Invasions by alien plants can alter biogeochemical cycles in recipient ecosystems. We test if Early Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) alters P fractions. To that end, we compare invaded plots and adjacent, uninvaded resident vegetation for specific fractions of organic and inorganic P, phosphomonoesterase (PME) activity in topsoil, and immobilization of P in aboveand belowground organs and in soil ...

Few studies describe root distributions at the species level in diverse forests, although belowground species interactions and traits are often assumed to affect fine-root biomass (FRB). We used molecular barcoding to study how FRB of trees relates to soil characteristics, species identity, root diversity, and root traits, and how these relationships are affected by proximity to ecotones in a t...

Young secondary forests and plantations in the moist tropics often have rapid rates of biomass accumulation and thus sequester large amounts of carbon. Here, we compare results from mature forest and nearby 15-20 year old tree plantations in lowland Costa Rica to evaluate differences in allocation of carbon to aboveground production and root systems. We found that the tree plantations, which ha...

This research examined biomass of blue oak (Quercus douglasii Hook. and Arn.) roots at the University of California Sierra Foothill Field and Range Research and Extension Center. Six blue oak root systems were excavated by trenching around the tree and removing the “root ball” with a backhoe. Before tree removal, soil from two 1-m3 trenches was sieved and roots were collected to estimate root b...

Soil CO2 flux was measured across 947 plots at 7 experimental grassland sites at the Cedar Creek Natural History Area in order to determine the relationships between soil CO2 flux and environmental factors, living plant biomass, and soil C and N. Soil CO2 flux increased as the day progressed, and was positively related to aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, and soil % C. However, most of ...

Joseph M. Craine*, Peter B. Reich, G. David Tilman, David Ellsworth, Joseph Fargione, Johannes Knops and Shahid Naeem Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA Scho...

Introduced mammalian herbivores can negatively affect ecosystem structure and function if they introduce a novel disturbance to an ecosystem. For example, belowground foraging herbivores that bioturbate the soil, may alter process rates and community composition in ecosystems that lack native belowground mammalian foragers. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) disturb the soil system and plant community via ...

Spatial and temporal characteristics of Zostera marina (eelgrass) in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary are compared before (2004-2011) and after (2012-2013) major fertilizer legislation (Fertilizer Law A2290) was enacted in New Jersey (USA) to reduce nutrient inputs from fertilizers to water bodies in the state. A significant decrease of Z. marina biomass and areal cover occurred in th...

The underground part of a tree is an important carbon sink in forest ecosystems. Understanding biomass allocation between the below- and aboveground parts (root:shoot ratios) is necessary for estimation of the underground biomass and carbon pool. Nevertheless, large-scale biomass allocation patterns and their control mechanisms are not well identified. In this study, a large database of global ...

Subtropical forests are important carbon sinks and have a huge potential for mitigating climate change. However, few studies have developed biomass models to give robust estimates of subtropical forest aboveground and belowground biomass. Although wood density (WD) can greatly reduce the uncertainty in aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates in tropical forest, it has never been applied in other ec...