{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "11369/372709", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:25:01Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-09-07", "title": "Soil resources and element stocks in drylands to face global issues", "description": "Abstract

Drylands (hyperarid, arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid ecosystems) cover almost half of Earth\uffe2\uff80\uff99s land surface and are highly vulnerable to environmental pressures. Here we provide an inventory of soil properties including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stocks within the current boundaries of drylands, aimed at serving as a benchmark in the face of future challenges including increased population, food security, desertification, and climate change. Aridity limits plant production and results in poorly developed soils, with coarse texture, low C:N and C:P, scarce organic matter, and high vulnerability to erosion. Dryland soils store 646 Pg of organic C to 2\uffe2\uff80\uff89m, the equivalent of 32% of the global soil organic C pool. The magnitude of the historic loss of C from dryland soils due to human land use and cover change and their typically low C:N and C:P suggest high potential to build up soil organic matter, but coarse soil textures may limit protection and stabilization processes. Restoring, preserving, and increasing soil organic matter in drylands may help slow down rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide by sequestering C, and is strongly needed to enhance food security and reduce the risk of land degradation and desertification.5 mm) was the most abundant dry aggregate size fraction in both crop and alfalfa soils, and significant difference in the distribution of dry aggregates between the two land use types occurred only in the >5 mm aggregate fraction. The percentage of water-stable macroaggregates (>2, 2-0.25 mm) and aggregate stability (mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregates, WMWD) were significantly higher in alfalfa soils than in crop soils. There was a significant linear relationship between total SOC concentration and aggregate parameters (mean weight diameter) for alfalfa soils, indicating that aggregate stability was closely associated with increased SOC concentration following the conversion of crops to alfalfa. The SOC and N concentrations and the C/N ratio were greatest in the >2 mm water-stable aggregates and the smallest in the 0.25-0.05 mm aggregates in crop and alfalfa soils. For the same aggregate, SOC and N concentrations in aggregate fractions increased with increasing total SOC and N concentrations. The result showed that the conversion of annual crops to alfalfa in the marginal land with coarse-texture soils can significantly increase SOC and N stocks, and improve soil structure.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Geologic Sediments", "Geography", "Nitrogen", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "Soil", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Particle Size", "Environmental Monitoring", "Medicago sativa"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Rong Yang, Wenjie Liu, Xue Xiang Chang, Yong Zhong Su,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9284-x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s00267-009-9284-x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s00267-009-9284-x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s00267-009-9284-x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-02-26T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s00442-002-1130-2", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:14:49Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-12-22", "title": "Responses Of Soil Nitrogen Dynamics In A Mojave Desert Ecosystem To Manipulations In Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Availability", "description": "We investigated the effects of changes in soil C and N availability on N mineralization, nitrification, denitrification, NH(3) volatilization, and soil respiration in the Mojave Desert. Results indicate a C limitation to microbial N cycling. Soils from underneath the canopies of Larrea tridentata (DC.) Cov., Pleuraphis rigida Thurber, and Lycium spp. exhibited higher rates of CO(2 ) flux, lower rates of NH(3) volatilization, and a decrease in inorganic N (NH(4)(+)-N and NO(3)(-)-N) with C addition. In addition to C limitation, soils from plant interspaces also exhibited a N limitation. Soils from all locations had net immobilization of N over the course of a 15-day laboratory incubation. However, soils from interspaces had lower rates of net nitrification and potential denitrification compared to soils from under plant canopies. The response to changes in C availability appears to be a short-term increase in microbial immobilization of inorganic N. Under controlled conditions, and over a longer time period, the effects of C and N availability appear to give way to larger differences due to spatial location. These findings have implications for ecosystems undergoing changes in soil C and N availability due to such processes as desertification, exotic species invasions, or elevated atmospheric CO(2) concentration.", "keywords": ["Nitrogen", "Biological Availability", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "California", "Carbon", "Soil", "Ammonia", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Volatilization", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-002-1130-2"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Oecologia", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s00442-002-1130-2", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s00442-002-1130-2", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s00442-002-1130-2"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2003-01-25T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s00442-009-1516-5", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:14:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-12-04", "title": "Combined Effects Of Precipitation And Nitrogen Deposition On Native And Invasive Winter Annual Production In California Deserts", "description": "Primary production in deserts is limited by soil moisture and N availability, and thus is likely to be influenced by both anthropogenic N deposition and precipitation regimes altered as a consequence of climate change. Invasive annual grasses are particularly responsive to increases in N and water availabilities, which may result in competition with native forb communities. Additionally, conditions favoring increased invasive grass production in arid and semi-arid regions can increase fire risk, negatively impacting woody vegetation that is not adapted to fire. We conducted a seeded garden experiment and a 5-year field fertilization experiment to investigate how winter annual production is altered by increasing N supply under a range of water availabilities. The greatest production of invasive grasses and native forbs in the garden experiment occurred under the highest soil N (inorganic N after fertilization = 2.99 g m(-2)) and highest watering regime, indicating these species are limited by both water and N. A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis on the multi-year field fertilization study showed that winter annual biomass was primarily limited by November-December precipitation. Biomass exceeded the threshold capable of carrying fire when inorganic soil N availability was at least 3.2 g m(-2) in pi\u00f1on-juniper woodland. Due to water limitation in creosote bush scrub, biomass exceeded the fire threshold only under very wet conditions regardless of soil N status. The CART analyses also revealed that percent cover of invasive grasses and native forbs is primarily dependent on the timing and amount of precipitation and secondarily dependent on soil N and site-specific characteristics. In total, our results indicate that areas of high N deposition will be susceptible to grass invasion, particularly in wet years, potentially reducing native species cover and increasing the risk of fire.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "Time Factors", "Schismus", "Non-native", "Bromus", "Nitrogen", "Climate Change", "Rain", "Plant Development", "Poaceae", "01 natural sciences", "California", "Fires", "Soil", "Climate change", "Biomass", "Ecology", " Evolution", " Behavior and Systematics", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Ecology", "Geography", "Ecosystem ecology - Original paper", "Plant Sciences", "Life Sciences", "Water", "Agriculture", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Fuel load", "6. Clean water", "13. Climate action", "Fertilization", "Regression Analysis", "Seasons", "Desert Climate"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Rao, Leela E., Allen, Edith B.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://escholarship.org/content/qt8qv4f2kn/qt8qv4f2kn.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-009-1516-5"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Oecologia", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s00442-009-1516-5", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s00442-009-1516-5", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s00442-009-1516-5"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-12-05T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s10661-015-5031-3", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:15:04Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2015-12-11", "description": "Sandy grassland restoration is a vital process including re-structure of soils, restoration of vegetation, and soil functioning in arid and semi-arid regions. Soil fungal community is a complex and critical component of soil functioning and ecological balance due to its roles in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling following sandy grassland restoration. In this study, soil fungal community and its relationship with environmental factors were examined along a habitat gradient of sandy grassland restoration: mobile dunes (MD), semi-fixed dunes (SFD), fixed dunes (FD), and grassland (G). It was found that species abundance, richness, and diversity of fungal community increased along with the sandy grassland restoration. The sequences analysis suggested that most of the fungal species (68.4 %) belonged to the phylum of Ascomycota. The three predominant fungal species were Pleospora herbarum, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, and Deconica Montana, accounting for more than one fourth of all the 38 species. Geranomyces variabilis was the subdominant species in MD, Pseudogymnoascus destructans and Mortierella alpine were the subdominant species in SFD, and P. destructans and Fungi incertae sedis were the dominant species in FD and G. The result from redundancy analysis (RDA) and stepwise regression analysis indicated that the vegetation characteristics and soil properties explain a significant proportion of the variation in the fungal community, and aboveground biomass and C:N ratio are the key factors to determine soil fungal community composition during sandy grassland restoration. It was suggested that the restoration of sandy grassland combined with vegetation and soil properties improved the soil fungal diversity. Also, the dominant species was found to be alternative following the restoration of sandy grassland ecosystems.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Soil", "Ecology", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Biomass", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Desert Climate", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Grassland", "Ecosystem", "Environmental Monitoring"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-5031-3"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Monitoring%20and%20Assessment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s10661-015-5031-3", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s10661-015-5031-3", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s10661-015-5031-3"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-12-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.12.014", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:16:41Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-07-15", "title": "Effects Of Sandy Desertified Land Rehabilitation On Soil Carbon Sequestration And Aggregation In An Arid Region In China", "description": "The rehabilitation of sandy desertified land in semi-arid and arid regions has a great potential to increase carbon sequestration and improve soil quality. Our objective was to investigate the changes in the soil carbon pool and soil properties of surface soil (0-15 cm) under different types of rehabilitation management. Our study was done in the short-term (7 years) and long-term (32 years) desertification control sites in a marginal oasis of northwest China. The different management treatments were: (1) untreated shifting sand land as control; (2) sand-fixing shrubs with straw checkerboards; (3) poplar (Populus gansuensis) shelter forest; and (4) irrigated cropland after leveling sand dune. The results showed that the rehabilitation of severe sandy desertified land resulted in significant increases in soil organic C (SOC), inorganic C, and total N concentrations, as well as enhanced soil aggregation. Over a 7-year period of revegetation and cultivation, SOC concentration in the recovered shrub land, forest land and irrigated cropland increased by 4.1, 14.6 and 11.9 times compared to the control site (shifting sand land), and increased by 11.2, 17.0 and 23.0 times over the 32-year recovery period. Total N, labile C (KMnO(4)-oxidation C), C management index (CMI) and inorganic C (CaCO(3)-C) showed a similar increasing trend as SOC. The increased soil C and N was positively related to the accumulation of fine particle fractions. The accumulation of silt and clay, soil C and CaCO(3) enhanced the formation of aggregates, which was beneficial to mitigate wind erosion. The percentage of >0.25 mm dry aggregates increased from 18.0% in the control site to 20.0-87.2% in the recovery sites, and the mean weight diameter (MWD) of water-stable aggregates significantly increased, with a range of 0.09-0.30 mm at the recovery sites. Long-term irrigation and fertilization led to a greater soil C and N accumulation in cropland than in shrub and forest lands. The amount of soil C sequestration reached up to 1.8-9.4 and 7.5-17.3 Mg ha(-1) at the 0-15 cm layer over a 7- and 32-year rehabilitation period compared to the control site, suggesting that desertification control has a great potential for sequestering soil C and improving soil quality in northwest China.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Carbon Sequestration", "China", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Nitrogen", "Water", "Agriculture", "Wind", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Silicon Dioxide", "Carbon", "6. Clean water", "Trees", "Soil", "Populus", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Particle Size"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.12.014"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Environmental%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.12.014", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.12.014", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.12.014"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/nature12670", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2013-10-29", "title": "Decoupling Of Soil Nutrient Cycles As A Function Of Aridity In Global Drylands", "description": "The biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are interlinked by primary production, respiration and decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. It has been suggested that the C, N and P cycles could become uncoupled under rapid climate change because of the different degrees of control exerted on the supply of these elements by biological and geochemical processes. Climatic controls on biogeochemical cycles are particularly relevant in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid ecosystems (drylands) because their biological activity is mainly driven by water availability. The increase in aridity predicted for the twenty-first century in many drylands worldwide may therefore threaten the balance between these cycles, differentially affecting the availability of essential nutrients. Here we evaluate how aridity affects the balance between C, N and P in soils collected from 224 dryland sites from all continents except Antarctica. We find a negative effect of aridity on the concentration of soil organic C and total N, but a positive effect on the concentration of inorganic P. Aridity is negatively related to plant cover, which may favour the dominance of physical processes such as rock weathering, a major source of P to ecosystems, over biological processes that provide more C and N, such as litter decomposition. Our findings suggest that any predicted increase in aridity with climate change will probably reduce the concentrations of N and C in global drylands, but increase that of P. These changes would uncouple the C, N and P cycles in drylands and could negatively affect the provision of key services provided by these ecosystems.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Nitrogen", "Biolog\u00eda", "Climate Change", "Carbon Cycle", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Ecological Impacts of Climate Change", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation", "Biomass", "Desiccation", "Ecosystem", "Soil Chemistry (excl Carbon Sequestration Science)", "2. Zero hunger", "drylands", "Geography", "soil fertility", "Phosphorus", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "biogeochemical cycle", "Models", " Theoretical", "Nitrogen Cycle", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases", "Soil chemistry and soil carbon sequestration (excl. carbon sequestration science)", "climate change", "Medio Ambiente", "13. Climate action", "Ecosystem Function", "Clay", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Aluminum Silicates", "Desert Climate"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12670"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/nature12670", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/nature12670", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/nature12670"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.11.004", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:16:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-11-20", "title": "Impacts Of Lucc On Soil Properties In The Riparian Zones Of Desert Oasis With Remote Sensing Data: A Case Study Of The Middle Heihe River Basin, China", "description": "Large-scale changes in land use and land cover over long timescales can induce significant variations in soil physicochemical properties, particularly in the riparian zones of arid regions. Frequent reclamation of wetlands and grasslands and intensive agricultural activity have induced significant changes in both land use/cover and soil physicochemical properties in the riparian zones of the middle Heihe River basin of China. The present study aims to explore whether land use/land cover change (LUCC) can well explain the variations in soil properties in the riparian zones of the middle Heihe River basin. To achieve this, we mapped LUCC and quantified the type of land use change using remote sensing images, topographic maps, and GIS analysis techniques. Forty-two sites were selected for soil and vegetation sampling. Then, physical and chemical experiments were employed to determine soil moisture, soil bulk density, soil pH, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total potassium, total phosphorous, available nitrogen, available potassium, and available phosphorous. The Independent-Samples Kruskal-Wallis Test, principal component analysis, and a scatter matrix were used to analyze the effects of LUCC on soil properties. The results indicate that the majority of the parameters investigated were affected significantly by LUCC. In particular, soil moisture and soil organic carbon can be explained well by land cover change and land use change, respectively. Furthermore, changes in soil moisture could be attributed primarily to land cover changes. Changes in soil organic carbon were correlated closely with the following land use change types: wetlands-arable, forest-grasslands, and grasslands-desert. Other parameters, including pH and total K, were also found to exhibit significant correlations with LUCC. However, changes in soil nutrients were shown to be induced most probably by human agricultural activity (i.e. fertilize, irrigation, tillage, etc.), rather than by simple conversions from one land use/cover types to the others.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Nitrogen", "Urbanization", "Agriculture", "Phosphorus", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Environment", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "3. Good health", "Soil", "Rivers", "13. Climate action", "Remote Sensing Technology", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Environmental Monitoring", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.11.004"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.11.004", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.11.004", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.11.004"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.054", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:16:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2015-02-14", "title": "Effects Of Nitrogen Addition On Soil Microbes And Their Implications For Soil C Emission In The Gurbantunggut Desert, Center Of The Eurasian Continent", "description": "Nitrogen (N) deposition can influence carbon cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. However, a general recognition of how soil microorganisms respond to increasing N deposition is not yet reached. We explored soil microbial responses to two levels of N addition (2.5 and 5 gN m(-2) yr(-1)) in interplant soil and beneath shrubs of Haloxylon ammodendron and their consequences to soil respiration in the Gurbantunggut Desert, northwestern China from 2011 to 2013. Microbial biomass and respiration were significantly higher beneath H. ammodendron than in interplant soil. The responses of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial respiration (MR) showed opposite responses to N addition in interplant and beneath H. ammodendron. N addition slightly increased MBC and MR in interplant soil and decreased them beneath H. ammodendron, with a significant inhibition only in 2012. N addition had no impacts on the total microbial physiological activity, but N addition decreased the labile carbon substrate utilization beneath H. ammodendron when N addition level was high. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis showed that N addition did not alter the soil microbial community structure as evidenced by the similar ratios of fungal to bacterial PLFAs and gram-negative to gram-positive bacterial PLFAs. Microbial biomass and respiration showed close correlations with soil water content and dissolved carbon, and they were independent of soil inorganic nitrogen across three years. Our study suggests that N addition effects on soil microorganisms and carbon emission are dependent on the respiratory substrates and water availability in the desert ecosystem.", "keywords": ["China", "Nitrogen", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "6. Clean water", "Carbon Cycle", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Soil Pollutants", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology", "Environmental Monitoring"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.054"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.054", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.054", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.054"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-05-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/35040544", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:45Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2002-07-26", "title": "Elevated Co2 Increases Productivity And Invasive Species Success In An Arid Ecosystem", "description": "Arid ecosystems, which occupy about 20% of the earth's terrestrial surface area, have been predicted to be one of the most responsive ecosystem types to elevated atmospheric CO2 and associated global climate change. Here we show, using free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) technology in an intact Mojave Desert ecosystem, that new shoot production of a dominant perennial shrub is doubled by a 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration in a high rainfall year. However, elevated CO2 does not enhance production in a drought year. We also found that above-ground production and seed rain of an invasive annual grass increases more at elevated CO2 than in several species of native annuals. Consequently, elevated CO2 might enhance the long-term success and dominance of exotic annual grasses in the region. This shift in species composition in favour of exotic annual grasses, driven by global change, has the potential to accelerate the fire cycle, reduce biodiversity and alter ecosystem function in the deserts of western North America.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "Fire cycle", "Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment", "Invasive species", "Mojave desert", "Water availability", "Free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE)", "Plant Biology", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Carbon Dioxide", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "01 natural sciences", "13. Climate action", "Climate change", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Elevated CO2", "Grasses", "Desert Climate", "Rosales", "Ecosystem", "Nevada"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/35040544"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/35040544", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/35040544", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/35040544"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2000-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/nature08931", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-04-07", "title": "Grazing-Induced Reduction Of Natural Nitrous Oxide Release From Continental Steppe", "description": "Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N(2)O) have increased significantly since pre-industrial times owing to anthropogenic perturbation of the global nitrogen cycle, with animal production being one of the main contributors. Grasslands cover about 20 per cent of the temperate land surface of the Earth and are widely used as pasture. It has been suggested that high animal stocking rates and the resulting elevated nitrogen input increase N(2)O emissions. Internationally agreed methods to upscale the effect of increased livestock numbers on N(2)O emissions are based directly on per capita nitrogen inputs. However, measurements of grassland N(2)O fluxes are often performed over short time periods, with low time resolution and mostly during the growing season. In consequence, our understanding of the daily and seasonal dynamics of grassland N(2)O fluxes remains limited. Here we report year-round N(2)O flux measurements with high and low temporal resolution at ten steppe grassland sites in Inner Mongolia, China. We show that short-lived pulses of N(2)O emission during spring thaw dominate the annual N(2)O budget at our study sites. The N(2)O emission pulses are highest in ungrazed steppe and decrease with increasing stocking rate, suggesting that grazing decreases rather than increases N(2)O emissions. Our results show that the stimulatory effect of higher stocking rates on nitrogen cycling and, hence, on N(2)O emission is more than offset by the effects of a parallel reduction in microbial biomass, inorganic nitrogen production and wintertime water retention. By neglecting these freeze-thaw interactions, existing approaches may have systematically overestimated N(2)O emissions over the last century for semi-arid, cool temperate grasslands by up to 72 per cent.", "keywords": ["Greenhouse Effect", "China", "550", "Nitrogen", "Nitrous Oxide", "Poaceae", "01 natural sciences", "Soil", "Snow", "Freezing", "Animals", "Biomass", "Animal Husbandry", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/550", "ddc:550", "Atmosphere", "Water", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Earth sciences", "13. Climate action", "Animals", " Domestic", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Seasons", "Desert Climate"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08931"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/nature08931", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/nature08931", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/nature08931"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-04-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/nature10274", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-08-01", "title": "C-4 Grasses Prosper As Carbon Dioxide Eliminates Desiccation In Warmed Semi-Arid Grassland", "description": "Global warming is predicted to induce desiccation in many world regions through increases in evaporative demand. Rising CO(2) may counter that trend by improving plant water-use efficiency. However, it is not clear how important this CO(2)-enhanced water use efficiency might be in offsetting warming-induced desiccation because higher CO(2) also leads to higher plant biomass, and therefore greater transpirational surface. Furthermore, although warming is predicted to favour warm-season, C(4) grasses, rising CO(2) should favour C(3), or cool-season plants. Here we show in a semi-arid grassland that elevated CO(2) can completely reverse the desiccating effects of moderate warming. Although enrichment of air to 600\u2009p.p.m.v. CO(2) increased soil water content (SWC), 1.5/3.0\u2009\u00b0C day/night warming resulted in desiccation, such that combined CO(2) enrichment and warming had no effect on SWC relative to control plots. As predicted, elevated CO(2) favoured C(3) grasses and enhanced stand productivity, whereas warming favoured C(4) grasses. Combined warming and CO(2) enrichment stimulated above-ground growth of C(4) grasses in 2 of 3\u2009years when soil moisture most limited plant productivity. The results indicate that in a warmer, CO(2)-enriched world, both SWC and productivity in semi-arid grasslands may be higher than previously expected.", "keywords": ["Wyoming", "0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Atmosphere", "Water", "Plant Transpiration", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Global Warming", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Plant Stomata", "Biomass", "Seasons", "Desert Climate", "Desiccation", "Photosynthesis", "Volatilization", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10274"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/nature10274", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/nature10274", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/nature10274"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-08-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41467-024-46920-6", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:49Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-04-17", "title": "Survival and rapid resuscitation permit limited productivity in desert microbial communities", "description": "Abstract

