Pulse effects of precipitation cause soil organic matter to rapidly decompose and release CO2 in a short period. The pulse effects of precipitation are important for ecosystem C cycling and soil C balance, although their spatial variation in forest soils and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Interactions between plants and their soil biota, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in particular, may play a vital role in the establishment and the range expansion of exotic plants in new environments. However, whether there are post-introduction shifts in dependence on AMF and how dependency interacts with competition remains poorly understood.

Aims Plant nutrient use efficiency, an important factor driving primary production, is sensitive to nitrogen (N) deposition. Because of strengthened regulations of N emissions, atmospheric N deposition is decreasing in many countries. It remains unknown whether historical N enrichment would alter plant nutrient use efficiency and whether such impacts would be mitigated by ecosystem management strategy

Abstract AimsOur objectives are to examine the effects of hummock-depression spatial heterogeneity on plant communities and soil properties, and to understand the process of maintaining and adjusting microtopography-mediated hydrological inputs and their spatial fluctuations that produce obvious micro-habitats. MethodsWe set up 36 plots (1m×1m) and sampled 45 plant and 225 soil samples in flooded and

Studies of competition in mangroves are mostly limited to seedlings and artificial settings like forestry projects. We conducted the first experimental study of intraspecific competition among adult mangroves in a natural mangrove forest to examine how important competition is in determining tree size compared with abiotic conditions.

Abstract AimsInvasive alien plants cannot only decrease riparian vegetation diversity but also alter wetland ecosystem carbon processes, especially when they displace the original vegetation. Invasive Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) has colonized large areas of disturbed and undisturbed land in southeastern China, yet little is known regarding how it affects soil carbon cycling. To explore the

Abstract AimsNative plant communities are commonly invaded by invasive plants to different degrees. However, the relative contribution of the invasive plant abundance vs. phylogenetic evenness to the responses of wetland communities to different degrees of invasion is still unclear. In addition, whether such contribution varies with environmental conditions such as flooding is also unclear. MethodsTo

Abstract AimsGlobal changes such as atmospheric CO2 enrichment often facilitate exotic plant invasions and alter soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community. However, it is still unclear whether the effects of CO2 enrichment on exotic plant invasions are associated with its effects on root-AMF symbiosis of invasive and native plants. MethodsTo address this issue, the annual invasive plant Xanthium

Shrub patches often support the colonizers particularly under stressful and/or disturbed environments. The intensities of stresses and disturbances on mountains are often related to an elevation gradient and are decreased by shrub patches (canopy and litter). We aim to clarify these relationships by using shrub patches at different elevations on a volcano.

We explored if and how seasonal fires interact with microhabitat type (i.e., under Pistacia shrub, under Cistus shrub, or a canopy gap) to influence the composition of the germinable soil seed bank (GSSB) community in a typical eastern Mediterranean woodland.

Precipitation (PPT) changes affects both aboveground vegetation dynamics and belowground carbon cycling processes, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. However, it remains unclear how extreme PPT variation can affect soil carbon sequestration potential.

As one of the main food bamboo species of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), Fargesia denudata is widely distributed in the understory of spruce-fir forests in the mountainous area of southwestern China. However, the driving factors of its biomass and distribution in the forests are still unclear.

Woody plants represent the ancestral growth form in angiosperms with herbs evolving repeatedly from them. While there are a number of hypotheses about drivers of the evolution of the herbaceous habit, the ability to avoid frost damage in winter by discarding their aboveground biomass has often been invoked as the main force in their evolution. We propose instead that any unpredictable disturbance might

Recent warmer and wetter climate in northern China remains a hot topic in recent years, yet its effect on vegetation growth has not been fully understood. This study investigated the temporal change of vegetation cover and its correlations with climatic variables from 1982 to 2018 for grasslands in northern China. Our aim is to clarify whether the warmer and wetter climate in recent years drives the

Abstract AimsTemporary ponds play substantial roles in preserving biodiversity in the Sahel. This study investigated the influence of anthropic and eco-hydrological factors on the plant diversity around two grazed ponds and one ungrazed pond in Ferlo, northern Senegal. MethodsTwo phytoecological transects were established per pond. On each transect, homogeneous herbaceous vegetation units were identified

Rapid warming at high altitudes may lead to a higher sensitivity in tree growth to temperature. The key factors constraining tree radial growth and to what extent regional tree growth has suffered from climatic changes are unclear.

