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Experimental study on photodegradation and leaching of typical pesticides in greenhouse soil from Shouguang, Shandong Province, East China Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-18 Li-Ting Hua, Rui-Lin Wu, Cun-Lu Li, Chao-Nan Wang, Yi-Long Li, Fu-Liu Xu
Pesticide use contributes to national food security. The dissipation pathways and degradation mechanisms of pesticides have been widely studied and pesticide residues have remained a focus of public concern. However, studies on the migration and transformation behaviors of pesticide residues in real-world greenhouse soils are insufficient. Therefore, in this study, we collected greenhouse soil from
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A global analysis of the introduction pathways and characteristics associated with non-native fish species introduction, establishment, and impacts Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Camille Bernery, Céline Bellard, Franck Courchamp, Sébastien Brosse, Boris Leroy
The invasion success of introduced freshwater fishes is influenced by many factors, including ecological, species, and socioeconomic characteristics. Most studies that document the importance of these characteristics are conducted at local scales and/or focus on a single step of the invasion process. In this study, we aim to determine the species characteristics, ecological characteristics, and socioeconomic
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Volatile organic compounds emitted by Megaplatypus mutatus associated fungi: chemical identification and temperature-modulated responses by the ambrosial beetle Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-11 Esteban D. Ceriani-Nakamurakare, Mariel Slodowicz, Cecilia Carmarán, Paola Gonzalez-Audino
In ambrosia and bark beetles–fungi interaction, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a central role in mediating various aspects of community dynamics of beetles and/or fungi. These functions include facilitating beetle habitat location, mate identification, and fungal partner differentiation. However, the understanding on this context remains limited, especially in the globally distributed subfamily
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Applicability and improvement of different potential evapotranspiration models in different climate zones of China Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Zedong Li, Yiran Li, Xinxiao Yu, Guodong Jia, Peng Chen, Pengfei Zheng, Yusong Wang, Bingbing Ding
Accurate estimation of potential evapotranspiration (PET) is the key for studying land-air interaction hydrological processes. Several models are used to estimate the PET based on standardized meteorological data. Although combination-based models have the highest level performance estimation of PET, they require more meteorological data and may therefore be difficult to apply in areas lacking meteorological
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Reproductive patterns in Araucaria araucana forests in the Andean range, Chile Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Sergio Donoso, Karen Peña-Rojas, Claudia Espinoza, Carolain Badaracco, Rómulo Santelices-Moya, Antonio Cabrera-Ariza
Araucaria araucana is a mast species that presents a high variability in annual cone production. Researchers have recorded synchronization events in cone production in different populations, which allows the seed production to be concentrated, reducing the percentage of seeds consumed by different animal species. We sampled three populations located in the Andes Mountains, Araucanía Region, Chile.
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Correction: An approach for finding causal relations in environmental systems: with an application to understand drivers of a toxic algal bloom Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Benny Selle
Correction: Ecol Process (2024) 13:8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-023-00482-5 Following publication of the original article (Selle 2024), the author reported an error in Eqs. 1 and 2. Caused by a typesetting error, four spare brackets were mistakenly added to Eqs. 1 and 2: (1) ρQ;EC;LN(AL) = (ρQ;EC − ρQ;LN(AL) ρEC;LN(AL))/(1 − ρQ;LN(AL)2)0.5)/(1 − ρEC;LN(AL)2)0.5) = 0.463, (2) ρQ;LN(AL);EC = (ρQ;LN(AL)
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Changes in albedo and its radiative forcing of grasslands in East Asia drylands Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Qingsong Zhu, Jiquan Chen, Liangxu Wu, Yuting Huang, Changliang Shao, Gang Dong, Zhe Xu, Xianglan Li
Grasslands in drylands are increasingly influenced by human activities and climate change, leading to alterations in albedo and radiative energy balance among others. Surface biophysical properties and their interactions change greatly following disturbances. However, our understanding of these processes and their climatic impacts remains limited. In this study, we used multi-year observations from
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Water quality, habitat, and fish assemblage relationships in middle-order agriculture and forest streams of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Matthew L. Skoog, Michael A. Eggleton, Yushun Chen
Agriculture has greatly influenced water quality, habitats, and fish assemblages in streams of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) ecoregion. However, MAP streams have historically been understudied compared to streams in other agricultural regions of the USA. In this study, water quality, habitat, and fish assemblage composition were assessed seasonally (spring, summer, and fall) in eight representative
