Repackaging precipitation into fewer, larger storms reduces ecosystem exchanges of CO 2 and H 2 O in a semiarid steppe

Liu, W.J.; Li, L.F.; Hao, Yanbin; Zhang, H.; Kang, Xiaoming; Cui, Xiaoyong; Wang, Y.F.; Li, M.W.; Xu, Zhihong; Griffin, Kevin L.; Xu, Cong

doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.08.029

Cited by 48 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…moist or dry) and annual precipitation amount (Knapp et al, ; Thomey et al, ). For example, larger but fewer rain events led to greater average soil moisture in a semiarid shortgrass steppe in north eastern Colorado (Heisler‐White, Blair, Kelly, Harmoney, & Knapp, ) while resulting in a lower temporally averaged soil water content in a semiarid steppe in Inner Mongolia (Liu et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial N₂O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis

Zheng

Wang

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

140

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Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil contribute to global warming and are in turn substantially affected by climate change. However, climate change impacts on N2O production across terrestrial ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here, we synthesized 46 published studies of N2O fluxes and relevant soil functional genes (SFGs, that is, archaeal amoA, bacterial amoA, nosZ, narG, nirK and nirS) to assess their responses to increased temperature, increased or decreased precipitation amounts, and prolonged drought (no change in total precipitation but increase in precipitation intervals) in terrestrial ecosystem (i.e. grasslands, forests, shrublands, tundra and croplands). Across the data set, temperature increased N2O emissions by 33%. However, the effects were highly variable across biomes, with strongest temperature responses in shrublands, variable responses in forests and negative responses in tundra. The warming methods employed also influenced the effects of temperature on N2O emissions (most effectively induced by open‐top chambers). Whole‐day or whole‐year warming treatment significantly enhanced N2O emissions, but daytime, nighttime or short‐season warming did not have significant effects. Regardless of biome, treatment method and season, increased precipitation promoted N2O emission by an average of 55%, while decreased precipitation suppressed N2O emission by 31%, predominantly driven by changes in soil moisture. The effect size of precipitation changes on nirS and nosZ showed a U‐shape relationship with soil moisture; further insight into biotic mechanisms underlying N2O emission response to climate change remain limited by data availability, underlying a need for studies that report SFG. Our findings indicate that climate change substantially affects N2O emission and highlights the urgent need to incorporate this strong feedback into most climate models for convincing projection of future climate change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial N₂O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis

Zheng

Wang

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

140

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“…), with attendant negative impacts to key ecosystem services such as carbon uptake (Liu et al. ), forage, and livestock productivity linked to increased PPT variability (Sloat et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Much work has also focused on ANPP sensitivity to PPT change, with relatively less consideration for attendant impacts to belowground processes (Liu et al. , but see Wilcox et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Semiarid ecosystem sensitivity to precipitation extremes: weak evidence for vegetation constraints

Felton

Zavislan‐Pullaro

Smith

2019

Ecology

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In semiarid regions, vegetation constraints on plant growth responses to precipitation (PPT) are hypothesized to place an upper limit on net primary productivity (NPP), leading to predictions of future shifts from currently defined linear to saturating NPP–PPT relationships as increases in both dry and wet PPT extremes occur. We experimentally tested this prediction by imposing a replicated gradient of growing season PPT (GSP, n = 11 levels, n = 4 replicates), ranging from the driest to wettest conditions in the 75‐yr climate record, within a semiarid grassland. We focused on responses of two key ecosystem processes: aboveground NPP (ANPP) and soil respiration (Rs). ANPP and Rs both exhibited greater relative responses to wet vs. dry GSP extremes, with a linear relationship consistently best explaining the response of both processes to GSP. However, this responsiveness to GSP peaked at moderate levels of extremity for both processes, and declined at the most extreme GSP levels, suggesting that greater sensitivity of ANPP and Rs to wet vs. dry conditions may diminish under increased magnitudes of GSP extremes. Underlying these responses was rapid plant compositional change driven by increased forb production and cover as GSP transitioned to extreme wet conditions. This compositional shift increased the magnitude of ANPP responses to wet GSP extremes, as well as the slope and variability explained in the ANPP–GSP relationship. Our findings suggest that rapid plant compositional change may act as a mediator of semiarid ecosystem responses to predicted changes in GSP extremes.

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“…Semiarid grassland ecosystems occupy approximately 9.1 × 10 6 km 2 , or 20% of the earth's land surface area, and provide valuable CO 2 sequestration, calculated as net ecosystem production (NEP) (Liu et al., ; Scott, Hamerlynck, Jenerette, Moran, & Barron‐Gafford, ). Precipitation effects on NEP depend on differential responses of gross ecosystem production (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (RE).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rainfall pulse response of carbon fluxes in a temperate grass ecosystem in the semiarid Loess Plateau

Tang

Jiang

Chen

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Rainfall pulses can significantly influence carbon cycling in water‐limited ecosystems. The magnitude of carbon flux component responses to precipitation may vary depending on precipitation amount and antecedent soil moisture, associated with nonlinear responses of plants and soil microbes. The present study was carried out in a temperate grass ecosystem during 2013–2015 in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China, to examine the response of carbon fluxes to precipitation using the “threshold‐delay” model. The unique contribution of environmental variables such as precipitation amount and antecedent soil moisture before rainfall (SWC_antecedent) to carbon fluxes in response to rainfall was also investigated. The lower threshold of effective rainfall was 6.6 mm for gross ecosystem production (GEP), 8.5 mm for net ecosystem production (NEP), and 4.5 mm for ecosystem respiration (RE); and the upper threshold of effective rainfall was 21.4 mm for GEP and NEP, and 16.8 mm for RE. Rainfall amount was positively affected the relative rainfall responses of GEP, NEP, and RE. However, SWC_antecedent at 20 cm soil depth offset the response of GEP to rainfall pulses, and SWC_antecedent at 5 cm soil depth offset the response of NEP and RE to rainfall pulses, with corresponding partial slopes of linear regressions of −0.50, −0.40, and −0.52. These results indicated that NEP was more sensitive to rainfall pulses and RE was more sensitive to SWC_antecedent. These results demonstrate the importance of rainfall events of <10 mm and that the negative effect of SWC_antecedent should also be considered when estimating ecosystem carbon fluxes in this semiarid region.

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Repackaging precipitation into fewer, larger storms reduces ecosystem exchanges of CO 2 and H 2 O in a semiarid steppe

Cited by 48 publications

References 38 publications

Terrestrial N₂O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis

Terrestrial N₂O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis

Semiarid ecosystem sensitivity to precipitation extremes: weak evidence for vegetation constraints

Rainfall pulse response of carbon fluxes in a temperate grass ecosystem in the semiarid Loess Plateau

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Repackaging precipitation into fewer, larger storms reduces ecosystem exchanges of CO 2 and H 2 O in a semiarid steppe

Cited by 48 publications

References 38 publications

Terrestrial N2O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis

Terrestrial N2O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis

Semiarid ecosystem sensitivity to precipitation extremes: weak evidence for vegetation constraints

Rainfall pulse response of carbon fluxes in a temperate grass ecosystem in the semiarid Loess Plateau

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Terrestrial N₂O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis

Terrestrial N₂O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis