| 1. |
- Hao, Qian, et al.
(author)
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Holocene carbon accumulation in lakes of the current east Asian monsoonal margin: Implications under a changing climate
- 2020
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 737, s. 1-13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Carbon (C) present in lake sediments is an important global sink for CO2; however, an in-depth understanding of the impact of climate variability and the associated changes in vegetation on sediment C dynamics is still lacking. A total of 13 lakes were studied to quantify the influence of climate and vegetation on the reconstructed Holocene C accumulation rate (CAR) in lake sediments of the modern East Asian monsoonal margin. The corresponding paleoclimate information was assessed, including the temperature (30–90°N in the Northern Hemisphere) and precipitation (indicated by the δ18O of the Sanbao, Dongge, and Hulu caves). The Holocene vegetation conditions were inferred by pollen records, including arboreal pollen/non-arboreal pollen and pollen percentages. The results showed that the peak CAR occurred during the mid-Holocene, coinciding with the strongest period of the East Asian summer monsoon and expansion of forests. Lakes in the temperate steppe (TS) regions had a mean CAR of 13.41 ± 0.88 g C m−2 yr−1, which was significantly greater than the CARs of temperate desert (TD) and highland meadow/steppe (HMS; 6.76 ± 0.29 and 7.39 ± 0.73 g C m−2 yr−1, respectively). The major influencing factor for the TS sub-region was vegetation dynamics, especially the proportion of arboreal vegetation, while temperature and vegetation coverage were more important for the HMS. These findings indicate that C accumulation in lake sediments is linked with climate and vegetation changes over long timescales; however, there was notable spatial heterogeneity in the CARs, such as opposing temporal changes and different major influencing factors among the three sub-regions during the mid-Holocene. Aridification and forest loss would decrease C storage. However, prediction of C accumulation remains difficult because of the spatial heterogeneity in CARs and the interaction between the CAR and various factors under future climate change conditions.
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| 2. |
- Hao, Qian, et al.
(author)
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Organic blue carbon sequestration in vegetated coastal wetlands : Processes and influencing factors
- 2024
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In: Earth-Science Reviews. - : Elsevier. - 0012-8252 .- 1872-6828. ; 255
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coastal wetlands play a vital role in carbon (C) sequestration, named 'blue carbon'. The review aims to disentangle the processes and influencing factors, including elevated atmospheric CO2, global climate warming, sea level rise and anthropogenic activities. Firstly, we provided an overview of C processes, including input, output, and deposition, in coastal wetlands. We then summarized the impacts of different factors on C processes by modifying soil physicochemical properties, plant growth, vegetation type, and microbial community composition. Vegetation composition was a major contributor to C inputs, and C outputs was mainly controlled by microbial decomposition. Increased atmospheric CO2 concentration and associated climate warming often enhanced vegetation growth, while climate warming also promoted soil C decomposition. As a result, C storage could increase under mild warming conditions in the short-term, but decrease in the long-term as the severity of warming intensifies. Elevated salinity, caused by sea level rise, can be harmful to plant growth and inhibit organic C decomposition because of the reduced biomass and the weakened metabolic capacity of microorganisms. Most of human activities, such as reclamation, can lead to less C input and more C output, resulting in decreased C storage in coastal wetlands. Additionally, we also illustrate various coastal wetland restoration methods aimed at enhancing C sequestration, including legal frameworks, scientific theories, vegetation management, hydrological restoration, and other relevant constructions. Vegetation management could benefit plant growth and enhance C input effectively, and hydrological restoration can maintain the harmonious development of coastal wetland ecosystems. Other constructions, including breakwater, spillway, and dredged material, could protect coastal wetlands, especially facing sea level rise. This review offers valuable theoretical support and scientific references for the sustainable development and management of coastal wetlands in a changing climate.
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| 3. |
- Hao, Qian, et al.
