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Purpose: During recent years, there has been a growing interest in CSR across disciplines. Various scholars document that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) narcissism is an important factor that should not be overlooked when analyzing CSR. Research on the relationship between CEO narcissism and CSR has treated CSR as a whole construct. However, little attention has been paid to its effect on different dimensions of CSR, especially the same psychological trait may have effects on charitable donations and employee welfare. The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between CEO narcissism and charitable donations and employee welfare, while taking into account the moderating role of the legal environment.Methods: This study used the video survey method to measure CEO narcissism, the video information was obtained from Baidu.com and hao.360.com search engines. Other data were collected from Chinese Stock Market Research (CSMAR) database. We used OLS regression for data analysis and also used Tobit regression model to check the robustness of the estimation results. Meanwhile, all analyses will be performed with Stata 16.0 software.Results: Empirical analysis reveals that CEO narcissism has a positive and significant impact on charitable donations and has a negative and significant impact on employee welfare. Moreover, the legal environment will reduce the effect of CEO narcissism on charitable donations and employee welfare, indicating that a stronger legal environment could attenuate the effect of CEO personality traits, especially narcissism on charity donations and employee welfare.Conclusion: This study contributes to the behavioral finance theory and stakeholder theory to better understand the relationship between CEO narcissism and charitable donations and employee welfare. Meanwhile, this study is one of the few studies to investigate the patterns of CSR activities in China, an important emerging economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chairman narcissism has received extensive attention in social psychology and organizational behavior, but the relationship between chairman narcissism and social responsibility has not yet received much attention. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of chairman narcissism on various dimensions of CSR and the moderating roles of analyst coverages. Based on upper echelons theory and stakeholder theory, we distinguished internal corporate social responsibility (internal CSR) and external corporate social responsibility (external CSR) according to whether there was a formal contractual relationship. This study used a narcissism index of chairmen of Chinese listed companies to examine the relationship between chairman narcissism and internal CSR, external CSR, and the data were analyzed using Stata16.0. The results showed that there was a positive correlation between chairman narcissism and external CSR, and there was a negative correlation between chairman narcissism and internal CSR. That is, the higher the Chairman's narcissism degree is, the more external CSR and less internal CSR the firm makes. Further research showed that analyst coverage has weakened the impact of chairman narcissism on internal and external CSR. This paper enriches and expands the research on chairman narcissism and CSR and provides new ideas for selecting corporate managers and improving corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glucuronic acid metabolism participates in cellular detoxification, extracellular matrix remodeling and cell adhesion and migration. Here, we aimed to explore the crosstalk between dysregulated glucuronic acid metabolism and crucial metastatic signalling in glutathione S‐transferase zeta 1 (GSTZ1)‐deficient hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Transwell, HCC xenograft and Gstz1−/‐ mouse models were used to examine the role of GSTZ1 in HCC metastasis. Non‐targeted and targeted metabolomics and global transcriptomic analyses were performed to screen significantly altered metabolic and signalling pathways in GSTZ1 overexpressing hepatoma cells. Further, RNA‐binding protein immunoprecipitation, Biotin‐RNA pull‐down, mRNA decay assays and luciferase reporter assays were used to explore the interaction between RNA and RNA‐binding proteins. Results: GSTZ1 was universally silenced in both human and murine HCC cells, and its deficiency contributed to HCC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. UDP‐glucose 6‐dehydrogenase (UGDH)‐mediated UDP‐glucuronic acid (UDP‐GlcUA) accumulation promoted hepatoma cell migration upon GSTZ1 loss. UDP‐GlcUA stabilized TGFβR1 mRNA by enhancing its binding to polypyrimidine tract binding protein 3, contributing to the activation of TGFβ/Smad signalling. UGDH or TGFβR1 blockade impaired HCC metastasis. In addition, UGDH up‐regulation and UDP‐GlcUA accumulation correlated with increased metastatic potential and decreased patient survival in GSTZ1‐deficient HCC. Conclusions: GSTZ1 deficiency and subsequent up‐regulation of the glucuronic acid metabolic pathway promotes HCC metastasis by increasing the stability of TGFβR1 mRNA and activating TGFβ/Smad signalling. UGDH and a key metabolite, UDP‐GlcUA, may serve as prognostic markers. Targeting UGDH might be a promising strategy for HCC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau has experienced significant warming. Climate warming is expected to have profound effects on plant community productivity and composition, which can drive ecosystem structure and function. To explore effects of warming on plant community productivity and composition, we conducted a warming experiment using open top chambers (OTCs) from 2012 to 2014 in alpine meadow and alpine steppe habitat on the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. We measured aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), community composition and species diversity under ambient and two levels of artificially warmed conditions across three years. Our results showed that warming significantly stimulated plant growth in the alpine meadow, but reduced growth on the alpine steppe. The increase of ANPP in alpine meadow was a result of an increase of plant height under warming. Warming-induced drought conditions were primarily responsible for the observed decrease of ANPP in an alpine steppe. Plant community composition and species diversity were not influenced by warming in alpine meadow. Alternatively, in alpine steppe, cover of graminoids and forbs significantly declined while legumes substantially increased under warming, subsequently resulting in rapid species losses. Changes in soil moisture were responsible for observed changes in graminoids and legumes in the alpine steppe. Overall, experimental results demonstrated that warming had a positive impact on plant community structure and function in alpine meadow and had a negative impact on these characteristics in an alpine steppe. This work highlights the important role of soil moisture for regulating plant productivity and community composition response to warming in the alpine steppe. In particular, the deep-rooted, drought resistant plants may increase in a warmer future in the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. These changes may reduce habitat quality for the local community of grazers because many of the species that increased are also unpalatable to grazers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in climate have caused impacts on ecosystems on all continents scale, and climate change is also projected to be a stressor on most ecosystems even at the rate of low- to medium-range warming scenarios. Alpine ecosystem in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is vulnerable to climate change. To quantify the climate change impacts on alpine ecosystems, we simulated the vegetation distribution and net primary production in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau for three future periods (2020s, 2050s and 2080s) using climate projection for RCPs (Representative Concentration Pathways) RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The modified Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ model) was parameter and test to make it applicable to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Climate projections that were applied to LPJ model in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau showed trends toward warmer and wetter conditions. Results based on climate projections indicated changes from 1.3 °C to 4.2 °C in annual temperature and changes from 2% to 5% in annual precipitation. The main impacts on vegetation distribution was increase in the area of forests and shrubs, decrease in alpine meadows which mainly replaced by shrubs which dominated the eastern plateau, and expanding in alpine steppes to the northwest dominated the western and northern plateau. The NPP was projected to increase by 79% and 134% under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The projected NPP generally increased about 200 g C·m − 2 ·yr − 1 in most parts of the plateau with a gradual increase from the eastern to the western region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau at the end of this century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze CO2 fluxes under conditions of climate change in an alpine meadow on the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, we simulated the effect of warming using open top chambers (OTCs) from 2012 to 2014. The OTCs increased soil temperature by 1.62°C (P < 0.05), but decreased soil moisture (1.38%, P < 0.05) during the experiments. The response of ecosystem CO2 fluxes to warming was variable, and dependent on the year. Under conditions of warming, mean gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) during the growing season increased significantly in 2012 and 2014 (P < 0.05); however, ecosystem respiration (ER) increased substantially only in 2012 (P < 0.05). The net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) increased marginally in 2012 (P = 0.056), did not change in 2013(P > 0.05), and increased significantly in 2014 (P = 0.034) under