Dead shrub patches as ecosystem engineers in degraded drylands

Stavi, Ilan; Zaady, Eli; Gusarov, Alexander; Yizhaq, Hezi

doi:10.1007/s11442-021-1892-2

Cited by 10 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The long-term effects of the degradation or death of shrubs promote the growth of herbaceous vegetation in shrub patches. Degraded or dead shrubs produce a unique ecosystem ( Stavi et al, 2021 ). After GE, canopy sizes were directly proportional to the decreases in light intensity and soil temperature and inversely proportional to the decreases in litter and soil moisture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of soil microbial compositional and functional heterogeneity to grazing exclusion in alpine shrub and meadows in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Wang

Abalori²,

Wang³

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil microorganisms found in shrub-meadow ecosystems are highly heterogeneous and extremely sensitive to grazing, but changes in microbial compositional and functional heterogeneity during grazing exclusion (GE) have been largely overlooked compared to community diversity. We collected soil samples from heavily grazed plots (6.0 sheep/ha) and GE plots (matrix and patch areas in both), and used a combination of next-generation sequencing, vegetation features, and the associated soil property data to investigate the effect of GE on the composition and function of microbial communities (bacteria fungi, and archaea) in 0–10 cm soils. Regarding community composition, the proportions of species in bacteria, fungi, and archaea were 97.3, 2.3, and 0.4%, respectively. GE significantly affected the species diversity of fungi and archaea but not that of bacteria. GE decreased the heterogeneity of bacteria (2.9% in matrix and 6.2% in patch) and archaea (31.1% in matrix and 19.7% in patch) but increased that of fungi by 1.4% in patch. Regarding community function, enzyme diversity and heterogeneity were increased by 10.4 and 9.4%, respectively, in patch after 6 years of fencing, exemplifying a high level of microbial functional redundancy. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathways—cell growth and death, translation, digestive system, and nucleotide metabolism—were functional biomarkers (linear discriminant analysis effect size method) in matrix-non-grazed plots, whereas lipid metabolism, xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism, and metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, cell motility, cancer: overview, endocrine system, and membrane transport were biomarkers in patch-non-grazed plots. Additionally, GE improved the capacity for fatty acid metabolism but decreased the abundance of methane-producing archaea by 42.9%. Redundancy analysis revealed that the factors that affected microbial composition the most were soil aggregates, soil moisture, and the number of plant species, whereas those that affected microbial function the most were soil available phosphorus, soil temperature, and shrub canopy diameter. Our results quantified soil microbial heterogeneity, emphasizing the different responses of the composition and function of bacteria, fungi, and archaea to GE in alpine shrubs and meadows.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of soil microbial compositional and functional heterogeneity to grazing exclusion in alpine shrub and meadows in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Wang

Abalori²,

Wang³

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Shrub mortality diminishes or even offsets its microenvironmental effects, profoundly affecting surface biological activities and biogeochemical cycles. Previous studies have found that the legacy effects of shrub mortality promoted the growth and development of herbaceous plants but reduced the photosynthetic activity of desert moss crusts (El-Keblawy et al, 2016;Stavi et al, 2021) and also affected soil nutrient cycling and microbial community (Sher et al, 2012). The results of the PLS-PM model showed that the overall effect of shrub mortality on soil nutrient multifunctionality was not negative, and it also had some direct positive effects (direct effect = 0.16), which may result from the formation of shrub mounds by wind and sand blockage through their residual root parts; thus, providing nutrients for the growth of herbaceous plants and increasing soil microbial activities (Nejidat et al, 2016;Stavi et al, 2021) and also due to the fact that plant residues (withered to some extent) block the direct sunlight reaching earth's surface and change soil physicochemical properties (Jia et al, 2018).…”

Section: Effects Of Shrub Mortality On Soil Nutrient Multifunctionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the effect of shrub mortality on ecosystem functions is the result of not only a net loss of shrub but also a reduction in its ability to interact with BSCs. Studies carried out in the Negev Desert, Israel, have shown that successional processes, microbial community structure, soil moisture dynamics, and nutrient cycling of BSCs were disturbed to varying degrees after shrub mortality (Sher et al, 2012;Stavi et al, 2021). Therefore, it is crucial for moss crusts to maintain the stability of desert soil functions with their great ability to survive in the face of adversity by taking over from the shrubs (Zhang et al, 2011;Zheng et al, 2011) when there is a loss of the shelter of the shrub.…”

