Journal of Arid Environments最新文献

{"title":"Oil lamps and hearths: A comparative study of the techniques used to illuminate domestic space at Arad and its enclaves in southern Sinai","authors":"Benjamin Adam Saidel","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105199","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Various techniques were used to illuminate domestic structures at EBII Arad (3000-2880 BCE) and its enclaves and outposts in southern Sinai. The dwellings were constructed in a manner that required some form of illumination on overcast days and at night. The residents had three options for lighting the interior of their dwellings: first, sunlight streaming through an open door was the most efficient means of illumination as it did not require the expenditure of fuel; second, the flint “stoves” that were used for cooking provided a certain amount of light; third, lamp-bowls fueled with olive oil were used to illuminate many broadroom dwellings at Arad, but not those in southern Sinai. Lamp-bowls were not used in the latter region because the fuel had to be imported and the amount of light cast by these devices was equivalent to a candle. In this context, hearths were a more appropriate form of illumination as there was a ready supply of firewood in southern Sinai. Lastly, burning olive oil in intact vessels to provide artificial illumination was an act of conspicuous consumption practiced by elites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 105199"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141323137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term monitoring of the columnar cactus Cipocereus minensis reveals unforeseeable reproductive phenology","authors":"Carlos Victor Mendonça Filho ,&nbsp;Julya Pires Souza ,&nbsp;Liliane Lima Lopes ,&nbsp;Yasmine Antonini","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Phenological studies with species of cactus have grown in recent decades but the number of species studied remains very low, considering the high species richness of this group. In addition, temporal patterns of flowering and fruiting are important to understanding the processes that govern these crucial events of plant demography and ecology. Based on a five-year study of the reproductive phenology of <em>C. minensis</em> we asked if there is seasonality of flowering and fruiting. Secondly, we tested which climatic variables trigger <em>C. minensis</em> reproductive events in the Espinhaço region. We found that not all individuals produced flowers and fruits each year and a few individuals contributed with most flowers. Flower and immature fruit production is higher during the dry months, with fruits maturing during the rainy season or just before. In general, phenological events were seasonal, except for mature fruit production in 2010 and flower production in 2011. Some phenological traits such as flower timing, frequency, duration, and timing of immature fruit production had not been reported for the genus <em>Cipocereus</em> and were detected only because of the long-term phenological observations. Phenological heterogeneity in cactus might be a response to annual climatic fluctuations, mainly rainfall.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 105202"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141313950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal coupling of plant and microbial nitrogen uptake and plant nitrogen reallocation improve grassland nitrogen retention under nitrogen addition","authors":"Jirui Gong ,&nbsp;Biao Wang ,&nbsp;Zihe Zhang ,&nbsp;Liangyuan Song ,&nbsp;Siqi Zhang ,&nbsp;Weiyuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Jiaojiao Dong ,&nbsp;Xuede Dong ,&nbsp;Yingying Liu ,&nbsp;Yuchun Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105195","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Efficient nitrogen (N) acquisition by plants and microbes and internal reallocation of plant N are crucial for improving ecosystem N retention. However, little is known about shifts in N use strategy between plants and microbes under N addition. We used a¹⁵N tracer to investigate effect of N addition (0–25 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹) on the N use and retention of plant–microbe–soil system in a temperate Chinese steppe. Adding 2–5 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹ increased the ecosystem's ability to retain ¹⁵N (65–76%) after 1 year. Plant N demand during the peak growth period depended strongly on rapid N immobilization by microbes during 7 days (immobilized 45% of ¹⁵N within 24 h). When root biomass exceeded 0.36 kg m⁻², plants competed more strongly for N than the microbes. N addition increased N reallocation from roots to support new shoot growth (79–88% of N), because increased shoot N demand triggered root N transfer when external N was supplied. Thus, the temporal coupling between plant and microbial N use and in N reallocation within plants significantly altered the semi-arid grassland N cycle, and better predicting impacts of future N deposition scenarios.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 105195"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141292042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial and temporal composition of herbaceous vegetation in Geoffroea decorticans (Gill. Ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart. thickets","authors":"R. Rauber ,&nbsp;D. Arroyo ,&nbsp;M.A. Cendoya","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the Central Semiarid Region of Argentina, the native woody species <em>Geoffroea decorticans</em> has increased in range and density, probably due to overgrazing. The aim of this work was to evaluate the floristic and functional composition of the herbaceous vegetation along time in grazed sites, within thickets of <em>G. decorticans</em>, and compared to grasslands. We registered the cover of each herbaceous species in different locations within thickets and in the natural grassland, at each season for two years, from autumn 2021 to summer 2023. Indicator species of grasslands were found to be mostly palatable native perennials, resulting more homogeneous than those of thickets. Moreover, the mean cover of palatable species was higher in grasslands than in thickets. Consequently, grasslands confer stability and food resource for livestock. Woody thickets would exhibit a decreased stratification from the center to the edge, that would give rise to niche opportunities and biodiversity reservoirs. Temporal variability in floristic composition indicated differences between grasslands and thickets over time, which decreased in spring, probably by homogenization by grazing in winter. The temporal variability of functional composition showed a cyclical variability in all locations that decreased in spring in all cases.