Download or read book The Next Step Disentangling the Role of Plant Soil Feedbacks in Plant Performance and Species Coexistence Under Natural Conditions written by Johannes Heinze and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2020-09-17 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.
Download or read book Plant soil Feedbacks in a Grassland Ecosystem written by Kobe N. Luu and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) occur when plants alter soil conditions, subsequently affecting plant success. This process may play a key role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Many PSF experiments have reported species-specific responses and there is growing interest in determining whether the response of plant functional groups (PFGs), in which species are grouped by similar plant functional traits, can be used to predict the likelihood of PSFs. One reason for the variable responses reported is that PSFs can be dependent on soil fertility, which can serve as a general indicator of succession and ecosystem development. To test how plant functional groups and soil fertility relate to PSF, we grew 19 grassland species from 3 functional groups (graminoids, forbs, legumes) in 3 levels of soil fertility for 4 years. We used this field conditioned soil to conduct greenhouse assays of plant growth rates for species representing each PFG. We found that on average, forbs exhibited positive PSF in the most-developed soil, while the graminoids and legumes exhibited negative PSFs regardless of soil fertility. Despite these trends, we found strong species-specific and soil fertility effects on PSF. These results most likely emerged due to the species-specific soil biota that accumulates over time during the conditioning phase, which includes both harmful and beneficial biota, with the net PSF effect determined by the dominant influence. Generally, we found that PSFs became more positive/less negative as soil fertility increased, most likely due to the increased nutrient concentrations and beneficial soil biota outweighing the effects of the harmful soil biota and lack of soil nutrients. These findings help to understand that different species have unique roles in plant community dynamics, and that their roles within the community are going to change over time, as is total ecosystem productivity.
Download or read book Unravelling Plant Soil Feedback Interactions Between Grassland Species and Soil borne Fungi written by V. Reijers and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Grassland Ecosystems of China written by Linghao Li and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 593 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive overview of grassland ecosystems based on publications by Chinese scholars. It offers an up-to-date review of the recent advances in grassland research in China, discusses the climatic and physical conditions governing the grasslands, describes their types and distribution, and introduces a new classification scheme for grassland ecosystems. Further, it details the plant, animal, and microbial compositions of each grassland ecosystem type, examining the above and below ground relationships between phytomass, vegetation succession, and past/current management practices with a particular focus on the steppes in China. It also includes references that are only available in the Chinese language. This scientifically rigorous book offers insights into knowledge gaps for the scientific community and identifies pressing issues facing practitioners of grassland ecology and management. It can be used as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students in ecology, environmental science, natural resource management, agriculture, and other relevant fields, and is also a valuable reference resource for researchers studying drylands in China or around the globe.
Download or read book Grassland Invertebrate Interactions Plant Productivity Resilience and Community Dynamics written by Ivan Hiltpold and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2017-10-13 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural and anthropogenic grasslands such as prairies, meadows, rangelands, and pastures cover more than 40% of the planet’s surface and provide a wealth of ecological services. Grasslands alone store one third of the global carbon stocks and grass roots, through their specific architectures, ensure water cycling and prevent the erosion of fertile topsoil. In addition, grasslands are of vital importance for human food production as vast areas of rangelands and pastures provide feed for livestock. Pastoral legumes mobilize atmospheric nitrogen and improve fertility of arable soils. Not least, grasslands are an essential genetic resource. The three major crop species that feed half of the global population have been bred from wild grasses. Ancestors of our contemporary turf cultivars, common components of urban landscapes and recreation spaces, originated from wild grasslands. Although natural and managed grasslands represent pivotal ecosystems, many aspects of how they function are poorly understood. To date, most attention has focused on grassland primary producers (i.e. forage plants) and mammalian grazers but invertebrates are likely to play an equally, if not more important role in grassland ecosystem functioning. In Australian pastures, for example, the biomass of root-feeding scarab beetles can often exceed that of sheep and plant damage caused by invertebrates is sometimes equivalent to an average dairy cow’s grass consumption. Indeed, grasslands are one of the most densely populated ecosystems with invertebrates being probably the most important engineers that shape both plant communities and the grassland as a whole. In a rapidly changing world with increasing anthropogenic pressure on grasslands, this Research Topic focuses on: 1. How grassland habitats shape invertebrate biodiversity 2. Impacts of climate change on grassland-invertebrate interactions 3. Plant and invertebrate pest monitoring and management 4. Plant-mediated multitrophic interactions and biological control in grasslands 5. Land use and grassland invertebrates 6. Plant resistance to invertebrate pests Given the increasing demand for food and land for human habitation, unprecedented threats to grasslands are anticipated. Resilient to some extent, these key ecosystems need to be better comprehended to guarantee their sustainable management and ecosystem services.