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Analyses of fin ray types to detect strontium markers in juvenile blunt-snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 Yahua Zhu, Tao Jiang, Xiubao Chen, Hongbo Liu, Quinton Phelps, Jian Yang
Restocking by introducing hatchery-reared fish into wild habitats aids in the restoration of fishery aquatic ecosystems and reefs to increase the abundance of fish resources, restore the ecological balance of water bodies, and enhance ecosystem functioning. Accurately, rapidly, and effectively evaluating the success of restocking using chemical markers (e.g., strontium [Sr]) remains challenging for
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Comparisons of oxbow lake fish assemblages in relation to bigheaded carp establishment in the lower White River, Arkansas Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Michael A. Eggleton, Cody J. Salzmann, Joseph E. Kaiser, Shannon C. F. Smith
Since the late 1990s, bigheaded carps (largely silver carp [Hypophthalmichthys molitrix] but also bighead carp [H. nobilis]) have established throughout the lower Mississippi River basin. Using previously studied oxbow lakes in the lower White River basin, Arkansas, we compared current (2017, “post-carp” establishment) fish assemblages to historical (2002, “pre-carp” establishment) fish assemblages
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Artificial light at night (ALAN) pollution alters bat lunar chronobiology: insights from broad-scale long-term acoustic monitoring Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Han Li, Pauline Allen, Saige Boris, Samantha Lagrama, Jade Lyons, Christina Mills, Pauline Moussi, Casey Nichols, Carter Tacosik, McKenzie Tsaousis, Nyzaya Livingston Wilson, John F. Grider, Kevin A. Parker, Matina C. Kalcounis-Rueppell
The timing of behavior and habitat use of nocturnal animals can be influenced by the lunar cycle in nature. The prevalence of artificial light at night (ALAN) has been recognized as a source of environmental pollution. The interaction between ALAN and the lunar cycle on bat behavior is important for understanding anthropogenic effects on bats. We utilized a decade (2012–2022) of acoustic monitoring
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Multi-scale habitat influences sprainting and group size of a freshwater-obligate smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Tungabhadra Otter Conservation Reserve, India Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Ankit Moun, P. Ramesh Kumar, M. Malathi Priya, T. Ramesh, Riddhika Kalle
The impact of changing land-use patterns and associated anthropogenic threats on scale-dependent habitat use of semi-aquatic mustelids in scent-marking and social behaviour can provide important insights into the habitat ecology of smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata). We sampled 180 stream segments (100–400 m) as spatial replicates of 60 1-km2 sites to record indirect evidence (i.e. spraints
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Water quality and habitat drive phytoplankton taxonomic and functional group patterns in the Yangtze River Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-18 Wenqi Gao, Fangyuan Xiong, Ying Lu, Wei Xin, Haihua Wang, Gangpeng Feng, Chiping Kong, Lei Fang, Xiaoping Gao, Yushun Chen
Although phytoplankton are important primary producers in food webs, they are relatively less studied in large rivers compared to other types of systems. To fill this research gap, we studied phytoplankton taxonomic and functional composition and their relationships with water quality, habitat, climate, and land use across 30 river sections in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during
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Extreme drought triggers parallel shifts in wood anatomical and physiological traits in upper treeline of the Mediterranean Andes Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Luiz Santini, Dylan Craven, Daigard Ricardo Ortega Rodriguez, Manolo Trindade Quintilhan, Stephanie Gibson-Carpintero, Cristina Aravena Torres, Fidel A. Roig, Ariel A. Muñoz, Alejandro Venegas-Gonzalez
Treeline ecotones of Mediterranean ecoregions have been affected by the increasing intensity and severity of droughts. Even though the effect of droughts on forest dynamics has been widely documented, knowledge is relatively scarce of how extreme climate episodes affect the hydraulic structure and, therefore, the physiology of woody plants. The Mediterranean Andes have experienced an uninterrupted
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Body size induced changes in metabolic carbon of soil nematodes under N deposition and precipitation regime change in a temperate grassland Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Shuyan Cui, Xiaomei Mo, Guo Zheng
Global climate change has resulted in precipitation regimes exhibiting an increasing trend in rainfall intensity but a reduction in its frequency. Nitrogen (N) deposition is a crucial component of the global N cycling. Nematode body size is a trait that responds to climate change and is used as a standard trait-based indicator in soil community analysis. Variations in body size influence metabolic