conditions of warming. The GEP was more sensitive to climate variations than was the ER, resulting in a large increase in net carbon uptake under warming in the alpine meadow. Under warming, the 3-year averages of GEP, ER, and NEE increased by 19.6%, 15.1%, and 21.1%, respectively. The seasonal dynamic patterns of GEP and NEE, but not ER, were significantly impacted by warming. Aboveground biomass, particularly the graminoid biomass increased significantly under conditions of warming. Soil moisture, soil temperature, and aboveground biomass were the main factors that affected the variation of the ecosystem CO2 fluxes. The effect of warming on inter- and intra-annual patterns of ecosystem CO2 fluxes and the mechanism of different sensitivities in GEP and ER to warming, require further researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model on remote-sensing (RS), climatic, and other related data from 1981 to 2004, the researchers estimated the net primary productivity (NPP) of alpine grassland in northern Tibet. Geographical information system (GIS) techniques were used to analyse the spatial pattern of change in the NPP of alpine grassland and its response to the intensity of human activity. The researchers found that the mean values of NPP on flat (slope gradients <1°) and sunny slopes were relatively lower. Between 1981 and 2004, the NPP of alpine grassland in northern Tibet tended to decrease, but with relatively large annual fluctuations. In northern Tibet, the alpine grassland NPP for high-elevation regions has a greater proportion of area (over 26%) showing a decreasing trend. The change is more significant in areas where the slope is 15–30° and aspect has little influence on the extent of the change. The negative effects of local residential areas on the rate of change of alpine grassland NPP are smaller than those of roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The semi-arid loess hilly–gully region in China has an extremely vulnerable ecological environment. Inappropriate land use — crop farming, overgrazing, and plantation forestry - has worsened soil erosion, intensified water shortage, and hence impeded the ecological conservation and agricultural development of the entire region in the past. Optimizing land use and vegetation cover and spatial pattern is conducive to achieving both ecological and economic goals in terms of controlling soil erosion, using water resources rationally and raising agricultural productivity. Changchuan Watershed, a typical small catchment in the semi-arid loess hilly region, was selected as the case study area to analyze the impacts of land use and land cover structure and associated spatial pattern on soil erosion and water consumption in the Watershed, through field investigation and model simulation. Land use structure was optimized by multi-objective programming, using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) techniques, analytic hierarchical programming (AHP) and expert consultancy. The digitized optimum spatial pattern embodying rationally-proportioned land use structure was obtained through GIS-aided redistribution of land use types. The optimized land use structure re-apportioned woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, and croplands at 3.7%, 38.6%, 49.4%, and 6.3% of the land area respectively, compared to the current land use structure of 2.4%, 38.6%, 24.0%, and 12.6%, respectively, in the Changchuan Watershed. In the optimized land use spatial pattern, croplands are mainly located in the riverside plain and check-dammed valleys and grasslands are widely distributed in the lower reaches of the basin, while shrublands are appropriately established in the middle and upper reaches of the river. A comparative analysis shows that the optimized land use structure, with well-designed spatial pattern is able to reduce soil erosion, enhance the utilization of water resources and raise agricultural productivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on the remote sensing and meteorological data collected from the 1981–2004 period, we calculated the alpine grassland Net Primary Productivity (NPP) in Northern Tibet using the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA), and subsequently analyzed the trend of grassland NPP changes and its response to climate change from 1981 to 2004. The results show that alpine grassland NPP in Northern Tibet was very low in the last 24 years with a relatively large yearly variation. Most of the grassland area (88.61%) in Northern Tibet did not show a significant annual NPP change. The area with a significant decrease of annual NPP variation accounted for only 11.30% of the total grasslands surface, whereas that with a significant increase accounted for 0.09%. In recent years, the precipitation variation in Northern Tibet resulted in an increase of grassland NPP, though solar radiation resulted in decreased grassland NPP. During the 1981–2004 period, total solar radiation, precipitation and temperature, with a decreasing impact magnitude factor, have impacted the grassland NPP in Northern Tibet. The impact of regional climate change on grassland NPP was overall more detrimental than positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare species can switch between abundant and rare, respond to various external disturbances, enhance community resilience, and reduce the lag in ecosystem recovery. However, the impact of N enrichment on microbial community dynamic changes in rare species during the growing season is still poorly understood. To clarify which taxa contribute most to the community variation under N enrichment and whether the responses of these taxa vary at different periods of the growing season, we set up a 6-years multi-level field N addition experiment in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. The variation in soil bacterial community diversity, composition, species interactions, and assembly process of different abundance profiles were investigated in the early, mid, and late-growing seasons. Approximately 80% of bacteria were classified as rare taxa (including permanently and conditionally rare taxa). The influence of N enrichment on the bacterial community was seasonally dependent. Bacterial community diversity and composition dissimilarity significantly increased only in the early growing season, especially in permanently rare taxa and conditionally rare taxa, but remained stable in the mid-and late-growing seasons. Seasonal fluctuations led to a shift in community composition, and conditionally rare taxa were the primary component of seasonal variation in community composition. Simultaneously, microbial network complexity and stability gradually increased over time, as evidenced by decreased modularity and vulnerability and increased robustness, clustering coefficient, connectivity, and keystone nodes. The assembly of conditionally rare taxa showed a significant difference under N addition, presented as decreased drift and increased dispersal limitation, which are closely related to the composition of the entire bacterial community. Our findings emphasize that the conditionally rare taxa decisive contribute to changes in the bacterial community under N enrichment, but seasonal fluctuations can make bacterial communities resistant to the influence of N enrichment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Structural information of grassland changes on the Tibetan Plateau is essential for understanding alterations in critical ecosystem functioning and their underlying drivers that may reflect environmental changes. However, such information at the regional scale is still lacking due to methodological limitations. Beyond remote sensing indicators only recognizing vegetation productivity, we utilized multivariate data fusion and deep learning to characterize formation-based plant community structure in alpine grasslands at the regional scale of the Tibetan Plateau for the first time and compared it with the earlier version of Vegetation Map of China for historical changes. Over the past 40 years, we revealed that (1) the proportion of alpine meadows in alpine grasslands increased from 50% to 69%, well-reflecting the warming and wetting trend; (2) dominances of Kobresia pygmaea and Stipa purpurea formations in alpine meadows and steppes were strengthened to 76% and 92%, respectively; (3) the climate factor mainly drove the distribution of Stipa purpurea formation, but not the recent distribution of Kobresia pygmaea formation that was likely shaped by human activities. Therefore, the underlying mechanisms of grassland changes over the past 40 years were considered to be formation dependent. Overall, the first exploration for structural information of plant community changes in this study not only provides a new perspective to understand drivers of grassland changes and their spatial heterogeneity at the regional scale of the Tibetan Plateau, but also innovates large-scale vegetation study paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relative abundance of soil rare biosphere was stable under climate changes. • The specific soil microbial taxa strongly related to soil rare biosphere. • The rare biosphere strongly explained variations of soil available nitrogen. Ecological roles of "rare biosphere" (RB) were rarely discussed in alpine grassland ecosystems. We explored the roles of RB and specific taxa of soil bacteria and fungi in regulating soil nutrients and aboveground biomass of an alpine meadow and alpine steppe under warming and enhanced rainfall scenarios on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. In the context of alpine meadow and alpine steppe, the relative abundance of bacterial RB was ∼40% in the bacterial community, and it was <10% for fungal RB in the fungal community. The relative abundance of the RB of soil bacteria and fungi were not changed by warming or enhanced rainfall. All specific bacterial taxa and over 90% specific fungal taxa belonged to the RB. The RB, including the most specific taxa, explained many more variations in the contents of soil NO 3 -N and NH 4 -N than the high abundant microbial species under warming and enhanced rainfall conditions. The aboveground biomass of the alpine meadow and steppe were strongly affected by the contents of soil NO 3 -N, available phosphorus and total nitrogen under the condition of warming and enhanced rainfall. Our findings suggest that the robust soil microbial RB plays an important role in regulating the content of soil available nitrogen, which could profoundly affect aboveground plant biomass of alpine grassland ecosystems under climate change conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: The impact of grazing on the phenology of alpine plants has not been deeply explored. In particular, how the phenology of all species in the alpine plant community is affected by grazing has seldom been monitored. Study Site: Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau of China. Methods: A linear mixed model was used to explore the effect of grazing regimes (continuous grazing, grazing exclusion and rotational grazing), species, and individuals of species on phenological stages at the community level. One‐way ANOVA was used to examine the difference in phenological stage across different species under the same grazing regime and timing of the phenological stages of each species across different grazing regimes. Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore linkages between plant phenology and leaf traits, linkages between phenological stages, as well as their intervals across different species. Results: The green‐up and withering time of different species both exhibited various response patterns to grazing regimes. The flowering time of most species was delayed by grazing, whereas the fruiting time of most species remained stable across grazing regimes. There were significant linkages between phenological stages and leaf traits; for example fruiting time was negatively related to the ratio of leaf N content (LNC) to leaf P content (LPC) under all grazing regimes. The phenological stages themselves, and their intervals, showed close relations; for example fruiting time was positively related to withering time, and negatively related to its interval. The divergence was higher during the flowering time than during other phenological stages. The divergence of all phenological stages was highest under grazing exclusion. Conclusions: The shifts in flowering time were advantageous for these plants to adapt to grazing, as flowering time can regulate interspecific temporal patterns and maintain the stability of subsequent phenological stages. Among grazing regimes, grazing exclusion led to greatest divergence of phenological stages across species, which possibly creates potential reproductive gaps. In the alpine meadows of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, the flowering time of most species was delayed by grazing, but the fruiting time of most species remained stable. Fruiting time was negatively related to the ratio of leaf N content to leaf P content. Grazing exclusion led to the greatest divergence of phenological stages across species, which possibly creates potential reproductive gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grassland cover is strongly influenced by climate change. The response of grassland cover to climate change becomes complex with background climate. There have been some advances in research on the sensitivity of grassland vegetation to climate change around the world, but the differences in climate sensitivity among grassland types are still unclear in alpine grassland. Therefore, we applied MODIS NDVI data and trend analysis methods to quantify the spatial and temporal variation of grassland vegetation cover on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Then, we used multiple regression models to analyze the sensitivity of fractional vegetation cover (FVC) to climatic factors (Temperature, Precipitation, Solar radiation, Palmer drought severity index) and summarized the potential mechanisms of vegetation sensitivity to different climatic gradients. Our results showed (1) a significant increasing trend in alpine desert FVC from 2000–2018 (1.12 × 10−3/a, R2 = 0.56, p < 0.001) but no significant trend in other grassland types. (2) FVC sensitivity to climatic factors varied among grassland types, especially in the alpine desert, which had over 60% of the area with positive sensitivity to temperature, precipitation and PDSI. (3) The sensitivity of grassland FVC to heat factors decreases with rising ambient temperature while the sensitivity to moisture increases. Similarly, the sensitivity to moisture decreases while the sensitivity to thermal factors increases along the moisture gradient. Furthermore, the results suggest that future climate warming will promote grassland in cold and wet areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and may suppress vegetation in warmer areas. In contrast, the response of the alpine desert to future climate is more stable. Studying the impact of climate variation at a regional scale could enhance the adaptability of vegetation in future global climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpine ecosystems are known to be sensitive to climate change and human disturbances. However, the knowledge about the changes of their underground microbial communities is inadequate. We explored the diversity and structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities using Ilumina MiSeq sequencing in native alpine grasslands (i.e. the alpine meadow, alpine steppe) and cultivated grassland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) under three-year treatments of overgrazing, warming and enhanced rainfall. Enhanced rainfall rather than warming significantly reduced soil microbial diversity in native alpine grasslands. Variable warming significantly reduced it in the cultivated grassland. Over 20% and 40% variations of microbial diversity could be explained by soil nutrients and moisture in the alpine meadow and cultivated grassland, separately. Soil microbial communities could be clustered into different groups according to different treatments in the alpine meadow and cultivated grassland. For the alpine steppe, with the lowest soil nutrients and moistures, < 10% variations of microbial diversity was explained by soil properties; and the soil microbial communities among different treatments were similar. The soil microbial community in the cultivated grassland was varied from it in native grasslands. Over 50% variations of soil microbial communities among different treatments were explained by soil nutrients and moisture in each grassland type. Our results suggest that climate change and human activities strongly affected soil microbial communities by changing soil nutrients and moistures in alpine grassland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plateau pika ( Ochotona curzoniae ) is considered a keystone species on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Under a moderate burrow density condition, we investigated plant community and soil properties surrounding pika's burrows in comparison to the control sites (without pika's burrows) in an alpine meadow ecosystem. The results demonstrated that plant biomass, especially aboveground biomass around pika's burrow, was improved. The contents of available soil nutrients around the pika's burrow were improved as well. The highest aboveground biomass and highest contents of NH 4 -N, available phosphorus and available potassium was detected at the back of the burrow. The compositions of plant community were not changed significantly around the pika burrow, excluding at the front of the burrow. Our findings revealed that the activities of plateau pika can improve the production of alpine meadow and increase the soil fertility at individual burrow level when the burrow density was not out of control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warming and increased precipitation can affect soil respiration (SR) and plant community variation in grassland ecosystems. Dominant species have important impacts on maintaining grassland landscapes and ecosystem stability, promoting nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. However, the mechanisms by which warming and increased precipitation regulate SR through the replacement of dominant plant species remain largely unknown. Here, we conducted an 8-year (2011–2018) manipulative field experiment comprising warming and precipitation addition, as well as a pot experiment simulating different proportions of dominant species (Leymus chinensis and Stipa krylovii), to examine the changes in SR in a temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. Our results indicate that increased precipitation significantly increased SR by 48.9 %, while warming had no significant effect on SR. Warming, increased precipitation, and their interaction did not affect the temperature sensitivity of SR. Warming and increased precipitation were found to increase the biomass of L. chinensis (a rhizomatous grass) and decrease the biomass of S. krylovii (a bunchgrass). SR was significantly positively correlated with community biomass and microbial biomass. Although the proportion of dominant species was not directly significantly correlated with SR, the proportion of dominant species can affect SR by regulating community biomass and subsequently affecting microbial biomass. The pot experiment also showed that community biomass is a key factor affecting SR. This study emphasizes the regulatory role of soil moisture and community biomass in SR. When evaluating the impacts of climate change scenarios on soil respiration and ecosystems, the potential effects of changes in the dominant species should be considered, especially in arid and semiarid regions. • Warming had no significant effect on soil respiration in temperate steppe. • Soil moisture and community biomass are key factors regulating soil respiration in temperate steppe. • Increasing precipitation has a cumulative effect on soil respiration over years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grazing exerts a significant influence on greenhouse gases (GHGs) fluxes within temperate grasslands. While previous studies have explored the impact of varying grazing intensities on GHGs fluxes in meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe, there remains a knowledge gap regarding how grazing intensities affect GHGs fluxes across different grassland types and seasonal variations. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of Inner Mongolia grasslands involving 38 published reports and aggregating 143, 160, and 118 records for the CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O, respectively. Our results demonstrated that grazing reduced annual mean CO 2 emission, CH 4 uptake, and N 2 O emission by 15.29%, 10.56%, and 24.73%, respectively (P < 0.05). Specifically, during the freeze-thaw period, grazing induced a decrease of 28.06% and 58.41% in CH 4 uptake and N 2 O emissions, respectively, compared to ungrazed treatments (P < 0.05). Further dissecting the impact, we found that grazing reduced CO 2 emissions in desert steppe, typical steppe, and meadow steppe by 20.28%, 15.54%, and 11.79%, respectively. In addition, grazing decreased CH 4 uptake in typical steppe by 15.14% and decreased N 2 O emission in typical steppe, meadow steppe, and sown pasture by 20.25%, 24.18%, 52.91%, respectively. Crucially, the alteration in plant biomass due to grazing-induced changes underlying drivers that govern the responses of GHGs fluxes. These results furnish compelling evidence that grazing, particularly in non-growing season, holds the potential to mitigate grassland GHGs fluxes in temperate grasslands. Our results can deepen the understanding of the grazing effects on GHGs and offer valuable insights for refining grazing management strategies in pastoral regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenology is an important indicator of plant responses to environmental changes and is closely correlated with biomass production. However, how changes in phenological events affect plant biomass production when exposed to changing temperature and precipitation remain unclear.We conducted a 4‐year manipulative experiment of warming and precipitation addition to explore phenology–biomass interactions under climate change in a dry alpine meadow on the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau from 2015 to 2018.In dry and warm years, warming delayed phenology and precipitation addition advanced them. Warming decreased the biomass of Kobresia pygmaea in 2018 and the biomass of Poa pratensis in 2015, 2017 and 2018. However, precipitation addition significantly increased the biomass of Poa pratensis and Potentilla multifida in most of the experimental years. Phenological changes regulated the responses of biomass to treatments. Specifically, delay of green up of P. pratensis and delay of withering of K. pygmaea induced by warming can increase biomass production, but it can be offset by the direct negative effects of warming on biomass.Synthesis. Here we show how warming‐induced drought tend to decrease the biomass production of graminoids and the negative effects of warming on the biomass of P. pratensis and K. pygmaea were partially offset by green up postponement and withering postponement respectively. Our results highlights phenology is a crucial regulator for biomass production under climate change. Hence, both direct and indirect effects of warming and precipitation addition on phenology and biomass cannot be ignored when predicting biomass responses to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Warming and water addition increase L. chinensis biomass and reduce S. krylovii. • Community biomass is remained unchanged under warming and water addition. • Warming increases L. chinensis biomass by affecting SA and GA. • S. krylovii steppe may be replaced by L. chinensis in warmer and wetter future. Dominant species play a crucial role in regulating plant community structure and productivity. Climate change affects community productivity by changing plant traits and resource use efficiency. However, the response of the productivity of a dominant species to warming and precipitation addition and the related effects on community biomass production in semi-arid grasslands remain unclear. We conducted a ten-year warming and precipitation addition study of a semi-arid steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. We examined the responses of community composition, biomass production, and trait and resource use efficiency of two dominant species, Leymus chinensis (rhizome grass) and Stipa krylovii. The results show that warming and precipitation increased the biomass of L. chinensis and decreased the biomass of S. krylovii. Community biomass production was unchanged under warming and precipitation from the contrasting changes in the two dominant species. Warming significantly increased the leaf area (LA) of L. chinensis and S. krylovii compared to that in ambient conditions, while it decreased the specific leaf area (SLA) and δ13C of S. krylovii. Increases in temperature stimulated biomass production of L. chinensis by affecting salicylic acid (SA) and GA (gibberellin), and they increased its competitive ability compared with that of S. krylovii. Our results highlight the different responses of L. chinensis and S. krylovii to environmental changes, which stabilised community productivity under warming and precipitation. Our study provides evidence that S. krylovii may be replaced by L. chinensis in steppe climates in the warmer and wetter future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric concentrations of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) have increased over the last 150 years due to human activities. Soils are important source of N 2 O where its production is largely regulated by biological processes. Nitrogen (N) deposition can alter the processes of autotrophic nitrification and denitrification, thus affecting the rate and direction of the soil N 2 O exchange with the atmosphere. It is obvious that atmospheric N deposition has influenced a dry alpine meadow in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Therefore, we investigated the effects of N deposition on the annual N 2 O emissions in an alpine meadow of the QTP. The N 2 O flux was measured for 2 years using static chambers and gas chromatography methods at four treatments (N0, background level; N7, add 7 kg N ha −1  yr −1 ; N20, add 20 kg N ha −1  yr −1 ; N40, add 40 kg N ha −1  yr −1 ). We found that high N deposition increased the N 2 O flux, not only in the growing season but also in winter and the spring thaw period. The average annual N 2 O fluxes at N0 and N40 plots were 3.1 and 6.1 μg m −2  h −1 , respectively. Compared with N0, the average annual N 2 O fluxes increased at N7, N20, and N40 plots by 13.7%, 47.6%, and 98.7%, respectively, the N 2 O fluxes in N40 plots increased by 113.6%, 41.6%, and 78.7% during the growing season, winter and spring thaw period, respectively. The emission of N 2 O during the growing season, winter and spring thaw period accounted for 63.2%, 29.9% and 6.9% of annual total emission of N 2 O, respectively. The N 2 O flux correlated significantly with air temperature, soil temperature, soil water content, total nitrogen, total organic carbon, and soil NH 4 + –N content in the alpine meadow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined impacts of modified nitrogen (N) fertilizers and water saving irrigation (WSI) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and grain yield of rice paddies have not previously been documented. GHG emissions from rice paddies under modified N fertilizers and WSI deserve attention because water and N are being used extensively to attain higher grain yield. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of modified N fertilizers and WSI on methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and grain yield in rice paddies. Four treatments were applied: urea with conventional irrigation (U + CI), urea with shallow water depth with alternate wetting-drying water saving irrigation (U + SWD), polymer-coated controlled release urea with SWD (CRU + SWD), and nitrapyrin-urea composition plus hydroquinone with SWD (NU + HQ + SWD). Compared to U + CI, CH 4 emissions significantly decreased by 26% and 31%, and N 2 O emissions increased by 52% and 42% under U + SWD in the early and late rice growing seasons respectively (p < 0.05). Although SWD increased N 2 O emissions, total GHG emissions (T GHG ) reduced by 20% and 25% in the two rice seasons under U + SWD, and GHG emission intensity (GHGI) decreased by 24% on average. Modified N fertilizer applications also affected grain yield and GHG emissions under SWD. Compared with U + SWD, CRU + SWD and NU + HQ + SWD reduced CH 4 , N 2 O emissions and T GHG by 28–49%, 12–44% and 26–45%, respectively, while grain yield increased by 6–35%. Reduction in CH 4 emissions occurred because, compared to urea, CRU and NU + HQ can inhibit CH 4 production and transport by controlling development of invalid tillers, while their nitrogen release patterns were more favorable for CH 4 consumption. In summary, modified N fertilizers in combination with SWD are a win-win strategy to improve grain production while reducing GHG emissions in the rice cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Climate is a driver of terrestrial ecosystem carbon exchange, which is an important product of ecosystem function. The Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau has recently been subjected to a marked increase in temperature as a consequence of global warming. To explore the effects of warming on carbon exchange in grassland ecosystems, we conducted a whole‐year warming experiment between 2012 and 2014 using open‐top chambers placed in an alpine meadow, an alpine steppe, and a cultivated grassland on the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. We measured the gross primary productivity, net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration, and soil respiration using a chamber‐based method during the growing season. The results show that after 3 years of warming, there was significant stimulation of carbon assimilation and emission in the alpine meadow, but both these processes declined in the alpine steppe and the cultivated grassland. Under warming conditions, the soil water content was more important in stimulating ecosystem carbon