Download or read book Plant induced soil changes Processes and feedbacks written by Nico van Breemen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book by soil scientists and ecologists reviews how and why plants influence soils. Topics include effects on mineral weathering, soil structure, and soil organic matter and nutrient dynamics, case studies of soil-plant interactions in specific biomes and of secondary chemicals influencing nutrient cycling, the rhizosphere, and potential evolutionary consequences of plant-induced soil changes. This is the first volume that specifically highlights the effects of plants on soils and their feedbacks to plants. By contrast, other texts on soil-plant relationships emphasize effects of soil fertility on plants, following the strongly agronomic character of most research in this area. The aspects discussed in this volume are crucial for understanding terrestrial ecosystems, biogeochemistry and soil genesis. The book is directed to terrestrial ecologists, foresters, soil scientists, environmental scientists and biogeochemists, and to students following specialist courses in these fields.
Download or read book Interactions in Soil Promoting Plant Growth written by John Dighton and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-05-19 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates soil ecology and biodiversity for its ability to maintain a balance of beneficial organisms to support plant growth. This subject is discussed by a group of international authors in natural, agricultural and urban systems. The importance of biodiversity per se and, specifically, the feedbacks between the plant and soil biota in mediating soil function are emphasized. Examples are selected from allelopathy and invasive plant species along with the, hitherto overlooked, role of viruses in soil. The book is intended to provide a framework for a holistic understanding of the essential role of soil organisms in promoting plant growth.
Download or read book Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services written by Diana H. Wall and published by . This book was released on 2013-07-18 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multi-contributor, international volume synthesizes contributions from the world's leading soil scientists and ecologists, describing cutting-edge research that provides a basis for the maintenance of soil health and sustainability. The book covers these advances from a unique perspective of examining the ecosystem services produced by soil biota across different scales - from biotic interactions at microscales to communities functioning at regional and global scales. The book leads the user towards an understanding of how the sustainability of soils, biodiversity, and ecosystem services can be maintained and how humans, other animals, and ecosystems are dependent on living soils and ecosystem services. This is a valuable reference book for academic libraries and professional ecologists worldwide as a statement of progress in the broad field of soil ecology. It will also be of interest to both upper level undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in soil ecology, as well as academic researchers and professionals in the field requiring an authoritative, balanced, and up-to-date overview of this fast expanding topic.
Download or read book Grassland Ecophysiology and Grazing Ecology written by Gilles Lemaire and published by CABI. This book was released on 2000-11-03 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text presents edited key papers from the International Symposium on Grassland Ecophyisiology and Grazing Ecology held in Curitiba, Brazil in August 1999. It considers how plants within grasslands respond to and are adapted to grazing animals.
Download or read book Progress in Botany 69 written by Ulrich Lüttge and published by Springer. This book was released on 2010-11-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With one volume published each year, this series keeps scientists and students current with the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences. This present volume includes insightful reviews covering genetics, cell biology, physiology, comparative morphology, systematics, ecology, and vegetation science.
