When the Mediterranean becomes harsh: Heat pulses strongly affect C allocation in plant-soil-atmosphere continuum in Eucalyptus camaldulensis

2019 ◽  
Vol 162 ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Gavrichkova ◽  
A. Scartazza ◽  
G. Guidolotti ◽  
Y. Kuzyakov ◽  
L. Leonardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Atmosphere ◽  
Heat Pulses ◽  
The Mediterranean

scholarly journals The olive tree: a paradigm for drought tolerance in Mediterranean climates

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 2811-2835 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sofo ◽  
S. Manfreda ◽  
B. Dichio ◽  
M. Fiorentino ◽  
C. Xiloyannis
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Continuous Production ◽  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Olive Tree ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Vegetative Period ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is commonly grown in the Mediterranean basin where prolonged droughts may occur during the vegetative period. This species has developed a series of physiological mechanisms to tolerate drought stress and grow under adverse climatic conditions that can be observed in numerous plants of the Mediterranean macchia. These mechanisms have been investigated through an experimental campaign carried out over both irrigated and drought-stressed plants in order to comprehend the plant response under stressed conditions and its ability to recover. Experimental results show that olive plants subjected to water deficit lower the water content and water potentials of their tissues, establishing a particularly high potential gradient between leaves and roots, and stop canopy growth but not photosynthetic activity and transpiration. This allows the continuous production of assimilates as well as their accumulation in the various plant parts, so creating a higher root/leaf ratio if compared to well-watered plants. Active and passive osmotic adjustment due to the accumulation of sugars (in particular mannitol and glucose), proline and other osmolytes has a key role in maintaining cell turgor and leaf activities. At severe drought-stress levels, the non-stomatal component of photosynthesis is inhibited and a light-dependent inactivation of the photosystem II occurs. Finally, the activities of some antioxidant enzymes involved in the scavenging of activated oxygen species and in other biochemical pathways, increase during a period of drought. The present paper provides an overview of the driving mechanisms adopted by olive trees to face drought stress with the aim of better understand plant-soil interactions.

Monitoring soil retention properties in a riverbank susceptible to fluvial erosion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmine Gerardo Gragnano ◽  
Guido Gottardi ◽  
Elena Toth
Keyword(s):  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Growth Cycle ◽  
Po River ◽  
Vegetation Growth ◽  
Fluvial Erosion ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Atmosphere ◽  
Atmosphere Interaction ◽  
Fluvial Ecosystem

<p>One of the principal source of vulnerability for riverbanks is given by slopes instabilities, which is triggered on the riverside by fluvial erosion. In order to mitigate such erosion, the establishment of a dense herbaceous cover aims at promoting the slope protection and reducing the likelihood of embankment failure. In fact, the aerial parts of vegetation reduce the mechanical impact of river level fluctuations and rainfall on the embankment and retain sediment transported, while the belowground parts reinforce mechanically the materials forming the top of the embankment, facilitating drainage in the topmost layers and promoting plant water uptake, thus contributing to the regulation of the drying/wetting cycle.</p><p>Plating deep-rooting perennial, herbaceous species on earth embankments therefore represent a sustainable, green intervention for the protection of a riverbank susceptible to fluvial erosion, contributing to the preservation of the fluvial ecosystem environment and avoiding a wide use of grey solutions. The European research project OPERANDUM is testing also this typology of NBS, with an experimental site selected on the river Panaro, one of the main tributary of the main Po River, Italy. To investigate the effect of vegetation on the riverbank soil, a monitoring system has been installed at shallow depths. The system estimates soil water content, matric suction and pore water pressure, in order to quantify the effects of the growth of different vegetation species, which have been recently seeded on site, for analyzing the plant-soil-atmosphere interaction. The work will present the site preparation and the system implementation. The analysis of the first collected data and the outcomes of the preliminary investigations, including site and laboratory experiments, will then be discussed. Monitoring data collected along the entire vegetation growth cycle, that is expected to take around two years, will allow to quantify the influence of vegetation in the soil-atmosphere interaction processes and, on the long-term, verify its effective contribution in riverbank protection.</p>

scholarly journals Carbon allocation and carbon isotope fluxes in the plant-soil-atmosphere continuum: a review