exchange in the meadow and cultivated grassland than was soil temperature. In the steppe, the soil temperature was negatively correlated with ecosystem carbon exchange. We found that the ambient soil water content was significantly correlated with the magnitude of warming‐induced change in NEE. Under high soil moisture condition, warming has a significant positive effect on NEE, while it has a negative effect under low soil moisture condition. Our results highlight that the NEE in steppe and cultivated grassland have negative responses to warming; after reclamation, the natural meadow would subject to loose more C in warmer condition. Therefore, under future warmer condition, the overextension of cultivated grassland should be avoided and scientific planning of cultivated grassland should be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaling up of farming operations by land use rights transfers has been a growing trend in China in recent years. However, little is known about the implications of this trend for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes. Using farm survey data from Shandong Province, a typical grain production region in China, we used a life cycle assessment (LCA) method to evaluate the impact of different farm scales on input use efficiency, grain production, SOC stock changes and GHG emissions. Large-scale farming operations (LSFO) enhanced input use efficiency by reducing fertilizer and pesticide consumption rates and energy use for irrigation. Compared with small household farming operations (SHFO), LSFO attained higher grain yield in wheat-maize and wheat-rice cropping systems. Compared with small farms, carbon footprints per unit area of large-scale farms were lower for wheat (17%) and maize (28%) in the wheat-maize cropping system and for wheat (14%) and rice (8%) in the wheat-rice cropping system. Moreover, LSFO reduced GHG emissions (7–21%) and enhanced SOC stocks (6–9%), compared with SHFO. This study highlights that in China, land use rights transfers to promote large-scale farming can help achieve cleaner grain production with less negative impact on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms are the basis for sustaining ecosystem function and are extremely sensitive to global warming and altered precipitation. Nevertheless, the seasonal pattern of the microbial response to a coupled effect of warming and increased precipitation is largely unknown. We set up a six-year manipulative experiment to verify changes in microbial response to warming (approximately 2 °C), increased precipitation (20 %), and their interactive effect in a semiarid steppe in Inner Mongolia. We detected changes in microbial species richness, diversity, community structure, and microbial interactions during different periods of the growing season. The results suggest that warming and increased precipitation had a stronger impact on the microbial community in the early growing season than in the mid- and late growing seasons. In the early growing season, warming significantly decreased bacterial diversity, while increased precipitation did not significantly affect the microbial community. The interactive effect of increased precipitation and warming significantly increased bacterial richness but decreased fungal richness and amplified the dissimilarities among bacterial and fungal communities. Compared to the early growing season, less microbial taxa significantly responded to warming and increased precipitation in the mid- and late growing seasons. Warming weakened species interactions, as evidenced by fewer nodes and links and lower complexity and robustness in the network. Increased precipitation strengthened species interactions and eased the warming-induced negative effect under the interactive effect. Our findings emphasize that more attention should be given to the changes in the microbial community in the early growing season of grassland in Inner Mongolia under future climate change scenarios. • Climate change impacts were more obvious in the early growing season. • The interactive effect increased bacterial richness but reduced fungal richness. • Fewer taxa respond to climate change in the mid and late growing seasons. • Species interactions weakened by warming but enhanced by precipitation addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand effects of soil microbes on soil biochemistry in alpine grassland ecosystems under environmental changes, we explored relationships between soil microbial diversity and soil total nitrogen, organic carbon, available nitrogen and phosphorus, soil microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities in alpine meadow, alpine steppe and cultivated grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau under three-year warming, enhanced precipitation and yak overgrazing. Soil total nitrogen, organic carbon and NH4-N were little affected by overgrazing, warming or enhanced precipitation in three types of alpine grasslands. Soil microbial biomass carbon and phosphorus along with the sucrase and phosphatase activities were generally stable under different treatments. Soil NO3-N, available phosphorus, urease activity and microbial biomass nitrogen were increased by overgrazing in the cultivated grassland. Soil bacterial diversity was positively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity negatively with soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities. Soil bacterial diversity was negatively correlated with, while soil fungal diversity positively with soil available nutrients. Our findings indicated soil bacteria and fungi played different roles in affecting soil nutrients and microbiological activities that might provide an important implication to understand why soil biochemistry was generally stable under environmental changes in alpine grassland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate long-term effect of biochar application on yield-scaled greenhouse gas emissions (YSGE) in a paddy rice cropping system, a 4-year field experiment by static chamber - gas chromatograph method was conducted in South China. Principal component analysis and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and real-time qPCR was used to unravel the microbial mechanisms of biochar addition. Six treatments were included: control (CK), application of 5 t ha − 1 biochar (BC1), application of 10 t ha − 1 biochar (BC2), application of 10 t ha − 1 biochar (BC3), rice straw return at 2400 kg ha − 1 (RS) and inoculated rice straw return at 2400 kg ha − 1 (RI). The results indicated that biochar amendment significantly decreased methane (CH 4 ) and gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This may primarily be ascribed to the stimulated biodiversity and abundance of methanotrophic microbes, increased soil pH and improved aeration by reducing bulk density after biochar incorporation. Compared with CK, RS and RI, 26.18%, 70.02%, 66.47% of CH 4 flux and 26.14%, 70.16%, 66.46% of gross GHG emissions were reduced by biochar (mean of three biochar treatments), respectively. Furthermore, biochar significantly increased harvest index of double rice production ( p < 0.05). In comparison with CK, RS and RI, 29.14%, 68.04%, 62.28% of YSGE was reduced by biochar, respectively, and the highest biochar addition rate (20 t ha − 1 ) contributed most to the mitigation of GHG emissions (36.24% decrease compared to CK) and improvement of rice yield (7.65% increase compared to CK). Results of our study suggested that long-term application of biochar should be the potential way to mitigate GHGs emissions and simultaneously improve rice productivity in the paddy rice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Alpine meadow had higher CUE and lower WUE than cultivated grassland under warming. • Warming decreased biomass of cultivated grassland in the later of the experiment. • Warming increased ET, did not affect GEP, and decreased WUE in alpine meadow. • Warming decreased NEE, did not alter ER, and decrease CUE in cultivated grassland. Carbon and water use efficiency (CUE and WUE) are crucial indicators of grassland ecosystem responses to climate change. Grass planting is one of the dominant methods of grassland restoration and agricultural production. However, how warming and reclamation impact grassland CUE and WUE remain unclear. Here we examined how warming affected carbon and water processes in natural alpine meadow and cultivated grassland, including gross ecosystem production (GEP), net ecosystem CO 2 exchange (NEE), evapotranspiration (ET), CUE and WUE. We deployed a seven-year warming experiment using open top chambers in alpine meadow and cultivated grassland on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results showed that the alpine meadow had a higher CUE and a lower WUE compared to the cultivated grassland under warming. Warming increased biomass production of the cultivated grassland in the beginning of the experiment but decreased it later in the experiment. Warming increased ET, did not affect GEP, and finally decreased WUE in the natural alpine meadow. In the cultivated grassland, warming decreased NEE, did not alter ER, and resulted the decrease in CUE. Our results highlight that reclamation decreases CUE and warming decreased WUE of alpine meadow. Although grass planting can increase biomass, the negative impacts of warming on carbon and water processes of cultivated grassland should be considered when reclaiming alpine meadow under warmer future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practical nitrogen fertilizers are required that simultaneously increase yield and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice ( Oryza sativa L.) paddies. A field experiment was conducted to measure methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes in situ during two double rice-winter fallow rotations (2012–2014) under five different nitrogen fertilizer treatments: traditional urea (CK), polymer-coated controlled release urea (CRU), urea with N-Sever nitrapyrin (NU), urea with 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and urea with effective microorganisms (EM). The results revealed that GHG emissions ranged between 77.2 and 178.2 kg CH 4 