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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Validity of managing peatlands with fire
- R. H. Marrs
- , E.-L. Marsland
- & R. C. Chiverrell
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Article |
Rapid expansion of northern peatlands and doubled estimate of carbon storage
Northern peatlands are estimated to store more than 1,000 Gt of carbon, almost doubling previous estimates, according to a reconstruction of historical peat carbon accumulation.
- Jonathan E. Nichols
- & Dorothy M. Peteet
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Article |
Widespread drying of European peatlands in recent centuries
Pervasive drying over the last few centuries has reduced carbon storage in European peatlands, the result of climate change and human impacts, according to a continent-wide compilation of hydrological records derived from testate amoeba.
- Graeme T. Swindles
- , Paul J. Morris
- & Barry Warner
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Article |
Reduced continental weathering and marine calcification linked to late Neogene decline in atmospheric CO2
A redistribution of marine calcifiers along with a reduction in weathering led to increased seafloor carbonate deposition during the late Neogene, according to a global compilation of carbonate mass accumulation rate records from sediment cores.
- Weimin Si
- & Yair Rosenthal
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Article |
Field-experiment constraints on the enhancement of the terrestrial carbon sink by CO2 fertilization
The northern temperate carbon sink is estimated to increase by 0.64 PgC each year for each increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations by 100 ppm, suggests an analysis of data from field experiments at 7 sites constraints.
- Yongwen Liu
- , Shilong Piao
- & Tao Wang
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Perspective |
Global-change controls on soil-carbon accumulation and loss in coastal vegetated ecosystems
Coastal vegetated ecosystems have experienced rapid changes in climate and environmental conditions. These changes have caused disturbances to the amount of carbon they store in soils by altering the decomposition process of organic carbon.
- Amanda C. Spivak
- , Jonathan Sanderman
- & Charles S. Hopkinson
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Matters Arising |
Complexities between plants and the atmosphere
- Bin Wang
- , Herman H. Shugart
- & Manuel T. Lerdau
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Article |
Important role of forest disturbances in the global biomass turnover and carbon sinks
Forest stand-replacing disturbances significantly affect the biomass stocks in about a half of forested area globally, according to analyses of global forest loss from satellite data, together with a dynamic vegetation model.
- Thomas A. M. Pugh
- , Almut Arneth
- & Benjamin Smith
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Article |
Persistence of dissolved organic matter explained by molecular changes during its passage through soil
Dissolved organic matter is persistent in soil owing to continuous consumption and transformation rather than owing to its recalcitrant molecular properties, according to analyses of molecular changes of dissolved organic matter as it passes through soil.
- Vanessa-Nina Roth
- , Markus Lange
- & Gerd Gleixner
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Article |
Amazon forest response to CO2 fertilization dependent on plant phosphorus acquisition
Phosphorus limitation can significantly reduce the response of the Amazon forest to CO2 fertilization, according to ecosystem-model ensemble simulations of a free-air CO2 enrichment experiment.
- Katrin Fleischer
- , Anja Rammig
- & David M. Lapola
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Article |
Important contribution of macroalgae to oceanic carbon sequestration
Macroalgae can be transported across the open ocean, and substantial amounts can reach the seafloor at 4,000 m depth, according to analyses of metagenome data from global expeditions. Macroalgae are a potentially important oceanic carbon sink globally.
- Alejandra Ortega
- , Nathan R. Geraldi
- & Carlos M. Duarte
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Article |
Global fire emissions buffered by the production of pyrogenic carbon
Pyrogenic carbon produced from vegetation fires could be a globally important carbon sink, which amounts to 12% of the carbon emitted from wildfires annually, according to a global fire emission database that incorporates the estimate of pyrogenic carbon.