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 105196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141286050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reproductive phenology of the non-woody community in a seasonally dry tropical forest and woodland in northeastern Brazil","authors":"Sâmia Paula Santos Neves ,&nbsp;Adelly Cardoso de Araujo Fagundes ,&nbsp;Alexsandro Bezerra-Silva ,&nbsp;Paulo Sérgio Neves dos Santos ,&nbsp;David Rodrigo Rossatto ,&nbsp;Lia d’Afonsêca Pedreira de Miranda ,&nbsp;Ligia Silveira Funch","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105193","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Seasonally dry tropical forests and woodlands (SDTFW) represent one of the world's most endangered biomes. Approximately 56.3% of its species are non-woody, but little is known about their functional adaptations. The reproductive phenologies of 75 SDTFW species (supplementary material A 1) were studied according to their life forms and seed dispersal syndromes in northeastern Brazil. We used circular statistics and the GLM to assess their seasonalities and relationships of their phenologies with environmental variables. The community exhibited continuous pattern of flowering and fruiting. Flowering and fruiting by most species occurred during only a short period of time and were found to be related to rainfall and photoperiod. Moderate peaks in the seasonal activities of therophytes, hemicryptophytes, and camephytes were observed during the rainy season; succulents and epiphytes flowered all year around but fruited only seasonally. Dispersal modes exhibited seasonality of fruiting in the rainy season, with autochory being predominant over zoochory and anemochory. The observed overlapping of fruiting and flowering periods ensures a consistent resource supply throughout the year and contributes to the preservation of vital ecosystem services. These data highlight the importance of conserving these unique semiarid environments and also provide insights for conservation efforts aimed at preserving SDTFW and safeguarding their biodiversity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 105193"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141250992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought and defoliation affect soil extracellular enzyme activity in northern temperate grasslands","authors":"A.M. Rajper ,&nbsp;B.P. Willing ,&nbsp;J.F. Cahill ,&nbsp;E.W. Bork ,&nbsp;S.X. Chang ,&nbsp;C.N. Carlyle","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105197","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Drought has the most significant impact on arid grassland ecosystems. Managed grazing, including the timing and intensity of defoliation, may interact with drought to differentially affect processes related to soil organic matter decomposition. Extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) provides integrated measure of soil microbial activity which affects nutrient cycling. This study examined EEAs in response to five defoliation regimes and drought at seven grasslands across temperate grasslands of Canada. All sites were dominated by perennial grasses and forbs, but differed in plant species, climate, and soils. Soil samples were analyzed for five EEAs involved in carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling. Drought reduced activity of enzymes involved in C cycling, β-glucosidase and β-cellobiosidase by 16 and 17%, respectively, P cycling (acid phosphatase) by 11%, and N cycling (N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase) by 12%. β-xylosidase showed close association with, and was not affected by drought, suggesting a reduction in C turnover under future drought. β-glucosidase activity was reduced by intermediate defoliation relative to both control and heavy. Acid phosphatase and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase were affected by three-way interaction of drought, defoliation and mean growing season precipitation, highlighting the complex mechanism underlying EEA responses. Findings suggest that EEA was affected by drought, but defoliation effects were largely dependent upon drought and local climate.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"223 ","pages":"Article 105197"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140196324000776/pdfft?md5=75aab0ea55c38f82c2f8604fcf607280&pid=1-s2.0-S0140196324000776-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141242572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti in ditches from an arid region of Argentina","authors":"Emeli Illa ,&nbsp;Fernando Murúa ,&nbsp;Fernando H. Aballay ,&nbsp;Florencia Cano ,&nbsp;Liliana Salvá ,&nbsp;Corina Berón ,&nbsp;Leonardo M. Díaz-Nieto","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105194","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105194","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Aedes aegypti</em> is the primary vector of dengue worldwide and is able to transmit several other arboviruses of public health importance. Despite extensive research on its ecology throughout the world, limited attention has been given to arid regions. The province of San Juan is an arid region of Argentina with unique climatic characteristics commonly known as the “monte ecoregion”. It has scarce precipitation and, therefore, has a network of irrigation canals that supply water to the region. The canal system is outdated, poorly maintained and, accumulating small bodies of water of anthropic origin. Urban ditches were checked from January to December 2019, and during January to June, 771 immature specimens of <em>A. aegypti</em> were found. In this work, we report the presence of <em>A. aegypti</em> in ditches, describing for the first-time new breeding sites that, despite their extreme physical and chemical properties, were used as successful larval habitats. The remarkable adaptability of <em>A. aegypti</em> in this breeding sites raises concerns about the possible detection and spread of dengue cases in the province. The alarming expansion of dengue cases in the region further highlights the urgent need to take control measures against this insect.