Dam decommissioning projects, although numerous, rarely include complete sets of data before and after restoration for evaluating the ecological consequences of such projects. In this study, we used a before-after control-impact (BACI) design to assess changes in leaf litter decomposition and associated macroinvertebrate and fungal decomposers following dam decommissioning in […]
Perennially frozen soil in high latitude ecosystems (permafrost) currently stores 1330-1580 Pg of carbon (C). As these ecosystems warm, the thaw and decomposition of permafrost is expected to release large amounts of C to the atmosphere. Fortunately, losses from the permafrost C pool will be partially offset by increased plant […]
Invasive, non-native plant species can alter soil microbial communities in ways that contribute to their persistence. While most studies emphasize mycorrhizal fungi, invasive plants also may influence communities of dark septate fungi (DSF), common root endophytes that can function like mycorrhizas. We tested the hypothesis that a widespread invasive plant […]
Restoration of native fish to freshwater habitats often requires nonnative fish removal via chemicals such as antimycin A. Despite widespread use, there are limited field studies quantifying the effects of antimycin A on aquatic macroinvertebrates. We studied the immediate and short-term effects of antimycin A on macroinvertebrates during a fish […]
Permafrost soils currently store approximately 1672 Pg of carbon (C), but as high latitudes warm, this temperature-protected C reservoir will become vulnerable to higher rates of decomposition. In recent decades, air temperatures in the high latitudes have warmed more than any other region globally, particularly during the winter. Over the coming […]
Plant functional traits are important determinants of survival and fitness, and wood density (WD) is a key trait linked to mechanical stability, growth rates and drought- and shade-tolerance strategies. Thus, rigorous WD estimates are necessary to identify factors affecting tree performance. We obtained 1766 records of WD from the literature […]
Ecological restoration has grown rapidly and now encompasses not only classic ecological theory but also utilitarian concerns, such as preparedness for climate change and provisioning of ecosystem services. Three dominant perspectives compete to influence the science and practice of river restoration. A strong focus on channel morphology has led to […]
Leaf litter decomposition plays a major role in nutrient dynamics in forested streams. The chemical composition of litter affects its processing by microorganisms, which obtain nutrients from litter and from the water column. The balance of these fluxes is not well known, because they occur simultaneously and thus are difficult […]
Aim Recent meta-analyses have revealed that plant traits and their phylogenetic history influence decay rates of dead wood and leaf litter, but it remains unknown if decay rates of wood and litter covary over a wide range of tree species and across ecosystems. We evaluated the relationships between species-specific wood […]
One of the primary challenges of our time is to feed a growing and more demanding world population with reduced external inputs and minimal environmental impacts, all under more variable and extreme climate conditions in the future1, 2, 3, 4. Conservation agriculture represents a set of three crop management principles […]