(author)
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Silicon Affects Plant Stoichiometry and Accumulation of C, N, and P in Grasslands
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 11, s. 1-10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Silicon (Si) plays an important role in improving soil nutrient availability and plant carbon (C) accumulation and may therefore impact the biogeochemical cycles of C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in terrestrial ecosystems profoundly. However, research on this process in grassland ecosystems is scarce, despite the fact that these ecosystems are one of the most significant accumulators of biogenic Si (BSi). In this study, we collected the aboveground parts of four widespread grasses and soil profile samples in northern China and assessed the correlations between Si concentrations and stoichiometry and accumulation of C, N, and P in grasses at the landscape scale. Our results showed that Si concentrations in plants were significantly negatively correlated (p< 0.01) with associated C concentrations. There was no significant correlation between Si and N concentrations. It is worth noting that since the Si concentration increased, the P concentration increased from less than 0.10% to more than 0.20% and therefore C:P and N:P ratios decreased concomitantly. Besides, the soil noncrystalline Si played more important role in C, N, and P accumulation than other environmental factors (e.g., MAT, MAP, and altitude). These findings indicate that Si may facilitate grasses in adjusting the utilization of nutrients (C, N, and P) and may particularly alleviate P deficiency in grasslands. We conclude that Si positively alters the concentrations and accumulation of C, N, and P likely resulting in the variation of ecological stoichiometry in both vegetation and litter decomposition in soils. This study further suggests that the physiological function of Si is an important but overlooked factor in influencing biogeochemical cycles of C and P in grassland ecosystems.
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| 4. |
- Hao, Qian, et al.
(author)
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Soil silicon fractions along karst hillslopes of southwestern China
- 2022
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In: Journal of Soils and Sediments. - : Springer Nature. - 1439-0108 .- 1614-7480. ; 22, s. 1121-1134
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose The karst region in southwestern China is undergoing soil erosion and rocky desertification. The different silicon (Si) fractions along the hillslopes in this mountainous region could benefit plant growth and alleviate the ecological deterioration. However, extensive distribution of carbonate rocks may lead to limited plant available Si. The mountainous terrain in karst region also leads to more Si output, which seriously affects the biogeochemical cycle of Si in this area. Yet, the soil Si fractions in the karst region have not been fully evaluated. Methods Soil profiles and their corresponding plants were sampled from two typical karst mountains in Guizhou, China. The different fractions of non-crystalline Si in soil, accounting for the most important pool for Si availability to plants, were analyzed by the improved sequential chemical extraction and Si concentrations in plants grown in this region were also measured. Results The concentration and storage of non-crystalline Si were higher at lower slopes (storage was 2.44, 2.73, and 3.25 kg center dot m(-2) for upper, middle, and lower slopes, respectively) than other slope positions. Grasses dominated at lower slopes and contained significantly higher Si (mean +/- SD: 14.42 +/- 6.63 mg center dot g(-1)) than trees and shrubs (1.94 +/- 1.78 and 1.29 +/- 1.00 mg center dot g(-1), respectively), which were primarily distributed on upper slopes. However, Si concentrations of the same plant species in different slope positions had no significant correlation with soil acid Na acetate-Si, the Si regarded as directly available for plants. Conclusions This study suggests that plant species and soil properties have a significant impact on the soil Si distribution of hillslopes in karst region. Soil erosion may decrease non-crystalline Si concentrations in soils and impair Si uptake in grasses, which need to be considered in ecosystem management in this region.
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| 5. |
- Hao, Qian, et al.
(author)
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Vegetation Determines Lake Sediment Carbon Accumulation during Holocene in the Forest-Steppe Ecotone in Northern China
- 2021
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In: Forests. - : MDPI. - 1999-4907. ; 12:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To understand the past carbon accumulation of forest-steppe ecotone and to identify the main drivers of the long-term carbon dynamics, we selected Huangqihai Lake and analyzed the sediment records. We measured the organic carbon content (TOC; %) of sedimentary samples and quantified the carbon accumulation rate (CAR; g C m(-2) yr(-1)). Furthermore, the climate, soil erosion, and vegetation development of the past 6800 years were reconstructed using physicochemical parameters and pollen records. Human activities were also obtained from a 2200-year history record. Our results showed that the CAR was high during 5800 similar to 4100 cal yr BP (40 similar to 60 g C m(-2) yr(-1)), which is mainly attributed to the high sediment accumulation rate (SAR) during this period. Pearson's correlation, redundancy analysis and hierarchical variation partitioning analyses suggested that the CAR was influenced by the SAR and TOC, while vegetation dynamics (broadleaved tree percentage and vegetation coverage) and local soil erosion were the main drivers of the TOC and SAR. Especially when the vegetation was dominated by broadleaved forests, the CAR was significantly high due to the high gross primary productivity and carbon density of forest compared with steppe. Our study highlights the direct influence of local vegetation and soil erosion on the CAR, whereas climate might influence indirectly by changing local vegetation and soil conditions. Moreover, our results showed that human activities had positive influences on the carbon accumulation dynamics in this region since 2200 cal yr BP by influencing the SAR.