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An approach for finding causal relations in environmental systems: with an application to understand drivers of a toxic algal bloom Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Benny Selle
Discovering causality in environmental systems is challenging because frequently controlled experiments or numerical simulations are difficult. Algorithms to learn directed acyclic graphs from system data are powerful, but they often result in too many possible causal structures that cannot be properly evaluated. An approach to this problem proposed here is to initially restrict the system to a target
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Quality evaluation of Nothofagus pumilio seeds linked to forest management and climatic events Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 Julian Rodríguez-Souilla, Jimena E. Chaves, María Vanessa Lencinas, Juan Manuel Cellini, Fidel A. Roig, Pablo L. Peri, Guillermo Martinez Pastur
Forest ecosystems undergo significant transformations due to harvesting and climate fluctuations, emphasizing the critical role of seeding in natural regeneration and long-term structural preservation. Climate change further amplifies these dynamics, affecting phenology across species and regions. In Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), Nothofagus pumilio (lenga) forests represent the most important timber
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Taxonomic dependency and spatial heterogeneity in assembly mechanisms of bacteria across complex coastal waters Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 Huizhen Yan, Dandan Lin, Gaoke Gu, Yujie Huang, Xuya Hu, Zhenhao Yu, Dandi Hou, Demin Zhang, Barbara J. Campbell, Kai Wang
Understanding community assembly mechanisms across taxa and space is fundamental for microbial ecology. However, the variability and determinants of assembly processes over taxa and space remain unclear. Here, we investigated taxonomic dependency and spatial heterogeneity in bacterial assembly mechanisms across coastal waters in the East China Sea using neutral and null models with customized visualization
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Spatial and temporal patterns of forest fires in the Central Monte: relationships with regional climate Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Pablo Eugenio Villagra, Erica Cesca, Leandro Manuel Alvarez, Silvia Delgado, Ricardo Villalba
Natural and anthropogenic wildfires burn large areas of arid and semi-arid forests with significant socio-economic and environmental impacts. Fire regimes are controlled by climate, vegetation type, and anthropogenic factors such as ignition sources and human-induced disturbances. Projections of climate and land-use change suggest that these controlling factors will change, altering fire regimes in
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Priority effects of forbs arriving early: the role of root interaction and asymmetric competition Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-15 Xiaohong Yan, Xiliang Li, Ke Jin
The priority effect of plant arrival is a key driver of community assembly and ecosystem succession during the restoration of degraded plant communities. However, the significance of the arrival order of different plant functional groups and their interactions with community assemblies remains unclear. Using a phytotron experiment with three fully crossed factors, we investigated the underlying mechanisms
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Passivation remediation of weakly alkaline Cd-contaminated soils using combined treatments of biochar and sepiolite Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-09 Yuxin Zhang, Shan Gao, Hongtao Jia, Tao Sun, Shunan Zheng, Shihang Wu, Yuebing Sun
Cadmium (Cd) pollution in agricultural soils has become a priority environmental concern globally. A reasonable application of passivators is critical to address the problem. In this study, we examined the remediation effects of rice husk biochar (rBC) and sepiolite (Sep) as single and combined (rBC + Sep) treatments on Cd pollution in a weakly alkaline soil using three maize cultivars (Liyu 16, Zhengdan
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Effects of fertilization on radial growth of Pinus pinea explored hourly using dendrometers Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 Verónica Loewe-Muñoz, Rodrigo del Río Millar, Claudia Delard Rodriguez, Mónica Balzarini
Stone pine (Pinus pinea), a drought-resistant species, has significant socio-economic benefits and increasing interest for the establishment of productive plantations in several countries, especially in a climate change context. Monitoring hourly stem diameter variations contributes to the understanding of the tree-growth response to changes in environmental conditions and management. By monitoring
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Soil organic carbon stocks in native forest of Argentina: a useful surrogate for mitigation and conservation planning under climate variability Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-05 Pablo L. Peri, Juan Gaitán, Matías Mastrangelo, Marcelo Nosetto, Pablo E. Villagra, Ezequiel Balducci, Martín Pinazo, Roxana P. Eclesia, Alejandra Von Wallis, Sebastián Villarino, Francisco Alaggia, Marina González Polo, Silvina Manrique, Pablo A. Meglioli, Julián Rodríguez-Souilla, Martín Mónaco, Jimena E. Chaves, Ariel Medina, Ignacio Gasparri, Eugenio Alvarez Arnesi, María Paula Barral, Axel von