Microbial activity in drylands tends to be confined to rare and short periods of rain. Rapid growth should be key to the maintenance of ecosystem processes in such narrow activity windows, if desiccation and rehydration cause widespread cell death due to osmotic stress. Here, simulating rain with 2H2O followed by single-cell NanoSIMS, we show that biocrust microbial communities in the Negev Desert are characterized by limited productivity, with median replication times of 6 to 19 days and restricted number of days allowing growth. Genome-resolved metatranscriptomics reveals that nearly all microbial populations resuscitate within minutes after simulated rain, independent of taxonomy, and invest their activity into repair and energy generation. Together, our data reveal a community that makes optimal use of short activity phases by fast and universal resuscitation enabling the maintenance of key ecosystem functions. We conclude that desert biocrust communities are highly adapted to surviving rapid changes in soil moisture and solute concentrations, resulting in high persistence that balances limited productivity.Drylands (hyperarid, arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid ecosystems) cover almost half of Earth\uffe2\uff80\uff99s land surface and are highly vulnerable to environmental pressures. Here we provide an inventory of soil properties including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stocks within the current boundaries of drylands, aimed at serving as a benchmark in the face of future challenges including increased population, food security, desertification, and climate change. Aridity limits plant production and results in poorly developed soils, with coarse texture, low C:N and C:P, scarce organic matter, and high vulnerability to erosion. Dryland soils store 646 Pg of organic C to 2\uffe2\uff80\uff89m, the equivalent of 32% of the global soil organic C pool. The magnitude of the historic loss of C from dryland soils due to human land use and cover change and their typically low C:N and C:P suggest high potential to build up soil organic matter, but coarse soil textures may limit protection and stabilization processes. Restoring, preserving, and increasing soil organic matter in drylands may help slow down rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide by sequestering C, and is strongly needed to enhance food security and reduce the risk of land degradation and desertification.The present work aims to quantify the impact of climate change (CC) on the grain yields of irrigated cereals and their water requirements in the Tensift region of Morocco. The Med-CORDEX (MEDiterranean COordinated Regional Climate Downscaling EXperiment) ensemble runs under scenarios RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway) and RCP8.5 are first evaluated and disaggregated using the quantile-quantile approach. The impact of CC on the duration of the main wheat phenological stages based on the degree-day approach is then analyzed. The results show that the rise in air temperature causes a shortening of the development cycle of up to 50 days. The impacts of rising temperature and changes in precipitation on wheat yields are next evaluated, based on the AquaCrop model, both with and without taking into account the fertilizing effect of CO2. As expected, optimal wheat yields will decrease on the order of 7 to 30% if CO2 concentration rise is not considered. The fertilizing effect of CO2 can counterbalance yield losses, since optimal yields could increase by 7% and 13% respectively at mid-century for the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. Finally, water requirements are expected to decrease by 13 to 42%, mainly in response to the shortening of the cycle. This decrease is associated with a change in temporal patterns, with the requirement peak coming two months earlier than under current conditions.

", "keywords": ["Water resources", "Atmospheric sciences", "Agricultural Irrigation", "environment/Bioclimatology", "550", "Representative Concentration Pathways", "Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture", "Arid", "Rain", "[SDV.SA.AGRO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Agronomy", "Climate Change and Variability Research", "Plant Science", "Precipitation", "02 engineering and technology", "01 natural sciences", "Agricultural and Biological Sciences", "Downscaling", "Climate change", "Quantile", "Triticum", "Climatology", "2. Zero hunger", "Global and Planetary Change", "Ecology", "Geography", "Temperature", "Life Sciences", "Geology", "Morocco", "Phenology", "[SDV.EE.BIO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", "Seeds", "Physical Sciences", "Metallurgy", "Desert Climate", "Impacts of Elevated CO2 and Ozone on Plant Physiology", "Climate Change", "0207 environmental engineering", "Yield (engineering)", "Climate model", "Article", "Environmental science", "FOS: Economics and business", "Meteorology", "FOS: Mathematics", "Econometrics", "[SDU.STU.HY]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Hydrology", "Biology", "Ecology", " Evolution", " Behavior and Systematics", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "[SDV.SA.AGRO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Agronomy", "Water", "FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Agronomy", "Materials science", "[SDV.EE.BIO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", " environment/Bioclimatology", "13. Climate action", "FOS: Biological sciences", "Environmental Science", "[SDU.STU.HY] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Hydrology", "Crop Yield", "Mediterranean climate", "Mathematics", "Climate Modeling"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55251-2.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55251-2"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Scientific%20Reports", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/s41598-019-55251-2", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/s41598-019-55251-2", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/s41598-019-55251-2"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-12-16T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/srep24317", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:55Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-04-14", "title": "Soil Microbial Community Composition And Respiration Along An Experimental Precipitation Gradient In A Semiarid Steppe", "description": "Abstract

As a primary limiting factor in arid and semiarid regions, precipitation strongly influences soil microbial properties. However, the patterns and mechanisms of soil microbial responses to precipitation have not been well documented. In this study, changes in soil microorganisms along an experimental precipitation gradient with seven levels of precipitation manipulation (i.e., ambient precipitation as a control and \uffc2\uffb120%, \uffc2\uffb140% and \uffc2\uffb160% of ambient precipitation) were explored in a semiarid temperate steppe in northern China. Soil microbial biomass carbon and respiration as well as the ratio of fungal to bacterial biomass varied along the experimental precipitation gradient and peaked under the +40% precipitation treatment. The shifts in microbial community composition could be largely attributable to the changes in soil water and nutrient availability. The metabolic quotient increased (indicating reduced carbon use efficiency) with increasing precipitation due to the leaching of dissolved organic carbon. The relative contributions of microbial respiration to soil and ecosystem respiration increased with increasing precipitation, suggesting that heterotrophic respiration will be more sensitive than autotrophic respiration if precipitation increases in the temperate steppe as predicted under future climate-change scenarios.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Bacteria", "Rain", "Fungi", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Biota", "Grassland", "Article", "Carbon", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Energy Metabolism", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/srep24317"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Scientific%20Reports", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/srep24317", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/srep24317", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/srep24317"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-04-14T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1098/rstb.2012.0102", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:31Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-10-08", "title": "Impact Of Grazing Intensity On Seasonal Variations In Soil Organic Carbon And Soil Co2 Efflux In Two Semiarid Grasslands In Southern Botswana", "description": "

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are an important source of organic carbon, and affect a range of ecosystem functions in arid and semiarid environments. Yet the impact of grazing disturbance on crust properties and soil CO 2 efflux remain poorly studied, particularly in African ecosystems. The effects of burial under wind-blown sand, disaggregation and removal of BSCs on seasonal variations in soil CO 2 efflux, soil organic carbon, chlorophyll a and scytonemin were investigated at two sites in the Kalahari of southern Botswana. Field experiments were employed to isolate CO 2 efflux originating from BSCs in order to estimate the C exchange within the crust. Organic carbon was not evenly distributed through the soil profile but concentrated in the BSC. Soil CO 2 efflux was higher in Kalahari Sand than in calcrete soils, but rates varied significantly with seasonal changes in moisture and temperature. BSCs at both sites were a small net sink of C to the soil. Soil CO 2 efflux was significantly higher in sand soils where the BSC was removed, and on calcrete where the BSC was buried under sand. The BSC removal and burial under sand also significantly reduced chlorophyll a , organic carbon and scytonemin . Disaggregation of the soil crust, however, led to increases in chlorophyll a and organic carbon. The data confirm the importance of BSCs for C cycling in drylands and indicate intensive grazing, which destroys BSCs through trampling and burial, will adversely affect C sequestration and storage. Managed grazing, where soil surfaces are only lightly disturbed, would help maintain a positive carbon balance in African drylands.

", "keywords": ["Chlorophyll", "2. Zero hunger", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Botswana", "Indoles", "Chlorophyll A", "Temperature", "Water", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Carbon", "Fires", "Carbon Cycle", "Soil", "Phenols", "13. Climate action", "Animals", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Herbivory", "Seasons", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Andrew D. Thomas", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2012.0102"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Philosophical%20Transactions%20of%20the%20Royal%20Society%20B%3A%20Biological%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1098/rstb.2012.0102", "name": "item", "description": "10.1098/rstb.2012.0102", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1098/rstb.2012.0102"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-11-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0168000", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:30Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-12-19", "title": "Long-Term Effects Of Xerophytic Shrub Haloxylon Ammodendron Plantations On Soil Properties And Vegetation Dynamics In Northwest China", "description": "The xerophytic desert shrub Haloxylon ammodendron (C. A. Mey.) Bunge. is distributed naturally in Asian and African deserts, and is widely used for vegetation restoration in the desert regions of Northern China. However, there are limited long-term chrono-sequence studies on the impact of changed soil properties and vegetation dynamics following establishment of this shrub on mobile sand dunes. In Minqin County, Gansu Province, we investigated soil properties and herbaceous vegetation development of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50-year-old H. ammodendron plantations on mobile sand dunes. Soil sampling at two depths (0-5 and 5-20 cm) under the shrubs determined SOC, nutrition and soil physical characteristics. The results showed that: establishment of H. ammodendron had improved soil physio-chemical properties, increased thickness of soil crusts and coverage of biological soil crusts (BSCs), and promoted development of topsoil over an extended period of 5 decades. Soil texture and soil nutrition improved along the chrono-sequence according to three distinct phases: i) an initial fast development from 0 to 10 years, ii) a stabilizing phase from 10 to 30 years followed by iii) a relatively marked restoration development in 40 and 50-year-old plantations. Meanwhile, herbaceous community coverage also markedly increased in 30-year-old plantations. However, both soil and vegetation restoration were very slow due to low annual precipitation in Minqin county compared to other Northern China sand afforestation sites. Canonical Correspondence Analysis results demonstrated that herbaceous plant development was closely associated with changes in soil texture (increased clay and silt percentage) and availability of soil nutrients. Thus our results indicated that selection of the long-lived shrub H. ammodendron is an essential and effective tool in arid desert re-vegetation.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "China", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Amaranthaceae", "Time Factors", "Science", "Q", "R", "Plant Development", "Water", "Agriculture", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Plant Leaves", "Soil", "Medicine", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Research Article", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Aiping Zhang, Baoli Fan, Changming Zhao, Quanlin Ma, Yi Yang, Xuemin Li,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0168000"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLOS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0168000", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0168000", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0168000"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-12-16T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.15764", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:38Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-09-07", "title": "Aridity modulates belowground bacterial community dynamics in olive tree", "description": "Summary

Aridity negatively affects the diversity and abundance of edaphic microbial communities and their multiple ecosystem services, ultimately impacting vegetation productivity and biotic interactions. Investigation about how plant\uffe2\uff80\uff90associated microbial communities respond to increasing aridity is of particular importance, especially in light of the global climate change predictions. To assess the effect of aridity on plant associated bacterial communities, we investigated the diversity and co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurrence of bacteria associated with the bulk soil and the root system of olive trees cultivated in orchards located in higher, middle and lower arid regions of Tunisia. The results indicated that the selective process mediated by the plant root system is amplified with the increment of aridity, defining distinct bacterial communities, dominated by aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90winner and aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90loser bacteria negatively and positively correlated with increasing annual rainfall, respectively. Aridity regulated also the co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurrence interactions among bacteria by determining specific modules enriched with one of the two categories (aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90winners or aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90losers), which included bacteria with multiple PGP functions against aridity. Our findings provide new insights into the process of bacterial assembly and interactions with the host plant in response to aridity, contributing to understand how the increasing aridity predicted by climate changes may affect the resilience of the plant holobiont.Soil microbial communities in Chihuahuan Desert grasslands generally experience highly variable spatiotemporal rainfall patterns. Changes in precipitation regimes can affect belowground ecosystem processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling by altering soil microbial community structure and function. The objective of this study was to determine if increased seasonal precipitation frequency and magnitude over a 7\uffe2\uff80\uff90year period would generate a persistent shift in microbial community characteristics and soil nutrient availability. We supplemented natural rainfall with large events (one/winter and three/summer) to simulate increased precipitation based on climate model predictions for this region. We observed a 2\uffe2\uff80\uff90year delay in microbial responses to supplemental precipitation treatments. In years 3\uffe2\uff80\uff935, higher microbial biomass, arbuscular mycorrhizae abundance, and soil enzyme C and P acquisition activities were observed in the supplemental water plots even during extended drought periods. In years 5\uffe2\uff80\uff937, available soil P was consistently lower in the watered plots compared to control plots. Shifts in soil P corresponded to higher fungal abundances, microbial C utilization activity, and soilpH. This study demonstrated that 25% shifts in seasonal rainfall can significantly influence soil microbial and nutrient properties, which in turn may have long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term effects on nutrient cycling and plant P uptake in this desert grassland.