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 3619-3695 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Brüggemann ◽  
A. Gessler ◽  
Z. Kayler ◽  
S. G. Keel ◽  
F. Badeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Atmosphere ◽  
C Cycle ◽  
Isotope Studies

Abstract. The terrestrial carbon (C) cycle has received increasing interest over the past few decades, however, there is still a lack of understanding of the fate of newly assimilated C allocated within plants and to the soil, stored within ecosystems and lost to the atmosphere. Stable carbon isotope studies can give novel insights into these issues. In this review we provide an overview of an emerging picture of plant-soil-atmosphere C fluxes, as based on C isotope studies, and identify processes determining related C isotope signatures. The first part of the review focuses on isotopic fractionation processes within plants during and after photosynthesis. The second major part elaborates on plant-internal and plant-rhizosphere C allocation patterns at different time scales (diel, seasonal, interannual), including the speed of C transfer and time lags in the coupling of assimilation and respiration, as well as the magnitude and controls of plant-soil C allocation and respiratory fluxes. Plant responses to changing environmental conditions, the functional relationship between the physiological and phenological status of plants and C transfer, and interactions between C, water and nutrient dynamics are discussed. The role of the C counterflow from the rhizosphere to the aboveground parts of the plants, e.g. via CO2 dissolved in the xylem water or as xylem-transported sugars, is highlighted. The third part is centered around belowground C turnover, focusing especially on above- and belowground litter inputs, soil organic matter formation and turnover, production and loss of dissolved organic C, soil respiration and CO2 fixation by soil microbes. Furthermore, plant controls on microbial communities and activity via exudates and litter production as well as microbial community effects on C mineralization are reviewed. The last part of the paper is dedicated to physical interactions between soil CO2 and the soil matrix, such as CO2 diffusion and dissolution processes within the soil profile. From the presented evidence we conclude that there exists a tight coupling of physical, chemical and biological processes involved in C cycling and C isotope fluxes in the plant-soil-atmosphere system. Generally, research using information from C isotopes allows an integrated view of the different processes involved. However, complex interactions among the range of processes complicate or impede the interpretation of isotopic signals in CO2 or organic compounds at the plant and ecosystem level. This is where new research approaches should be aimed at.

Hydrological effect of vegetation against landslides

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Gonzalez Ollauri
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Atmosphere

<p>The hydrological effect of vegetation against landslides has rarely been quantified and its integration into slope stability methods remains a challenge. To adequately address this knowledge gap, the effect of vegetation against landslides should be assessed under both wet (i.e. with precipitation) and dry (i.e. without precipitation) conditions. Furthermore, the establishment of novel frameworks that integrate hydrological processes occurring at the plant-soil-atmosphere interface is paramount. This goals of this presentation are (i) to critically evaluate the hydrological effect of vegetation against landslides by showcasing novel results from field and modelling experiments, and (ii) to highlight relevant plant traits regulating the hydrological cycle at the plant-soil-atmosphere interface in a context of landslide occurence.</p>

scholarly journals The olive tree: a paradigm for drought tolerance in Mediterranean climates

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 293-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sofo ◽  
S. Manfreda ◽  
M. Fiorentino ◽  
B. Dichio ◽  
C. Xiloyannis
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Continuous Production ◽  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Olive Tree ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Vegetative Period ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Olive Trees