The nationally determined contribution (NDC) presented by Argentina within the framework of the Paris Agreement is aligned with the decisions made in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the reduction of emissions derived from deforestation and forest degradation, as well as forest carbon conservation (REDD+). In addition, climate change constitutes one
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Driving factors of tree biomass and soil carbon pool in xerophytic forests of northeastern Argentina Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-21 Silvana María José Sione, Marcelo Germán Wilson, Silvia Gabriela Ledesma, Emmanuel Adrián Gabioud, José Daniel Oszust, Leandro Javier Rosenberger
The conversion of forests into agricultural lands can be a threat because the forests carbon stored could be a source of emissions. The capacity to improve the predictions on the consequences of land use change depends on the identification of factors that influence carbon pools. We investigated the key driving factors of tree biomass and soil carbon pools in xerophytic forests in northeastern Argentina
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Functional traits: the pathways to riverine plant resistance in times of hydropeaking Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 Alejandro Baladrón, María Dolores Bejarano, Isabel Boavida
Hydropeaking, which refers to rising or falling discharges caused by the turning on or off of hydro-turbines to generate electricity, is a topic of growing interest due to its impact on fluvial ecosystems. To date, most hydropeaking studies have focused on the impact of peak fluctuations on invertebrate and fish communities, but little attention has been paid to its impact on riverine plants and how
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The phytolith carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems: the underestimated potential of bamboo forest Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 Xuekun Cheng, Huiru Lv, Shuhan Liu, Chong Li, Pingheng Li, Yufeng Zhou, Yongjun Shi, Guomo Zhou
Terrestrial ecosystems contain significant carbon storage, vital to the global carbon cycle and climate change. Alterations in human production activities and environmental factors affect the stability of carbon storage in soil. Carbon sequestration in plant phytoliths offers a sustainable method for long-term carbon stabilization. Carbon occluded in phytoliths (PhytOC) is a kind of carbon that can
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Enrichment and toxic effects of triclosan on aquatic macrophytes Eichhornia crassipes and Hydrilla verticillata exposed to triclosan in sediments Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-19 Xiuxiu Yan, Fangyu Hu, Jing An, Yongchao Yin, Lingyan Zhang, Shuhe Wei
Clarifying the enrichment and response processes of triclosan (TCS) in hydrophytes is crucial for assessing the ecological risk of TCS in aquatic environments. This study delves into the chronic toxic effects of TCS in floating plant Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms and submerged plant Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle exposed to TCS sediments through hydroponic experiments. The absorption abilities
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The effects of multiple environmental factors on global carbon allocation Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Jiangzhou Xia, Yang Chen, Wenping Yuan, Ying-Ping Wang
The allocation of photosynthate among the parts of plants (e.g., leaves, wood tissues and roots) strongly regulates their growth, and this conditions the terrestrial carbon cycle. Recent studies have shown that atmospheric CO2 and climate change dominate the changes in carbon allocation in plants, but the magnitude and mechanism of its effects remain unclear. The Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land
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Estimation of estuarine habitat degradation and its influence on the reproduction process of the crab Eriocheir sinensis in the Yangtze River Estuary Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-12 Tingting Zhang, Nan Du, Zhi Geng, Sikai Wang, Yu Gao, Gang Yang, Xiaorong Huang, Tao Zhang, Ping Zhuang, Feng Zhao
The provision of habitat for fishery species in estuaries is highly valued and represents one of the most challenging ecosystem service values to quantify. However, quantifying this value is challenging due to complex relationships between habitat change, ecological processes, and environmental variations. This study aims to estimate estuarine habitat degradation and its impact on the reproduction
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Does climate change alter the nutrient trends of Cedrela fissilis Vell. trees in the southern Brazilian Amazon? Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-06 Daigard R. Ortega Rodriguez, Raúl Sánchez-Salguero, Andrea Hevia, Renata C. Bovi, Marciel J. Ferreira, James H. Speer, Fidel A. Roig, Mario Tomazello-Filho
The increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts is pointed out as one of the main factors altering biogeochemical cycles in the Amazon basin. An eco-nutritional approach using X-ray fluorescence micro-analysis (µXRF) is proposed to verify the long- and short-term effects of droughts on the growth and xylem nutrient concentrations of Cedrela fissilis Vell. Fourteen radii were selected from a
