{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1016/j.biocon.2013.02.017", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:17:03Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2013-04-16", "title": "Land Use Changes And Ground Dwelling Beetle Conservation In Extensive Grazing Dehesa Systems Of North-West Spain", "description": "Traditional management practiced over centuries in Mediterranean cultural landscapes has led to singular agrosilvopastoral ecosystems such as dehesas. Recent abandonment of dehesa management has resulted in shrub encroachment, habitat homogenisation and increased fire risk. Mechanical shrub cutting to decrease biomass load creates novel cleared dehesas with yet unknown consequences for the ecosystem function. We investigated the effects of these land use changes on ground dwelling beetles (carabids and staphylinids) as model organisms by comparing traditionally grazed, long-time abandoned and newly cleared dehesas. Land use changes affected beetle species composition by altering habitat structure (e.g., litter layer) and the availability of feeding resources. Grazed dehesas held the highest number of exclusive species and particular functional guilds of carabid seed eaters and staphylinid coprophiles, utilizing food resources related to the presence of grazing livestock (annual herbs and coprophagous insects). Beetle assemblages of abandoned dehesas, resembling those known from surrounding human disturbed oak forests, exhibited the lowest abundance and greatly differed from beetle assemblages of grazed dehesas. Shrub clearance after dehesa abandonment benefited opportunistic beetle predators feeding on decomposers associated with cutting slash left on the ground. The habitat structure and beetle species composition of cleared dehesas slightly approached those of grazed dehesas, therefore suggesting shrub cutting as a first step towards restoration of abandoned dehesas. However, since livestock grazing is an essential driver of ground dwelling beetle composition, it should be promoted after shrub cutting in cleared dehesas to restore the characteristic assemblages, species interactions and ecosystem function of grazed dehesas.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Shrub encroachment", "Traditional silvopastoral management", "/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/558391192", "15. Life on land", "Sustainability Science", "01 natural sciences", "Functional guild of species", "Land use abandonment", "Sustainability sciences", " Management & Economics", "Oak savannah-like forest", "/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft", "Carabid and staphylinid assemblages"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.02.017"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biological%20Conservation", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.biocon.2013.02.017", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.biocon.2013.02.017", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.02.017"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-05-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/geb.12215", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:20:41Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-09-13", "title": "Plant Diversity And Ecosystem Multifunctionality Peak At Intermediate Levels Of Woody Cover In Global Drylands", "description": "AbstractAim

The global spread of woody plants into grasslands is predicted to increase over the coming century. While there is general agreement regarding the anthropogenic causes of this phenomenon, its ecological consequences are less certain. We analysed how woody vegetation of differing cover affects plant diversity (richness and evenness) and the surrogates of multiple ecosystem processes (multifunctionality) in global drylands, and how these change with aridity.

Location

Two hundred and twenty\uffe2\uff80\uff90four dryland sites from all continents except Antarctica, widely differing in their environmental conditions (from arid to dry\uffe2\uff80\uff90subhumid sites) and relative woody cover (from 0 to 100%).

Methods

Using a standardized field survey, we measured the cover, richness and evenness of perennial vegetation. At each site, we measured 14 soil variables related to fertility and the build\uffe2\uff80\uff90up of nutrient pools. These variables are critical for maintaining ecosystem functioning in drylands.

Results

Species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality were strongly related to woody vegetation, with both variables peaking at a relative woody cover (RWC) of 41\uffe2\uff80\uff9360%. This relationship shifted with aridity. We observed linear positive effects of RWC in dry\uffe2\uff80\uff90subhumid sites. These positive trends shifted to hump\uffe2\uff80\uff90shaped RWC\uffe2\uff80\uff93diversity and multifunctionality relationships under semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90arid environments. Finally, hump\uffe2\uff80\uff90shaped (richness, evenness) or linear negative (multifunctionality) effects of RWC were found under the most arid conditions.

Main conclusions

Plant diversity and multifunctionality peaked at intermediate levels of woody cover, although this relationship became increasingly positive in wetter environments. This comprehensive study accounts for multiple ecosystem attributes across a range of levels of woody cover and environmental conditions. Our results help us to reconcile contrasting views of woody encroachment found in the current literature and can be used to improve predictions of the likely effects of encroachment on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