Water and nitrogen (N) are two key resources in dryland ecosystems, but they may have complex interactive effects on the community structure and ecosystem functions. How future precipitation (rainfall vs snowfall) change will impact aboveground net primary production (ANPP) is far from clear, especially when combined with increasing N availability.

Abstract AimsEnvironmental heterogeneity affects the performance of clonal aquatic plants. Few researchers integrated two aspects of heterogeneity into the study of clonal plant ecology. The aims of the present study are to (i) test whether different substrate heterogeneity and submergence exert similar effects on plant performance and (ii) explore the foraging behaviour. MethodsIn this study, Scirpus

Sorghum halepense is a perennial invasive weed causing great harm worldwide, including some regions on Hainan island. In this study, we compared the performance between plants from outbreaking (dense stands covering large areas) and those from non-outbreaking (less dense stands covering smaller areas) populations. We also tested the hypothesis that plants with greater intraspecific competitive ability

Abstract AimsAtmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition influences tree hydraulic architecture and thus the growth and survival; but the responses of leaf hydraulic traits remain uncertain, and may vary with species or plant functional types. MethodsWe used the 16-year N addition experiment (10 g N m -2 year -1) on Fraxinus mandshurica (ash, broadleaf angiosperm) and Larix gmelinii (larch, conifer gymnosperm)

Abstract AimsAlien plant invasion has become a major global environmental issue, causing severe economic and ecological damages. Severe invasions have been reported in some regions of China. However, most studies have been conducted at local and provincial levels, and the overall degree of invasion in natural forests across China remains unclear. Here, we explored the biogeographic patterns and their

Abstract AimsThe effects of biocrusts on vascular plants are rarely evaluated in coastal saline lands. Our aim was to examine whether and how a mosaic of biocrusts affect seed germination of two typical herbaceous plants in a coastal saline land of the Yellow River Delta, to enhance our understanding by which substrate heterogeneity influences plant community dynamics. MethodsWe conducted growth chamber

Abstract AimsThe limitations of classical Lotka–Volterra models for analyzing and interpreting competitive interactions among plant species have become increasingly clear in recent years. Three of the problems that have been identified are (i) the absence of frequency-dependence, which is important for long-term coexistence of species, (ii) the need to take unmeasured (often unmeasurable) variables

We compared vein and stomatal traits of seedlings and adults of three Mediterranean Quercus species. Previous work suggests that gas-exchange rates tend to be higher at the seedling stage than in adults. Our objective was to determine whether vein and stomatal traits vary throughout whole-plant ontogeny in parallel with the changes in gas-exchange rates. We addressed the following alternative hypotheses:

Abstract AimsTo explore whether grazing-induced legacy effects on plants could benefit plants adaptation to drought. MethodsA water-controlled experiment was conducted in the greenhouse, which with Agropyron cristatum and Carex korshinskyi collected from free-grazing and enclosed plots on a typical grassland in Inner Mongolia. Important FindingsWe found that A. cristatum and C. korshinskyi collected

In the Oregon of USA, the control of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) is an accepted rangeland management practice to restore sagebrush steppe habitats of importance to wildlife and livestock. The effects of juniper cutting on ecosystem nitrogen, however, have not been well addressed although woody plant control has important implications for local watershed management and regional nitrogen

Abstract AimsIdentifying the potential role of vegetation context (defined as the density, species identity/diversity and height of co-occurring plants) in modifying selection on floral traits is a critical step for clarifying and predicting the floral evolutionary trajectory in complex co-flowering species competition environments. It is also helpful to understand the variation in pollinator-mediated

Functional traits are usually used to predict plant demographic rates without considering environmental contexts. However, previous studies have consistently found that traits have low explanatory power for plant demographic rates. We hypothesized that accounting for environmental contexts instead of focusing on traits alone could improve our understanding of how traits influence plant demographic

It is important to explore the underlying mechanisms that cause triphasic species–area relationship (triphasic SAR) across different scales in order to understand the spatial patterns of biodiversity.

