Mikania micrantha is one of the top 100 worst invasive species that can cause serious damage to natural ecosystems and substantial economic losses. Here, we present its 1.79 Gb chromosome-scale reference genome. Half of the genome is composed of long terminal repeat retrotransposons, 80% of which have been derived from a significant expansion in the past one million years. We identify a whole genome duplication event and recent segmental duplications, which may be responsible for its rapid environmental adaptation. Additionally, we show that M. micrantha achieves higher photosynthetic capacity by CO 2 absorption at night to supplement the carbon fixation during the day, as well as enhanced stem photosynthesis efficiency. Furthermore, the metabolites of M. micrantha can increase the availability of nitrogen by enriching the microbes that participate in nitrogen cycling pathways. These findings collectively provide insights into the rapid growth and invasive adaptation.

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The aim of this study was to examine the influence of land cover changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) in the Daqing Prefecture of China, where heavy industrialisation in the form of dense oil wells has impacted the environment. Time‐series presentations for the period 1978 to 2008 of remotely sensed data and soil survey data were used to assess the extent of the changes. The study revealed soil degradation under all land cover types and in all soil types, grassland retreat (−15 per cent), swampland retreat (−45 per cent) and increases in the area of farmland (+19 per cent), sand land (+1450 per cent) and alkaline land (+52 per cent). Depletion of the SOC pool occurred in swampland (−64 per cent) both because of the decrease in the area of swampland and because of a decrease in SOC density (−34 per cent). An increase in the SOC pool occurred in alkaline land because of the increase in the area and also because of an increase in SOC density (+297 per cent), but there was little change in the SOC pool in farmland because the increase in area was largely offset by a decrease in SOC density (−14 per cent). The decrease in the STN pool was substantial (−44 per cent), with the largest contributor being the decrease in swamplands (−74 per cent), partly because of the decrease in the area of swampland and partly because of a decrease in STN density (−52 per cent). Large decreases in the STN pool also occurred in farmland (−22 per cent) and grassland (−41 per cent). The direct impacts of construction associated with the expansion of the oil industry were overshadowed by indirect impacts such as interference with water flows and water levels resulting in salinisation of soil. The study also revealed that land cover changes are much more dynamic than a simple analysis would reveal, and because of lag times in the loss of SOC, soil degradation will continue even if land cover changes cease. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Soil salinity and sodicity can significantly reduce the value and the productivity of affected lands, posing degradation, and threats to sustainable development of natural resources on earth. This research attempted to map soil salinity/sodicity via disentangling the relationships between Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) imagery and in-situ measurements (EC, pH) over the west Jilin of China. We established the retrieval models for soil salinity and sodicity using Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR). Spatial distribution of the soils that were subjected to hybridized salinity and sodicity (HSS) was obtained by overlay analysis using maps of soil salinity and sodicity in geographical information system (GIS) environment. We analyzed the severity and occurring sizes of soil salinity, sodicity, and HSS with regard to specified soil types and land cover. Results indicated that the models’ accuracy was improved by combining the reflectance bands and spectral indices that were mathematically transformed. Therefore, our results stipulated that the OLI imagery and PLSR method applied to mapping soil salinity and sodicity in the region. The mapping results revealed that the areas of soil salinity, sodicity, and HSS were 1.61 × 106 hm2, 1.46 × 106 hm2, and 1.36 × 106 hm2, respectively. Also, the occurring area of moderate and intensive sodicity was larger than that of salinity. This research may underpin efficiently mapping regional salinity/sodicity occurrences, understanding the linkages between spectral reflectance and ground measurements of soil salinity and sodicity, and provide tools for soil salinity monitoring and the sustainable utilization of land resources.