scholarly journals Mofette Vegetation as an Indicator for Geogenic CO2 Emission: A Case Study on the Banks of the Laacher See Volcano, Vulkaneifel, Germany

Geofluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Hardy Pfanz ◽  
Frank Saßmannshausen ◽  
Christiane Wittmann ◽  
Benny Pfanz ◽  
Annika Thomalla
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Humus Content ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Plant Coverage ◽  
Eifel Mountains ◽  
Soil Degassing ◽  
Total Plant ◽  
Soil Conductivity

A geogenic CO2 emitting site (mofette U1) at the banks of the Laacher See, Eifel Mountains, was chosen to study the relationship between heavy postvolcanic soil degassing and vegetation during spring season. To test any interrelation between soil CO2 degassing and vegetation, soil chemism (pH, water content, conductivity, and humus content) and vegetation studies (number of species, plant-soil coverage) were performed. Geogenic soil degassing patterns of carbon dioxide and oxygen were clearly inhomogeneous, resembling soil porosity and distinct permeation channels within the soil. CO2 concentrations ranged from zero to 100%. Soil CO2 increased, while soil oxygen decreased with increasing soil depth. There was a reasonable correlation between CO2 degassing and soil pH as well as soil conductivity. Soil organic matter (SOM) resembled soil water distribution. The number of plant species (from a total of 69 species) as well as plant coverage strongly followed geogenic CO2 degassing. The total number of growing species was highest in low CO2 soils (max. 17 species per m2) and lowest at high CO2-emitting sites (one species per m2). Plant coverage followed the same pattern. Total plant coverage reached values of up to 84% in slightly degassing soils and only 5-6% on heavy CO2-venting sites. One plant species proved to be highly mofettophilic (marsh sedge, Carex acutiformis) and strictly grew on CO2 degassing sites. Most other species like grove windflower, spring fumewort, fig buttercup, wood bluegrass, addersmeat, and common snowberry showed a mofettophobic behavior and strictly avoided degassing areas. Specific plant species can thus be used to detect and monitor pre- or postvolcanic CO2 degassing.

Medicinal plants and sustainable livelihood in Pauri district of Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India.

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (06) ◽  
pp. 4589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vardan Singh Rawat
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Total Plant

The present study was conducted in the Thalisain block of Pauri Garhwal to document the medicinal plants used by the local communities. 53 plant species distributed in 38 families were documented. Of the total plant species 49% were herbs, 26% trees, 23% shrubs and 2% climbers. 16 different plant parts were used by local communities for different ailments. Medicinal plants were widely used by major sections of the community against common colds, cough, skin diseases, snake bite, fever, joint pains, bronchitis etc. Women and local healers called vaids have a vital role in environmental management due to traditional knowledge and use of plants as medicine with undocumented knowledge. It has been observed as one of the best option of sustainable livelihoods for the residents of the area.

scholarly journals Can we model observed soil carbon changes from a dense inventory? A case study over England and Wales using three versions of the ORCHIDEE ecosystem model (AR5, AR5-PRIM and O-CN)

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 2153-2163 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Guenet ◽  
F. E. Moyano ◽  
N. Vuichard ◽  
G. J. D. Kirk ◽  
P. H. Bellamy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Carbon Mineralization ◽  
Ecosystem Model ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Carbon Decomposition ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Carbon Losses