", "keywords": ["precipitation manipulation", "Climate Change", "Rain", "extreme climate events", "Soil", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Big Bend National Park", "Soil Microbiology", "2. Zero hunger", "Ecology", "Bacteria", "Microbiota", "Fungi", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Biological Sciences", "15. Life on land", "Grassland", "Texas", "6. Clean water", "desert ecosystems", "13. Climate action", "soil microbial communities", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Seasons", "Desert Climate", "Environmental Sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://escholarship.org/content/qt4v79d7f4/qt4v79d7f4.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12418"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.12418", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.12418", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.12418"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-04-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02054.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2007-03-26", "title": "Irrigation And Enhanced Soil Carbon Input Effects On Below-Ground Carbon Cycling In Semiarid Temperate Grasslands", "description": "Global climate change is generally expected to increase net primary production, resulting in increased soil carbon (C) inputs. To gain an understanding of how such increased soil C inputs would affect C cycling in the vast grasslands of northern China, we conducted a field experiment in which the responses of plant and microbial biomass and respiration were studied. Our experiment included the below-ground addition of particulate organic matter (POM) at rates equivalent to 0, 60, 120 and 240 g C m(-2), under either natural precipitation or under enhanced precipitation during the summer period (as predicted for that region in recent simulations using general circulation models). We observed that addition of POM had a large effect on soil microbial biomass and activity and that a major part of the added C was rapidly lost from the system. This suggests that microbial activity in the vast temperate grassland ecosystems of northern China is energy-limited. Moreover, POM addition (and the associated nutrient release) affected plant growth much more than the additional water input. Although we performed no direct fertilization experiments, the response of plant productivity to POM addition (and associated release of nutrients) leads us to believe that plant productivity in the semiarid grassland ecosystems of northern China is primarily limited by nutrients and not by water.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Altitude", "Climate", "Temperature", "Water", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Carbon", "Kinetics", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02054.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02054.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02054.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02054.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2007-03-26T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02643.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2008-10-09", "title": "Precipitation Timing And Magnitude Differentially Affect Aboveground Annual Net Primary Productivity In Three Perennial Species In A Chihuahuan Desert Grassland", "description": "

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02695.xCommentary p 5

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "aboveground annual net primary productivity (ANPP)", "desert grasslands", "Rain", "global climate change", "Chihuahuan desert", "Opuntia", "precipitation", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Adaptation", " Physiological", "Texas", "01 natural sciences", "Soil", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Liliaceae", "Biomass", "Desert Climate"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02643.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02643.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02643.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02643.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2008-12-03T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03293.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-05-10", "title": "Contrasting Effects Of Elevated Co2 And Warming On Nitrogen Cycling In A Semiarid Grassland", "description": "*Simulation models indicate that the nitrogen (N) cycle plays a key role in how other ecosystem processes such as plant productivity and carbon (C) sequestration respond to elevated CO(2) and warming. However, combined effects of elevated CO(2) and warming on N cycling have rarely been tested in the field. *Here, we studied N cycling under ambient and elevated CO(2) concentrations (600 micromol mol(-1)), and ambient and elevated temperature (1.5 : 3.0 degrees C warmer day:night) in a full factorial semiarid grassland field experiment in Wyoming, USA. We measured soil inorganic N, plant and microbial N pool sizes and NO(3)(-) uptake (using a (15)N tracer). *Soil inorganic N significantly decreased under elevated CO(2), probably because of increased microbial N immobilization, while soil inorganic N and plant N pool sizes significantly increased with warming, probably because of increased N supply. We observed no CO(2 )x warming interaction effects on soil inorganic N, N pool sizes or NO(3)(-) uptake in plants and microbes. *Our results indicate a more closed N cycle under elevated CO(2) and a more open N cycle with warming, which could affect long-term N retention, plant productivity, and C sequestration in this semiarid grassland.", "keywords": ["580", "2. Zero hunger", "Bacteria", "Nitrogen Isotopes", "Nitrogen", "Temperature", "Water", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Global Warming", "Plant Roots", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Isotope Labeling", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Biomass", "Desert Climate", "Plant Shoots"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03293.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03293.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03293.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03293.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-05-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:58Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-07-23", "title": "Shrub Encroachment Can Reverse Desertification In Semi-Arid Mediterranean Grasslands", "description": "Abstract

The worldwide phenomenon of shrub encroachment in grass\uffe2\uff80\uff90dominated dryland ecosystems is commonly associated with desertification. Studies of the purported desertification effects associated with shrub encroachment are often restricted to relatively few study areas, and document a narrow range of possible impacts upon biota and ecosystem processes. We conducted a study in degraded Mediterranean grasslands dominated by Stipa tenacissima to simultaneously evaluate the effects of shrub encroachment on the structure and composition of multiple biotic community components, and on various indicators of ecosystem function. Shrub encroachment enhanced vascular plant richness, biomass of fungi, actinomycetes and other bacteria, and was linked with greater soil fertility and N mineralization rates. While shrub encroachment may be a widespread phenomenon in drylands, an interpretation that this is an expression of desertification is not universal. Our results suggest that shrub establishment may be an important step in the reversal of desertification processes in the Mediterranean region.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Mediterranean Region", "Shrub encroachment", "Mediterranean", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Soil", "Stipa tenacissima", "Semi-arid", "13. Climate action", "Ecosystem functioning", "Desert Climate", "Plant successional dynamics", "Global change", "Desertification", "Ecosystem", "Plant Physiological Phenomena"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecology%20Letters", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-08-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1128/aem.02050-12", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:11Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-10-01", "title": "Response Of The Soil Microbial Community To Changes In Precipitation In A Semiarid Ecosystem", "description": "ABSTRACT

Microbial communities regulate many belowground carbon cycling processes; thus, the impact of climate change on the structure and function of soil microbial communities could, in turn, impact the release or storage of carbon in soils. Here we used a large-scale precipitation manipulation (+18%, \uffe2\uff88\uff9250%, or ambient) in a pi\uffc3\uffb1on-juniper woodland ( Pinus edulis-Juniperus monosperma ) to investigate how changes in precipitation amounts altered soil microbial communities as well as what role seasonal variation in rainfall and plant composition played in the microbial community response. Seasonal variability in precipitation had a larger role in determining the composition of soil microbial communities in 2008 than the direct effect of the experimental precipitation treatments. Bacterial and fungal communities in the dry, relatively moisture-limited premonsoon season were compositionally distinct from communities in the monsoon season, when soil moisture levels and periodicity varied more widely across treatments. Fungal abundance in the drought plots during the dry premonsoon season was particularly low and was 4.7 times greater upon soil wet-up in the monsoon season, suggesting that soil fungi were water limited in the driest plots, which may result in a decrease in fungal degradation of carbon substrates. Additionally, we found that both bacterial and fungal communities beneath pi\uffc3\uffb1on pine and juniper were distinct, suggesting that microbial functions beneath these trees are different. We conclude that predicting the response of microbial communities to climate change is highly dependent on seasonal dynamics, background climatic variability, and the composition of the associated aboveground community.

", "keywords": ["Bacteria", "Rain", "Fungi", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Pinus", "Biota", "6. Clean water", "13. Climate action", "Juniperus", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Seasons", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02050-12"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1128/aem.02050-12", "name": "item", "description": "10.1128/aem.02050-12", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1128/aem.02050-12"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-12-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/nph.15120", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-04-02", "title": "Biocrust\u2010forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on soil microbial communities in drylands: observational evidence from three continents", "description": "Summary

Recent research indicates that increased aridity linked to climate change will reduce the diversity of soil microbial communities and shift their community composition in drylands, Earth's largest biome. However, we lack both a theoretical framework and solid empirical evidence of how important biotic components from drylands, such as biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses, will regulate the responses of microbial communities to expected increases in aridity with climate change.

Here we report results from a cross\uffe2\uff80\uff90continental (North America, Europe and Australia) survey of 39 locations from arid to humid ecosystems, where we evaluated how biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses regulate the relationship between aridity and the community composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in dryland ecosystems.

Increasing aridity was negatively related to the richness of fungi, and either positively or negatively related to the relative abundance of selected microbial phyla, when biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses were absent. Conversely, we found an overall lack of relationship between aridity and the relative abundance and richness of microbial communities under biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses.

Our results suggest that biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on the community composition of globally distributed microbial taxa, and the diversity of fungi. They emphasize the importance of maintaining biocrusts as a sanctuary for soil microbes in drylands.