- Matthew W. Jones
- , Cristina Santín
- & Stefan H. Doerr
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News & Views |
Emergence of the African savannah
African savannah grasslands initially proliferated in the late Miocene due to declining atmospheric CO2, rather than previously proposed regional climate drying. Supplanting previous woodland vegetation due to photosynthetic adaptations, these grasslands set the stage for subsequent mammalian evolutionary trends on the continent.
- Hayley Cawthra
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Article |
Synchronous rise of African C4 ecosystems 10 million years ago in the absence of aridification
Aridification did not cause the expansion of ecosystems using the C4 photosynthetic pathway in parts of Africa 10 million years ago, according to leaf-wax analyses in deep-sea drill cores, leaving declining atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as the most plausible cause.
- Pratigya J. Polissar
- , Cassaundra Rose
- & Peter deMenocal
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Article |
Carbon stocks in central African forests enhanced by elephant disturbance
Elephant disturbance favours the emergence of larger trees with higher wood density, and thereby increases the aboveground biomass in central African forests by up to 60 t ha–1, according to simulations with the Ecosystem Demography model.
- Fabio Berzaghi
- , Marcos Longo
- & Christopher E. Doughty
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Article |
Jurassic shift from abiotic to biotic control on marine ecological success
Controls on the ecological success of marine calcifiers changed from abiotic to biotic in the mid-Jurassic, according an environmental forcing model compared with skeletal taxa.
- Kilian Eichenseer
- , Uwe Balthasar
- & Wolfgang Kiessling
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Article |
California forest die-off linked to multi-year deep soil drying in 2012–2015 drought
Deep soil drying, caused by high evaporation, can explain California forest die-off in the droughts during 2012–2015, according to analyses of patterns of die-off and moisture deficit.
- M. L. Goulden
- & R. C. Bales
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Article |
Direct observation of permafrost degradation and rapid soil carbon loss in tundra
Permafrost loses carbon at a faster rate than previously thought as climate warms, according to direct soil carbon observations over five years in the field in Alaska’s tundra ecosystem.
- César Plaza
- , Elaine Pegoraro
- & Edward A. G. Schuur
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News & Views |
Deforestation releases old carbon
Deep soil carbon in tropical catchments can be rapidly mobilized to rivers upon land-use change to agriculture, suggest analyses of dissolved organic carbon. Such carbon stocks had been thought stable for millennia.
- Alf Ekblad
- & David Bastviken
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Article |
Human domination of the global water cycle absent from depictions and perceptions
Only about 15% of water cycle diagrams include human interaction with water, although human freshwater appropriation amounts to about half of global river discharge, according to an analysis of 464 water cycle diagrams and a synthesis of the global water cycle.
- Benjamin W. Abbott
- , Kevin Bishop
- & Gilles Pinay
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Article |
Continental-scale soil carbon composition and vulnerability modulated by regional environmental controls
Soil geochemistry can be more important than climate in controlling carbon storage, its composition as well as stability, but controls are distinct, scale-dependent and variable, according to an analysis of topsoil measurements across Australia.
- R. A. Viscarra Rossel
- , J. Lee
- & A. Richards
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News & Views |
Toarcian land vegetation loss
The Toarcian oceanic anoxic event disrupted terrestrial ecosystems as well as the marine realm, according to analyses of microfossils derived from land plants. Changes in diversity and composition were initially more rapid in terrestrial ecosystems.
- Luke Mander
- & Jennifer C. McElwain
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Article |
Substantial vegetation response to Early Jurassic global warming with impacts on oceanic anoxia
Global warming impacts during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event were initially more severe for terrestrial ecosystems than marine ecosystems, and included a loss of vegetation diversity, according to spore–pollen assemblage data from Pliensbachian–Toarcian rock samples.
- Sam M. Slater
- , Richard J. Twitchett
- & Vivi Vajda
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News & Views |
China’s nitrogen management
Nitrogen deposition in China has stabilized over the past decade, thanks to efficient regulation of fertilizer use, suggests an analysis of wet and dry deposition.