Abstract. A widespread decrease of the topsoil carbon content was observed over England and Wales during the period 1978–2003 in the National Soil Inventory (NSI), amounting to a carbon loss of 4.44 Tg yr−1 over 141 550 km2. Subsequent modelling studies have shown that changes in temperature and precipitation could only account for a small part of the observed decrease, and therefore that changes in land use and management and resulting changes in heterotrophic respiration or net primary productivity were the main causes. So far, all the models used to reproduce the NSI data have not accounted for plant–soil interactions and have only been soil carbon models with carbon inputs forced by data. Here, we use three different versions of a process-based coupled soil–vegetation model called ORCHIDEE (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems), in order to separate the effect of trends in soil carbon input from soil carbon mineralization induced by climate trends over 1978–2003. The first version of the model (ORCHIDEE-AR5), used for IPCC-AR5 CMIP5 Earth System simulations, is based on three soil carbon pools defined with first-order decomposition kinetics, as in the CENTURY model. The second version (ORCHIDEE-AR5-PRIM) built for this study includes a relationship between litter carbon and decomposition rates, to reproduce a priming effect on decomposition. The last version (O-CN) takes into account N-related processes. Soil carbon decomposition in O-CN is based on CENTURY, but adds N limitations on litter decomposition. We performed regional gridded simulations with these three versions of the ORCHIDEE model over England and Wales. None of the three model versions was able to reproduce the observed NSI soil carbon trend. This suggests either that climate change is not the main driver for observed soil carbon losses or that the ORCHIDEE model even with priming or N effects on decomposition lacks the basic mechanisms to explain soil carbon change in response to climate, which would raise a caution flag about the ability of this type of model to project soil carbon changes in response to future warming. A third possible explanation could be that the NSI measurements made on the topsoil are not representative of the total soil carbon losses integrated over the entire soil depth, and thus cannot be compared with the model output.

scholarly journals Plant Diversity, Ethnobotany and Conservation Issues at Swoyambhu World Heritage, Kathmandu, Nepal

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keshab Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Northern Slope ◽  
Pinus Roxburghii ◽  
Total Plant ◽  
Pristine Forest

Lying at western corner of the Kathmandu city, the Swoyambhu hillock (1403.76m) represents a surviving pristine forest in the metropolitan capital of Nepal. Once an extension of Jamaca (2096m) with luxuriant sub-tropical forest is now invaded by dense human population and other developmental activities. This hillock is still rich with a total plant species of 319. Of them, 65 are trees, 43 shrubs, 194 herbs and 17 climbers. Northern slope of the hillock is rich in tree species with scattered patches of under-growing bushes and ferns, whereas southern, western and eastern slopes are much disturbed with exotic species of plants, creating challenges to the norms of the heritage standard. Domination by Pinus roxburghii (chire pine) and Eucalyptus, Jacaranda and Callistemon, etc are altering the indigenous nature of the hillock. And also the forested hillock has been randomly utilized for refreshment, yoga, ayurbedic remedy and food. Due to growing constructions and exploitations, the forested hillock is now facing a threat to maintain its pristine ecosystem. <i>Nepal Journal of Science and Technology</i> Vol. 7, 2006

scholarly journals The relative importance of plant-soil feedbacks for plant-species performance increases with decreasing intensity of herbivory

Oecologia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 190 (3) ◽  
pp. 651-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Heinze ◽  
Nadja K. Simons ◽  
Sebastian Seibold ◽  
Alexander Wacker ◽  
Guntram Weithoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Species Performance

The effects of replaced topsoil of different depths on the vegetation and soil properties of reclaimed coal mine spoils in an alpine mining area

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 92-105
Author(s):  
Xinguang Yang ◽  
Xilai Li ◽  
Mingming Shi ◽  
Liqun Jin ◽  
Huafang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Coal Mine ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Mining Area ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Mine Spoils ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Different Depths

Replacement of topsoil to an appropriate depth is one of the key methods for ecological restoration. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of topsoil replacement depth on vegetation and soil properties, and to identify the optimum soil depth for reclamation of coal mine spoils in a cold alpine mining area. We sowed 3 herbaceous species after coal mine spoil heaps were treated with topsoil to 3 depths (0, 20‒25, 40‒45 cm). The variations in vegetation community structure, plant growth, soil properties were measured at different replaced topsoil depths. The correlations between plant and soil properties were analyzed statistically. The results showed species richness, diversity and evenness were not significantly different among different depths of topsoil (P > 0.05). Vegetation coverage, density, height and aboveground biomass increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing topsoil depth. Soil properties did not change significantly with increasing topsoil depth (P > 0.05), but soil organic matter was significantly higher at 40‒45 cm topsoil depth than at other two depths (P < 0.05). All soil properties, with the exception of total potassium, were positively correlated with the plant growth parameters. The 40‒45 cm topsoil depth of replacement should be considered as effective method in reclaiming coal mine spoils. The use of both topsoil replacement to a depth of 40‒45 cm and sowing of suitable herbaceous seeds is found to be an effective restoration strategy. Additionally, fertilization might be used as a substitute for artificial topsoil replacement to improve soil quality and speed up revegetation process by the positive plant-soil interactions.

