Abstract AimsIn a large dam-regulated reservoir with regular hydrological pattern and strong flooding gradients across shore elevations, plants inhabiting in different shore elevations have to confront long-lasting flooding of differential intensities every year. Such persistent stress may lead to intraspecific differentiation of flooding tolerance in seeds. Echinochloa crusgalli var. zelayensis is

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 negative density dependence and plant functional traits on species abundance.

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

Intraspecific 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, temperature, and precipitation. Here, we aim to quantify intraspecific

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.

South Africa is mainly dominated by savanna and grasslands ecosystems which have been previously reported to be acidic and nutrient deficient, specifically with regards to phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC, commonly known as velvet bean, is an indigenous legume in most African countries and has been reported to withstand these adverse soil conditions. The legume is used in many

Screening tree species in tropical rainforest according to their shade tolerance is important to efficiently manage the native trees of economic significance in secondary forest enrichment regimes. The objective of this study was to determine the whole-plant light compensation point (WPLCP) and compare the phenotypic plasticity in relation to growth and carbon allocation of Cariniana legalis and Gallesia

Projections of invasive species expansion under a warmer world often do not explicitly consider the concurring nitrogen (N) deposition. It remains largely unknown how the convoluted effect of climate warming and N deposition will shift the native and invasive species dynamics. Here, we hypothesize that the concurring increases in N and temperature would promote growth of invasive species greater than

Climate warming and agricultural non-point source pollution both resulting from anthropogenic activities have been projected to affect plant reproduction and growth in wetlands worldwide. In order to predict and mitigate impacts of these anthropogenic activities, it is important to investigate how marsh plants respond to such environmental changes.

Plant size, environmental conditions and functional traits are important for plant growth; however, it is less clear which combination of these factors is the most effective for predicting tree growth across ontogenetic stages.

Germination is the earliest life-history transition of a plant species. It determines the ecological breadth and geographic ranges of a species and has major effects on its invasion potential. The largest spread of the invasive salt-marsh cordgrass Spartina alterniflora in China, where it extends to latitudes lower than its native range in North America, provides an opportunity to examine germination

Remote sensing (RS) is a technical method for effectively capturing real-world data on a large scale. We aimed to (i) realize the time synchronization of species and environmental variables, and extract variables related to the actual growth of species based on RS in habitat suitability modeling, and (ii) provide a reference for species management.

Classical theory predicts that herbivores impact herb assemblages and soil nitrogen (N) cycling through selective plant consumption and the deposition of N-rich waste, with effects dependent upon ecosystem N availability. Herbivores are predicted to accelerate N cycling when N availability is high and decelerate cycling when availability is low. However, experimental tests of these theories in natural

Sexual dimorphism is a common trait in plants with sex separation, which could influence female and male functions differently. In a subdioecious population of Dasiphora glabra on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we investigated sexual dimorphism of floral traits and their effects on pollinator visitation, pollen flow and seed production. We also examined differences in genome size of hermaphroditic and

Reforestation can enhance soil carbon (C) stability and promote soil C accumulation. Experimental results are, however, highly variable, and the efficacy of reforestation in enhancing soil C stability is still in debate. Consequently, it remains unclear how the different soil C pools respond to reforestation in forest ecosystems.

Black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) and white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss.) are congeneric species. Both are moderately shade tolerant and widely distributed across North American boreal forests.

Leaf size and shape as objects of natural selection can play adaptive roles, and can change with the age of leaves. They can differ between sexes in dioecious species, and in most cases, females have larger leaves. Previous studies showed that sexes of Adriana tomentosa differed in their leaf lobing. In this study we investigated whether there were other differences between sexes in leaf size, shape

Exposure of Eucalyptus tree stems to the radiant heat of forest fires can kill cambial cells and their embedded regenerative meristems, thus preventing epicormic resprouting and recovery of the tree. Currently there is no tissue-level method to quantify the viability of cambial cells in Eucalyptus following heat exposure. The first aim of this study was to adapt and validate the tetrazolium reduction

In plant eco-physiology, less negative (enriched) carbon 13 ( 13C) in the leaves indicates conditions of reducing leaf gas exchange through stomata, e.g. under drought. In addition, 13C is expected to be less negative in non-photosynthetic tissues as compared with leaves. However, these relationships in δ 13C from leaves (photosynthetic organs) to branches, stems and roots (non- photosynthetic organs)

Nutrient resorption is a crucial component of plant nutrient use strategy, yet the controls on the responses of community-level nutrient resorption to altered nutrient availability remain unclear. Here, we addressed two questions: Did leaf and stem nutrient resorption respond consistently to increased nutrient availability? Was community-level plant nutrient resorption response after nutrient enrichment

Competition, temperature, and nutrient are the most important determinants of tree growth in the cold climate on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Although many studies have reported their individual effects on tree growth, little is known about how the interactions of competition with fertilization and temperature affect root growth. We aim to test whether climate warming and fertilization promote competition

Soil biota can affect plant-plant interactions and non-native plant invasions via plant-soil feedback (PSF). Understanding the drivers underlying interspecific variations in PSF is important for predicting the role of soil biota in non-native plant invasions. Recent studies found that PSF could be predicted by plant traits. The success of plant invasions is also linked with plant traits, suggesting

Abstract AimsSoil lead contamination has become increasingly serious and phytoremediation can provide an effective way to reclaim the contaminated soils. This study aims to examine the growth, lead resistance and lead accumulation of mulberry (Morus alba L.) seedlings at four levels of soil lead contamination with or without biochar addition under normal or alternative partial root-zone irrigation

Abstract AimsAccurate prediction of spatiotemporal variations in carbon and water fluxes of heterogeneous landscape is critical to comprehensively address the effects of climate change and vegetation dynamics on landscape and regional carbon and water cycling. MethodsA field study was conducted to characterize the seasonal variations in gas fluxes and explore their relationships with abiotic and biotic

AbstractThe last years, Central European forests have suffered from drought as a direct consequence of climate change. All these forests have a long management history and it lies in the landowner’s responsibility to replant damaged forests. Hence, landowners and the government are searching currently for species suitable to replant in areas affected by tree die-offs. It is a matter of fact that good

Abstract AimsManagement of silvo-pastoral systems in planted and natural forests in semi-arid Mediterranean regions often employs seasonal night corrals for animal protection. This management system changes the spatial distribution of animal excreta, resulting in a net transfer of soil mineral resources and their accumulation in the corrals. After abandonment, corrals are colonized by ruderal species

Climate warming and increasing nitrogen (N) deposition have influenced plant nutrient status and thus plant carbon (C) fixation and vegetation composition in boreal peatlands. Phenols, which are secondary metabolites in plants for defense and adaptation, also play important roles in regulating peatland C dynamics due to their anti-decomposition properties. However, how the phenolic levels of different

Abstract AimsGrasslands are globally threatened by climate changes and unsustainable land-use, which often cause transitions among alternative stable states, and even catastrophic transition to desertification. Spatial vegetation patch configurations have been shown to signify such transitions at large spatial scale. Here, we demonstrate how small-scale patch configurations can also indicate state

Abstract AimsPopulus deltoides and P. euramericana are widely used in China as major forestry species. At present, little is known about their responses to nitrogen (N) deficiency when grown in monocultures or mixed plantations. The aim of this investigation was to analyze the growth, and morphological and physiological responses of P. deltoides and P. euramericana to different N levels under competition

Abstract AimsDrought stress and the degree of drought severity are predicted to rise under highly variable patterns of precipitation due to climate change, while the capacity of trees to cope with drought recovery through physiological and biochemical adjustment remains unclear. We aimed to examine the coupling of physiology and biochemistry in trees during drought and the following recovery. MethodsPotted