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Endophytic bacteria in the periglacial plant Potentilla fruticosa var. albicans are influenced by habitat type Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Wangchen Sonam, Yongqin Liu, Liangdong Guo
Microbial communities in different plant compartments are relatively independent entities. However, the influence of environmental factors on the microbial community in different compartments of periglacial plants remains unclear. In this study, we quantified the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere soil, as well as root and leaf endosphere compartments of a periglacial plant, Potentilla fruticosa
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Warming and altered precipitation rarely alter N addition effects on soil greenhouse gas fluxes: a meta-analysis Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-30 Xinyu Wei, Fuzhong Wu, Koenraad Van Meerbeek, Ellen Desie, Xiangyin Ni, Kai Yue, Petr Heděnec, Jing Yang, Nannan An
Changes in soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes caused by nitrogen (N) addition are considered as the key factors contributing to global climate change (global warming and altered precipitation regimes), which in turn alters the feedback between N addition and soil GHG fluxes. However, the effects of N addition on soil GHG emissions under climate change are highly variable and context-dependent, so that
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Physiological responses and algae inhibition of Pontederia cordata to simulated eutrophication and acid rain co-pollution Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Yan Li, Xi Qi, Jianpan Xin, Chu Zhao, Runan Tian
Eutrophication and acid rain are two threats that many water bodies must contend with. Eutrophication and climate change have accelerated widespread outbreaks of cyanobacterial blooms as both have become more severe. Pontederia cordata, a garden ornamental plant, can inhibit some algae growth and remove total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) from the water. In this study, we investigated how
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Grazing effects on vegetation dynamics in the savannah ecosystems of the Sahel Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Haftay Hailu Gebremedhn, Ousmane Ndiaye, Sylvanus Mensah, Cofélas Fassinou, Simon Taugourdeau, Torbern Tagesson, Paulo Salgado
The savannah ecosystems of Sahel have experienced continuous and heavy grazing of livestock for centuries but still, their vegetation response to grazing pressure remains poorly understood. In this study, we analysed the herbaceous plant dynamics, measured by species diversity, composition, cover, and biomass in response to grazing pressure in the savannah ecosystems of Sahel. In Senegal, we selected
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Residue recycling options and their implications for sustainable nitrogen management in rice–wheat agroecosystems Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-10 Ajay Kumar Bhardwaj, Kapil Malik, Manu Rani, Uttam Kumar Mandal, Nirmalendu Basak, Awtar Singh, Rajender Kumar Yadav, Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Dinesh Kumar Sharma
In the Indo-Gangetic Plain, rice–wheat is the most extensively practiced crop rotation. The escalating issue of crop residue burning, particularly rice straw, and the necessity to lower the exorbitant expenses associated with fertilizer inputs stand out as significant challenges for farmers in the region. A well-suited integrated nutrient management (INM) strategy that focuses on recycling crop residues
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Functional responses to deforestation in fish communities inhabiting neotropical streams and rivers Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-06 Isabel Cantera, Céline Jézéquel, Tony Dejean, Jérôme Murienne, Régis Vigouroux, Alice Valentini, Sébastien Brosse
Deforestation is a widespread disturbance for neotropical freshwater ecosystems. While biodiversity declines have been associated with deforestation, its functional consequences for stream and river fish faunas remain poorly understood. In this study, we explored how deforestation affects the different facets of the functional structure of fish communities inventoried using environmental DNA metabarcoding
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Changes in fish resources 5 years after implementation of the 10-year fishing ban in the Chishui River, the first river with a complete fishing ban in the Yangtze River Basin Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-30 Fei Liu, Zixin Wang, Zhijun Xia, Jianwei Wang, Huanzhang Liu
To rehabilitate the depleted fish resources of the Yangtze River Basin, China, a 10-year fishing ban has been implemented. This national initiative has attracted worldwide attention. The present study aimed to explore the ecological process and recovery effectiveness of this complete fishing ban in the Chishui River, the first river where the fishing ban was enacted in the Yangtze River Basin. Changes
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The impact of salps (Salpa thompsoni) on the Antarctic krill population (Euphausia superba): an individual-based modelling study Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-09 Bruno Walter Pietzsch, Aaron Schmidt, Jürgen Groeneveld, Dominik Bahlburg, Bettina Meyer, Uta Berger