Download or read book Recovery of Whole Soil Conditions Through Restoration from Agriculture and Its Role in Mediating Plant plant Competition written by Drew Austin Scott and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tallgrass prairie has been severely reduced in size, making restoration important to maintain communities and functions of this ecosystem. A chronosequence approach was used to determine recovery of physical and biological soil properties. The recovery models of soil properties provided information to explain the variation in total C stock of the whole soil. Recovery models also provided information to design a competition experiment based on variation in whole soil conditions with land use history. The filter framework hypothesis is a useful concept for examining tallgrass prairie restoration; the theory states only a subset of species in the region will be able to establish in a specific location due to abiotic and biotic filters. With this theory in mind, I explored the influence of whole soil conditions as affected by land use history (cultivation/restoration) and how these conditions altered plant-plant competition dynamics of a dominant grass was studied. Belowground plant biomass recovers with cessation of tillage and restoration back to prairie, providing an organic matter source for microbial populations to recover and soil macroaggregates to form. This has potential to increase C sequestration in soils and decrease nitrous oxide efflux from soils. Intact 5.5 cm dia cores were collected to a depth of 10 cm in each field to determine physical and biological soil properties. Belowground plant, microbial community, and soil structure properties were modeled to recover coinciding with an increase in total C stock of the whole soil. Structural equation modeling revealed that soil structure physically protecting organic matter explained the most variation in soil carbon sequestration with restoration. Most of the total C was contained within the macroaggregate size fraction; within this fraction most of that C is within the microaggregates within macroaggregates fraction. Soil structure is critical for recovery of soil carbon stocks and the microaggregate within macroaggregate fraction is the best diagnostic of sequestered C. ANCOVA results indicate that while the slopes of nitrous oxide efflux rates did not differ, cumulative efflux differed, though this was not related to time since restoration. Dominant grasses, such as Andropogon gerardii, can exclude subordinate species from grassland restorations. Thus, understanding changes in competition dynamics of dominant grasses could help maintain richness in grassland restorations. There may be changes in competition dynamics with whole soil conditions affected by land use history (cultivation/restoration) as plant available nutrients will decrease, microbial populations will increase, and soil structure will improve with restoration from cultivation to prairie. Using 4 soil treatments of varying land use history with four species treatments, to determine if effects are general or species specific, pairwise substitution competition experiments were conducted. Relative A. gerardii response to competition was compared among soil and species treatments using competition intensity and competition importance indices utilizing final plant biomass, relative growth rate based on maximum height, and net absolute tiller appearance rate. The experiment was conducted over 18 weeks, allowing A. gerardii to flower. A significant intensity result and significant importance results utilizing biomass measurements indicated that the 16 year restored prairie soil cause A. gerardii to be a relatively better competitor against forbs than in all other soils except for cultivated soil, likely due to positive plant-soil feedbacks. Significant importance results utilizing tiller appearance rate indicated that the cultivated and 3 year restored prairie soil caused A. gerardii to be a relatively better competitor than in the 16 year restored and never cultivated native prairie soils, likely due to changes in whole soil conditions related to land use history. There were only general soil effects, as soil treatments did not interact with species treatments. A. gerardii was a relatively better competitor against non-leguminous forbs, indicating that legumes are a better competitor for a limiting nutrient than A. gerardii or that this species is not in direct competition with legumes.