ha −1 and 4.18 and 10.11 kg N 2 O ha −1 averagely over the whole rotation, and significant differences ( P < 0.05) among treatments and seasons were found. N 2 O emissions accounted for 26.6–36.9% of total GWP, and significant N 2 O emissions were observed during the winter fallow period, ranging from 3.1 to 3.88 kg N 2 O ha −1 . Compared to the GWP (7.66 and 8.85 Mg CO 2 ha −1 ) and GHGI (0.52 and 0.63 Mg CO 2 Mg −1 grain) from CK in 2012 and 2013 rotation, respectively, CRU achieved the highest reduction (48.5% for GWP and 55.4% for GHGI) in 2012, NU achieved the highest reduction (37.6% for GWP and 43.1% for GHGI) in 2013, and other treatments also realized different levels of decrease. Thus, controlled release urea, nitrification inhibitor or effective microorganisms might be effective fertilization options for low-carbon rice production with high yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice cultivar is the most influential factor affecting methane emissions from double rice fields. A two-year field experiment was conducted at Huizhou, Guangdong province, South China, to identify from among nine cultivars those cultivars with high-yield potential and lower yield-scaled methane emissions (YSMEs). Methane emissions were measured using the static chamber – gas chromatograph method. Results indicate that the cultivars Qihuazhan (QH), Yexianzhan 8 (YX8) and Yue’erzhan (YE) provide higher rice grain yield (8.69%) with lower YSME (30.27%) compared to the other six cultivars (Yexianzhan 6, Yuejingsimiao, Hefengzhan, Huangsizhan, Huangruanzhan and Huangxiuzhan) (p < 0.05). In particular, QH has the highest yield potential (6777 kg ha−1) and lowest methane emission intensity (0.36 kg kg−1yield) capacity. Methane emissions from the double rice field was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) and positively correlated with tiller number, culm biomass and soil organic matter, dissolved soil organic carbon and total carbon content, but negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with rice harvest index (HI), and root and panicle biomass, suggesting that organic source strength provides the substrate of methane production while the oxidation potential in the rhizosphere and the methane transport capacity of rice roots and culm dominate the emissions of methane from soil to the atmosphere. Multivariate decision regression tree (DRT) analysis showed a significant class difference between QH, YX8 and YE with the other six cultivars. These three cultivars are suitable for promotion of low carbon agriculture in South China. DRT analysis also successfully illustrated a potential way to identify rice varieties for low YSME by decisive parameters of tiller number (<15), HI (>0.43) and nitrogen assimilation of leaves (<40). These findings suggest that optimization of rice cultivars may represent an effective way to address both food demand and climate change concerns by improving rice yields while simultaneously minimizing the impact of climate change per unit yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resource utilization of organic materials in China cropland is a great challenge we are facing now. To study the ecological effects of biochar utilization, and explore the response of carbon emission intensity (GHGI) to biochar amendment for the long term in a double rice field in South China, two-year field measurements of greenhouse gases based on a static chamber-gas chromatography method were conducted. Six experimental treatments were set up, including 1) CK (famer traditional operation), 2) BC1 (biochar amendment at 5 t/hm2), 3) BC2 (biochar amendment at 10 t/hm2), 4) BC3 (biochar amendment at 20 t/hm2), 5) RS (raw rice straw residue return) and 6) RI (composted rice straw residue return). As a result, compared to CK, all of the biochar treatments inhibited the emission peaks of greenhouse gases from the double rice field. During the four rice growing seasons, the three biochar treatments decreased the 100 yr-scaled carbon dioxide emission equivalents by 27.53%, 58.65%, and 63.43%, respectively, compared with CK, RS, and RI. The biochar treatments significantly reduced methane emissions (P<0.05) at an average reduction rate of 50.84%. Among the three biochar and two rice straw residue treatments, BC3 had the lowest methane emission potential (2.75 mg/(m2 h)), while RS had the highest (10.05 mg/(m2·h)). For the nitrous oxide emissions, the average value of the three biochar treatments was lower than CK but higher than the two rice straw residue return treatments (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was no statistical significant yield increase effect found in the biochar treatments (P>0.05), compared with CK, RS, and RI, as the four-season average rice yields of the three biochar treatments were increased by 3.21%, 5.11%, and 2.29%, respectively. A significant higher yield in BC3 was observed than that in RS (P<0.05). Additionally, on a 100-year horizon, the GHGI of the three biochar treatments (average at 0.33 kg/kg) were 30.57%, 61.00%, and 64.82% lower than CK (0.48 kg/kg), RS (0.86 kg/kg), and RI (0.48 kg/kg), respectively. By the correlation matrix and principal component analysis, the biochar amendment controlled the distribution of rice yield, harvest index, soil organic matter, total carbon content, and chlorophyll content, while the rice straw residue return treatments dominated the distribution of the methane flux and GHGI. In summary, based on the present study, the application of the regression tree analysis offered a quantitative alternative to decision-making in analyzing the effects of biochar amendment on ecological environment. The results of this study indicated that the biochar amendment in soils has the potential to enhance soil carbon sequestration, increase rice yield, and mitigate the carbon emission intensity and the impact of climate change by optimization of the field managements and biochar return in an appropriate amount. This research could be used as a successful case study of scientific utilization of crop straw residue in China's agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) (methane and nitrous oxide) of double rice paddy was controlled by various field managements, tillage, and rice straw return to the field. On one hand, the choice of the tillage mode affects the gas permeability of soil during the crop-growing stage. On the other, the incorporation of rice straw can be a critical way to amend the loss of soil carbon. Both of the two practices have their advantages and disadvantages on rice production and environmental effects. In fact, no tillage causes less methane emissions from double rice fields than the field with conventional tillage. Nevertheless, rice straw return to the field increases tremendous methane production and emission of organic carbon. In spite of its promotion on rice productivity and sequestration of soil organic carbon pool, this practice is still under discussion .Therefore, multi-management mode should be considered simultaneously when regional or national policy is made to reduce GHGI from agriculture. To date, the study of the interaction effect of tillage and the rice residue return on GHGI from double rice fields is lacking. Most of the previous studies focused only on one field management and its influence mechanism. Consequently, we conducted a measurement for 4 rice growing seasons on GHGI of a double rice field in Hunan, China to investigate the interaction effect of tillage and rice straw return on both the social-economical and environmental benefits. The improved static chamber-GC (gas chromatography) method was used to monitor the greenhouse gas emissions from the rice paddy. Major improvements made on the chamber include the adjustable sampling tube and the pores in the base. The former was designed to change with the growth of the rice plant and the latter favored the communication of soil water between the inside and outside of the base. Both of them enhanced the accuracy of the field measurement. Four field practices were included in this research, viz. CWS (Conventional tillage, without straw residue return), NWS (No till, without straw residue return), HN (High stubble residue retain, no till), and HC (High stubble residue retain, conventional tillage). Results showed that there is a significant interaction effect of tillage and rice residue return on methane emissions (P<0.05) instead of nitrous oxide emissions from the double rice field. The interaction effect has pronounced seasonal and inter-annual variation. By the seasonal average value, the sequence of methane flux of each treatment is the following: HC>HN>CWS>NWS (HC significantly greater than HN while no significant difference between HN and CWS). Similarly, the amount of rice grain yield of each treatment of the 4 seasons is the following: CWS>HN>HC>NWS (no significant difference between HN and CWS). For the GHGI, the following order is disclosed: HC>CWS>HN>NWS (HN less than HC and CWS significantly, P<0.05). This indicated that compared to CWS, "no-till plus high stubble residue (HN)" offset the stimulations of conventional tillage on methane production and emission while simultaneously promoting the rice grain yield. Thus the multimanagement mode mitigated the GHGI of the double rice field significantly. Under the requirement of organic tillage and the sequestration of agricultural soil carbon pool, HN mode should be considered of great importance. This study can provide scientific support on the measurement choice of greenhouse gases effect reduction from the major rice production region of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three kinds of climate change simulation devices are used for study elevated CO2 concentration and air temperature increase: 1)Open system: Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) with Infrared Heating(IH); 2)Half-open system: Open-Top Chamber (OTC); 3)Close system: Environment Chamber(EC). But the extremely high hardware and running cost of FACE and IH are the main restricts for their application. EC system cannot represent the really condition with large extent of crop growth environment change. Traditional OTC system with much lower cost