Krill (Euphausia superba) and salps (Salpa thompsoni) are key macrozooplankton grazers in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. However, due to differing habitat requirements, both species previously exhibited little spatial overlap. With ongoing climate change-induced seawater temperature increase and regional sea ice loss, salps can now extend their spatial distribution into historically krill-dominated
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Time lag effect of vegetation response to seasonal precipitation in the Mara River Basin Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-04 Shouming Feng, Zhenke Zhang, Shuhe Zhao, Xinya Guo, Wanyi Zhu, Priyanko Das
Mara River Basin is an ecologically fragile area in East Africa, with a pattern of alternating wet and dry seasons shaped by periodic precipitation. Considering the regional biological traits and climatic change, the vegetation's response to seasonal variation is complicated and frequently characterized by time lags. This study analyzed the variation of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)
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Reimagining large river management using the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework in the Upper Mississippi River Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-04 Nicole K. Ward, Abigail J. Lynch, Erik A. Beever, Joshua Booker, Kristen L. Bouska, Holly Embke, Jeffrey N. Houser, John F. Kocik, Joshua Kocik, David J. Lawrence, Mary Grace Lemon, Doug Limpinsel, Madeline R. Magee, Bryan M. Maitland, Owen McKenna, Andrew Meier, John M. Morton, Jeffrey D. Muehlbauer, Robert Newman, Devon C. Oliver, Heidi M. Rantala, Greg G. Sass, Aaron Shultz, Laura M. Thompson, Jennifer
Large-river decision-makers are charged with maintaining diverse ecosystem services through unprecedented social-ecological transformations as climate change and other global stressors intensify. The interconnected, dendritic habitats of rivers, which often demarcate jurisdictional boundaries, generate complex management challenges. Here, we explore how the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework may
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Soil fauna accelerated litter C and N release by improving litter quality across an elevational gradient Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-18 Li Zhang, Jingru Liu, Rui Yin, Zhenfeng Xu, Chengming You, Han Li, Lixia Wang, Sining Liu, Hongwei Xu, Lin Xu, Yang Liu, Yong Wang, Bo Tan
Soil fauna is an important driver of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) release from decomposing litter in forest ecosystems. However, its role in C and N cycling concerning climate and litter traits remains less known. In a 4-year field experiment, we evaluated the effects of soil fauna on litter C and N release across an elevation gradient (453, 945, 3023, and 3582 m) and litter traits (coniferous vs. broadleaf)
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Exogenous nitrogen input skews estimates of microbial nitrogen use efficiency by ecoenzymatic stoichiometry Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-11 Lifei Sun, Daryl L. Moorhead, Yongxing Cui, Wolfgang Wanek, Shuailin Li, Chao Wang
Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry models (EEST) are often used to evaluate microbial nutrient use efficiency, but the validity of these models under exogenous nitrogen (N) input has never been clarified. Here, we investigated the effects of long-term N addition (as urea) on microbial N use efficiency (NUE), compared EEST and 18O-labeling methods for determining NUE, and evaluated EEST’s theoretical assumption
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Microbial community coalescence and nitrogen cycling in simulated mortality decomposition hotspots Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-11 Sarah W. Keenan, Alexandra L. Emmons, Jennifer M. DeBruyn
The pulsed introduction of dead plant and animal material into soils represents one of the primary mechanisms for returning organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) compounds to biogeochemical cycles. Decomposition of animal carcasses provides a high C and N resource that stimulates indigenous environmental microbial communities and introduces non-indigenous, carcass-derived microbes to the environment
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A large carbon sink induced by the implementation of the largest afforestation program on Earth Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-08 Jiaojun Zhu, Yirong Sun, Xiao Zheng, Kai Yang, G. Geoff Wang, Chaozong Xia, Tao Sun, Jinxin Zhang
Three-North Afforestation Program (TNAP) in China is the largest ecological restoration project on Earth (ongoing from 1978 to 2050), harboring a huge area of newly planted forests, which provides a wealth of goods and ecosystem services that benefit society at levels ranging from region to East Asia. This project-induced carbon (C) sink has been expected to be large, but its size and location remain
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Seed nutrient is more stable than leaf in response to changing multiple resources in an alpine meadow Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-06 Jiapu Li, Dashuan Tian, Kailiang Yu, Hongbo Guo, Ruiyang Zhang, Jinsong Wang, Qingping Zhou, Shuli Niu
It has been long thought that nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) concentrations and their ratios (N:P) in metabolically active or functional organs (i.e., leaves) are less responsive to environmental changes. Little attention, however, has been paid to the reproductive organs—seeds, while seeds may maintain their nutrients more stable for the evolutionary fitness of next generation. Here, we conducted a