p1Plants transitioned from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle during their evolution. On land, fluctuations on water availability in the environment became one of the major problems they encountered. The appearance of morpho-physiological adaptations to cope with and tolerate water loss from the cells was undeniably useful to survive on dry land. Some of these adaptations, such as carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), desiccation tolerance (DT) and root impermeabilization, appeared in multiple plant lineages. Despite being crucial for evolution on land, it has been unclear how these adaptations convergently evolved in the various plant lineages. Recent advances on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing are revealing that co-option of genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a common feature underlying the convergent evolution of these adaptations. In this review we address how the study of CCMs and DT have provided insight into convergent evolution of GRNs underlying plant adaptation to dry environments, and how these insights could be applied to currently emerging understanding of evolution of root impermeabilization through different barrier cell types. We discuss examples of co-option, conservation, and innovation of genes and GRNs at the cell, tissue and organ levels revealed by recent phylogenomic (comparative genomic) and comparative transcriptomic studies.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Physiology", "desiccation tolerance", "exodermis", "Adaptation", " Biological", "Reviews", "Plant Science", "comparative genomics", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Genes", " Plant", "Biological Evolution", "03 medical and health sciences", "apoplastic barriers", "Gene Regulatory Networks", "Desert Climate"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/pce.14143"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.14143"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%2C%20Cell%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/pce.14143", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/pce.14143", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/pce.14143"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-06-17T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0033217", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:29Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-03-30", "title": "Light And Heavy Fractions Of Soil Organic Matter In Response To Climate Warming And Increased Precipitation In A Temperate Steppe", "description": "Soil is one of the most important carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and plays a crucial role in ecosystem C and N cycling. Climate change profoundly affects soil C and N storage via changing C and N inputs and outputs. However, the influences of climate warming and changing precipitation regime on labile and recalcitrant fractions of soil organic C and N remain unclear. Here, we investigated soil labile and recalcitrant C and N under 6 years' treatments of experimental warming and increased precipitation in a temperate steppe in Northern China. We measured soil light fraction C (LFC) and N (LFN), microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), dissolved organic C (DOC) and heavy fraction C (HFC) and N (HFN). The results showed that increased precipitation significantly stimulated soil LFC and LFN by 16.1% and 18.5%, respectively, and increased LFC:HFC ratio and LFN:HFN ratio, suggesting that increased precipitation transferred more soil organic carbon into the quick-decayed carbon pool. Experimental warming reduced soil labile C (LFC, MBC, and DOC). In contrast, soil heavy fraction C and N, and total C and N were not significantly impacted by increased precipitation or warming. Soil labile C significantly correlated with gross ecosystem productivity, ecosystem respiration and soil respiration, but not with soil moisture and temperature, suggesting that biotic processes rather than abiotic factors determine variations in soil labile C. Our results indicate that certain soil carbon fraction is sensitive to climate change in the temperate steppe, which may in turn impact ecosystem carbon fluxes in response and feedback to climate change.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Nitrogen", "Science", "Climate Change", "Rain", "Q", "R", "Temperature", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Nitrogen Cycle", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "Carbon Cycle", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Medicine", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Biomass", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0033217"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLoS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0033217", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0033217", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0033217"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-03-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0047369", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:29Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-10-12", "title": "Long-Term Nitrogen Addition Leads To Loss Of Species Richness Due To Litter Accumulation And Soil Acidification In A Temperate Steppe", "description": "Although community structure and species richness are known to respond to nitrogen fertilization dramatically, little is known about the mechanisms underlying specific species replacement and richness loss. In an experiment in semiarid temperate steppe of China, manipulative N addition with five treatments was conducted to evaluate the effect of N addition on the community structure and species richness.Species richness and biomass of community in each plot were investigated in a randomly selected quadrat. Root element, available and total phosphorus (AP, TP) in rhizospheric soil, and soil moisture, pH, AP, TP and inorganic N in the soil were measured. The relationship between species richness and the measured factors was analyzed using bivariate correlations and stepwise multiple linear regressions. The two dominant species, a shrub Artemisia frigida and a grass Stipa krylovii, responded differently to N addition such that the former was gradually replaced by the latter. S. krylovii and A. frigida had highly-branched fibrous and un-branched tap root systems, respectively. S. krylovii had higher height than A. frigida in both control and N added plots. These differences may contribute to the observed species replacement. In addition, the analysis on root element and AP contents in rhizospheric soil suggests that different calcium acquisition strategies, and phosphorus and sodium responses of the two species may account for the replacement. Species richness was significantly reduced along the five N addition levels. Our results revealed a significant relationship between species richness and soil pH, litter amount, soil moisture, AP concentration and inorganic N concentration.Our results indicate that litter accumulation and soil acidification accounted for 52.3% and 43.3% of the variation in species richness, respectively. These findings would advance our knowledge on the changes in species richness in semiarid temperate steppe of northern China under N deposition scenario.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "China", "0303 health sciences", "Nitrogen", "Science", "Q", "R", "Temperature", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Plant Roots", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Medicine", "Humans", "Biomass", "14. Life underwater", "Desert Climate", "Acids", "Ecosystem", "Research Article"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Wen-Hao Zhang, Wenming Bai, Linghao Li, Ying Fang, Fen Xun,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0047369"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLoS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0047369", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0047369", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0047369"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-10-12T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0033217", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:30Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-03-30", "title": "Light And Heavy Fractions Of Soil Organic Matter In Response To Climate Warming And Increased Precipitation In A Temperate Steppe", "description": "Soil is one of the most important carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and plays a crucial role in ecosystem C and N cycling. Climate change profoundly affects soil C and N storage via changing C and N inputs and outputs. However, the influences of climate warming and changing precipitation regime on labile and recalcitrant fractions of soil organic C and N remain unclear. Here, we investigated soil labile and recalcitrant C and N under 6 years' treatments of experimental warming and increased precipitation in a temperate steppe in Northern China. We measured soil light fraction C (LFC) and N (LFN), microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), dissolved organic C (DOC) and heavy fraction C (HFC) and N (HFN). The results showed that increased precipitation significantly stimulated soil LFC and LFN by 16.1% and 18.5%, respectively, and increased LFC:HFC ratio and LFN:HFN ratio, suggesting that increased precipitation transferred more soil organic carbon into the quick-decayed carbon pool. Experimental warming reduced soil labile C (LFC, MBC, and DOC). In contrast, soil heavy fraction C and N, and total C and N were not significantly impacted by increased precipitation or warming. Soil labile C significantly correlated with gross ecosystem productivity, ecosystem respiration and soil respiration, but not with soil moisture and temperature, suggesting that biotic processes rather than abiotic factors determine variations in soil labile C. Our results indicate that certain soil carbon fraction is sensitive to climate change in the temperate steppe, which may in turn impact ecosystem carbon fluxes in response and feedback to climate change.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Nitrogen", "Science", "Climate Change", "Rain", "Q", "R", "Temperature", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Nitrogen Cycle", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "Carbon Cycle", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Medicine", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Biomass", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033217"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLoS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371/journal.pone.0033217", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371/journal.pone.0033217", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371/journal.pone.0033217"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-03-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0036434", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:30Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-05-04", "title": "Impact Of Grazing On Soil Carbon And Microbial Biomass In Typical Steppe And Desert Steppe Of Inner Mongolia", "description": "The potential of grazing lands to sequester carbon must be understood to develop effective soil conservation measures and sustain livestock production. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of grazing on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in Typical steppe and Desert steppe ecosystems, which are both important grassland resources for animal grazing and ecological conservation in China, and to derive region-specific soil C changes associated with different stocking rates (ungrazed, UG; lightly grazed, LG; moderately grazed, MG; heavily grazed, HG). This study substantiated that significant higher SOC, TN and MBC appeared with the treatment of LG in typical steppe. From 2004 to 2010, grazing treatments increased soil carbon storage in desert steppe, which was partly due to the grazing history. The higher MBC concentration and MBC/SOC suggest a great potential for carbon sequestration in the desert steppe ecosystem. The greater MBC in desert steppe than typical steppe was mainly the result of higher precipitation and temperature, instead of soil substrate. The change of MBC and the strong positive relationships between MBC and SOC indicated that MBC in the soil was a sensitive index to indicate the dynamics of soil organic carbon in both steppes in Inner Mongolia of China.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "China", "Nitrogen", "Science", "Q", "R", "Temperature", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Microbiology", "Carbon", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Medicine", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Biomass", "Herbivory", "Desert Climate", "Organic Chemicals", "Ecosystem", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036434"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLoS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371/journal.pone.0036434", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371/journal.pone.0036434", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371/journal.pone.0036434"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-05-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0139626", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2015-10-01", "title": "Profile Changes In The Soil Microbial Community When Desert Becomes Oasis", "description": "The conversion of virgin desert into oasis farmland creates two contrasting types of land-cover. During oasis formation with irrigation and fertilizer application, however, the changes in the soil microbial population, which play critical roles in the ecosystem, remain poorly understood. We applied high-throughput pyrosequencing to investigate bacterial and archaeal communities throughout the profile (0-3 m) in an experimental field, where irrigation and fertilization began in 1990 and cropped with winter wheat since then. To assess the effects of cultivation, the following treatments were compared with the virgin desert: CK (no fertilizer), PK, NK, NP, NPK, NPKR, and NPKM (R: straw residue; M: manure fertilizer). Irrigation had a greater impact on the overall microbial community than fertilizer application. The greatest impact occurred in topsoil (0-0.2 m), e.g., Cyanobacteria (25% total abundance) were most abundant in desert soil, while Actinobacteria (26%) were most abundant in oasis soil. The proportions of extremophilic and photosynthetic groups (e.g., Deinococcus-Thermus and Cyanobacteria) decreased, while the proportions of R-strategy (e.g., Gammaproteobacteria including Xanthomonadales), nitrifying (e.g., Nitrospirae), and anaerobic bacteria (e.g., Anaerolineae) increased throughout the oasis profile. Archaea occurred only in oasis soil. The impact of fertilizer application was mainly reflected in the non-dominant communities or finer taxonomic divisions. Oasis formation led to a dramatic shift in microbial community and enhanced soil enzyme activities. The rapidly increased soil moisture and decreased salt caused by irrigation were responsible for this shift. Furthermore, difference in fertilization and crop growth altered the organic carbon contents in the soil, which resulted in differences of microbial communities within oasis.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Agricultural Irrigation", "Bacteria", "Science", "Q", "R", "High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Environment", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "Medicine", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Seasons", "Desert Climate", "Fertilizers", "Water Microbiology", "Biomarkers", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology", "Research Article"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Yan Li, Lisong Tang, Zhongjun Jia, Chenhua Li,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139626"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PLOS%20ONE", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1371/journal.pone.0139626", "name": "item", "description": "10.1371/journal.pone.0139626", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1371/journal.pone.0139626"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1890/06-1580.1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:00Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2007-10-02", "title": "Climatic/Edaphic Controls On Soil Carbon/Nitrogen Response To Shrub Encroachment In Desert Grassland", "description": "

The proliferation of woody plants in grasslands over the past 100+ years can alter carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles and influence land surface\uffe2\uff80\uff93atmosphere interactions. Although the majority of organic carbon in these ecosystems resides belowground, there is no consensus on how this change in land cover has affected soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) pools. The degree to which duration of woody plant occupation, climate, and edaphic conditions have mediated SOC and TN responses to changes in life\uffe2\uff80\uff90form composition are poorly understood. We addressed these issues at a desert grassland site in Arizona, USA, where the leguminous shrub velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) has proliferated along an elevation/precipitation/temperature gradient and on contrasting soil morphologic surfaces.