Abstract AimsFunctional group composition of a plant community is mainly driven by environmental factors and is one of the main determinants of grassland biodiversity and productivity. Therefore, it is important to understand the role of plant functional groups (PFGs) in mediating the impact of environmental conditions on ecosystem functions and biodiversity. MethodsWe measured plant biomass and species

Dispersal through space or time via dormancy is one of the primary processes whereby organisms can influence the environment they experience. In plants, strong evolutionary correlations are expected between the two kinds of dispersal because both are performed by the seeds and play comparable adaptive roles. In this paper, we investigated these evolutionary correlations using amphicarpic plants, which

Abstract AimsInvasive plants may alter soil fungal communities in a way that improves their growth. Nitrogen (N) content of soil affects the symbiosis between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), further determining plant growth. Yet, it is unclear whether altered AMF communities change the dependence of invasive and native species on N-form, and whether N forms alter the invasive plant–AMF

Abstract AimsWithin-species genetic and phenotypic variation have well-known effects on evolutionary processes, but less is known about how within-species variation may influence community-level processes. Ecologically meaningful intraspecific variation might be particularly important in the context of anthropogenic impacts on natural systems, such as agriculture and species invasion, because human

The effect of exotic plants on Bacillus diversity in the rhizosphere and the role of Bacilli in exotic or native plant species remain poorly understood. Flaveria bidentis is an invasive grass in China. Setaria viridis is a native grass and occurs in areas invaded by F. bidentis. Our objectives were (i) to examine the differences in the Bacillus communities between F. bidentis and S. viridis rhizospheres

Although increases in precipitation variability in arid ecosystems are projected due to climate change, the response of desert shrub communities to precipitation change has not been fully elucidated. Such knowledge is important since drought-adapted plants exhibit varied mechanisms of survival that may contribute to species coexistence.

One of the key traits associated with clonal growth in plants is the capacity for physiological integration, which allows resource sharing between connected ramets within a clonal system. Resource transport is expected to occur following a source–sink relationship: from ramets established in rich patches to ramets growing in poor patches. However, some experiments have shown that acropetal transport

Dioecious plants exhibit sexual dimorphism in both sexual features (reproductive organs) and secondary sex characteristics (vegetative traits). Sexual differences in secondary traits, including morphological, physiological and ecological characters, have been commonly associated with trade-offs between the cost of reproduction and other plant functions. Such trade-offs may be modified by environmental

The aims of this study were to assess how functional diversity (FD) and functional redundancy respond to subalpine meadow ecosystem degradation under anthropogenic disturbance and how species contribute to functional redundancy along the disturbance gradient.

The introduction of Robinia pseudoacacia (RP) has some effects on undergrowth herbaceous plants (UH), soil properties and their relationships, which may be related to the vegetation zone. However, few studies have tested effects of RP on UH and soil over a large-scale area of the Loess Plateau.

Abstract AimsUnderstanding the patterns and drivers of carbon isotope discrimination (13Δ) in C3 and C4 functional groups is critical for predicting C3/C4 vegetation ratio from the isotopic composition of soil organic matter. In this study, we aimed to evaluate how intraspecific variation will modify functional group-level 13Δ values and the associated prediction of C3/C4 vegetation ratio. MethodsWe

Abstract AimsOur objective was to quantify the contributions of the seed bank and the established vegetation to the species composition, functional composition and diversity, and discuss the implications of these differences in regeneration and persistence of floodplain plant communities. MethodsWe sampled all ground cover vegetation up to 1.5 m height and seed bank in 25 plots (10 m × 1 m) distributed

Abstract AimsThe scaling relationship between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations ([N] and [P], respectively) in leaves manifests plants’ relative investment between the two nutrients. However, the variation in this relationship among taxa as well as its causes was seldom described. MethodsThe analysis was based on a dataset including 2483 leaf samples from 46 genera of angiosperm woody

Adaptive convergence in floral phenotype among plants sharing a pollinator guild has been acknowledged in the concept of pollination syndrome. However, many plants display traits associated with a given syndrome, but are visited by multiple pollinators. This situation may indicate the beginning of a pollinator shift or may result in a stable situation with adaptations to different pollinators. In Salvia

Leaf nutrient resorption is sensitive to changes in soil nutrients. However, the effects of N deposition on nutrient resorption efficiency (NuRE) in plant macro-nutrients remain unclear. Poplar (Populus deltoids) is one of the most extensively cultivated hardwood species worldwide. We explored general patterns and dominant drivers of NuRE and stoichiometry of poplar plantations in response to N addition

Human activities and global changes have led to alterations in global and regional precipitation regimes. Despite extensive studies on the effects of changes in precipitation regimes on plant community composition across different types of grassland worldwide, few studies have specifically focused on the effects of precipitation changes on high-altitude alpine steppe at community and plant species

Plant invasion is one of the most serious threats to ecosystems worldwide. When invasive plants with the ability of clonal growth invading or colonizing in new habitat, their interconnected ramets may suffer from heterogeneous light. Effects of clonal integration on allelopathy of invasive plants are poorly understood under heterogeneous light conditions.