has nearly the same growth condition for crop, but it is a passive temperature increasing system and has no CO2 addition. To well use the advantage of Half-open OTC technique for climate change simulation, we improved the traditional Open-Top Chamber (OTC) device by adding heating module, CO2 injection module and air exchange module. A hexagonal OTC was designed with 1.2m side length and 2.5m height, and the CO2 tank used for CO2 injection source and semiconductor sheet sealed for the heating system. Air heating and CO2 injection were automatically controlled when pumping outside air into OTC by fans to simulate the elevated air temperature and CO2 concentration scenario. We applied the improved OTC in early rice season, and the OTC was emplaced in the real rice paddy field without obstacle at the bottom for water supply. And air temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration were measured by every 2 min. The results showed that the difference of daily mean deviation of air temperature of the controlled OTC and the objective simulation temperature can be controlled less than ±0.2℃ with the largest difference of -0.58℃, and the controlled deviation of CO2 concentration was -39.4~4.8 μL/L. This research indicated that the improved OTC can be applied to simulate the elevated air temperature and CO2 concentration of the future climate change scenario. Meanwhile, the relative humidity in improved OTC is also showed that relative humidity (RH) nearly has no change without temperature increase, and would increase by 2% if air temperature increased. In a word, this improved OTC device can be used to simulate elevated CO2 concentration and air temperature of early rice for climate change simulation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The cost-effectiveness of water-saving irrigation based climate change mitigation was researched. [•] The cost-effectiveness of water-saving irrigation based climate change adaptation was researched. [•] The mitigation and adaptation potential in the coming decade was researched. [•] Development proposal of water-saving irrigation was made according to cost-effectiveness analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the role of climate variability in the livelihoods of agricultural communities in Ningxia, Northwest China. Data sources comprise meteorological observations and official reports, complemented by questionnaires and focus group discussions designed around a livelihoods framework. Sample villages were located in three different agricultural systems: irrigated, mixed irrigated/grazing, and rainfed. Much of Ningxia is perennially dry and this is a significant limiting factor to agricultural production in the region, exacerbated by drought and buffered by irrigation mainly supplied from the Yellow River. Climate observations show stable temperatures from the 1950s to the 1980s followed by a positive trend (0.38°C/decade 1961-2010). Precipitation shows very modest trends and low decadal variability. Recent climate variability, particularly a drought from 2004-2006, was perceived to have had a significant effect on agricultural production and access to water, but it was not the only challenge respondents had faced. Susceptibility to drought was higher in the mixed irrigated and grazing and rainfed areas, due to farmers' greater exposure to climatic hazards and because a higher proportion of their income originated from farming activities. Respondents were using a wide range of measures to retain and enhance soil moisture and maintain agricultural production. The discussion examines challenges in disentangling the role of climate within rapidly changing livelihood systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although sensitivity analysis (SA) was conducted on the DeNitrification–DeComposition (DNDC) model, a global SA over a long period of time is lacking. We used a method of Bayesian analysis of computer code outputs (BACCO) with the Gaussian emulation machine for sensitivity analysis software (GEM-SA) to conduct a long-term SA of DNDC for predicting the annual change of soil organic carbon (dSOC), nitrous oxide emission (N2O) and grain yield of spring wheat. Twenty seven non-weather input parameters with wide ranges were selected for SA using weather data recorded from Three Hills, Alberta over 86 years (1921–2006). The SA had two steps: 1) a preliminary BACCO GEM-SA was conducted to identify a more accurate emulator sampling method and to screen out parameters with insignificant influence on model outcomes; and 2) final BACCO GEM-SA was conducted with optimal input design set for emulator training runs varying only the significant input parameters. Results indicated that the Maximin Latin Hypercube sampling method outperformed the LP-τ method with higher emulator accuracy. Most of the 27 input parameters contributed little to the three outputs by the first step BACCO GEM-SA. In the second step of BACCO GEM-SA there were only three (in the case of dSOC) and six (in the cases of N2O and yield) input parameters whose influence contributed to more than 10% of the total output variances by their total effects. Among the selected parameters, initial soil organic carbon and clay content are very important and were important in determining results for all three outputs. Sensitivities of some parameters, such as clay content and urea fertilizer amount changed dramatically over the years. This indicates that a single year SA may overestimate or underestimate a long-term parameter effect on the model prediction. The two-step procedure with the BACCO GEM-SA method improved the accuracy of SA and provided important information for model validation and parameterization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Methane is produced in anaerobic environments by obligate anaerobic microorganisms through the decomposition of organic matters. To investigate the regression relationships between methane emissions and soil microbes in a double-rice paddy under various field practices, a two-year study was conducted to investigate the seasonal variation of methane emissions and the total activities of soil microbes (TASM) as well as the populations of methanogens (PMET) using the static closed-chamber-GC (gas chromatography) and the most probable number methods. Seven management practices were included in this study to look at the average effect of field treatments on methane emissions and TASM as well as PMET,viz. CWS (conventional tillage + without straw residues + urea), NWS (no tillage + without straw residues + urea), SCU (conventional tillage + without straw residues + controlled-release urea), HN (high stubbles + no tillage + urea), HC (high stubbles + conventional tillage + urea), SN (straw cover + no tillage + urea) and SNF (straw cover + no tillage + urea + continuous flooding). The daily average values of methane emissions and TASM as well as PMET from seven treatments were used for the analysis. Regression analysis was conducted using the R statistical software. Different field practices have significant effect on methane flux and TASM and PMET and similar seasonal variations of methane flux and TASM as well as PMET were found during the rice-growing seasons. Pronounced positive correlations between methane flux and TASM, and PMET were observed. Such relationships can be well described by the exponential or quadratic polynomial models, respectively. Regression analysis indicated that PMET could explain individually at least 97% of variance of methane flux (R2 = 0.97,P < 0.001), while the fitting precision of multiple nonlinear regression model for methane flux with two predictors of TASM and PMET was slightly higher than the univariate regression analysis (R2 = 0.98,P < 0.001). However, as we know, methane emissions from paddy soils are affected by many factors, of which TASM and PMET are the most direct influential variants. In order to reasonably reveal the interactions between methane emissions and environmental factors, the multivariate nonlinear regression analysis should be carried out based on data derived from the extensive field experiments rather than few laboratory trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's green development has advanced national strategic requirements for excessive nitrogen application, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and efficient production in food systems. However, large challenges still exist in achieving these goals. In this study, a comprehensive meta-analysis and random forest identification were conducted to integrate nitrogen fertilization based nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emission data from field experiments in the dry farming system of China (DFSC), and to analyze the dependency of N 2 O emissions and crop yield on nitrogen inputs. We then quantified the potential reasonable nitrogen dose in the DFSC that would simultaneously reduce N 2 O emissions and favor China's green development. The results showed an absolute impact of nitrogen input on N 2 O emissions, and a significant nonlinear response between N 2 O emissions and nitrogen dose in the DFSC. However, the crop yield exhibited a different pattern: yields of cereal and cash crops in response to nitrogen input were modeled by a quadratic polynomial, especially at extremely high nitrogen rates (>300 kg N ha−1 for cereals and >600 kg N ha−1 for cash crops). The yield enhancing effect tended to be flat or even decrease. We propose to achieve a reasonable nitrogen dose by reducing the 1/3 nitrogen surplus in the DFSC, according to the various soil-climatic conditions. For cereal, cash, vegetable, tea and orchard crops, the values should be 98.72 – 133.46, 67.66 – 107.4, 258.53 – 470.57, 159.61–296.09 and 269.08–383.48 kg N ha−1, respectively. The findings of our investigation indicate that implementation of a reasonable nitrogen dosage will not give rise to a large yield decrease and will better contribute to meeting the requirements of N 2 O mitigation and a national green development strategy. • Nonlinear response of N 2 O emissions to N input exist in DFSC. • Crop yield in DFSC exhibited Quadratic polynomial correspondence to N application. • Reducing N 2 O