Non-linear CO2 flux response to seven years of experimentally induced permafrost thaw
Permafrost, the “always-frozen” deep soil layers of the Arctic, naturally undergoes freeze-thaw cycles with the passage of the brief Arctic...
Biochar boosts tropical but not temperate crop yields
Biochar illustration by Victor O. Leshyk Biochar, a fine-grained carbon residue of charred plant material, has recently been promoted as...
The economic value of grassland species for carbon storage
Ecoss research demonstrated that grasslands with more diverse plant species pull down and store more carbon per acre: in this...
The economic value of grassland species for carbon storage
In a groundbreaking study, Ecoss research produced a monetary value for biodiversity by demonstrating that having more diverse plant species...
Quantitative microbial ecology through stable isotope probing
Measuring the growth rates of individual bacteria taxa within a mixed sample gives a powerful view of the moving parts...
Linking soil bacterial biodiversity and soil carbon stability
Native soil carbon (C) can be lost in response to fresh C inputs, via the “priming effect,” a phenomenon observed...
Leaf litter quality affects aquatic insect emergence: Contrasting patterns from two foundation trees
The mass emergence of metamorphosed aquatic insect larvae as airborne adults provides an important seasonal pulse of prey biomass to...
A global synthesis reveals biodiversity loss as a major driver of ecosystem change
Pollution scenarios and anthropogenic warming are familiar examples of human-caused stress on the environment. But human-driven loss of biodiversity itself...
Increased greenhouse-gas intensity of rice production under future atmospheric conditions
Rising global temperatures and CO2 levels are increasing the amount of global-warming methane (the flaming red molecule depicted here) produced...
Increased soil emissions of potent greenhouse gases under increased atmospheric CO2
Researchers at Ecoss helped to uncover a potent offset to carbon “drawdown” by plants: with more CO2 available to fuel...
Biophysical considerations in forestry for climate protection
Albedo, the reflectance of sunlight from earth’s surface, is an important moderator of climate because it determines whether solar energy...
Carbon protection and fire risk reduction: toward a full accounting of forest carbon offsets
Management of forests for carbon uptake is an important tool in the effort to slow the increase in atmospheric CO2...
Carbon protection and fire risk reduction: toward a full accounting of forest carbon offsets
Longstanding land-management policies of complete wildfire suppression on wild lands were intended to prevent catastrophic wildfires through constant human monitoring...