Trophic cascades--the indirect effects of carnivores on plants mediated by herbivores--are common across ecosystems, but their influence on biogeochemical cycles, particularly the terrestrial carbon cycle, are largely unexplored. Here, using a (13)C pulse-chase experiment, we demonstrate how trophic structure influences ecosystem carbon dynamics in a meadow system. By manipulating the presence ...

In order to understand plant functioning, plant community composition, and terrestrial biogeochemistry, it is decisive to study standing root biomass, (fine) root dynamics, and interactions belowground. While most plant taxa can be identified by visual criteria aboveground, roots show less distinctive features. Furthermore, root systems of neighboring plants are rarely spatially segregated; thu...

Herbivores can often control plant dynamics by mediating positive feedbacks in plant species’ influence on nutrient cycling. In a 7-yr field experiment in a nitrogenlimited Minnesota oak savanna, we tested whether herbivores accelerated or decelerated nitrogen (N) cycling through their effects on plants. We measured effects of excluding insect (primarily Orthoptera and Homoptera) and mammalian ...

The spatial distribution of shallow landslides in steep forested mountains is strongly controlled by aboveground and belowground biomass, including the distribution of root cohesion. While remote sensing of aboveground canopy properties is relatively advanced, estimating the spatial distribution of root cohesion at the forest landscape scale remains challenging. We utilize canopy height informa...

Plants are challenged by both above- and belowground herbivores which may indirectly interact with each other via herbivore-induced changes in plant traits; however, little is known about how genetic variation of the host plant shapes such interactions. We used two genotypes (M4 and E9) of Solanum dulcamara (Solanaceae) with or without previous experience of aboveground herbivory by Spodoptera ...

BACKGROUND National and regional aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates are generally computed based on standing stem volume estimates from forest inventories and default biomass expansion factors (BEFs). AGB estimates are converted to estimates of belowground biomass (BGB) using default root-to-shoot ratios (R/S). Thus, BEFs and R/S are not estimated in ordinary forest inventories, which results ...

Excess nutrient loading and large-scale invasion by nonnatives are two of the most pervasive and damaging threats to the biotic and economic integrity of our estuaries. Individually, these are potent forces, but it is important to consider their interactive impacts as well. In this study we investigated the potential limitation of a nonnative intertidal grass, Spartina alterniflora, by nitrogen...

BACKGROUND Grazing is one of the main grassland disturbances in China, and it is essential to quantitatively evaluate the effects of different grazing intensities on grassland production for grassland carbon budget and sustainable use. METHODS A meta-analysis was conducted to reveal general response patterns of grassland production to grazing in China. We used weighted log response ratio to a...

Tree biomass is typically estimated using statistical models. This review highlights five limitations of most tree biomass models, which include the following: (1) biomass data are costly to collect and alternative sampling methods are used; (2) belowground data and models are generally lacking; (3) models are often developed from small and geographically limited data sets; (4) simplistic model...