Download or read book Plant Soil Feedbacks and Temporal Dynamics of Plant Diversity Productivity Relationships written by Madhav P. Thakur and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book California Grasslands written by Mark R. Stromberg and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2007-12-03 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This highly synthetic and scholarly work brings together new and important scientific contributions by leading experts on a rich diversity of topics concerning the history, ecology, and conservation of California's endangered grasslands. The editors and authors have succeeded admirably in drawing from a great wealth of recent research to produce a widely accessible and compelling, state-of-the-art treatment of this fascinating subject. Anyone interested in Californian biodiversity or grassland ecosystems in general will find this book to be an invaluable resource and a major inspiration for further research, management, and restoration efforts."—Bruce G. Baldwin, W. L. Jepson Professor and Curator, UC Berkeley "Grasses and grasslands are among the most important elements of the California landscape. This is their book, embodying the kind of integrated view needed for all ecological communities in California. Approaches ranging across an incredibly broad spectrum -- paleontology and human history; basic science and practical management techniques; systematics, community ecology, physiology, and genetics; physical factors such as water, soil nutrients, atmospherics, and fire; biological factors such as competition, symbiosis, and grazing -- are nicely tied together due to careful editorial work. This is an indispensable reference for everyone interested in the California environment."—Brent Mishler, Director of the University & Jepson Herbaria and Professor of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley "The structure and function of California grasslands have intrigued ecologists for decades. The editors of this volume have assembled a comprehensive set of reviews by a group of outstanding authors on the natural history, structure, management, and restoration of this economically and ecologically important ecosystem."—Scott L. Collins, Professor of Biology, University of New Mexico
Download or read book The Desert Grassland written by Mitchel P. McClaran and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2023-05-23 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mixed grass and shrub vegetation known to scientists as desert grassland is common to the basins and valleys that skirt the mountain ranges throughout southwestern North America, extending from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas down through thirteen Mexican states. This variegated ground cover is crucial to life in an arid environment. The Desert Grassland offers the most comprehensive study to date of these flora and the rich biotic communities they support. Leading experts in geography, biology, botany, zoology, and geoscience present new research on the desert grassland and review a vast amount of earlier work. They reveal that present-day grasses once grew in the ice-age forests that existed in these areas before the climate dried and the trees vanished and how the intensity and frequency of fire can influence the plant and animal species of the grassland. They also document how the influence of humans—from Amerindians to contemporary ranchers, public land managers, and real estate developers—has changed the relative abundance of woody and herbaceous species and how the introduction of new plants and domesticated animals to the area has also affected biodiversity. The book concludes with a review of the attempts, both failed and successful, to reestablish plants in desert grasslands affected by overgrazing, drought, and farm abandonment. Meticulously researched and copiously illustrated, The Desert Grassland is a major contribution to ecological literature. For advanced lay readers as well as students and scholars of history, geography, and ecology, it will be a standard reference work for years to come.
Download or read book Biotic and Abiotic Drivers of Soil Microbial Community Recovery and Ecosystem Change During Grassland Restoration written by Elizabeth Marie Bach and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tallgrass prairies have some of the deepest and most fertile topsoil on earth. Widespread conversion of these grasslands to agriculture has decreased soil Carbon (C) storage by exacerbating erosion and disrupting aggregates that protect C from decomposition, coupled with lower plant C inputs. Thus, a primary goal of some grassland restorations is to improve soil structure and functioning. Conversion of cultivated systems to perennial grasslands often increases soil C, microbial biomass, and soil aggregate size and stability. The objective of this work was twofold: (1) to explore the importance of soil texture and (2) determine plant diversity effects on recovery of soil biotic and abiotic properties. Overall, this work indicates that rates and success of belowground recovery are dependent on both abiotic and biotic factors in restoration. Restored plant communities affected soil recovery as dominant C4 grasses appeared to drive belowground recovery, but recovery depended on soil texture.
Download or read book Grasslands and Climate Change written by David J. Gibson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive assessment of the effects of climate change on global grasslands and the mitigating role that ecologists can play.
Download or read book Aboveground Belowground Linkages written by Richard D. Bardgett and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-29 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aboveground-Belowground Linkages provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive synthesis of recent advances in our understanding of the roles that interactions between aboveground and belowground communities play in regulating the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, and their responses to global change. It charts the historical development of this field of ecology and evaluates what can be learned from the recent proliferation of studies on the ecological and biogeochemical significance of aboveground-belowground linkages. The book is structured around four key topics: biotic interactions in the soil; plant community effects; the role of aboveground consumers; and the influence of species gains and losses. A concluding chapter draws together this information and identifies a number of cross-cutting themes, including consideration of aboveground-belowground feedbacks that occur at different spatial and temporal scales, the consequences of these feedbacks for ecosystem processes, and how aboveground-belowground interactions link to human-induced global change.
