BACKGROUND The belowground component of the trees is still poorly known because it needs labour- and time-intensive in situ measurements. However, belowground biomass (BGB) constitutes a significant share of the total forest biomass. I analysed the BGB allocation patterns, fitted models for estimating root components and root system biomasses, and called attention for its possible use in predic...

Plants can influence the soil they grow in, and via these changes in the soil they can positively or negatively influence other plants that grow later in this soil, a phenomenon called plant-soil feedback. A fascinating possibility is then to apply positive plant-soil feedback effects in sustainable agriculture to promote plant growth and resistance to pathogens. We grew the cut flower chrysant...

One of the main drivers of tropical forest loss is their conversion to oil palm, soy or cacao plantations with low biodiversity and greatly reduced carbon storage. Southeast Asian cacao plantations are often established under shade tree cover, but are later converted to non-shaded monocultures to avoid resource competition. We compared three co-occurring cacao cultivation systems (3 replicate s...

Rare earth elements (REEs) have become increasingly important metals used in modern technology. Processes including mining, oil refining, discarding of obsolete equipment containing REEs, and the use of REE-containing phosphate fertilizers may increase the likelihood of environmental contamination. However, there is a scarcity of information on the toxicity and accumulation of these metals to t...

In the moist tropical forest biome, which cycles carbon (C) rapidly and stores huge amounts of C, the impacts of individual species on C balances are not well known. In one of the earliest replicated experimental sites for investigating growth of native tropical trees, we examined traits of tree species in relation to their effects on forest C balances, mechanisms of influence, and consequences...

Abbreviations: C, carbon; N, nitrogen; BD, soil bulk d mass; BGB, belowground biomass; SL, semi-decomposit carbon pool;Np, soil nitrogenpool; SOC, soil organic carbo content; FG, fenced grassland with grazing exclusion; GG index; H, Shannon–Wiener diversity index; E, Evenness in ⁎ Corresponding author at: State Key Laboratory of Soil E the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservati Y...

Little is known about the effect of perennial biomass crops (PBCs) removal on soil C dynamics. The belowground (BGB) that composed by plant organs (PBO) such as rhizomes in herbaceous PBCs and stumps woody should be considered, together with fine roots (FR), a huge input exogenous organic matter (EOM) incorporated into at reversion. In this study, we mimic incorporation BGB through soil-residue...

Salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, performing important ecosystem functions, particularly nutrient recycling. In this study, a comparison is made between Mondego and Tagus estuaries in relation to the role of Spartina maritima in nitrogen retention capacity and cycling. Two mono-specific S. maritima stands per estuary were studied during 1yr (biomass, nitrogen (...

The purpose of this paper is to describe the effects of C02 and N treatments on soil pC02, calculated CO2 efflux, root biomass and soil carbon in open-top chambers planted with Pinus ponderosa seedlings. Based upon the literature, it was hypothesized that both elevated CO2 and N would cause increased root biomass which would in turn cause increases in both total soil CO2 efflux and microbial re...

Terrestrial ecosystems are intimately connected to atmospheric CO2 levels through photosynthetic fixation of CO2, sequestration of C into biomass and soils, and the subsequent release of CO2 through respiration and decomposition of organic matter. Considering all the pools and fluxes of C within ecosystems, C-cycling belowground is increasingly being recognized as one of the most significant co...