Section: Effects Of Shrub Mortality On Soil Nutrient Multifunctionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in recent years, the negative impacts of global change, such as continuous warming and extreme droughts, have been enhanced, which have greatly reduced the productivity and species diversity of desert ecosystems and caused shrub mortality (Cardinale et al, 2012;Chamizo et al, 2012;Huang et al, 2016). As an important factor for wind and sand control and maintenance of desert ecosystems, shrub mortality would inevitably affect BSCs within the sub-canopy and soil environment (Sher et al, 2012;Stavi et al, 2021). Studies on the effects of the physiological ecology of moss crusts have shown that shrub mortality significantly decreased their physiological indicators such as chlorophyll fluorescence intensity and soluble protein content and mosses maintain normal physiological activities by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities and osmoregulatory substance contents under resource-limited conditions (Yin and Zhang, 2016;Yin et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Moss crusts mitigate the negative impacts of shrub mortality on nutrient multifunctionality of desert soils

zhang

Yin

Zhang

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The distribution of a mosaic of biological soil crusts (BSCs) and shrubs is a common landscape surface feature in temperate deserts. With the continued climatic change, the desert shrub experiences varying rates of mortality which has serious negative impacts on soil structure and functions. However, it is not clear whether BSCs, which develop extensively in areas under shrub canopies, can mitigate the effects of shrub mortality on soil nutrient multifunctionality. Therefore, in this study, the Gurbantungut Desert, a typical temperate desert in northern China, was selected as the study area, and the dominant shrubs, Ephedra przewalskii shrub, and the moss crust were used as the study objects. Soil samples were collected from the bare sand and moss crusts under the living shrub and the dead shrub and analyzed to determine their carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents. The results showed that the shrub mortality reduced the soil moisture content, pH, electric conductivity, and carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents in the bare sand compared with the bare sand under the living shrub. The presence of the moss crust greatly mitigated the negative impacts of shrub mortality on soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents, and the nutrient multifunctionality of the moss crust was only reduced by 4.01% compared with the reduction by bare sand (67.42%) after shrub mortality. The results of SEM analysis showed that with the coexistence of shrubs and crust, the effect of shrubs on soil multifunctionality was much stronger than that of the moss crust; compared with available nutrients, the total nutrient content was the most important factor driving changes in soil nutrient multifunctionality. In conclusion, in desert ecosystems with degraded shrubs, moss crusts can mitigate the reduction in soil nutrient contents caused by shrub degradation and, therefore, maintain the soil stability and nutrient multifunctionality as a "substitute".

show abstract

“…These effects may eventually lead to shrub mortality and a reduction in their overall coverage (Tian et al., 2014; J. Xiao et al., 2019). Considering the critical role of desert shrubs in wind and sand control and the maintenance of desert ecosystems, the mortality of shrubs is likely to have consequences for moss crusts under their canopies and the surrounding soil environment (Sher et al., 2012; Stavi et al., 2021). Studies on the physiological ecology of moss crusts have revealed that shrub mortality significantly reduces their physiological indicators, such as chlorophyll fluorescence intensity and soluble protein content.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moss crusts mitigate the negative impacts of shrub mortality on the nutrient multifunctionality of desert soils

Zhang,

Yin,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The distribution of biological soil crusts (BSCs) and shrubs in temperate deserts often forms a common landscape surface feature. As climate change continues, desert shrubs experience varying rates of mortality, which can have severe negative impacts on soil structure and functions. However, it remains uncertain whether moss crusts, prevalent beneath shrub canopies, can mitigate the effects of shrub mortality on soil nutrient environments. Therefore, this study focuses on the Gurbantunggut Desert, a typical temperate desert in northern China, with a primary focus on the dominant shrubs, Ephedra przewalskii, and the advanced stage of moss crust development within BSCs. We collected soil samples from bare sand and moss crusts under living shrubs and dead shrubs and analyzed them for their carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents. Additionally, we calculated soil nutrient multifunctionality, which measures a soil's ability to sustain multiple ecosystem services simultaneously, to provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of shrub mortality on soil nutrient function. Our results indicate that shrub mortality led to reductions in soil moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, and levels of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in exposed sand compared to the sand under living shrubs. However, the presence of moss crusts significantly alleviated the adverse effects of shrub mortality on soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels. The nutrient multifunctionality index of the moss crust only decreased by 4%, while bare sand experienced a 67% reduction following shrub mortality. Standard error of the mean analysis results revealed that when shrubs and crusts coexisted, the impact of shrubs on soil nutrient multifunctionality was much stronger than that of the moss crust. Specifically, total nutrient content was the most influential factor driving changes in soil nutrient multifunctionality. In conclusion, in desert ecosystems with declining shrubs, moss crusts can mitigate the reduction in soil nutrient contents caused by shrub degradation, thereby maintaining soil stability and nutrient multifunctionality as a viable substitute.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

show abstract

Dead shrub patches as ecosystem engineers in degraded drylands

Cited by 10 publications

References 51 publications

Response of soil microbial compositional and functional heterogeneity to grazing exclusion in alpine shrub and meadows in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Response of soil microbial compositional and functional heterogeneity to grazing exclusion in alpine shrub and meadows in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Moss crusts mitigate the negative impacts of shrub mortality on nutrient multifunctionality of desert soils

Moss crusts mitigate the negative impacts of shrub mortality on the nutrient multifunctionality of desert soils

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About