Publications by authors named "Zhaobin Mu"

Seasons often alter climate conditions and affect nutrient cycling by altering plant physiology and microbial dynamics. Plant growth and health depend on a symbiotic relationship with root microbes, however, the root-associated microbiota is key to plant evolution and ecosystem function. Seasonal changes in root-associated microbiome diversity and composition of desert plants are vital for understanding plant adaptation in desert ecosystems.

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The densities of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (C-N-P) reflect the adaptation and response of desert plants to hyper-arid environments. However, the allocation strategies for biomass and C-N-P densities among various plant life forms remain poorly understood. This study involved the collection of samples representing both aboveground and belowground biomass (to depths of 200 cm) from three desert plant species-both herbaceous and shrubby-and evaluating their C-N-P densities.

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Soil minerals and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), as key soil binding agents, play a crucial role in enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. However, the key driving mechanisms of SOC accumulation process mediated by soil minerals and GRSP remain poorly understood in the arid elevation gradients. This study aimed to evaluate how soil minerals and GRSP affect SOC accumulation across an elevation gradient ranging from 1707 to 3548 m a.

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Understanding the soil biogeochemical responses to increasing global warming in the near future is essential for improving our capacity to mitigate the impacts of climate change on highly vulnerable Mediterranean ecosystems. Previous studies have primarily focused on the effects of warming on various biogeochemical processes. However, there is limited knowledge about how the changes in water availability associated to high temperatures can alter the bioavailability and dynamics of soil elements, thereby impacting ecosystem productivity, species composition, and pollution through soil biogeochemical and hydrological processes.

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Soil salinization adversely affects soil fertility and plant growth in arid region worldwide. However, as the drivers of nutrient cycling, the response of microbial communities to soil salinization is poorly understood. This study characterized bacterial communities in different soil layers along a natural salinity gradient in the Karayulgun River Basin, located northwest of the Taklimakan desert in China, using the 16S rRNA Miseq-sequencing technique.

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Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) play critical roles in ecosystems at various scales, influencing above- and below-ground interactions and contributing to the atmospheric environment. Nonetheless, there is a lack of research on soil BVOC fluxes and their response to environmental changes. This study aimed to investigate the impact of drought, nitrogen (N) fertilization, and litter manipulation on soil BVOC fluxes in a Mediterranean forest.

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Soil mineral elements play a crucial role in ecosystem productivity and pollution dynamics. Climate models project an increase in drought severity in the Mediterranean Basin in the coming decades, which could lead to changes in the composition and concentrations of mineral elements in soils. These changes can have significant impacts on the fundamental processes of plant-soil cycles.

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Terrestrial vegetation is the largest contributor of isoprenoids (a group of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs)) to the atmosphere. BVOC emission data comes mostly from temperate regions, and less is known about BVOC emissions from tropical vegetation, even though it is estimated to be responsible for >70% of BVOC emissions. This review summarizes the available data and our current understanding of isoprenoid emissions from tropical plant species and the spatial and temporal variation in emissions, which are strongly species-specific and regionally variable.

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A multi-residue method based on modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) sample preparation, followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), was developed and validated for the determination of three selected fungicides (propiconazole, pyraclostrobin, and isopyrazam) in seven animal origin foods. The overall recoveries at the three spiking levels of 0.005, 0.

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