Background Forests can sequester carbon dioxide, thereby reducing atmospheric concentrations and slowing global warming. In the U.S., forest carbon stocks have increased as a result of regrowth following land abandonment and in-growth due to fire suppression, and they currently sequester approximately 10% of annual US emissions. This ecosystem service is […]
Global temperature increases and precipitation changes are both expected to alter ecosystem carbon (C) cycling. We tested responses of ecosystem C cycling to simulated climate change using field manipulations of temperature and precipitation across a range of grass-dominated ecosystems along an elevation gradient in northern Arizona. In 2002, we transplanted […]
Carbon uptake by forests is a major sink in the global carbon cycle, helping buffer the rising concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, yet the potential for future carbon uptake by forests is uncertain. Climate warming and drought can reduce forest carbon uptake by reducing photosynthesis, increasing respiration, and by […]
Increased atmospheric CO2 and rising temperatures are expected to affect rice yields and greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from rice paddies1, 2, 3, 4. This is important, because rice cultivation is one of the largest human-induced sources of the potent GHG methane5 (CH4) and rice is the world’s second-most produced staple crop6. […]
At 6 A.M. on the first day of winter break, a van full of high school stu- dents and teachers set out for Fossil Creek in Arizona to conduct measurements for an ongoing environmental project (which monitors changes to the creek). The group had a long day ahead—hiking about 7 […]
We present a significant relationship between the natural abundance isotopic composition of ecosystem pools and the abundance of a microbial gene. Natural abundance 15N of soils and soil DNA were analysed and compared with archaeal ammonia oxidizer abundance along an elevation gradient in northern Arizona and along a substrate age […]
Soil organic carbon (SOC) mass and its constituents, chemistry, and isotopic signatures (Δ14C, δ13C) were examined for two different loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) research installations located in north-central Florida. Both studies were designed as split-plots with the whole plots as different levels of fertilization and herbicide application (cultural intensity), […]
Soils are important sources and sinks of three greenhouse gases (GHGs): carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). However, it is unknown whether semiarid landscapes are important contributors to global fluxes of these gases, partly because our mechanistic understanding of soil GHG fluxes is largely derived from more […]
Many northern forests are limited by nitrogen (N) availability, slight changes in which can have profound effects on ecosystem function and the activity of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi. Increasing N and phosphorus (P) availability, an analog to accelerated soil organic matter decomposition in a warming climate, could decrease plant dependency on […]
The causes of the Pleistocene extinctions of large numbers of megafaunal species in the Northern Hemisphere remain unclear. A range of evidence points to human hunting, climate change, or a combination of both. Using ancient DNA and detailed paleoclimate data, Cooper et al . report a close relationship between Pleistocene megafau-nal extinction events and rapid warming events at the start of interstadial periods. […]