On sandy loam complexes of mid\uffe2\uff80\uff90Holocene origin, mean SOC and TN of soils in the grassland matrix increased \uffe2\uff88\uffbc68% and \uffe2\uff88\uffbc45%, respectively, with increasing elevation. Soil organic carbon pools were comparable and TN pools were \uffe2\uff88\uffbc23% higher in Pleistocene\uffe2\uff80\uff90aged clay loam complexes co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurring with Holocene\uffe2\uff80\uff90aged soils at the upper elevation/climatic zone. Across the site, belowground resources associated with largeProsopisplants were 21\uffe2\uff80\uff93154% (SOC) and 18\uffe2\uff80\uff93127% (TN) higher than those in the grassy matrix.

The variance in SOC and TN pools accounted for byProsopisstem size (a rough surrogate for time of site occupation) was highest at the low\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and mid\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation sites (69\uffe2\uff80\uff9374%) and lowest at the upper elevation site (32\uffe2\uff80\uff9338%). Soil \uffce\uffb415N values ranged from 5.5\uffe2\uff80\uffb0 to 6.7\uffe2\uff80\uffb0 across the soil/elevation zones but were comparable in herbaceous and shrub\uffe2\uff80\uff90impacted soils and exhibited a weak relationship withProsopisbasal stem diameter (r2< 0.1) and TN (r2< 0.08). The SOC \uffce\uffb413C values decreased linearly with increasingProsopisbasal diameter, suggesting that size and isotopic composition of the SOC pool is a function of time ofProsopissite occupation. Isotopic mixture models indicate that encroachment of C3woody plants has also promoted SOC additions from C4plant sources, indicative of long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term herbaceous facilitation. Grassy sites in contrasting soil/elevation combinations, initially highly distinctive in their SOC pool size and \uffce\uffb413C, appear to be converging on similar values following \uffe2\uff88\uffbc100 years of woody plant proliferation.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Carbon Isotopes", "Nitrogen", "Climate", "Rain", "Temperature", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "01 natural sciences", "Carbon", "Soil", "Prosopis", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1890/06-1580.1"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecological%20Applications", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1890/06-1580.1", "name": "item", "description": "10.1890/06-1580.1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1890/06-1580.1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2007-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1890/08-0784.1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:01Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-08-18", "description": "

Over the past several decades, the expansion and thickening of woodlands in the western United States has caused a range of ecological changes. Woody expansion often leads to increases in soil organic matter (SOM) pools with implications for both biogeochemical cycling and ecological responses to management strategies aimed at restoration of rangeland ecosystems. Here we directly measure C and N stocks and use simple non\uffe2\uff80\uff90steady\uffe2\uff80\uff90state models to quantify the dynamics of soil C accumulation under and around trees of varied ages in southern Utah woodlands. In the two pinyon\uffe2\uff80\uff93juniper forests of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument studied here, we found \uffe2\uff88\uffbc3 kg C/m2 and \uffe2\uff88\uffbc0.12 kg N/m2 larger C and N stocks in soils under pinyon canopies compared to interspace sites. These apparent increases in soil C and N stocks under woody plant species were dominated by elevated SOM in the surface 10 cm of soil, particularly within non\uffe2\uff80\uff90mineral\uffe2\uff80\uff90associated organic fractions. The most significant accumulation of C was in the >850 \uffce\uffbcm fraction, which had an estimated C residence time of <20 yr. Rates of carbon accumulation following pinyon\uffe2\uff80\uff93juniper expansion appear to be dominated by changes in this fast\uffe2\uff80\uff90cycling surface soil fraction. In contrast, we found that after separating >850 \uffce\uffbcm organic matter from the remaining light fraction (LF), C had residence times of \uffe2\uff88\uffbc400 yr and mineral\uffe2\uff80\uff90associated (MA) soil C had residence times of \uffe2\uff88\uffbc600 yr. As a result, we calculate that input rates to the LF and MA pools to be 10 \uffc2\uffb1 1 and 0.68 \uffc2\uffb1 0.15 g\uffc2\uffb7m\uffe2\uff88\uff922\uffc2\uffb7yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921 (mean \uffc2\uffb1 SE), respectively. These findings suggest that one consequence of management activities aimed at the reduction of pinyon\uffe2\uff80\uff93juniper biomass may be a relatively rapid loss of soil C and N pools associated with the >850 \uffce\uffbcm fraction. The temporal dynamics of the <850 \uffce\uffbcm pools suggest that carbon and nitrogen continue to accumulate in these fractions, albeit at very slow rates, and suggest that multidecadal storage of C following tree recruitment is limited to relatively small, subsurface fractions of the total soil C pool.

", "keywords": ["Nitrogen", "Population Dynamics", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Pinus", "01 natural sciences", "Carbon", "Soil", "Juniperus", "Utah", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1890/08-0784.1"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecological%20Applications", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1890/08-0784.1", "name": "item", "description": "10.1890/08-0784.1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1890/08-0784.1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-09-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.22541/au.162389526.68400631/v1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:32Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-17", "title": "Convergent evolution of gene regulatory networks underlying plant adaptations to dry environments", "description": "

Plants transitioned from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle during their evolution. On land, fluctuations on water availability in the environment became one of the major problems they encountered. The appearance of morpho-physiological adaptations to cope with and tolerate water loss from the cells was undeniably useful to survive on dry land. Some of these adaptations, such as carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), desiccation tolerance (DT) and root impermeabilization, appeared in multiple plant lineages. Despite being crucial for evolution on land, it has been unclear how these adaptations convergently evolved in the various plant lineages. Recent advances on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing are revealing that co-option of genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a common feature underlying the convergent evolution of these adaptations. In this review we address how the study of CCMs and DT have provided insight into convergent evolution of GRNs underlying plant adaptation to dry environments, and how these insights could be applied to currently emerging understanding of evolution of root impermeabilization through different barrier cell types. We discuss examples of co-option, conservation, and innovation of genes and GRNs at the cell, tissue and organ levels revealed by recent phylogenomic (comparative genomic) and comparative transcriptomic studies.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Physiology", "desiccation tolerance", "exodermis", "Adaptation", " Biological", "Reviews", "Plant Science", "comparative genomics", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Genes", " Plant", "Biological Evolution", "03 medical and health sciences", "apoplastic barriers", "Gene Regulatory Networks", "Desert Climate"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/pce.14143"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.22541/au.162389526.68400631/v1"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%2C%20Cell%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.22541/au.162389526.68400631/v1", "name": "item", "description": "10.22541/au.162389526.68400631/v1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.22541/au.162389526.68400631/v1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-06-17T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3923/pjbs.2008.517.524", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-25T16:21:19Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-03-17", "description": "The objective of this study was to compare the responses of maize (Zea mays L.) to deficit irrigation. A field experiment was conducted during the 1999 and 2000 growing seasons in western Turkey. Irrigation treatments were tested with 100, 70, 50, 30 and 0% replenishment of water depleted at 120 cm soil profile from 100% replenishment treatment at ten days intervals. The irrigation amount ranged between 0 and 323.20 mm in the first year and 0-466.61 mm in the second year of the experiment. Seasonal crop water use values were between 142.19 and 481.91 mm in 1999 and 136.25-599.45 mm in 2000. Average maximum and minimum yields were 10639-10383 kg ha(-1) for full irrigated treatment (I100) and 3750-2136 kg ha(-1) for non-irrigated treatment (I0) in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Water deficit significantly affected maize yield. In both years, yield increased linearly with irrigation applied but the relationship varied from one year to the other. Water Use Efficiency (WUE) ranged from 1.49 to 2.71 kg m(-3), while Irrigation Water Use Efficiency (IWUE) varied from 1.44 to 2.55 kg m(-3) in both years. The yield response factor (ky) relating relative yield decrease to relative evapotranspiration deficit was found to be 0.99 for the data of the two experiments combined. Also, dry matter yields (DM) and leaf area index (LAI) were markedly affected by the irrigation treatments. The finding of this work showed that well-irrigated treatment should be used for maize grown in semi arid regions under no water scarcity.", "keywords": ["Crops", " Agricultural", "2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "Turkey", "Water", "Agriculture", "15. Life on land", "Zea mays", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "Maize", "Yield response factor", "Biomass", "Seasons", "Grain yield", "Desert Climate", "Deficit irrigation"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Meng\u00fc G.P., \u00d6zg\u00fcrel M.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2008.517.524"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Pakistan%20Journal%20of%20Biological%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3923/pjbs.2008.517.524", "name": "item", "description": "10.3923/pjbs.2008.517.524", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3923/pjbs.2008.517.524"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2008-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10261/336363", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:24:42Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-07-15", "title": "Biocrust science and global change", "description": "Open AccessPeer reviewed", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts", "Lichens", "Climate", "Climate Change", "Publications", "Bryophytes", "Biological soil crusts", "15. Life on land", "Cyanobacteria", "01 natural sciences", "Virtual", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Global environmental change", "http://metadata.un.org/sdg/13", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Biocrusts", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10261/336363"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10261/336363", "name": "item", "description": "10261/336363", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10261/336363"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-07-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2960475767", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:26:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-07-15", "title": "Biocrust science and global change", "description": "Open AccessPeer reviewed", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts", "Lichens", "Climate", "Climate Change", "Publications", "Bryophytes", "Biological soil crusts", "15. Life on land", "Cyanobacteria", "01 natural sciences", "Virtual", "Soil", "13. Climate action", "Global environmental change", "http://metadata.un.org/sdg/13", "Desert Climate", "Ecosystem", "Biocrusts", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/2960475767"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "2960475767", "name": "item", "description": "2960475767", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/2960475767"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-07-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "29607501", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:26:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-04-02", "title": "Biocrust\u2010forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on soil microbial communities in drylands: observational evidence from three continents", "description": "Summary