- Maria Kanakidou
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Article |
Stabilization of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in China over the past decade
Nitrogen deposition in China has been almost constant over the past decade, as decreasing wet deposition has balanced increasing dry deposition, according to analyses of extensive datasets on wet and dry nitrogen depositions in China.
- Guirui Yu
- , Yanlong Jia
- & Keith Goulding
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Article |
Distinct air–water gas exchange regimes in low- and high-energy streams
Bubble-mediated gas exchange in high-energy streams accelerates faster as energy dissipation intensifies than does turbulent-diffusion-driven gas exchange in low-energy streams, according to an analysis of new measurements and published data.
- Amber J. Ulseth
- , Robert O. Hall Jr
- & Tom J. Battin
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Article |
Drought impacts on terrestrial primary production underestimated by satellite monitoring
Soil moisture effects can substantially reduce photosynthesis and amplify the impacts of extreme events on primary production, potentially leading to biases in satellite-based estimates of photosynthesis, suggests an analysis of ground-based measurements.
- Benjamin D. Stocker
- , Jakob Zscheischler
- & Josep Peñuelas
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Article |
Increased landslide activity on forested hillslopes following two recent volcanic eruptions in Chile
A delayed increase of landslide activity occurred about two to six years after two volcanic eruptions in Chile in 2008 and 2011, according to remote-sensing data. The time lag is consistent with decaying tree roots in areas covered by tephra.
- Oliver Korup
- , Jan Seidemann
- & Christian H. Mohr
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Article |
Higher resilience to climatic disturbances in tropical vegetation exposed to more variable rainfall
Tropical forests and savannah are more resilient to climate disturbances when they have been exposed to higher rainfall variability in the long-term past, finds an analysis of Brazilian rainfall and tree-cover observations.
- Catrin Ciemer
- , Niklas Boers
- & Ricarda Winkelmann
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Article |
Negligible cycling of terrestrial carbon in many lakes of the arid circumpolar landscape
Many lakes in arid, organic-poor permafrost landscapes have a negligible role in mineralizing terrestrial carbon, according to metabolic analyses of lakes in the arid Yukon Flats Basin.
- Matthew J. Bogard
- , Catherine D. Kuhn
- & David E. Butman
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Editorial |
The complexities of wildfires
Wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems, but they can become destructive and less predictable, especially when the system is perturbed. Human activities and climate change lead to interactions with fire dynamics that need our attention.
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News & Views |
Burning questions about ecosystems
Cumulative wildfires or prescribed burning produce different outcomes for the vegetation, suggest two long-term analyses of fire-affected ecosystems. Climate change and land management practices are altering how ecosystems function.
- Mark A. Cochrane
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Article |
Long-term impacts of wildfire and logging on forest soils
Fires and logging alter soil composition and result in a significant reduction of soil nutrients that lasts for decades after the disturbance, suggests an analysis of soil samples across a multi-century sequence in mountain ash forests.
- Elle J. Bowd
- , Sam C. Banks
- & David B. Lindenmayer
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News & Views |
Where the tallest mangroves are
Mangrove canopy heights vary around the world in response to rain, storms and human activities, suggests a global analysis of mangrove canopy height. How tall the trees are matters for estimating global mangrove carbon storage.
- Daniel A. Friess
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Article |
Mangrove canopy height globally related to precipitation, temperature and cyclone frequency
Mangrove canopy height varies strongly around the globe in response to climatic factors, according to a global analysis of remote sensing and field data.
- Marc Simard
- , Lola Fatoyinbo
- & Tom Van der Stocken
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Review Article |
Anthropogenic stresses on the world’s big rivers
Stressors such as large-scale damming, hydrological change, pollution, the introduction of non-native species and sediment mining are challenging the integrity and future of large rivers, according to a synthesis of the literature on the 32 biggest rivers.