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Retraction Note: Tree species diversity predicts aboveground carbon storage through functional diversity and functional dominance in the dry evergreen Afromontane forest of Hararghe highland, Southeast Ethiopia Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-06 Mengistu Teshome Wondimu, Zebene Asfaw Nigussie, Muktar Mohammed Yusuf
Retraction: Ecological Processes (2021) 10:47 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-021-00322-4 The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article as it contains material that substantially overlaps with the following article (Mensah et al. 2016). Mengistu Teshome Wondimu does not agree to this retraction. Zebene Asfaw Nigussie and Muktar Mohammed Yusuf have not responded to any correspondence from the editor/publisher
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Development of a phytoplankton-based index of biotic integrity for ecological health assessment in the Yangtze River Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-05 Wenqi Gao, Fangyuan Xiong, Ying Lu, Xiao Qu, Wei Xin, Yushun Chen
The application of index of biotic integrity (IBI) to evaluate river health can be an essential method for river ecosystem management. However, these types of methods were developed in small, low-order streams, and are therefore, infrequently applied to large rivers. To that end, phytoplankton communities and environmental variables were monitored in 30 sampling segments of the middle and lower reaches
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Process analysis and mitigation strategies for wetland degradation caused by increasing agricultural water demand: an ecology–economy nexus perspective Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-04 Lin Jiang, Hui Wang, Saige Wang, Wen Zhang
Farmland expansion has played a major role in wetland degradation in Heilongjiang Province, China in recent decades. Farmland expansion increases the demands for water, thereby affecting wetland water cycles, and promoting the shrinkage of wetland areas and degradation of ecosystem functions. As an open system, agricultural production is limited by both ecological and socioeconomic conditions. However
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Linking soil organic carbon mineralization to soil physicochemical properties and bacterial alpha diversity at different depths following land use changes Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-28 Jing Guo, Wulai Xiong, Jian Qiu, Guibin Wang
Anthropogenic land use changes (LUCs) impart intensifying impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) turnover, leading to uncertainty concerning SOC mineralization patterns and determining whether soils act as “source” or “sink” in the global carbon budget. Therefore, understanding the SOC mineralization characteristics of different LUC patterns and their potential influencing factors is crucial. An indoor
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Influence of night-time light pollution on the photosynthesis and physiological characteristics of the urban plants Euonymus japonicus and Rosa hybrida Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Yaxi Wei, Zhen Li, Jiaolong Zhang, Dan Hu
Night-time light pollution (NLP), which breaks the natural cycle of day and night, has become a new threat to urban ecosystems. Plants are the main component of urban ecosystems and play an irreplaceable role in maintaining urban ecological balance. The effects of NLP with various radiation sources, including green, white, blue and red light provided by light-emitting diodes, on urban plants, Euonymus
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Microcosm study on fate and dynamics of mangrove tannins during leaf litter leaching Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-24 Hai-Chao Zhou, Hui-Xing Kang, Jian Wei, Chang-Jun Gao, Muzammil Hussain, Yi-Jian Fu, Ming-Dang Li, Feng-Lan Li, Steven Jing-Liang Xu, Fred Wang-Fat Lee, Ming-Guo Jiang, Yi-Bing Wang, Xiao-Xia Chen, Nora Fung-Yee Tam, Tao Lang
Mangrove tannins can participate in wetland biogeochemical cycling. However, their fate and dynamics during leaf litter leaching have yet to be elucidated in coastal aquatic environments. By using a simulated microcosm experiment, changes in leaf litter mass and tannin compounds, including total phenolics (TP), extractable condensed tannins (ECT), and bound condensed tannins (BCT), were examined in
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Effects of nitrogen addition and drought on the relationship between nitrogen- and water-use efficiency in a temperate grassland Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-04 Jiaxin Hu, Wang Ma, Zhengwen Wang
Nitrogen- and water-use efficiency (NUE and WUE) reflect the capacity of plants to take up and utilize resources in the environments. Although N deposition and drought are known to affect plant growth and persistence, it remains elusive how plants adjust NUE, WUE and their relationship to adapt to the concurrent N deposition and drought under the context of global change. We conducted a field experiment
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Variations in diversity, composition, and species interactions of soil microbial community in response to increased N deposition and precipitation intensity in a temperate grassland Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-24 Shuyan Cui, Yushan Xiao, Yu Zhou, Pengfeng Wu, Liqiang Cui, Guo Zheng