scholarly journals Soil Inoculation Steers Plant-Soil Feedback, Suppressing Ruderal Plant Species

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. R. Jasper Wubs ◽  
Tom van Heusden ◽  
Pauline D. Melchers ◽  
T. Martijn Bezemer
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Soil Inoculation ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Feedback ◽  
Ruderal Plant

scholarly journals Fungal diversity regulates plant-soil feedbacks in temperate grassland

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. eaau4578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Semchenko ◽  
Jonathan W. Leff ◽  
Yudi M. Lozano ◽  
Sirgi Saar ◽  
John Davison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Saprotrophic Fungi ◽  
Plant Resource ◽  
Plant Soil

Feedbacks between plants and soil microbial communities play an important role in vegetation dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the diversity of putative pathogenic, mycorrhizal, and saprotrophic fungi is a primary regulator of plant-soil feedbacks across a broad range of temperate grassland plant species. We show that plant species with resource-acquisitive traits, such as high shoot nitrogen concentrations and thin roots, attract diverse communities of putative fungal pathogens and specialist saprotrophs, and a lower diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, resulting in strong plant growth suppression on soil occupied by the same species. Moreover, soil properties modulate feedbacks with fertile soils, promoting antagonistic relationships between soil fungi and plants. This study advances our capacity to predict plant-soil feedbacks and vegetation dynamics by revealing fundamental links between soil properties, plant resource acquisition strategies, and the diversity of fungal guilds in soil.

scholarly journals Can we model observed soil carbon changes from a dense inventory? A case study over england and wales using three version of orchidee ecosystem model (AR5, AR5-PRIM and O-CN)

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 3655-3680 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Guenet ◽  
F. E Moyano ◽  
N. Vuichard ◽  
G.J.D. Kirk ◽  
P.H. Bellamy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Ecosystem Model ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Carbon Decomposition ◽  
Soil Carbon Content ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Carbon Losses

Abstract. A widespread decrease of the top soil carbon content was observed over England and Wales during the period 1978–2003 in the National Soil Inventory (NSI), amounting to a carbon loss of 4.44 Tg yr-1 over 141 550 km2. Subsequent modelling studies have shown that changes in temperature and precipitation could only account for a small part of the observed decrease, and therefore that changes in land use and management and resulting changes in soil respiration or primary production were the main causes. So far, all the models used to reproduce the NSI data did not account for plant-soil interactions and were only soil carbon models with carbon inputs forced by data. Here, we use three different versions of a process-based coupled soil-vegetation model called ORCHIDEE, in order to separate the effect of trends in soil carbon input, and soil carbon mineralisation induced by climate trends over 1978–2003. The first version of the model (ORCHIDEE-AR5) used for IPCC-AR5 CMIP5 Earth System simulations, is based on three soil carbon pools defined with first order decomposition kinetics, as in the CENTURY model. The second version (ORCHIDEE-AR5-PRIM) built for this study includes a relationship between litter carbon and decomposition rates, to reproduce a priming effect on decomposition. The last version (O-CN) takes into account N-related processes. Soil carbon decomposition in O-CN is based on CENTURY, but adds N limitations on litter decomposition. We performed regional gridded simulations with these three versions of the ORCHIDEE model over England and Wales. None of the three model versions was able to reproduce the observed NSI soil carbon trend. This suggests that either climate change is not the main driver for observed soil carbon losses, or that the ORCHIDEE model even with priming or N-effects on decomposition lacks the basic mechanisms to explain soil carbon change in response to climate, which would raise a caution flag about the ability of this type of model to project soil carbon changes in response to future warming. A third possible explanation could be that the NSI measurements made on the topsoil are not representative of the total soil carbon losses integrated over the entire soil depth, and thus cannot be compared with the model output.

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