- Jim Best
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Article |
Experimental evidence for sustained carbon sequestration in fire-managed, peat moorlands
Prescribed burning has far less impacts on peat growth and carbon sequestration than previously thought, according to a long-term experiment in fire-managed peat moorlands in England. Managed burning may be a viable strategy to make peatlands more resilient to devastating wildfire.
- R. H. Marrs
- , E.-L. Marsland
- & R. C. Chiverrell
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Article |
Microbial formation of stable soil carbon is more efficient from belowground than aboveground input
Belowground carbon inputs form stable soil carbon more efficiently through microbial formation than carbon addition aboveground, according to soil microcosm experiments that quantitatively compare soil carbon formation efficiencies from different mechanistic pathways.
- Noah W. Sokol
- & Mark A. Bradford
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Article |
Anthropogenic modification of vegetated landscapes in southern China from 6,000 years ago
Human land use changed the evolution of vegetation in southern China 6,000 years ago, according to analyses of a high-resolution marine pollen record.
- Zhongjing Cheng
- , Chengyu Weng
- & Mahyar Mohtadi
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Article |
Global patterns in wood carbon concentration across the world’s trees and forests
Large variability of wood carbon fractions in different trees can lead to an error of up to 8.9% in carbon estimates for forests, according to an analysis of wood carbon data across global forested biomes.
- Adam R. Martin
- , Mahendra Doraisami
- & Sean C. Thomas
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Article |
Low buffering capacity and slow recovery of anthropogenic phosphorus pollution in watersheds
Watersheds have a low buffering capacity for phosphorus inputs, and their recovery from phosphorus pollution can take over 2,000 years, according to an analysis of phosphorus data from a large North American river.
- J. -O. Goyette
- , E. M. Bennett
- & R. Maranger
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Review Article |
Geological and climatic influences on mountain biodiversity
Species richness in mountain environments is linked to mountain-building and climatic processes, an integration of geological, climatic, and biological datasets reveals.
- Alexandre Antonelli
- , W. Daniel Kissling
- & Carina Hoorn
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Review Article |
The biomass and biodiversity of the continental subsurface
The abundance of microorganisms in the continental subsurface may have been overestimated, according to a review compilation of data from subsurface localities around the globe.
- C. Magnabosco
- , L.-H. Lin
- & T. C. Onstott
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News & Views |
Trading water for carbon
Droughts lead to enhanced water-use efficiency and reduced carbon uptake by plants. Global analyses of atmospheric CO2 monitoring data suggest that the scale of the trade-off between water and carbon extends to a biome level.
- Christopher J. Still
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Article |
Increased water-use efficiency and reduced CO2 uptake by plants during droughts at a continental scale
Droughts can lead to large-scale decline in net CO2 uptake and increased water-use efficiency by plants, according to global analyses of atmospheric carbon isotope data from 2001 to 2011. This suggests that current climate models may underestimate carbon–drought feedbacks.
- Wouter Peters
- , Ivar R. van der Velde
- & James W. C. White
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News & Views |
Intercepted by lichens
Rainfall interception by vegetation is an underappreciated part of the terrestrial hydrological cycle. Numerical modelling shows that non-vascular plants, such as lichens, substantially increase the interception capacity of the land surface.
- Hubert H. G. Savenije
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Article |
Microbial life and biogeochemical cycling on land 3,220 million years ago
Microbial life colonized the land surface by 3.2 billion years ago, forming complex communities distinct from those in nearby marine environments, according to analyses of fossilized microbial mats in the Moodies Group, South Africa.
- Martin Homann
- , Pierre Sansjofre
- & Stefan V. Lalonde
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Article |
Significant contribution of non-vascular vegetation to global rainfall interception
Non-vascular vegetation, such as mosses and lichens, can intercept and evaporate substantial amounts of precipitation at a global scale, suggest numerical simulations and comparisons to field observations.
- Philipp Porada
- , John T. Van Stan II
- & Axel Kleidon
Mid-latitude freshwater availability reduced by projected vegetation responses to climate change
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