Soil microbial diversity is huge and a few grams of soil contain more bacterial taxa than there are bird species on Earth. This high diversity often makes predicting the responses of soil bacteria to environmental change intractable and restricts our capacity to predict the responses of soil functions to global […]
Ratios of nitrogen (N) isotopes in leaves could elucidate underlying patterns of N cycling across ecological gradients. To better understand global-scale patterns of N cycling, we compiled data on foliar N isotope ratios (δ15N), foliar N concentrations, mycorrhizal type and climate for over 11 000 plants worldwide. Arbuscular mycorrhizal, ectomycorrhizal, and […]
Permafrost thaw and its impacts on ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics are critical for predicting global climate change. It remains unclear whether annual and seasonal warming (winter or summer) affect permafrost thaw and ecosystem C balance differently. It is also required to compare the short-term stepwise warming and long-term gradual warming […]
Most studies on the effects of elevated CO2 have focused on the effects on plant growth and ecosystem processes. Fewer studies have examined the effects of elevated CO2 on herbivory, and of these, most have examined feeding rates in laboratory conditions. Our study takes advantage of an open-top CO2 fertilization […]
Leaf conductance often decreases in response to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca) potentially leading to changes in hydrology. We describe the hydrological responses of Florida scrub oak to elevated Ca during an eight-month period two years after Ca manipulation began. Whole-chamber gas exchange measurements revealed a consistent reduction in evapotranspiration […]
Increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are likely to affect the trophic relationships that exist between plants, their herbivores and the herbivores’ natural enemies. This study takes advantage of an open-top CO2 fertilization experiment in a Florida scrub oak community at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, consisting of eight chambers […]
Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (Ca) usually reduces stomatal conductance, but the effects on plant transpiration in the field are not well understood. Using constant-power sap flow gauges, we measured transpiration from Quercus myrtifolia Willd., the dominant species of the Florida scrub-oak ecosystem, which had been exposed in situ to elevated […]
How soil microbial communities contrast with respect to taxonomic and functional composition within and between ecosystems remains an unresolved question that is central to predicting how global anthropogenic change will affect soil functioning and services. In particular, it remains unclear how small-scale observations of soil communities based on the typical volume sampled (1-2 grams) are generalizable to ecosystem- scale responses and processes. This is especially relevant for remote, northern latitude […]
Elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) caused greater accumulation of carbon (C) and nutrients in both vegetation and O horizons over a 5-yr sampling period in a scrub oak ecosystem in Florida. Elevated CO2 had no effect on any measured soil property except extractable phosphorus (P), which was lower with elevated CO2 […]
The effects of CO2 elevation on the dynamics of fine root (FR) mass and ectomycorrhizal (EM) mass and colonization were studied in situ in a Florida scrub oak system over four years of postfire regeneration. Soil cores were taken at five dates and sorted to assess the standing crop of […]