The factors affecting species abundance are a subject of ongoing debates in community ecology. Empirical studies have demonstrated that tree abundance is affected by plant functional traits and negative density dependence (NDD). However, few studies have focused on the combined effects of NDD and plant functional traits on species abundance.

Given the key functional role of understorey plant communities and the substantial extent of forest cover at the global scale, investigating understorey community responses to elevated CO2 (eCO2) concentrations, and the role of soil resources in these responses, is important for understanding the ecosystem-level consequences of rising CO2 concentrations for forest ecosystems. Here, we evaluated how

We aimed at disentangling the effects of spatial distance, current, and past environmental dissimilarity, and their combinations on tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover by addressing the following questions: a) Is tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover related to the indirect effects of spatial distance via environmental dissimilarity? b) Does tree community taxonomic and

Biodiversity patterns along elevational gradients have been well documented. Yet, the variations of biodiversity patterns along elevations and their underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Integrating multiple facets of biodiversity provides novel insights into the mechanisms for driving community assembly. In this study, species abundance information was incorporated into taxonomic and phylogenetic

Positive biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships have been widely reported, predominately from grassland ecosystems. However, this does not necessarily have to apply accordingly in more complex situations such as in forests across different vertical strata. For instance, overstorey tree species richness has been shown to be associated with a lower understorey productivity. Whether or not tree

Plant populations in managed grasslands are subject to strong selection exerted by grazing, mowing and fertilization. Many previous studies showed that this can cause evolutionary changes in mean trait values, but little is known about the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in response to land use. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity—specifically, regrowth

In multiflowered species, the architecture of inflorescences is of primary importance in shaping plant attractiveness. The aim of this study was to disentangle the role of inflorescence traits in plant female reproductive success and pollination patterns along the inflorescence in the lax-flowered orchid Anacamptis laxiflora, a terrestrial species exploiting a deceptive pollination strategy. We also

Long-term determination of root biomass production upon land-use conversion to biofuel crops is rare. To assess land-use legacy influences on belowground biomass accumulation, we converted 22-year-old Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands and 50+-year-old agricultural (AGR) lands to corn (C), switchgrass (Sw) and restored prairie (Pr) biofuel crops. We maintained one CRP grassland as a reference

Terrestrial ecosystem carbon (C) uptake is remarkably regulated by nitrogen (N) availability in the soil. However, the coupling of C and N cycles, as reflected by C:N ratios in different components, has not been well explored in response to climate change.

The evolution and expression of dispersal-related traits are intertwined with those of other life-history functions and are manifested within various physiological constraints. Such a relationship is predicted between inbreeding levels and dispersability, which may be anatomically and ontogenetically linked so that the selection pressures on one may affect the other. While both the effect of inbreeding

Field and common garden comparisons are commonly performed to test the rapid evolution of increased vigor in introduced plant populations. Latitudinal clines in phenotypic traits can obscure such evolutionary inferences, particularly when native or introduced populations are distributed across large geographic ranges. We tested whether the latitudinal clines influence comparisons between introduced

Abstract AimsThe Nihewan Basin of North China, considered the cradle of Eastern civilization, contains a set of late Cenozoic strata and artifacts used by Homo erectus in the early Pleistocene (~1.66 Ma to 780 ka) and the cranial bones and teeth of early H. sapiens from the late middle Pleistocene (~370 to 260 ka). Palynological studies provide an opportunity to explore the living environment of early

Abstract AimsIntraspecific variation in plant traits has important consequences for individual fitness and herbivore foraging. For plants, trait variability across spatial dimensions is well documented. However, temporal dimensions of trait variability are less well known, and may be influenced by seasonal differences in growing degree days (GDD), temperature and precipitation. Here, we aim to quantify

The effects of fertilization on fungal plant pathogens in agricultural soils have been studied extensively. However, we know little about how fertilization affects the relative abundance and richness of soil fungal plant pathogens in natural ecosystems, either through altering the soil properties or plant community composition.