How will forecasted warming and drought affect soil respiration in savannah ecosystems? The role of tree canopy and grazing legacy

Matías, Luis; Hidalgo-Galvez, Maria Dolores; Cambrollé, Jesús; Domínguez, María Teresa; Pérez-Ramos, Ignacio Manuel

doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108425

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…S1). In contrast, other studies carried out in the same field experiment but focused on other ecosystem processes, such as pasture digestibility (Hidalgo-Galvez et al 2022) or soil respiration (Matías et al 2021), did find that tree canopy attenuated the impact of climate change on these variables via changes in species composition (grasses dominance) and plant functional structure (favoring species with high competitive abilities for light uptake) and an improvement of microclimatic and edaphic conditions (lower temperature and higher soil fertility, among others). This fact could possibly be a consequence of the greater sensitivity to environmental changes exhibited by these variables, which are highly dependent on the activity of the microbial communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of climate change on pasture quality in Mediterranean dehesas subjected to different grazing histories

et al. 2023

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Background and aims Forecasted climate change and overgrazing are threatening the sustainability of dehesas, human-managed ecosystems where pastures, livestock and scattered trees coexist. Pasture quality is particularly sensitive to these global-change drivers, but there are still many gaps to broaden knowledge about the interactive effects of both factors on it. In addition, scattered trees might play a relevant role in maintaining high levels of pasture quality under future scenarios of higher aridity, but its role remains largely unexplored. Methods We designed a field manipulative experiment of rainfall exclusion and increased temperature aimed to evaluate the impact of forecasted climate on pasture quality under different historical grazing intensities. To test the potential buffering effect of trees, experimental plots were installed equally in two habitat types: under trees and open grassland. Results Warming reduced the nutrient concentration of pasture, while drought increased it. Tree canopy improved soil fertility, which translated into an increase in pasture quality. Livestock exclusion and high grazing intensity caused a decrease in pasture quality, whereas moderate grazing intensity exerted positive effects on it. Finally, warming beneath tree canopy negatively affected the P concentration of pasture, specifically in the site subjected to moderate grazing intensity. Conclusion Our findings suggest that communities subjected to moderate grazing are more sensitive to climate change from a nutritional standpoint, likely because this management type provides high levels of P to the soil. In addition, we highlight the essential role of trees in agroforestry ecosystems to maintain high values of nutritional quality of pasture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of climate change on pasture quality in Mediterranean dehesas subjected to different grazing histories

et al. 2023

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“…Studies have shown that the NPP may have two-fold the effect on the NEP as the RH in northwest China [15], which is consistent with the results of this study. However, the total contribution rate of precipitation and temperature to the NEP was <100%, which indicates that radiation, human activities, and other climatic factors may have also caused recent interannual variations in the NEP in Central Asia [33][34][35][36][37].…”

Section: Data Uncertainty Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil respiration is one of the most important carbon fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems and is key to predicting ecosystem functions [36,42]. Studies have found that dryland soil has an important carbon sink function, but global warming has led to the loss of soil organic carbon in many areas [43].…”

Section: Future Trends In Nep In Central Asiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change Decreased Net Ecosystem Productivity in the Arid Region of Central Asia

Zhang

Hao

et al. 2021

Remote Sensing

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Numerous studies have confirmed that climate change leads to a decrease in the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) of terrestrial ecosystems and alters regional carbon source/sink patterns. However, the response mechanism of NEP to climate change in the arid regions of Central Asia remains unclear. Therefore, this study combined the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford approach (CASA) and empirical models to estimate the NEP in Central Asia and quantitatively evaluate the sensitivity of the NEP to climate factors. The results show that although the net primary productivity (NPP) in Central Asia exhibits an increasing trend, it is not significant. Soil heterotrophic respiration (RH) has increased significantly, while the NEP has decreased at a rate of 6.1 g C·m−2·10 a−1. Spatially, the regional distribution of the significant increase in RH is consistent with that of the significant decrease in the NEP, which is concentrated in western and southern Central Asia. Specifically, the NPP is more sensitive to precipitation than temperature, whereas RH and NEP are more sensitive to temperature than precipitation. The annual contribution rates of temperature and precipitation to the NEP are 28.79% and 23.23%, respectively. Additionally, drought has an important impact on the carbon source/sink in Central Asia. Drought intensified from 2001 to 2008, leading to a significant expansion of the carbon source area in Central Asia. Therefore, since the start of the 21st century, climate change has damaged the NEP of the Central Asian ecosystem. Varying degrees of warming under different climate scenarios will further aggravate the expansion of carbon source areas in Central Asia. An improved understanding of climate change impacts in Central Asia is critically required for sustainable development of the regional economy and protection of its natural environment. Our results provide a scientific reference for the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and global emissions reduction.

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“…The vegetation is dominated by sclerophyllous evergreen oak (Quercus ilex L.) with a tree density of 14.5 ± 1.3 trees ha −1 and an herbaceous understory of annual native pasture dominated by Hordeum murinum (L.), Senecio vulgaris (L.), Bromus madritensis (L.) and Sinapis alba (L.) (Matías et al, 2021).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in soil organic matter molecular structure after five-years mimicking climate change scenarios in a Mediterranean savannah

Emeterio

Morillo

Pérez-Ramos

et al. 2023

Science of The Total Environment

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How will forecasted warming and drought affect soil respiration in savannah ecosystems? The role of tree canopy and grazing legacy

Cited by 13 publications

References 65 publications

Impact of climate change on pasture quality in Mediterranean dehesas subjected to different grazing histories

Impact of climate change on pasture quality in Mediterranean dehesas subjected to different grazing histories

Climate Change Decreased Net Ecosystem Productivity in the Arid Region of Central Asia

Changes in soil organic matter molecular structure after five-years mimicking climate change scenarios in a Mediterranean savannah

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