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"223 ","pages":"Article 105194"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141163646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictive modeling of green water availability: The role of annual plants as an ecological indicator in dryland ecosystems","authors":"Meshal Abdullah ,&nbsp;Naseraldeen Asadalla ,&nbsp;Yassien Gharabi ,&nbsp;Midhun Mohan ,&nbsp;Sara Al Naabi ,&nbsp;Zahraa Al Ali ,&nbsp;Nouf Al Hashash ,&nbsp;Shruthi Srinivasan ,&nbsp;Talal Al Awadhi ,&nbsp;Ammar Abulibdeh","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105179","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Green water is primarily associated with the appearance of annual plants and plays a significant role in biomass production in both arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Herein, we aim to estimate the optimal threshold for determining the presence or absence of annual plants and use them as an ecological indicator to assess potential green water areas in Kuwait as a case study. We integrate remote sensing techniques and MaxEnt modeling. The AUC for the annual plant distribution with all examined factors is 0.847, and the standard deviation is 0.050. The results demonstrated that potential locations with high levels of green water cover &lt;20% of the country. The annual plant distribution was significantly correlated with several types of perennial plants, maximum temperature, precipitation, and sandy soils. It was also found that annual plants are controlled by the spring and winter temperature decline and the timing of precipitation occurrence, especially the pattern and amount of rainfall received in November. Sandy loam and loam soils were found to be ideal for annual plants, although land depressions and soil types are crucial factors in determining annual plant distribution. Additionally, annual plants enhanced the growth of several perennial communities. To reiterate, our study's model helped to comprehend the significance of annual plants as an ecological indicator in sustaining soil moisture over a prolonged period, as well as factors controlling the distribution of annual plants. The developed model and indicators could support decision-makers in determining appropriate locations with adequate levels of green water for revegetation planning in arid landscapes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"223 ","pages":"Article 105179"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141089863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shrub canopy effects on moss biocrust, soil properties, and microbiomes in a semi-arid ecosystem: Implications for ecosystem function and sustainability","authors":"Chang Tian ,&nbsp;Chongfeng Bu ,&nbsp;Shufang Wu ,&nbsp;Kadambot H.M. Siddique ,&nbsp;Yahong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105182","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Shrubs play a pivotal role in shaping the growth and dynamics of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) in arid and semi-arid regions through various biotic and abiotic mechanisms. Biocrusts, in turn, significantly influence soil microbiomes. However, the precise effects of shrubs on soil microbial communities within biocrusts remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the bacterial and fungal communities within moss biocrusts situated beneath and between two predominant shrub species (<em>Artemisia ordosica</em> and <em>Salix psammophila</em>) in the Mu Us Sandland, China, using high-throughput sequencing and random matrix theory (RMT) through a network-based approach. Our findings revealed that shrub species and their canopy affect moss biocrust growth, soil properties, and microbial communities. Shrub species significantly affected moss biocrust thickness, soil water content (SWC), total phosphorus (TP), fungal community composition (e.g., Ascomycota) and structure, and microbial network structure. Moss biocrusts beneath and between shrubs differed in coverage, SWC, soil nutrients (e.g., TP, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN)), and microbial community composition (e.g., Actinobacteria), structure, and network attributes. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further validated that the canopy-induced changes in microbial community composition primarily stemmed from negative effects on the soil nutrient index (path coefficient = −0.709) and positive effects on SWC (path coefficient = 0.996). Overall, our findings suggest that shrub encroachment initiates a feedback loop favoring shrub establishment and growth at the expense of biocrusts, potentially reducing the capacity of biocrust ecosystems to sequester carbon, with far-reaching implications for ecosystem functionality and sustainability in water-limited regions. While shrub canopy strongly affects microbial community composition within biocrusts, its indirect effects are mediated predominantly through changes in soil properties, offering valuable insights into the intricate associations between soil microbes and shrublands within semi-arid ecosystems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"223 ","pages":"Article 105182"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141089862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Population trends in an endemic dwarf succulent over two decades: rainfall, elevation, microsite and landuse effects","authors":"S.J. Milton ,&nbsp;C. Clark ,&nbsp;C.R. Hundermark ,&nbsp;C. Hurt ,&nbsp;H. Van der Merwe","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105181","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Bijlia dilatata</em> (Prince Albert Vygie) is a red-listed succulent (Aizoaceae) endemic to a single valley in the Western Cape and restricted to disjunct sites in quartzite pavements. Populations of this species were surveyed in 2002 during above-average rainfall and again in 2020 and 2021 during drought, and in June 2023 following drought-breaking rains. We found that populations declined over the two low-rainfall decades, that declines differed significantly among sites, that mortality was greater among smaller plants and that recruitment had failed. Our hypothesis that elevation provides a refuge from heat-induced mortality was supported by data that showed decreasing population decline along a 300 m elevation gradient. Factors significantly influencing population structure included landuse (grazing intensity), microsites and initial population density. Shaded microsites beneath living shrubs and adjacent to large rocks were significantly cooler and stayed moister longer after rain and <em>B. dilatata</em> plants in such microsites were larger than those in open sites or beneath dead shrubs. Grazing and climate change, including reduced winter rainfall, and increased ambient and soil surface temperatures, appear to be contributing to declines in endemic, habitat specialist dwarf succulents already threatened by land transformation and poaching in the biodiverse, Succulent Karoo region of South Africa.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"223 ","pages":"Article 105181"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141078364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}