", "keywords": ["580", "0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "arid regions", "species diversity", "vegetation dynamics", "Thicketization", "Shrub encroachment", "shrubland ecology", "Species evennes", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Soil", "Semi-arid", "13. Climate action", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "soils", "Aridity", "Species richness"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12215"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Ecology%20and%20Biogeography", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/geb.12215", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/geb.12215", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/geb.12215"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-09-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:20:54Z", "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": "10.5061/dryad.11m00", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:23:58Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi-arid Mediterranean grasslands", "description": "unspecifiedEnvironmental and soil data from encroached/unencroached Stipa tenacissima steppes from SpainEnvironmental (coordinates, elevation, slope, aspect, mean annual rainfall and temperature) and soil (pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, soil respiration, potassium and nitrogen mineralization) variables at the microsite and site scales for Stipa tenacissima grasslands with and without sprouting shrubs in a gradient from central to southern Spain.Ecol_Lett_2009.zip", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Stipa tenacissima", "Holocene", "13. Climate action", "semi-arid", "15. Life on land", "Plant successional dynamics", "shrub encroachment", "Desertification"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Maestre, Fernando T., Bowker, Matthew A., Puche, Mar\u00eda D., Bel\u00e9n Hinojosa, M., Mart\u00ednez, Isabel, Garc\u00eda-Palacios, Pablo, Castillo, Andrea P., Soliveres, Santiago, Luzuriaga, Ar\u00e1ntzazu L., S\u00e1nchez, Ana M., Carreira, Jos\u00e9 A., Gallardo, Antonio, Escudero, Adri\u00e1n,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.11m00"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.11m00", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.11m00", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.11m00"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-08-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.537k1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:24:01Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Facilitation by leguminous shrubs increases along a precipitation gradient", "description": "unspecifiedCombining nutrient dynamics (plant nutrient uptake and soil fertility) can help uncover mechanisms of shrub-grass interactions and assess the validity of the stress-gradient hypothesis, which predicts that facilitation between plants increases in stressful environments. However, how facilitation via shrub-mediated nutrient increases varies with precipitation is poorly resolved. We first synthesized a global dataset from 66 studies and evaluated how shrubs affected soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in grasslands along a precipitation gradient. We then made new measurements in a single grassland type encroached by leguminous shrubs from the same genus (Caragana) to constrain the variations caused by combining different grassland types and shrubs traits in the meta-analysis. Specifically, we investigated how shrubs mediated N dynamics and how shrub-grass interactions varied along a precipitation gradient (147-342 mm) in a temperate steppe of China. At the global scale, leguminous shrub-mediated effects on soil nutrients increased with precipitation, while no relationship was found for non-leguminous shrub. For the field experiment, greater N and lower \u03b415N in Caragana compared to non-leguminous shrub (reference shrub, Salsola collina) suggested active N-fixation in Caragana. We found that Caragana enhanced N concentration and leaf quality (low C:N ratio) in neighbouring plants more on mesic sites than on xeric sites. Thus, facilitation increased via higher soil N and with decreasing environmental stress, at least along this relatively arid precipitation gradient. Our results highlight the importance of precipitation in determining the nutritional facilitation to neighbouring grasses from encroaching leguminous shrubs. Conceptual frameworks for plant facilitation may therefore need to include shrub characteristics (N-fixers vs. non-fixers) and positive effects of higher precipitation on this type of facilitation to characterize plant interactions along stress gradients.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Inner Mongolia", "stress gradient hypothesis", "nurse plant", "dryland", "15. Life on land", "shrub encroachment", "nutrient dynamics"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Zhang, Hai-Yang, L\u00fc, Xiao-Tao, Knapp, Alan K., Hartmann, Henrik, Bai, Edith, Wang, Xiao-Bo, Wang, Zheng-Wen, Wang, Xiao-Guang, Yu, Qiang, Han, Xing-Guo,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.537k1"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.537k1", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.537k1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.537k1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-06-09T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-26T16:24:09Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Shrub encroachment decreases soil inorganic carbon stocks in Mongolian grasslands", "description": "1. Widespread shrub encroachment in global drylands may increase plant biomass and change soil organic carbon stocks of grassland ecosystems. However, the response of soil inorganic carbon (SIC), which is a major component of dryland carbon pools, to this vegetation shift remains unknown. 2. We conducted a systematic field survey in 75 pairs of shrub-encroached grassland and control plots at 25 sites in the grasslands of the Inner Mongolia Plateau to evaluate how shrub encroachment affects SIC density (SICD) in these ecosystems. 3. We found that shrub encroachment significantly reduced SICD in the upper 100 cm (3.85 vs. 4.74 kg C m-2, P < 0.05), especially in the subsurface soil (20-50 cm layer). The magnitude of SICD changes was related to the change in soil pH, shrub patch size, and initial SICD, reflecting that the reduction in SICD might be attributed to the shrub encroachment-related soil acidification. Our results also revealed that the lost SIC was mainly released into the atmosphere rather than redistributed into deeper soil layers. 4. Synthesis. We provide the first evidence for the soil acidification-induced SIC loss caused by shrub encroachment. Our findings highlight the non-negligible role of SIC dynamics in the C budget of shrub-encroached grassland ecosystems and the need to consider these dynamics in terrestrial C cycle research.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "carbon budget", "13. Climate action", "Soil inorganic carbon", "Temperate grassland", "carbon source", "soil acidification", "15. Life on land", "shrub encroachment", "Invasion ecology"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Liu, Shangshi, Zhou, Luhong, Li, He, Zhao, Xia, Yang, Yuanhe, Zhu, Yankun, Hu, Huifeng, Chen, Leiyi, Zhang, Pujin, Shen, Haihua, Fang, Jingyun,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-10-03T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=shrub+encroachment&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=shrub+encroachment&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=shrub+encroachment&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=shrub+encroachment&offset=6", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 6, "numberReturned": 6, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-06-27T13:23:33.911992Z"}