The large-scale distribution of ammonia oxidizers in paddy soils is driven by soil pH, geographic distance, and climatic factors

Abstract Large evaporite provinces (LEPs) represent prodigious volumes of evaporites widely developed from the Sinian to Neogene. The reasons why they often quickly develop on a large scale with large areas and thicknesses remain enigmatic. Possible causes range from warming from above to heating from below. The fact that the salt deposits in most salt-bearing basins occur mainly in the Sinian-Cambrian, Permian-Triassic, Jurassic-Cretaceous, and Miocene intervals favours a dominantly tectonic origin rather than a solar driving mechanism. Here, we analysed the spatio-temporal distribution of evaporites based on 138 evaporitic basins and found that throughout the Phanerozoiceon, LEPs occurred across the Earth’s surface in most salt-bearing basins, especially in areas with an evolutionary history of strong tectonic activity. The masses of evaporites, rates of evaporite formation, tectonic movements, and large igneous provinces (LIPs) synergistically developed in the Sinian-Cambrian, Permian, Jurassic-Cretaceous, and Miocene intervals, which are considered to be four of the warmest times since the Sinian. We realize that salt accumulation can proceed without solar energy and can generally be linked to geothermal changes in tectonically active zones. When climatic factors are involved, they may be manifestations of the thermal influence of the crust on the surface.

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Temporal and Spatial Variations in NDVI and Analysis of the Driving Factors in the Desertified Areas of Northern China From 1998 to 2015

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.633020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Xuyang Wang ◽

Yuqiang Li ◽

XinYuan Wang ◽

Yulin Li ◽

Jie Lian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecological Restoration ◽

Large Scale ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Northern China ◽

Gobi Desert ◽

Desert Grassland ◽

Dune Stability ◽

Mobile Dunes

China faces some of the most serious desertification in the world, leading to many problems. To solve them, large-scale ecological restoration projects were implemented. To assess their effectiveness, we analyzed normalized-difference vegetation index (NDVI) data derived from SPOT VEGETATION and gridded climate datasets from 1998 to 2015 to detect the degrees of desertification and the effects of human and climate drivers on vegetation dynamics. We found that NDVI of desertified areas generally decreased before 2000, then increased. The annual increase in NDVI was fixed dunes (0.0013) = semi-fixed dunes (0.0013) > semi-mobile dunes (0.0012) > gobi (gravel) desert (0.0011) > mobile dunes (0.0003) > saline–alkali land (0.0000). The proportions of the area of each desert type in which NDVI increased were fixed dunes (43.4%) > semi-mobile dunes (39.7%) > semi-fixed dunes (26.7%) > saline–alkali land (23.1%) > gobi desert (14.4%) > mobile dunes (12.5%). Thus, the vegetation response to the restoration efforts increased as the initial dune stability increased. The proportion of the area where desertification was dominated by temperature (1.8%) was far less than the area dominated by precipitation (14.1%). However, 67.6% of the change was driven by non-climatic factors. The effectiveness of the ecological restoration projects was significant in the Loess Plateau and in the Mu Us, Horqin, and Hulunbuir sandy lands. In contrast, there was little effect in the Badain Jaran, Ulan Buh, and Tengger deserts; in particular, vegetation cover has declined seriously in the Hunshandake Sandy Land and Alkin Desert Grassland. Thus, more or different ecological restoration must be implemented in these areas.

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Contrasting pH buffering patterns in neutral-alkaline soils along a 3600 km transect in northern China

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-12-13215-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 13215-13240 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