Abstract. Olive trees (Olea europaea L.) are commonly grown in the Mediterranean basin where prolonged droughts may occur during the vegetative period. This species has developed a series of physiological mechanisms, that can be observed in several plants of the Mediterranean macchia, to tolerate drought stress and grow under adverse climatic conditions. These mechanisms have been investigated through an experimental campaign carried out over both irrigated and drought-stressed plants in order to comprehend the plant response under stressed conditions and its ability to recover. Experimental results show that olive plants subjected to water deficit lower the water content and water potentials of their tissues, establishing a particularly high potential gradient between leaves and roots, and stop canopy growth but not photosynthetic activity and transpiration. This allows the continuous production of assimilates as well as their accumulation in the various plant parts, so creating a higher root/leaf ratio if compared to well-watered plants. Active and passive osmotic adjustment due to the accumulation of carbohydrates (in particular mannitol and glucose), proline and other osmolytes have key roles in maintaining cell turgor and leaf activities. At severe drought-stress levels, the non-stomatal component of photosynthesis is inhibited and a light-dependent inactivation of the photosystem II occurs. Finally, the activities of some antioxidant enzymes involved in the scavenging of activated oxygen species and in other biochemical pathways increase during a period of drought. The present paper provides an overview of the driving mechanisms adopted by olive trees to face drought stress with the aim of better understanding plant-soil interactions.

scholarly journals Carbon allocation and carbon isotope fluxes in the plant-soil-atmosphere continuum: a review

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 3457-3489 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Brüggemann ◽  
A. Gessler ◽  
Z. Kayler ◽  
S. G. Keel ◽  
F. Badeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Atmosphere System ◽  
Soil Atmosphere ◽  
C Cycle ◽  
Isotope Studies

Abstract. The terrestrial carbon (C) cycle has received increasing interest over the past few decades, however, there is still a lack of understanding of the fate of newly assimilated C allocated within plants and to the soil, stored within ecosystems and lost to the atmosphere. Stable carbon isotope studies can give novel insights into these issues. In this review we provide an overview of an emerging picture of plant-soil-atmosphere C fluxes, as based on C isotope studies, and identify processes determining related C isotope signatures. The first part of the review focuses on isotopic fractionation processes within plants during and after photosynthesis. The second major part elaborates on plant-internal and plant-rhizosphere C allocation patterns at different time scales (diel, seasonal, interannual), including the speed of C transfer and time lags in the coupling of assimilation and respiration, as well as the magnitude and controls of plant-soil C allocation and respiratory fluxes. Plant responses to changing environmental conditions, the functional relationship between the physiological and phenological status of plants and C transfer, and interactions between C, water and nutrient dynamics are discussed. The role of the C counterflow from the rhizosphere to the aboveground parts of the plants, e.g. via CO2 dissolved in the xylem water or as xylem-transported sugars, is highlighted. The third part is centered around belowground C turnover, focusing especially on above- and belowground litter inputs, soil organic matter formation and turnover, production and loss of dissolved organic C, soil respiration and CO2 fixation by soil microbes. Furthermore, plant controls on microbial communities and activity via exudates and litter production as well as microbial community effects on C mineralization are reviewed. A further part of the paper is dedicated to physical interactions between soil CO2 and the soil matrix, such as CO2 diffusion and dissolution processes within the soil profile. Finally, we highlight state-of-the-art stable isotope methodologies and their latest developments. From the presented evidence we conclude that there exists a tight coupling of physical, chemical and biological processes involved in C cycling and C isotope fluxes in the plant-soil-atmosphere system. Generally, research using information from C isotopes allows an integrated view of the different processes involved. However, complex interactions among the range of processes complicate or currently impede the interpretation of isotopic signals in CO2 or organic compounds at the plant and ecosystem level. This review tries to identify present knowledge gaps in correctly interpreting carbon stable isotope signals in the plant-soil-atmosphere system and how future research approaches could contribute to closing these gaps.

A Plant-Soil-Atmosphere Microcosm for Tracing Radiocarbon from Photosynthesis through Methanogenesis

1999 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 665-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Megonigal ◽  
S. C. Whalen ◽  
D. T. Tissue ◽  
B. D. Bovard ◽  
A. S. Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Atmosphere

115 Heart failure mortality due to ischemic etiology: is it the same in the Mediterranean lifestyle?

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-29
Author(s):  
M JIMENEZNAVARRO ◽  
J GOMEZDOBLAS ◽  
G GOMEZHERNANDEZ ◽  
A DOMINGUEZFRANCO ◽  
J GARCIAPINILLA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
The Mediterranean
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