Improving management practices in grasslands used especially for animal grazing can enhance the capacity of soils as carbon sinks, and help countries reach their climate goals, according to this new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Soils contribute to the achievement of the UN …
The whole life depends on soil, which is an important habitat for thousand millions of organisms. Soil biodiversity is extremely diverse in shapes, colours, sizes and functions. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) publishes the first-ever Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas which maps the soil biodiversity of the …
Human impacts on fire regimes accumulated slowly with the evolution of modern humans able to ignite fires and manipulate landscapes. Today, myriad voices aim to influence fire in grassy ecosystems to different ends, and this is complicated by a colonial past focused on suppressing fire and preventing human ignitions. Here, …
Despite advances in plant functional ecology that provide a framework for predicting the responses of vegetation to environmental change, links between plant functional strategies and elevated temperatures are poorly understood. Here, we analyse the response of a species-rich grassland in northern England to two decades of temperature and rainfall manipulations …
In early spring the Baltic region is frequently affected by high-pollution events due to biomass burning in that area. Here we present a comprehensive study to investigate the impact of biomass/grass burning (BB) on the evolution and composition of aerosol in Preila, Lithuania, during springtime open fires. Non-refractory submicron particulate …
The report examined multiple climate change effects on cattle production for U.S. rangelands to estimate relative change and identify sources of vulnerability among seven regions. Climate change effects to 2100 were projected from published models for four elements: forage quantity, vegetation type trajectory, heat stress, and forage variability. Departure of …
In this study, the effects of cattle grazing intensity on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were examined in the Hulunber meadow steppe of north-eastern China. Six stocking-rate treatments (0, 0.23, 0.34, 0.46, 0.69, and 0.92 AU ha−1) with three replicates were established, and observations were conducted from 2010 to 2014. …
The 170 National Forests and Grasslands (NFs) in the conterminous United States are public lands that provide important ecosystem services such as clean water and timber supply to the American people. This study investigates the potential impacts of climate change on two key ecosystem functions (i.e., water yield and ecosystem …
The Palghat gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats that is located between Nilgiri Hills to the north and Annamalai Hills to the south. As a result of geological processes, the widest gap in the mountainous region was formed years ago and has affected the distribution of …
Fire is a common perturbation in the grassland ecosystems throughout the world. Effect of fire on carbon stock, rate of C-accumulation and soil CO2 flux have been studied in Imperata cylindrica–Sporobolus indicus-dominated grassland community of Manipur, Northeast India. Original Source
Wildlife conservation in human-dominated landscapes requires that we understand how animals, when making habitat-use decisions, obtain diverse and dynamically occurring resources while avoiding risks, induced by both natural predators and anthropogenic threats. Little is known about the underlying processes that enable wild animals to persist in densely populated human-dominated landscapes, …
Grassland productivity is regulated by both temperature and the amount and timing of precipitation. Future climate change is therefore expected to influence grassland phenology and growth, with consequences for ecosystems and economies. However, the interacting effects of major shifts in temperature and precipitation on grasslands remain poorly understood and existing …
Europe's ecosystems face increasing pressure to stay healthy amid rising pollution, exploitation, urban sprawl, and the effects of climate change, according to the findings of a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published on Monday. The EEA report looks at eight broad ecosystem types in Europe and assesses the pressures and …
Europe’s ecosystems face increasing pressure to stay healthy amid rising pollution, overexploitation, urban sprawl and the effects of climate change. These are the findings of a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published which takes stock of the condition of Europe’s ecosystems. The EEA report ‘Mapping and assessing the condition of …
The identification of properties that contribute to the persistence and resilience of ecosystems despite climate change constitutes a research priority of global relevance. Here the researchers present a novel, empirical approach to assess the relative sensitivity of ecosystems to climate variability, one property of resilience that builds on theoretical modelling …
Scientists can now make better predictions on the impact of future climate change with the help of maps covering the world's natural landscapes, according to a study. The design of forests, grasslands and other types of productive ecosystems can enable scientists to determine how atmospheric carbon is reused and recycled …
A new U.S. Forest Service report, edited in partnership with Duke University, projects that drought will have far-reaching impacts on U.S. forests and grasslands in coming decades. While the effects have been most pronounced in the West, this new assessment finds virtually all U.S. forests and grasslands are now experiencing …
Assessing the impacts of land use and land cover change (LUCC) on regional climate is essential for understanding land–atmosphere interactions and for designing climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Using the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model, we examined how different land use and land cover patterns affect regional climate in …
The negative effect of increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) pollution on grassland biodiversity is now incontrovertible. However, the recent introduction of cleaner technologies in the UK has led to reductions in the emissions of nitrogen oxides, with concomitant decreases in N deposition. The degree to which grassland biodiversity can be expected …
The negative effect of increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) pollution on grassland biodiversity is now incontrovertible. However, the recent introduction of cleaner technologies in the UK has led to reductions in the emissions of nitrogen oxides, with concomitant decreases in N deposition. The degree to which grassland biodiversity can be expected …
