme drought does not alter the stability of aboveground net primary productivity but decreases the stability of belowground net primary productivity in a desert steppe of northern China.

Extreme droughts strongly impact grassland ecology, both functionally and structurally. However, a comprehensive understanding of the drought impacts on the ecosystem stability is critical for its sustainable development under changing climate. We experimentally report the impact of extreme drought on the temporal stability of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) in a desert steppe of northern China.

Effects of multi-resource addition on grassland plant productivity and biodiversity along a resource gradient.

The change of plant biodiversity caused by resource-enhancing global changes has greatly affected grassland productivity. However, it remains unclear how multi-resource enrichment induces the effects of multifaceted biodiversity on grassland productivity under different site resource constraints. We conducted a multiple resource addition (MRA) experiment of water and nutrients at three sites located along a resource gradient in northern China.

Annual Herbaceous Plants Exhibit Altered Morphological Traits in Response to Altered Precipitation and Drought Patterns in Semiarid Sandy Grassland, Northern China.

The frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events and severe drought are predicted to increase in semiarid areas due to global climate change. Plant morphological traits can reflect plant responses to a changing environment, such as altered precipitation or drought patterns. In this study, we examined the response of morphological traits of root, stem, leaf and reproduction meristems of annual herbaceous species to altered precipitation and drought patterns in a semiarid sandy grassland.

Drought Stress Influences the Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Dunal Seedlings From Different Geographical Populations in China.

Extensive studies have shown that the success of invasive plants in large environmental gradients can be partly attributed to related factors, including phenotypic plasticity and rapid evolution. To enhance their ability to compete and invade, invasive plants often show higher morphological and physiological plasticity to adapt to different habitat conditions. In the past two decades, invasive species have expanded to some new habitats in North and Northwest China, including arid oasis agricultural zones, which are disturbed by human activities, and the ecosystem itself is very fragile.

Physiological responses of Agriophyllum squarrosum and Setaria viridis to drought and re-watering.

Drought resistance of psammophyte determines survival and growth, but their responses to drought are not well understood. We conducted a pot experiment to study how physiological characteristics respond to drought and rehydration. We found that watering to 60-65% of field capacity (the control) provided more water than was required by Agriophyllum squarrosum and its leaves became yellow and slightly wilted.

Comparative effects of pollen limitation, floral traits and pollinators on reproductive success of Hedysarum scoparium Fisch. et Mey. in different habitats.

Background: Reproduction in most flowering plants may be limited because of the decreased visitation or activity of pollinators in fragmented habitats. Hedysarum scoparium Fisch. et Mey.

Drought of early time in growing season decreases community aboveground biomass, but increases belowground biomass in a desert steppe.

Background: Increasing drought induced by global climate changes is altering the structure and function of grassland ecosystems. However, there is a lack of understanding of how drought affects the trade-off of above- and belowground biomass in desert steppe. We conducted a four-year (2015-2018) drought experiment to examine the responses of community above-and belowground biomass (AGB and BGB) to manipulated drought and natural drought in the early period of growing season (from March to June) in a desert steppe.

Author Correction: Effects of rainfall manipulation and nitrogen addition on plant biomass allocation in a semiarid sandy grassland.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Seasonal dynamics of cattle grazing behaviors on contrasting landforms of a fenced ranch in northern China.

The number of livestock per unit area is commonly used as a proxy of grazing pressure in both experimental studies and grassland management. However, this practice ignores the impact of landform heterogeneity on the spatial distribution of grazing pressure, leading to localized patches of degraded grassland. The spatial distribution of actual grazing density thus needs to be examined.

Photosynthesis and Growth of (C) is Superior to (C) During Drought and Recovery.

Global warming and changes in rainfall patterns may put many ecosystems at risk of drought. These stressors could be particularly destructive in arid systems where species are already water-limited. Understanding plant responses in terms of photosynthesis and growth to drought and rewatering is essential for predicting ecosystem-level responses to climate change.

Litters Have Strong Negative Allelopathic Effects on Earlier Successional Plants in a Semi-Arid Sandy Dune Region in China.

Turcz. ex Besser occurs following the appearance of a pioneer species, (L.) Moq.

Effects of rainfall manipulation and nitrogen addition on plant biomass allocation in a semiarid sandy grassland.

Extreme climate events and nitrogen (N) deposition are increasingly affecting the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the response of plant biomass to variations to these global change drivers is still unclear in semi-arid regions, especially in degraded sandy grasslands. In this study, a manipulative field experiment run over two years (from 2017 to 2018) was conducted to examine the effect of rainfall alteration and nitrogen addition on biomass allocation of annuals and perennial plants in Horqin sandy grassland, Northern China.