Download or read book Tree Diversity Effects on Root Production Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling Under Global Change written by Andreas Altinalmazis kondylis and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The insurance hypothesis predicts that forests with tree species mixtures may resist better to stressful environmental conditions than forests composed of only one tree species. Most of the currently available literature tested this hypothesis for aboveground productivity and its related response variables, but less is known about belowground processes. In my PhD thesis, I studied the drivers of belowground productivity and decomposition across climatic gradients and how they are affected by tree mixtures. I hypothesized that mixing of tree species with contrasting rooting patterns and fine root morphologies, would result in a release of competitive pressure belowground, and translate into higher fine root standing biomass and increased fine root productivity. Moreover, I hypothesized that roots with contrasting chemical and morphological characteristics in mixed stands would decompose faster, which may be particularly important under nutrient-limited conditions. Under water-limiting conditions, such as during extreme summer drought, I hypothesized overall slower decomposition but an attenuating effect of tree mixtures on decomposition due to improved micro-environmental conditions, in particular for leaves, since roots decompose in a more buffered soil environment. To test these hypotheses I examined the variation in tree root functional traits (across- and within-species), and its consequences for fluxes of C, N and P at the ecosystem scale. I addressed three main objectives and associated research questions to quantify the interactive effect of tree mixtures and climate on: 1) vertical root segregation and fine root standing biomass, 2) fine root dynamics and their associated nutrient fluxes and 3) fine root- and leaf litter decomposition. I could benefit from two different field experiments for my work, one with a 10-year-old tree-plantation experiment with birch and pine close to Bordeaux (ORPHEE experiment), the second along a latitudinal gradient of mature beech forests in the French Alps (BIOPROFOR experiment).I observed that roots from the birch and pine tree-plantation showed similar vertical distribution and similar belowground root standing biomass in tree mixtures compared to monocultures, contrary to my first hypothesis. However, the greater allocation of pine but not of birch to root growth within the top soil horizons under less water-limiting conditions suggests locally favourable conditions that may lead to soil depth-specific asymmetric competition. In the same experiment, fine root production and decomposition were similar in mixtures and in monocultures, in contradiction with my second hypothesis. Moreover, I did not observe any interactive effects of tree mixtures with stand density or water availability. Interestingly though, birch roots, but not pine roots released P during root decomposition, which suggests an important role of birch in the P-cycle and for P nutrition of trees on these P-limited sandy soils. In line with my third hypothesis, I observed a slower decomposition of leaf litter and fine roots in response to reinforced and prolonged summer drought, irrespective of the position along the latitudinal gradient in the Alps. However, this slower decomposition under drought was not attenuated in forest stands with mixed tree species compared to single species stands. Compared to leaf litter, fine roots decomposed slower and released less C. Interestingly, I found a net N release in decomposing fine roots but not in decomposing leaf litter, which suggests a distinct role of fine roots in the N cycle. In conclusion, I found that mixing tree species did not attenuate negative effects of climate change. However, this thesis demonstrates that promoting mixtures can still be beneficial for at least one of the admixed tree species, through species addition (i.e., complementing one tree species with another tree species), as one tree species may facilitate another via belowground fluxes of N and P.
Download or read book Forest Diversity and Function written by Michael Scherer-Lorenzen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-12-17 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the central research themes in ecology is evaluating the extent to which biological richness is necessary to sustain the Earth's system and the functioning of individual ecosystems. In this volume, for the first time, the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem processes in forests is thoroughly explored. The text examines the multiple effects of tree diversity on productivity and growth, biogeochemical cycles, animals, pests, and disturbances. Further, the importance of diversity at different scales, ranging from stand management to global issues, is considered. The authors provide both extensive reviews of the existing literature and own datasets. The volume is ideally suited for researchers and practitioners involved in ecosystem management and the sustainable use of forest resources.
