RESEARCH NEWS

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  Different Approaches for Quantifying Crop Nitrogen Use Efficiency May Result in Huge Difference in NUE Estimates

  Crop nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) refers to the proportion of nitrogen in fertilisers that is absorbed and used by crops, which is an important indicator to evaluate fertiliser utilisation efficiency and environmental impact of nitrogen input in farmland. However, different NUE quantification approaches produce quite different NUE values, which is not conducive to comparison between different studies.

  May 19, 2021
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  Shifts in Forest Composition Would Reduce the Direct Effects of Climate Change on Fire Regimes in the Boreal Forests of Northeastern China

  Fire is one of the major natural disturbances in the terrestrial ecosystem and profoundly impacts the structure and functions of forest ecosystems. With increases in temperature and extreme weather events, fire occurrence and burned area in boreal forests have increased markedly over past decades.

  May 07, 2021
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  Above-and Below-ground Biodiversity Differently Mediate the Effects of Selective Logging on Temperate Forest Multifunctionality, Study Finds

  A new study published in Global Change Biology recently confirmed that selective logging in a reasonable way may make better use of abiotic resources in the forests, promote the growth of preserved trees, improve the overall functionality of the ecosystem, and increase tree species diversity and soil microbial diversity.

  Apr 25, 2021
• Adopting Conservation Tillage and Inhibitor Application as a Win-win Solution in Agro-ecosystem of Northeast China

  Based on a continuous 9-year no-tillage farmland, a research team from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) conducted an in-situ 15N-labeled micro-plot to investigate the transformation characteristics and fate of fertilizer N in soil-crop system in response to maize straw mulching and inhibitor application.

  Apr 23, 2021
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  Bacterial Mobility Facilitated by Soil Depth and Intact Structure

  The development of field management practices for reducing pathogenic pollution of water systems is slow because of a lack of understanding of the dynamics of microbial transport through subsurface soil profiles, which are heterogeneous both geochemically and structurally.

  Apr 23, 2021
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  Mycorrhizal Type May Play an Important Role in Regulating Rhizosphere Priming

  Root exudation is critical in influencing soil organic matter (SOM) decay via the rhizosphere priming effect (RPE) with a cascade of changes in microbial communities and enzyme activities, which can rival the effects of temperature and moisture. “Although the vast majority of plants allocate carbon (C) to root-associated mycorrhizal fungi, we still do not have a clear understanding of how roots and their associated mycorrhizal fungi mediate the RPE,” said Prof. WANG Peng from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  Apr 22, 2021
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  The Physiological Characteristics of Specific Microbial Taxa Regulate the Function of Microbial Assemblages

  Microorganisms are the drivers of soil organic carbon mineralization, and the activity of soil microorganisms directly affects the turnover rate of soil carbon.Contact YUE Qian Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Tel: 86-24-83970324 E-mail: yueqian@iae.ac.cn Web: http://english.iae.cas.cn

  Apr 21, 2021
• Researchers Demenstrate How Importance of Microbial Charcateristics in Soil Organic Matter Formation

  The researchers estimated microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by 18O-labelled H2O incubation method and found that N addition (low, ambient and high N addition) and soil horizon (organic vs. mineral layer) affected microbial CUE and NUE, however no obvious change regulation was observed. In addition, researchers also found a polynomial correlation between microbial CUE and NUE, with the inflection point at CUE=0.4. Regression analysis showed that the variation in microbial community structure and the phosphorus stoichiometry imbalance were two main factors that affected microbial nutrient use efficiency.

  Apr 01, 2021
• Researchers Reveal the Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Soil Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies

  The researchers measured SOC, microbial physiological parameters (microbial biomass carbon (MBC), carbon use efficiency (CUE), turnover rate) and residue index (amino sugar (AS)) and found that SOC was positively correlated with MBC and AS, and negatively correlated with mean annual temperature and precipitation (MAT and MAP). In addition, the general linear model with physiological parameters and residue index was more effective in simulating SOC content.

  Apr 01, 2021
• How Sulphur Deposition Affects Soil Nematode Community Structure

  The researchers measured chemical and biological properties of the soil samples and found that S addition had a significant impact on richness and diversity of soil nematodes, but not on total abundance of soil nematodes and the relative abundance of Cervidellus and Aphelenchus (the dominant nematode species).

  Mar 30, 2021