Global climate change has resulted in precipitation regimes exhibiting an increasing trend in rainfall intensity but a reduction in frequency. In addition, nitrogen (N) deposition occurs simultaneously in arid and semi-arid regions. Microbial biomass, diversity, composition, and species interactions are key determinants of ecological functions. We examined the effects of changes in precipitation intensity
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Application of pressure–state–response approach for developing criteria and indicators of ecological health assessment of wetlands: a multi-temporal study in Ichhamati floodplains, India Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-21 Jibananda Gayen, Debajit Datta
Tropical floodplain wetlands are among the most disturbed and intensively harvested ecosystems. Their sustainable management is often hindered due to the lack of comprehensive, coherent, and standardized assessment frameworks of wetland ecological health (WEH). In this study, a set of appropriate criteria and indicators (C&I) of WEH assessment was developed and tested on seven wetlands of River Ichhamati
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Relationships between land use types and urban heat island intensity in Hulu Langat district, Selangor, Malaysia Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-18 Muhammad Rendana, Wan Mohd Razi Idris, Sahibin Abdul Rahim, Hazem Ghassan Abdo, Hussein Almohamad, Ahmed Abdullah Al Dughairi, Motrih Al-Mutiry
Urban heat island (UHI) is an urban climate phenomenon that primarily responds to urban conditions and land use change. The extent of hard surfaces significantly influences the thermal properties of the land. To address this issue, a novel approach quantifying the association between land use and UHI is developed. This study offers a new technique for effectively estimating the effect of land use on
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Influence of tree species on soil microbial residue accumulation and distribution among soil aggregates in subtropical plantations of China Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-10 Yanli Jing, Xuechao Zhao, Shengen Liu, Peng Tian, Zhaolin Sun, Longchi Chen, Qingkui Wang
Microbial residues are significant contributors to stable soil organic carbon (SOC). Soil aggregates effectively protect microbial residues against decomposition; thus, microbial residue accumulation and distribution among soil aggregates determine long-term SOC stability. However, how tree species influence accumulation and distribution of soil microbial residues remains largely unknown, hindering
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Effects of Hedera helix L. removal on the understory early regeneration in an oak temperate forest in Mexico City Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-05 Héctor Adrián Jiménez-Hernández, Leticia Bonilla-Valencia, Yuriana Martínez-Orea, Mara Jessica Zamora-Almazan, Francisco Javier Espinosa-García, Silvia Castillo-Argüero
Hedera helix L. is an invasive weed species introduced in several regions of the world, so it is relevant to study its effects on the plant community and the changes occurring after its eradication. We established invaded (with/without removal of H. helix) and non-invaded (with/without removal of the understory) plots to compare some community attributes in an oak forest in Mexico City and monitored
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How can ecosystem engineer plants boost productivity in east Mediterranean drylands Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-19 Elena Constantinou, Dimitrios Sarris, Magda Psichoudaki, Javier Cabello, Ioannis N. Vogiatzakis
Water availability is the key limiting factor for plant productivity in drylands covering ca. 40% of Earth’s land surface. For such ecosystems to retain productivity and biodiversity under climatic change, it would be valuable to identify/promote keystone plant species that (i) have developed strategies to more efficiently utilize moisture resources not easily accessible and (ii) improve moisture conditions
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Plant–pollinator metanetworks in fragmented landscapes: a simulation study Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-18 Ehsan Rahimi, Chuleui Jung
The topology of the plant–pollinator network can be explained by the species’ abundance and their random interactions. Plant–pollinator networks can be studied in the context of a landscape, because each patch can accommodate a certain local network. Local populations of pollinators in the landscape can be connected through migration and then constitute a metanetwork that is known as a combination
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Comparing leaf area index estimates in a Mediterranean forest using field measurements, Landsat 8, and Sentinel-2 data Ecol. Process. (IF 4.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-14 Alessandro Sebastiani, Riccardo Salvati, Fausto Manes
Leaf area index (LAI) is a key indicator for the assessment of the canopy’s processes such as net primary production and evapotranspiration. For this reason, the LAI is often used as a key input parameter in ecosystem services’ modeling, which is emerging as a critical tool for steering upcoming urban reforestation strategies. However, LAI field measures are extremely time-consuming and require remarkable