Download or read book Nutrient Cycling in Forest Ecosystems written by Robert G. Qualls and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The long-term productivity of forest ecosystems depends on the cycling of nutrients. The effect of carbon dioxide fertilization on forest productivity may ultimately be limited by the rate of nutrient cycling. Contemporary and future disturbances such as climatic warming, N-deposition, deforestation, short rotation sylviculture, fire (both wild and controlled), and the invasion of exotic species all place strains on the integrity of ecosystem nutrient cycling. Global differences in climate, soils, and species make it difficult to extrapolate even a single important study worldwide. Despite advances in the understanding of nutrient cycling and carbon production in forests, many questions remain. The chapters in this volume reflect many contemporary research priorities. The thirteen studies in this volume are arranged in the following subject groups: • N and P resorption from foliage worldwide, along chronosequences and along elevation gradients; • Litter production and decomposition; • N and P stoichiometry as affected by N deposition, geographic gradients, species changes, and ecosystem restoration; • Effects of N and P addition on understory biomass, litter, and soil; • Effects of burning on soil nutrients; • Effects of N addition on soil fauna.
Download or read book Tree Species Effects on Soils Implications for Global Change written by Dan Binkley and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
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.
Download or read book Species Richness Heterogeneity and Nitrogen Contributions of Roots Along an Arctic Elevation Gradient written by Sabrina Trager and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roots allow interactions between plants and their belowground environment. Such interactions are especially important in ecosystems where plant biomass is dominated by roots, such as the Arctic. In contrast, we are still lacking knowledge about roots and belowground processes in many ecological topics. These belowground processes are likely to be altered by climate change. Consequently, we need to know about basic root ecological patterns and processes before we can estimate possible effects of a changing environment on belowground processes and thus whole ecosystems. The aim of my thesis was to examine three of those basic root ecological patterns and processes: plant community composition, resource heterogeneity, and root contributions to nutrient cycling. I investigated plant species richness belowground and aboveground along an arctic elevation gradient with a great variation in vegetation types. Total plant species richness exceeded aboveground richness two-fold on average, but by as much as over seven-fold in some communities. My results indicate that conventional measurements of aboveground plant richness dramatically under-estimate actual richness in all vegetation types along an elevation gradient. Consequently, measuring total plant richness (belowground and aboveground richness) along environmental gradients should be considered in future plant community studies. Further, I examined spatial root heterogeneity at resolutions ranging from 1 to 300 mm2 along an elevation gradient with great variation in vegetation types. The spatial heterogeneity of fine roots varied significantly with study resolution in all vegetation types. This result suggests that roots in different vegetation types respond to or generate very fine scales of spatial heterogeneity, including scales much smaller than those that have previously been examined. Consequently, resolutions as small as a few millimetres are relevant to studies of spatial root interactions and belowground processes. Finally, I investigated the potential input from roots and leaves to the N cycle during decomposition in contrasting vegetation types, forest and tundra. This allows examination of possible belowground plant effects on nutrient cycling of the climate change induced invasion of woody vegetation into herbaceous vegetation. The potential N input of roots and leaves was two-fold and seven-fold greater, respectively, in forest than tundra, indicating that plant-associated belowground and aboveground potential input to the N cycle in tundra is likely to be increased by the invasion of woody vegetation. In contrast, the lack of significant habitat and origin of substrate effects suggest that N contribution of roots and leaves during decomposition in tundra might not be altered by the invasion of woody vegetation. Collectively, my results suggest that roots should be included in considerations of potential plant contributions to differences between forest and tundra to the N cycle. Overall, the results of my thesis emphasize the importance of roots on several belowground ecological patterns and processes in the Arctic. Roots need to be included in considerations of plant community diversity, spatial soil and resource heterogeneity, and potential plant effects on the N cycle in general, and in the changing environment in the Arctic in particular.
Download or read book Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems written by Michael John Swift and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1979-01-01 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Rhizosphere written by Zoe G. Cardon and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2011-04-28 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Below the soil surface, the rhizosphere is the dynamic interface among plant roots, soil microbes and fauna, and the soil itself, where biological as well as physico-chemical properties differ radically from those of bulk soil. The Rhizosphere is the first ecologically-focused book that explicitly establishes the links from extraordinarily small-scale processes in the rhizosphere to larger-scale belowground patterns and processes. This book includes chapters that emphasize the effects of rhizosphere biology on long-term soil development, agro-ecosystem management and responses of ecosystems to global change. Overall, the volume seeks to spur development of cross-scale links for understanding belowground function in varied natural and managed ecosystems. - First cross-scale ecologically-focused integration of information at the frontier of root, microbial, and soil faunal biology - Establishes the links from extraordinarily small-scale processes in the rhizosphere to larger-scale belowground patterns and processes - Includes valuable information on ecosystem response to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and enhanced global nitrogen deposition - Chapters written by a variety of experts, including soil scientists, microbial and soil faunal ecologists, and plant biologists
Download or read book Microbial and Enzymatic Degradation of Wood and Wood Components written by Karl-Erik L. Eriksson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The oil crisis during the 1970s turned interest towards the utilization of renewable resources and towards lignocellulosics in particular. The 1970s were also the cradle period of biotechnology, and the years when biotechnical utilization of lignocellulosic waste from agriculture and forestry gained priori ty. This was a logical conclusion since one of nature's most important biologi cal reactions is the conversion of wood and other lignocellulosic materials to carbon dioxide, water and humic substances. However, while biotechnology in other areas like medicine and pharmacology concerned production of expen sive products on a small scale, biotechnical utilization and conversion of ligno cellulosics meant production of inexpensive products on a large scale. Biotechnical utilization of lignocellulosic materials is therefore a very difficult task, and the commercial utilization of this technology has not progressed as rapidly as one would have desired. One reason for this was the lack of basic knowledge of enzyme mechanisms involved in the degradation and conversion of wood, other lignocellulosics and their individual components. There are also risks associated with initiating a technical development before a stable platform of knowledge is available. Several of the projects started with en thusiasm have therefore suffered some loss of interest. Also contributing to this failing interest is the fact that the oil crisis at the time was not a real one. At present, nobody predicts a rapid exhaustion of the oil resources and fuel production from lignocellulosics is no longer a high priority.
Download or read book Ecology of Desert Systems written by Walter G. Whitford and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-08-20 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly one-third of the land area on our planet is classified as arid or desert. Therefore, an understanding of the dynamics of such arid ecosystems is essential to managing those systems in a way that sustains human populations. This second edition of Ecology of Desert Systems provides a clear, extensive guide to the complex interactions involved in these areas. This book details the relationships between abiotic and biotic environments of desert ecosystems, demonstrating to readers how these interactions drive ecological processes. These include plant growth and animal reproductive success, the spatial and temporal distribution of vegetation and animals, and the influence of invasive species and anthropogenic climate change specific to arid systems. Drawing on the extensive experience of its expert authors, Ecology of Desert Systems is an essential guide to arid ecosystems for students looking for an overview of the field, researchers keen to learn how their work fits in to the overall picture, and those involved with environmental management of desert areas. - Highlights the complexity of global desert systems in a clear, concise way - Reviews the most current issues facing researchers in the field, including the spread of invasive species due to globalized trade, the impact of industrial mining, and climate change - Updated and extended to include information on invasive species management, industrial mining impacts, and the current and future role of climate change in desert systems
Download or read book Land Use Intensification written by Saul Cunningham and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2012-07-18 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There can be little doubt that there are truly colossal challenges associated with providing food, fibre and energy for an expanding world population without further accelerating already rapid rates of biodiversity loss and undermining the ecosystem processes on which we all depend. These challenges are further complicated by rapid changes in climate and its additional direct impacts on agriculture, biodiversity and ecological processes. There are many different viewpoints about the best way to deal with the myriad issues associated with land use intensification and this book canvasses a number of these from different parts of the tropical and temperate world. Chapters focus on whether science can suggest new and improved approaches to reducing the conflict between productive land use and biodiversity conservation. Who should read this book? Policy makers in regional, state and federal governments, as well as scientists and the interested lay public.