Abstract AimsGlobal change factors (e.g. warming and nitrogen deposition) may influence biological invasions, but how these factors may influence the performance of invasive species and further mediate the interactions with native competitors remain still unknown. MethodsHere, we conducted a 5-month greenhouse experiment to examine the effects of warming (using open-top chambers, +0.62°C) and N addition

The functions of global forests are threatened by the increasing frequency of severe drought. Due to drought inducing reductions in soil nutrient availability, efficiencies of nutrient use and resorption of trees become crucial for forest functions and biogeochemical cycles. However, understanding the dynamics of responses of foliar nutrient use and resorption efficiencies to drought, especially in

Mosses are dominant in many ecosystems where nutrients from deposition are one of the main nutrient sources. However, it is difficult to evaluate mosses’ role in nutrient cycling without knowledge of how mosses use deposited nutrient inputs. To fill this gap, the present study aims to investigate: (i) how nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations of new-grown segments change along a gradient of

Observer error is an unavoidable aspect of vegetation surveys involving human observers. We quantified four components of interobserver error associated with long-term monitoring of prairie vegetation: overlooking error, misidentification error, cautious error and estimation error. We also evaluated the association of plot size with pseudoturnover due to observer error, and how documented pseudochanges

In desert ecosystems, water is a restricting factor for plant growth and vegetation dynamics. The relatively stable water source from deep soil profile or groundwater is important for plant survival during drought. Understanding water use strategy of endangered species, in desert ecosystem is essential for their conservation and restoration such as Ammopiptanthus mongolicus on the Mongolian Plateau

Determining the ecological consequences of interactions between slow changes in long-term climate means and amplified variability in climate is an important research frontier in plant ecology. We combined the recent approach of climate sensitivity functions with a revised hydrological ‘bucket model’ to improve predictions on how plant species will respond to changes in the mean and variance of groundwater

Long-term heavy grazing reduces plant diversity and ecosystem function by intensifying nitrogen (N) and water limitation. In contrast, the absence of biomass removal can cause species loss by elevating light competition and weakening community stability, which is exacerbated by N and water enrichment. Hence, how to maintain species diversity and community stability is still a huge challenge for sustainable

Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis proposes that successfully established alien species are less closely related to native species due to differences in their ecological niches. Studies have provided support both for and against this hypothesis. One reason for this is the tendency for phylogenetic clustering between aliens and natives at broad spatial scales with overdispersion at fine scales. However

The conifer litter is fairly recalcitrant and nutrient poor, and broadleaved litter promotes coniferous litter decomposition by increasing degradable nutrients and promoting microbial metabolism. Mixing Pinus massoniana litter and three broadleaved litters may increase the diversity and abundance of fungal decomposers compared with those in P. massoniana litter and vary depending on the number and

Gunnera tinctoria is an unusual N-fixing plant species that has become invasive worldwide, generally in environments with a low evaporative demand and/or high rainfall. Amongst the many mechanisms that may explain its success as an introduced species, a contrasting phenology could be important but this may depend on an ability to grow and utilize nutrients under sub-optimal conditions. We examined

Drought and salinity are severe abiotic stress factors, which limit plant growth and productivity, particularly in desert regions. In this study, we employed two desert poplars, Populus euphratica Oliver and Populus pruinosa Schrenk seedlings, to compare their tolerance to drought, salinity and combined stress.

Plant-pollinator interaction networks are dynamic entities, and seasonal variation in plant phenology can reshape their structure on both short and long timescales. However, such seasonal dynamics are rarely considered, especially for oceanic island pollination networks. Here, we assess changes in the temporal dynamics of plant-pollinator interactions in response to seasonal variation in floral resource

Research on the effects of extreme rainfall events on ecosystem function has primarily focussed on drought or flooding events, which usually include changes to mean or total rainfall, annually or over a season. However, less is known about the effects of increased rainfall variability without change to mean or total amounts. We investigated the effects of increased variation of water supply on shoot

Salt marsh vegetation is an important contributor of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to coastal waters. The dynamics of DOM leaching from different marsh plants, however, have not been well studied or compared.

Seed dispersal by endozoochory is an important process in plant regeneration and the establishment of new populations. Seeds with dormancy may especially benefit after disperser gut passage. However, the ways in which gut passage affect the germination of plant species with physiological dormancy remain unclear. Here, we experimentally assessed the mutualistic interaction between the Austral parakeet

Litterfall at a global scale is affected by climate, edaphic features and vegetation structure, with litter production increasing from grasslands to forests following the rise in standing biomass. However, at landscape scales, the same relationship between litter production and vegetation structure has rarely been studied and comparisons of litterfall patterns between adjacent, structurally distinct

Although soil environments exist extensive heterogeneity for many plants with a wide range of distribution, researches about effects of soil conditions on plants’ tolerance and adaptation are particularly inadequate. In our study, the aims are to reveal physiological strategies of Populus deltoides against drought stress under different soil conditions and to select the most suitable soil type for

Pedogenesis along chronosequences has received attention from soil scientists for decades, following the pioneering work of Walker and Syers (1976), who showed a general pattern of the availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) subsequently confirmed for a range of chronosequences (Huggett 1998; Turner and Condron 2013; Vitousek and Farrington 1997). Much more recently, changes of plant nutrient-acquisition

Bacteria and fungi are two primary groups of soil microbes, and their stability determines the persistence of microbial functions in response to a changing environment. Recent studies reported higher fungal than bacterial stability under precipitation alteration, the underlying mechanisms, however, remain elusive.

Ecological strategies related to the adaptation of plants to environmental stress have long been studied by ecologists, but few studies have systematically revealed the ecological process of plant adaptation to herbivores as a whole.

Among terrestrial ecosystems, coastal sandy dunes are particularly prone to alien plant invasion. Many studies related the invasion of dune habitats to anthropic causes, but less is known about the role of soil properties and plant traits in plant invasion. In this study, we tested the relationships between soil features and alien plant invasion in dune systems, focusing on the interplay between soil

Intensive land management practices can compromise soil biodiversity, thus jeopardizing long-term soil productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a pivotal role in promoting soil productivity through obligate symbiotic associations with plants. However, it is not clear how properties of plant communities, especially species richness and composition influence the viability of AMF populations

Climate change in the eastern Mediterranean region will have a strong impact on ecosystem functioning and plant community dynamics due to a reduction in annual rainfall and increased variability. We aim to understand the role of seed banks as potential buffers against climatic uncertainty determined by climate change.

As one of the most important agents driving floral evolution, pollinators shape the diversity of flowers in angiosperms. However, most previous studies have only quantified pollinators driving the evolution of a single floral trait, and experimental estimates of the potential role of pollinators in shaping the evolution of floral trait associations are relatively rare.

Subalpine coniferous species are distributed over a wide range of elevations in which they must contend with stressful conditions, such as high elevations and extended periods of darkness. Two evergreen coniferous species, Abies veitchii and Abies mariesii, dominate at low and high elevations, respectively, in the subalpine zone, central Japan. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of leaf

Global change may cause unparalleled supplies of soil nutrients and further lead to stoichiometric imbalance of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in terrestrial plants. While previous studies had reported the effects of global change factors on plant N, P contents and their ratios, few had examined whether or how these factors may influence the scaling of these two elements.

Biodiversity is often positively related to the capacity of an ecosystem to provide multiple functions simultaneously (i.e. multifunctionality). However, there is some controversy over whether biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships depend on the number of functions considered. Particularly, investigators have documented contrasting findings that the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem multifunctionality

Plants have limited resources for defenses and species that invest in biotic defenses might exhibit leaves that invest less in other types of defenses. We have investigated whether plants that have few mechanical defenses, but have extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) patrolled by ants, are less prone to herbivory, compared with plants without EFNs that have tougher leaves.

This article is a Commentary on O’Brien et al. (2020, 13: 389–97).