RESEARCH NEWS

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  Researchers Reveal Effects of Different Body-sized Mammals on Community and Trait Structure of Ground Beetles

  Mammalian herbivores (e.g. cattle, sheep, deer, rabbits) can affect plant diversity, vegetation structure and ecosystem productivity. The changes in vegetation characteristics may in turn affect abundance and diversity of many invertebrates, depending on the intensity, timing, duration of grazing and the productivity of the habitat.

  Jul 04, 2018
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  Meta-Analysis Highlights the Roles of Herbivores on Plant Communities

  Human activities have led to a continuous decline in the number of animal populations on a global scale. The impact of herbivores on plants has thus received increasing scholarly attention.

  Jun 06, 2018
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  Temperate Tree Species Possess Divergent Hydraulic Strategies to Cope with Frost-induced Xylem Embolism, Scientists Say

  In high-altitude temperate forests, freeze-thaw cycles damage the hydraulic transport function of woody species by inducing embolisms in xylem conduits. Winter embolism may have severe negative effects on plant performance during the subsequent growing season if the impaired hydraulic transport function cannot be restored.

  May 31, 2018
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  Researchers Reveal Correlations between Leaf Size, Hydraulic Architecture and Carbon Assimilation Capacity in Compound-leaved Tree Species

  Compound-leaf form has long been hypothesized to be responsible for higher photosynthetic and growth rates of compound-leaved tree species, but the underlying physiological mechanisms are largely unknown.

  May 29, 2018
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  Researchers Reveal Mechanism Causing Pine Forest Decline in Water-limited Regions

  A new study, conducted by researchers of the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE), the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), shows that Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) trees grown on sandy lands respond to severe drought stress by adjusting hydraulic architecture with increasing tree size. Since this adjustment is unsustainable in terms of long-term drought stress and carbon imbalance, it eventually leads to growth decline and dieback of trees.

  May 23, 2018
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  Researchers Map and Estimate Species-Level Biomass in Chinese Boreal Forests

  Researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, mapped and estimated species-level biomass (species composition and aboveground biomass) in Chinese boreal forests (the Great Xing’an Mountains) by integrating MODIS imagery with forest inventory data using k nearest neighbor (kNN) method.

  May 04, 2018
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  Researchers Reveal Ecological Mechanisms Influencing Local-scale Patterns of Spatial Community Dissimilarity in Temperate Forests

  In a new study published in Global Ecology and Biogeography, an international research group led by Dr. WANG Xugao of the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made progress in understanding the ecological processes that determine local-scale patterns of spatial community dissimilarity in temperate forests.

  May 03, 2018
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  Scientists Reveal the Influence of Forest Conversion on the Temporal Patterns of Microbial Beta-diversity in Subtropical China

  Natural forests have been widely converted to meet other land needs such as plantation, agriculture and pasture, and the loss of natural forest is estimated to be 130 million hectares between 2000 and 2010. This land-use change caused the loss of microbial β-diversity, which would lead to biotic homogenization of microbial communities, altered ecosystem functions and reduced ecosystem resilience to global change. Thus, evaluating the effects of land-use change on microbial diversity need to be urgently resolved.

  May 03, 2018
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  Scientists Find C Quality and Microbial Property Controlling the Non-linear Latitudinal Patterns of Q10 of Soil Microbial Respiration across Chinese Forests

  The amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere through soil microbial respiration (Rs) is estimated to be 60 Pg C.

  May 03, 2018
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  The Differences of Nutrient Resorption between Trees with Different Mycorrhizal Fungi

  Trees usually associate with different mycorrhizal fungi, which help them take up nutrient from soil.

  Apr 28, 2018