W. Luo ◽

P. N. Nelson ◽

M.-H. Li ◽

J. Cai ◽

Y. Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Ph ◽

Large Scale ◽

Aridity Index ◽

Clay Content ◽

Northern China ◽

Buffering Capacity ◽

Carbonate Content ◽

Alkaline Soils ◽

Ph Buffering ◽

Initial Ph

Abstract. Soil pH buffering capacity (pHBC) plays a crucial role in predicting acidification rates, yet its large-scale patterns and controls are poorly understood, especially for neutral-alkaline soils. Here, we evaluated the spatial patterns and drivers of pHBC along a 3600 km long transect (1900 km sub-transect with carbonate containing soils and 1700 km sub-transect with non-carbonate containing soils) across northern China. Soil pHBC was greater in the carbonate containing soils than in the non-carbonate containing soils. Acid addition decreased soil pH in the non-carbonate containing soils more markedly than in the carbonate containing soils. Within the carbonate soil sub-transect, soil pHBC was positively correlated with cation exchange capacity (CEC), carbonate content and exchangeable sodium (Na) concentration, but negatively correlated with initial pH and clay content, and not correlated with soil organic carbon (SOC) content. Within the non-carbonate sub-transect, soil pHBC was positively related to initial pH, clay content, CEC and exchangeable Na concentration, but not related to SOC content. Carbonate content was the primary determinant of pHBC in the carbonate containing soils and CEC was the main determinant of buffering capacity in the non-carbonate containing soils. Soil pHBC was positively related to aridity index and carbonate content across the carbonate containing soil sub-transect. Our results indicated that mechanisms controlling pHBC differ among neutral-alkaline soils of northern China, especially between carbonate and non-carbonate containing soils, leading to different rates, risks, and impacts of acidification. This understanding should be incorporated into the acidification risk assessment and landscape management in a changing world.

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Climate change and landscape-use patterns influence recent past distribution of giant pandas

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.0358 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1929) ◽

pp. 20200358

Author(s):

Junfeng Tang ◽

Ronald R. Swaisgood ◽

Megan A. Owen ◽

Xuzhe Zhao ◽

Wei Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Large Scale ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca ◽

Seasonal Temperature ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Giant Pandas ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Changing Climate ◽

Temperature And Precipitation

Climate change is one of the most pervasive threats to biodiversity globally, yet the influence of climate relative to other drivers of species depletion and range contraction remain difficult to disentangle. Here, we examine climatic and non-climatic correlates of giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) distribution using a large-scale 30 year dataset to evaluate whether a changing climate has already influenced panda distribution. We document several climatic patterns, including increasing temperatures, and alterations to seasonal temperature and precipitation. We found that while climatic factors were the most influential predictors of panda distribution, their importance diminished over time, while landscape variables have become relatively more influential. We conclude that the panda's distribution has been influenced by changing climate, but conservation intervention to manage habitat is working to increasingly offset these negative consequences.

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Nitrosospira cluster 3-like bacterial ammonia oxidizers and Nitrospira-like nitrite oxidizers dominate nitrification activity in acidic terrace paddy soils

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.01.006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 131 ◽

pp. 229-237 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Qian Zhang ◽

Yong Li ◽

Yan He ◽

Haiyang Liu ◽

Marc G. Dumont ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Paddy Soils ◽

Ammonia Oxidizers ◽

Nitrification Activity ◽

Nitrite Oxidizers

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The pH-based ecological coherence of active canonical methanotrophs in paddy soils

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-17-1451-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 1451-1462 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jun Zhao ◽

Yuanfeng Cai ◽

Zhongjun Jia

Keyword(s):

Soil Ph ◽

Rice Paddy ◽

Low Ph ◽

Paddy Soils ◽

Paddy Fields ◽

Type I ◽

Type Ii ◽

High Ph ◽

Niche Specialization ◽

Rice Paddy Soils

Abstract. Soil pH is considered one of the main determinants of the assembly of globally distributed microorganisms that catalyze the biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). However, direct evidence for niche specialization of microorganisms in association with soil pH is still lacking. Using methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) as a model system of C cycling, we show that pH is potentially the key driving force selecting for canonical γ (type I) and α (type II) methanotrophs in rice paddy soils. DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) was combined with high-throughput sequencing to reveal the taxonomic identities of active methanotrophs in physiochemically contrasting soils from six different paddy fields across China. Following microcosm incubation amended with 13CH4, methane was primarily consumed by Methylocystis-affiliated type II methanotrophs in soils with a relatively low pH (5.44–6.10), whereas Methylobacter- or Methylosarcina-affiliated type I methanotrophs dominated methane consumption in soils with a high pH (7.02–8.02). Consumption of 13CH4 contributed 0.203 % to 1.25 % of soil organic C, but no significant difference was observed between high-pH and low-pH soils. The fertilization of ammonium nitrate resulted in no significant changes in the compositions of 13C-labeled methanotrophs in the soils, although significant inhibition of methane oxidation activity was consistently observed in low-pH soils. Mantel analysis further validated that soil pH, rather than other parameters tested, had significant correlation to the variation in active methanotrophic compositions across different rice paddy soils. These results suggest that soil pH might have played a pivotal role in mediating the niche differentiation of ecologically important aerobic methanotrophs in terrestrial ecosystems and imply the importance of such niche specialization in regulating methane emissions in paddy fields following increasingly intensified input of anthropogenic N fertilizers.