Download or read book Root Ecology written by Hans de Kroon and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2003-05-21 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the course of evolution, a great variety of root systems have learned to overcome the many physical, biochemical and biological problems brought about by soil. This development has made them a fascinating object of scientific study. This volume gives an overview of how roots have adapted to the soil environment and which roles they play in the soil ecosystem. The text describes the form and function of roots, their temporal and spatial distribution, and their turnover rate in various ecosystems. Subsequently, a physiological background is provided for basic functions, such as carbon acquisition, water and solute movement, and for their responses to three major abiotic stresses, i.e. hard soil structure, drought and flooding. The volume concludes with the interactions of roots with other organisms of the complex soil ecosystem, including symbiosis, competition, and the function of roots as a food source.
Download or read book Tree Diversity Effects on Fine root Soil Exploitation and Decomposition in European Forests written by Janna Wambsganss and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Biology of Soil written by Richard Bardgett and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-06-02 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil science has undergone a renaissance with increasing awareness of the importance of soil organisms and below-ground biotic interactions as drivers of community and ecosystem properties.
Download or read book Litter Decomposition a Guide to Carbon and Nutrient Turnover written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2005-11-22 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Litter Decomposition describes one of the most important processes in the biosphere - the decay of organic matter. It focuses on the decomposition process of foliar litter in the terrestrial systems of boreal and temperate forests due to the greater amount of data from those biomes. The availability of several long-term studies from these forest types allows a more in-depth approach to the later stages of decomposition and humus formation. Differences between the decay of woody matter and foliar litter is discussed in detail and a different pattern for decomposition is introduced. While teachers and students in more general subjects will find the most basic information on decomposition processes in this book, scientists and graduate students working on decomposition processes will be entirely satisfied with the more detailed information and the overview of the latest publications on the topic as well as the methodological chapter where practical information on methods useful in decomposition studies can be found. Abundant data sets will serve as an excellent aid in teaching process and will be also of interest to researchers specializing in this field as no thorough database exists at the moment. Provides over 60 tables and 90 figures Offers a conceptual 3-step model describing the different steps of the decomposition process, demonstrating changes in the organic-chemical structure and nutrient contents Includes a synthesis of the current state of knowledge on foliar litter decomposition in natural systems Integrates more traditional knowledge on organic matter decomposition with current problems of environmental pollution, global change, etc. Details contemporary knowledge on organic matter decomposition
Download or read book Nutrient Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems written by Petra Marschner and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-01 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a comprehensive overview of nutrient cycling processes and their importance for plant growth and ecosystem sustainability. The book combines fundamental scientific studies and devised practical approaches. It contains contributions of leading international authorities from various disciplines resulting in multidisciplinary approaches, and all chapters have been carefully reviewed. This volume will support scientists and practitioners alike.
Download or read book Ecosystem Goods and Services from Plantation Forests written by Jürgen Bauhus and published by Earthscan. This book was released on 2010 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plantation forests often have a negative image. They are typically assumed to be poor substitutes for natural forests, particularly in terms of biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, provision of clean drinking water and other non-timber goods and services. Often they are monocultures that do not appear to invite people for recreation and other direct uses. Yet as this book clearly shows, they can play a vital role in the provision of ecosystem services, when compared to agriculture and other forms of land use or when natural forests have been degraded. This is the first book to examine explicitly the non-timber goods and services provided by plantation forests, including soil, water and biodiversity conservation, as well as carbon sequestration and the provision of local livelihoods. The authors show that, if we require a higher provision of ecosystem goods and services from both temperate and tropical plantations, new approaches to their management are required. These include policies, methods for valuing the services, the practices of small landholders, landscape approaches to optimise delivery of goods and services, and technical issues about how to achieve suitable solutions at the scale of forest stands. While providing original theoretical insights, the book also gives guidance for plantation managers, policy-makers, conservation practitioners and community advocates, who seek to promote or strengthen the multiple-use of forest plantations for improved benefits for society. Published with CIFOR