Recent research indicates that increased aridity linked to climate change will reduce the diversity of soil microbial communities and shift their community composition in drylands, Earth's largest biome. However, we lack both a theoretical framework and solid empirical evidence of how important biotic components from drylands, such as biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses, will regulate the responses of microbial communities to expected increases in aridity with climate change.

Here we report results from a cross\uffe2\uff80\uff90continental (North America, Europe and Australia) survey of 39 locations from arid to humid ecosystems, where we evaluated how biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses regulate the relationship between aridity and the community composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in dryland ecosystems.

Increasing aridity was negatively related to the richness of fungi, and either positively or negatively related to the relative abundance of selected microbial phyla, when biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses were absent. Conversely, we found an overall lack of relationship between aridity and the relative abundance and richness of microbial communities under biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses.

Our results suggest that biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on the community composition of globally distributed microbial taxa, and the diversity of fungi. They emphasize the importance of maintaining biocrusts as a sanctuary for soil microbes in drylands.

Aridity negatively affects the diversity and abundance of edaphic microbial communities and their multiple ecosystem services, ultimately impacting vegetation productivity and biotic interactions. Investigation about how plant\uffe2\uff80\uff90associated microbial communities respond to increasing aridity is of particular importance, especially in light of the global climate change predictions. To assess the effect of aridity on plant associated bacterial communities, we investigated the diversity and co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurrence of bacteria associated with the bulk soil and the root system of olive trees cultivated in orchards located in higher, middle and lower arid regions of Tunisia. The results indicated that the selective process mediated by the plant root system is amplified with the increment of aridity, defining distinct bacterial communities, dominated by aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90winner and aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90loser bacteria negatively and positively correlated with increasing annual rainfall, respectively. Aridity regulated also the co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurrence interactions among bacteria by determining specific modules enriched with one of the two categories ( aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90winners or aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90losers ), which included bacteria with multiple PGP functions against aridity. Our findings provide new insights into the process of bacterial assembly and interactions with the host plant in response to aridity, contributing to understand how the increasing aridity predicted by climate changes may affect the resilience of the plant holobiont. Microbial activity in drylands tends to be confined to rare and short periods of rain. Rapid growth should be key to the maintenance of ecosystem processes in such narrow activity windows, if desiccation and rehydration cause widespread cell death due to osmotic stress. Here, simulating rain with 2H2O followed by single-cell NanoSIMS, we show that biocrust microbial communities in the Negev Desert are characterized by limited productivity, with median replication times of 6 to 19 days and restricted number of days allowing growth. Genome-resolved metatranscriptomics reveals that nearly all microbial populations resuscitate within minutes after simulated rain, independent of taxonomy, and invest their activity into repair and energy generation. Together, our data reveal a community that makes optimal use of short activity phases by fast and universal resuscitation enabling the maintenance of key ecosystem functions. We conclude that desert biocrust communities are highly adapted to surviving rapid changes in soil moisture and solute concentrations, resulting in high persistence that balances limited productivity.

Recent research indicates that increased aridity linked to climate change will reduce the diversity of soil microbial communities and shift their community composition in drylands, Earth's largest biome. However, we lack both a theoretical framework and solid empirical evidence of how important biotic components from drylands, such as biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses, will regulate the responses of microbial communities to expected increases in aridity with climate change.

Here we report results from a cross\uffe2\uff80\uff90continental (North America, Europe and Australia) survey of 39 locations from arid to humid ecosystems, where we evaluated how biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses regulate the relationship between aridity and the community composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in dryland ecosystems.

Increasing aridity was negatively related to the richness of fungi, and either positively or negatively related to the relative abundance of selected microbial phyla, when biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses were absent. Conversely, we found an overall lack of relationship between aridity and the relative abundance and richness of microbial communities under biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses.

Our results suggest that biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on the community composition of globally distributed microbial taxa, and the diversity of fungi. They emphasize the importance of maintaining biocrusts as a sanctuary for soil microbes in drylands.

Plants transitioned from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle during their evolution. On land, fluctuations on water availability in the environment became one of the major problems they encountered. The appearance of morpho-physiological adaptations to cope with and tolerate water loss from the cells was undeniably useful to survive on dry land. Some of these adaptations, such as carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), desiccation tolerance (DT) and root impermeabilization, appeared in multiple plant lineages. Despite being crucial for evolution on land, it has been unclear how these adaptations convergently evolved in the various plant lineages. Recent advances on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing are revealing that co-option of genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a common feature underlying the convergent evolution of these adaptations. In this review we address how the study of CCMs and DT have provided insight into convergent evolution of GRNs underlying plant adaptation to dry environments, and how these insights could be applied to currently emerging understanding of evolution of root impermeabilization through different barrier cell types. We discuss examples of co-option, conservation, and innovation of genes and GRNs at the cell, tissue and organ levels revealed by recent phylogenomic (comparative genomic) and comparative transcriptomic studies.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Physiology", "desiccation tolerance", "exodermis", "Adaptation", " Biological", "Reviews", "Plant Science", "comparative genomics", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Genes", " Plant", "Biological Evolution", "03 medical and health sciences", "apoplastic barriers", "Gene Regulatory Networks", "Desert Climate"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/pce.14143"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/3172658441"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%2C%20Cell%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "3172658441", "name": "item", "description": "3172658441", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/3172658441"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-06-17T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "PMC8518057", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:28:13Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-17", "title": "Convergent evolution of gene regulatory networks underlying plant adaptations to dry environments", "description": "

Plants transitioned from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle during their evolution. On land, fluctuations on water availability in the environment became one of the major problems they encountered. The appearance of morpho-physiological adaptations to cope with and tolerate water loss from the cells was undeniably useful to survive on dry land. Some of these adaptations, such as carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), desiccation tolerance (DT) and root impermeabilization, appeared in multiple plant lineages. Despite being crucial for evolution on land, it has been unclear how these adaptations convergently evolved in the various plant lineages. Recent advances on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing are revealing that co-option of genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a common feature underlying the convergent evolution of these adaptations. In this review we address how the study of CCMs and DT have provided insight into convergent evolution of GRNs underlying plant adaptation to dry environments, and how these insights could be applied to currently emerging understanding of evolution of root impermeabilization through different barrier cell types. We discuss examples of co-option, conservation, and innovation of genes and GRNs at the cell, tissue and organ levels revealed by recent phylogenomic (comparative genomic) and comparative transcriptomic studies.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Physiology", "desiccation tolerance", "exodermis", "Adaptation", " Biological", "Reviews", "Plant Science", "comparative genomics", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Genes", " Plant", "Biological Evolution", "03 medical and health sciences", "apoplastic barriers", "Gene Regulatory Networks", "Desert Climate"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/pce.14143"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/PMC8518057"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%2C%20Cell%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "PMC8518057", "name": "item", "description": "PMC8518057", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/PMC8518057"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-06-17T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Desert+Climate&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Desert+Climate&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Desert+Climate&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Desert+Climate&offset=48", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 48, "numberReturned": 48, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-07-26T01:14:13.878571Z"}