Natural grasses in semiarid rangelands constitute an effective protection against soil erosion and degradation, are a source of natural food for livestock and play a critical role in the hydrologic cycle by contributing to the uptake and transpiration of water. However, natural pastures are threatened by land abandonment and the consequent encroachment of shrubs and trees as well as by changing...

A model for the bidirectional reflectance over soils is from grasslands to shrublands will affect the biogeochemical cycles and the interactions between the land surface coupled with a vegetation reflectance model to predict the bidirectional reflectance of semiarid landscape. The vegetaand the atmosphere over those regions. Satellite remote sensing provides the only technically consistent and ...

Effects of simulated nitrogen (N) deposition on soil net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) were examined in situ during two growing seasons, using the resin-core technique in the semiarid meadow steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. The aim of this study is to clarify the effect of N levels (0, 10, and 20 kg N ha-1yr-1) and forms (NH4+ and NO3-) on soil mineral N and NNM. Our results showed that N level...

Assessment of the content and sources of heavy metals in soils is required to identify agricultural areas affected by contamination on a regional level, according to the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. The total content of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn of 29 agricultural soils used to grow vegetable crops such as artichoke, broccoli, and potato, in the Segura River Valle...

Data collected at two measurement scales from a semiarid grassland are presented and analyzed to explore the hydrologic effects of grazing, interactions between overland flow and infiltration, and scale issues. Rainfall-runoff simulations were used to quantify the areal ~3 by 10 m plot scale! response, and small-diameter ~9 cm! disk infiltrometers were used to estimate point-scale hydraulic con...

This study was conducted to determine soil properties that correlate with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) spore numbers in semiarid calcareous soils of Hamadan province in northwestern of Iran. Soil samples from six sites managed differently were collected from a 0 to 30 cm depth. The results showed that land use and management systems had a significant effect on AMF spore number in soi...

Drought and shortages of soil water are becoming extremely severe due to global climate change. A better understanding of the relationship between vegetation type and soil-moisture conditions is crucial for conserving soil water in forests and for maintaining a favorable hydrological balance in semiarid areas, such as the Saihanwula National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, China. We investiga...

bioretention, its applicability to a hot and semiarid region has rarely been evaluated. Existing manuals are developed primarily by studies from temperate-climate regions and focus on residential–commercial uses (3–5). Therefore, bioretention research that addresses hotclimate areas and large-scale highway conditions is needed. To apply bioretention on highway roadsides, design specifications s...

Soil amino acids are often an important source of nitrogen (N) for plants, and anticipated global changes, including climate warming and rising atmospheric CO2 levels, have the potential to alter plant and microbial production and consumption of this N source in soils. We determined soil amino acid composition over a 1-year period at diurnal and seasonal time scales in a multi-factor global cha...

Cadmium has a toxic effect on soil microbial activity which plays an important role in nutrient cycling and, therefore, in maintaining soil fertility. In addition, the mobility of this heavy metal in soil is affected by the addition of urban wastes such as sewage sludge. This study was conducted to determine the effect of sewage sludge amendment of a semiarid soil, previously polluted with Cd, ...