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| 6. |
- Shilei, Yang, et al.
(author)
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A review of carbon isotopes of phytoliths : implications for phytolith-occluded carbon sources
- 2020
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In: Journal of Soils and Sediments. - : Springer. - 1439-0108 .- 1614-7480. ; 20:4, s. 1811-1823
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose Phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) is mainly derived from the products of photosynthesis, which can be preserved in soils and sediments for hundreds-to-thousands of years due to the resilient nature of the amorphous phytolith silica. Therefore, stable and radioactive carbon (C) isotopes of phytoliths can be effectively utilized in paleoecological and archeological research. However, there still exists debate about the applicability of C isotopes of phytoliths, as a “two-pool” hypothesis to characterize PhytOC sources has been proposed, whereby a component of the PhytOC is derived from soil organic matter (SOM) absorbed through plant roots. Therefore, it is necessary to review this topic to better understand the source of PhytOC. Materials and method We introduce the stable and radioactive C isotopic compositions of PhytOC, present the impacts of different extraction methods on the study of PhytOC, and discuss the implications of these factors for determining the sources of PhytOC. Results and discussion Based on this review, we suggest that organic matter synthesized by photosynthesis is the main source of PhytOC. However, it is important to make clear whether and how SOM-derived C present in phytoliths influence the controversial “too-old” skew and isotopic fractionation. Conclusions Though the two-pool hypothesis has been proved by many researches, the carbon isotopes of phytoliths still have potential in paleoecology and archeology, because the main source is photosynthesis and many previous studies put forward the availability of these parameters. This review also shows that phytolith C isotopes may vary with different organic C compounds within phytoliths, which needs further study at the molecular scale. Different phytolith extraction methods can influence 14C dating results.
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| 7. |
- Song, Zhaoliang, et al.
(author)
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High potential of stable carbon sequestration in phytoliths of China's grasslands
- 2022
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In: Global Change Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 28:8, s. 2736-2750
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phytolith carbon (C) sequestration plays a key role in mitigating global climate change at a centennial to millennial time scale. However, previous estimates of phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) storage and potential in China's grasslands have large uncertainties mainly due to multiple data sources. This contributes to the uncertainty in predicting long-term C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems using Earth System Models. In this study, we carried out an intensive field investigation (79 sites, 237 soil profiles [0-100 cm], and 61 vegetation assessments) to quantify PhytOC storage in China's grasslands and to better explore the biogeographical patterns and influencing factors. Generally, PhytOC production flux and soil PhytOC density in both the Tibetan Plateau and the Inner Mongolian Plateau had a decreasing trend from the Northeast to the Southwest. The aboveground PhytOC production rate in China's grassland was 0.48 x 10(6) t CO2 a(-1), and the soil PhytOC storage was 383 x 10(6) t CO2. About 45% of soil PhytOC was stored in the deep soil layers (50-100 cm), highlighting the importance of deep soil layers for C stock assessments. Importantly, the Tibetan Plateau had the greatest contribution (more than 70%) to the PhytOC storage in China's grasslands. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that altitude and soil texture significantly influenced the spatial distribution of soil PhytOC, explaining 78.1% of the total variation. Soil phytolith turnover time in China's grasslands was mainly controlled by climatic conditions, with the turnover time on the Tibetan Plateau being significantly longer than that on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Our results offer more accurate estimates of the potential for phytolith C sequestration from ecological restoration projects in degraded grassland ecosystems. These estimates are essential to parameterizing and validating global C models.
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| 8. |
- Wu, Yuntao, et al.