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Contrasting Performance of the Remotely-Derived GPP Products over Different Climate Zones across China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11161855 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (16) ◽

pp. 1855 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yanan Chen ◽

Hongfan Gu ◽

Munan Wang ◽

Qing Gu ◽

Zhi Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Southern China ◽

Gross Primary Production ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Northern China ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Semiarid Region ◽

Interannual Variations ◽

Climate Zones

Precise quantification of terrestrial gross primary production (GPP) has been recognized as one of the most important components in understanding the carbon balance between the biosphere and the atmosphere. In recent years, although many large-scale GPP estimates from satellite data and ecosystem models have been generated, few attempts have been made to compare the different GPP products at national scales, particularly for various climate zones. In this study, two of the most widely-used GPP datasets were systematically compared over the eight climate zones across China’s terrestrial ecosystems from 2001 to 2015, which included the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) GPP and the breathing Earth system simulator (BESS) GPP products. Additionally, the coarse (0.05o) GPP estimates from the vegetation photosynthesis model (VPM) at the same time scale were used for auxiliary analysis with the two products. Both MODIS and BESS products exhibited a decreasing trend from the southeast region to the northwest inland. The largest GPP was found in the tropical humid region with 5.49 g C m−2 d−1 and 5.07 g C m−2 d−1 for MODIS and BESS, respectively, while the lowest GPP was distributed in the warm temperate arid region, midtemperate semiarid region and plateau zone. Meanwhile, the work confirmed that all these GPP products showed apparent seasonality with the peaks in the summertime. However, large differences were found in the interannual variations across the three GPP products over different climate regions. Generally, the BESS GPP agreed better than the MODIS GPP when compared to the seasonal and interannual variations of VPM GPP. Furthermore, the spatial correlation analysis between terrestrial GPP and the climatic factors, including temperature and precipitation, indicated that natural rainfall dominated the variability in GPP of Northern China, such as the midtemperate semiarid region, while temperature was a key controlling factor in the Southern China and the Tibet Plateau area.

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Different ammonia oxidizers are responsible for nitrification in two neutral paddy soils

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2019.104433 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 195 ◽

pp. 104433 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zhihui Wang ◽

Yanqiang Cao ◽

Alan L. Wright ◽

Xiuli Shi ◽

Xianjun Jiang

Keyword(s):

Paddy Soils ◽

Ammonia Oxidizers

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Variations of Abundance and Community Structure of Ammonia Oxidizers and Nitrification Activity in Two Paddy Soils Polluted by Heavy Metals

Geomicrobiology Journal ◽

10.1080/01490451.2018.1471108 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Yuan Liu ◽

Chen Xue ◽

Shirui Yu ◽

Feng Li

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Community Structure ◽

Paddy Soils ◽

Ammonia Oxidizers ◽

Nitrification Activity

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Copula-Based Abrupt Variations Detection in the Relationship of Seasonal Vegetation-Climate in the Jing River Basin, China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11131628 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (13) ◽

pp. 1628 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Jing Zhao ◽

Shengzhi Huang ◽

Qiang Huang ◽

Hao Wang ◽

Guoyong Leng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Human Activities ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Potential Evapotranspiration ◽

Change Points ◽

Vegetation Coverage ◽

The Relationship

Understanding the changing relationships between vegetation coverage and precipitation/temperature (P/T) and then exploring their potential drivers are highly necessary for ecosystem management under the backdrop of a changing environment. The Jing River Basin (JRB), a typical eco-environmentally vulnerable region of the Loess Plateau, was chosen to identify abrupt variations of the relationships between seasonal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and P/T through a copula-based method. By considering the climatic/large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and human activities, the potential causes of the non-stationarity of the relationship between NDVI and P/T were revealed. Results indicated that (1) the copula-based framework introduced in this study is more reasonable and reliable than the traditional double-mass curves method in detecting change points of vegetation and climate relationships; (2) generally, no significant change points were identified during 1982–2010 at the 95% confidence level, implying the overall stationary relationship still exists, while the relationships between spring NDVI and P/T, autumn NDVI and P have slightly changed; (3) teleconnection factors (including Arctic Oscillation (AO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Niño 3.4, and sunspots) have a more significant influence on the relationship between seasonal NDVI and P/T than local climatic factors (including potential evapotranspiration and soil moisture); (4) negative human activities (expansion of farmland and urban areas) and positive human activities (“Grain For Green” program) were also potential factors affecting the relationship between NDVI and P/T. This study provides a new and reliable insight into detecting the non-stationarity of the relationship between NDVI and P/T, which will be beneficial for further revealing the connection between the atmosphere and ecosystems.

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