(author)
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Climatic controls on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of temperate grasslands in northern China
- 2023
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In: Plant and Soil. - : Springer. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 491, s. 133-144
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims The natural abundances of stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopes (delta C-13 and delta N-15) are extensively used to indicate the C and N biogeochemical cycles at large spatial scales. However, the spatial patterns of delta C-13 and delta N-15 in plant-soil systems of grasslands in northern China and their main driving factors across regional climatic gradient are still not well understood. Methods We measured plant and soil delta C-13 and delta N-15 compositions as well as their associated environmental factors across 2000 km climatic gradient (-0.2 to 9 degrees C; 152 to 502 mm) in grasslands of northern China. Results The soil delta C-13 and delta N-15 values in surface were lower than those in bottom for temperate typical steppe but had no significant differences for temperate meadow steppe and temperate desert steppe. Soil delta C-13 values declined with increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) but increased as mean annual temperature (MAT). These changes were attributed to the microbial decomposition rate. The delta N-15 values in soil and plant were negatively correlated with MAT and mean annual precipitation (MAP), which were mainly related to the low soil organic matter mineralization rate and the shift of dominant species from C-4 to C-3. Conclusions Our results indicate the spatial patterns and different influencing factors on delta C-13 and delta N-15 values along the climatic gradient in grasslands of northern China. The findings will provide scientific references for future research on the C and N biogeochemical cycles of temperate grasslands.
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| 9. |
- Wu, Yuntao, et al.
(author)
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Silicon promotes biomass accumulation in Phragmites australis under waterlogged conditions in coastal wetland
- 2024
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In: Plant and Soil. - : Springer Nature. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims Previous studies have shown that silicon (Si) can affect plant growth and yield by regulating the availability of other nutrients. However, the mechanisms by which Si affects plant biomass accumulation in coastal wetlands are not well explored. Methods We conducted a sampling campaign across the whole growing season of Phragmites australis under waterlogging and drought conditions in coastal wetland, and quantified the effects of Si availability on biomass accumulation. Results Compared with drought condition, the waterlogged condition improved the utilization efficiency of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) of P. australis regulated by higher Si contents. Meanwhile, the increased Si contents promoted the utilization of N and P in leaf, suggesting that the increase in Si contents optimizes the photosynthetic process. Lignin contents in P. australis decreased with the increasing Si contents, which confirmed that Si can replace structural carbon components. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) showed aboveground biomass accumulation of P. australis was synchronized with Si accumulation, indicating that Si was a beneficial element to promote biomass accumulation. Conclusions Our study implies that increasing Si availability is conducive to biomass accumulation of P. australis in waterlogged wetlands, which will provide important scientific references for the management of coastal wetland ecosystem and the increase of global 'blue carbon' sequestration.
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| 10. |
- Yang, Shilei, et al.
(author)
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Impact of grassland degradation on the distribution and bioavailability of soil silicon: Implications for the Si cycle in grasslands
- 2019
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 657, s. 811-818
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Grassland ecosystems play an important role in the global terrestrial silicon (Si) cycle, and Si is a beneficial elementand structural constituent for the growth of grasses. In previous decades, grasslands have been degradedto different degrees because of the drying climate and intense human disturbance. However, the impact of grasslanddegradation on the distribution and bioavailability of soil Si is largely unknown. Here, we investigated vegetationand soil conditions of 30 sites to characterize different degrees of degradation for grasslands in the agropastoralecotone of northern China. We then explored the impact of grassland degradation on the distributionand bioavailability of soil Si, including total Si and four forms of noncrystalline Si in three horizons (0–10,10–20 and 20–40 cm) of different soil profiles. The concentrations of noncrystalline Si in soil profiles significantlydecreased with increasing degrees of degradation, being 7.35 ± 0.88 mg g−1, 5.36 ± 0.39 mg g−1, 3.81 ±0.37 mg g−1 and 3.60±0.26 mg g−1 in non-degraded, lightly degraded, moderately degraded and seriously degradedgrasslands, respectively. Moreover, the storage of noncrystalline Si decreased from higher than 40 t ha−1to lower than 23 t ha−1. The corresponding bioavailability of soil Si also generally decreased with grassland degradation.These processes may not only affect the Si pools and fluxes in soils but also influence the Si uptake in plants. We suggest that grassland degradation can significantly affect the global grassland Si cycle. Grasslandmanagement methods such as fertilizing and avoiding overgrazing can potentially double the content and storageof noncrystalline Si in soils, thereby enhancing the soil Si bioavailability by N17%.
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