emissions by abatement N use favors both food security and green development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are sensitive and vulnerable to climate change and human activities. Climate warming and overgrazing have already caused degradation in a large fraction of alpine grasslands on this plateau. However, it remains unclear how human activities (mainly livestock grazing) regulates vegetation dynamics under climate change. Here, alpine grassland productivity (substituted with the normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI) is hypothesized to vary in a nonlinear trajectory to follow climate fluctuations and human disturbances. With generalized additive mixed modelling (GAMM) and residual-trend (RESTREND) analysis together, both magnitude and direction of climatic (in terms of temperature, precipitation, and radiation) and anthropogenic impacts on NDVI variation were examined across alpine meadows, steppes, and desert-steppes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results revealed that accelerating warming and greening, respectively, took place in 76.2% and 78.8% of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The relative importance of temperature, precipitation, and radiation impacts was comparable, between 20.4% and 24.8%, and combined to explain 66.2% of NDVI variance at the pixel scale. The human influence was strengthening and weakening, respectively, in 15.5% and 14.3% of grassland pixels, being slightly larger than any sole climatic variable across the entire plateau. Anthropogenic and climatic factors can be in opposite ways to affect alpine grasslands, even within the same grassland type, likely regulated by plant community assembly and species functional traits. Therefore, the underlying mechanisms of how plant functional diversity regulates nonlinear ecosystem response to climatic and anthropogenic stresses should be carefully explored in the future. • Generalized additive model revealed nonlinear climatic and anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems. • Climate change dominantly drove grassland productivity changes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. • Human impacts on grassland productivity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau weakened in past decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) deposition-induced N input in alpine meadow soils may affect the soil exchange of methane (CH 4) with the atmosphere. The quantities and spatiotemporal variation in CH 4 uptake remain largely unknown for this ecosystem on a global scale. Previous studies regarding CH 4 flux have mainly focused on the growing season in alpine meadows. Thus, the impact of N deposition on the non-growing season uptake of CH 4 is unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of N deposition on CH 4 uptake during both the growing and non-growing seasons in an alpine meadow on the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The CH 4 fluxes were measured using static chambers and gas chromatography in four N deposition treatment areas (Control; N7, 7 kg N ha−1 yr−1; N20, 20 kg N ha−1 yr−1; N40, 40 kg N ha−1 yr−1) from May 2015 to August 2018. Our results showed that alpine meadow soils acted as CH 4 sinks throughout the year. N deposition significantly decreased CH 4 uptake fluxes (P < 0.05) and the annual mean CH 4 uptake fluxes declined at N deposition levels of 7, 20, and 40 kg N ha−1 yr−1 by 12.3%, 14.4%, and 20.5%, respectively, compared with that of the control. Annual CH 4 uptake was significantly correlated with total annual precipitation, mean annual air temperature, and N deposition rate. Annual cumulative CH 4 uptake in the four treatments across 3 years was 75.1 mg C m−2, where approximately 40% of the total annual CH 4 uptake occurred during the non-growing season. Our results showed that CH 4 uptake in the non-growing season cannot be ignored when estimating annual uptake of CH 4 because of the large CH 4 uptake during the non-growing season in the alpine meadow on the QTP under N deposition conditions. Contribution of different seasons to the annual cumulative CH 4 uptake in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. N7, N20, and N40 represent 7, 20, and 40 kg N ha−1 yr−1 nitrogen deposition, respectively. GSC = growing seasonal cumulative CH 4 uptake, NGSC = non-growing seasonal cumulative CH 4 uptake, AC = annual cumulative CH 4 uptake. Unlabelled Image • We investigated effects of N deposition on CH4 uptake in an alpine meadow on QTP. • N deposition significantly decreased CH4 uptake. • CH4 uptake in non-growing season accounted for about 40% of annual CH4 uptake. • CH 4 uptake was regulated by precipitation, air temperature and N deposition rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of grazing regime on functional genes were different at distinct grazing period. • Grazing regime affected the temporal variation of soil microbial functional genes. • Grazing rather than exclosure promote C fixation and decomposition and N cycling. • There existed trade-offs between plant and soil nutrients along the grazing time. • Continuous grazing promoted CH 4 metabolism. Microbial functional genes can reflect the nutrient cycle activities in soil, because they encode various enzymes involved in the material cycle. Therefore, the gene abundance variation can reveal the impact of interference on the material cycle of grassland. To study the cycle of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) between plant and soil in grassland under different grazing regimes, we investigated the soil microbial functional genes related to C, N, and P cycling by high-throughput quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA-based Illumina sequencing analysis under grazing exclusion (GE), rotational grazing (RG), and continuous grazing (CG) in alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, where climate is characterized by little rain and low temperature, and grassland is very sensitive to grazing. The results showed at the early grazing period, C fixtion (rbcL , korA , and frdA) and lignin degradation (abfA , xylA , exg , lig , exoPG , chiA , and glx) processes were slower under GE; CH 4 metabolism (mcrA) was faster under CG; RG and CG improved the denitrification process (narG); RG slowed down organic-P mineralization (phoD). At the late grazing period, C fixation (accA and frdA) and degradation (mnp , apu , and amyA) processes were slower under GE; CH 4 metabolism (pmoA and mxa) was faster under CG; RG and CG improved the ammonia-oxidizing (amoA2), nitrification (hao), and denitrification (nirS3 and nirK1) processes. The majority of the genes involved in C, N, and P cycling decreased, the C, N and P content in plant leaf decreased, while that of soil increased from early to late grazing period. No matter grazing or not, there were negative relationships between genes and soil nutrients, and positive relationships between genes and plant nutrients, implying a trade-off between plant nutrients and soil nutrients along the grazing time. The genes responsible for regulating C and N cycling were increased under grazing, implying that reasonable grazing is beneficial to the nutrients cycling of grassland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding on how soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, crop yield, and yield stability are influenced by climate is limited. To critically examine this, the impact of long-term (≥10 years) application of nutrient management practices on SOC storage, crop productivity, and yield stability were evaluated under different climatic conditions in China using a meta-analysis approach. The cropping area of China was divided into four distinct groups based on local climatic conditions (warm dry, DW; warm moist, WM; cool dry, CD; cool moist, CM). Results indicated that the impact of nutrient management practices on SOC storage, crop yield, and yield stability varies under different climatic zone in China. The use of unbalanced mineral fertilizer (UMF), and balanced mineral fertilizer (BMF) led to a loss in SOC storage by 6%, and 11% under CM climatic zone and gains in DW, WM, and CD climates. Organic fertilizers (OF), combined unbalanced mineral and organic fertilizers (UMOF), and combined balanced mineral and organic fertilizers (BMOF) were able to sustain and enhance SOC storage under all climatic conditions. However, the largest increase in SOC storage across all climates was seen for BMOF. Further, corresponding values of crop productivity and yield stability were also highest for BMOF among all the nutrient management treatments. A linear-plateau model indicated that maximal yield responsive SOC stock (C opt) levels ranged from 33.43 to 45.51 Mg C ha−1 for rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), and wheat (Triticum aestivum) production. To enhance and sustain SOC storage, and crop productivity of croplands under different climates, BMOF appears to be the most appropriate nutrient management strategy. Our findings demonstrate that it is essential to optimize nutrient management strategies according to the local climate to protect soil from SOC losses, and for achieving sustainable crop production. • The impact of nutrient managements on SOC storage, crop yield, and yield stability varies under different climatic zones. • Unbalanced mineral, and balanced mineral fertilizer led to a loss in SOC storage by 6%, and 11% under cool moist climate. • Combined balanced mineral with organic inputs is crucial for maximal SOC storage and crop yields under different climates. • Maximal yield responsive SOC stock levels ranged from 33.43 to 45.51 Mg C ha−1 for rice, maize, and wheat production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three isotopic methodologies were used to quantify the biogenic CH 4 production pathway. • AM processes predominant the CH 4 production in the agricultural river network. • Long-term measurements provide the new understanding of atmospheric CH 4. Methane (CH 4) emitted from river networks provides a globally significant, yet poorly constrained barrier for the refinement of national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and the global CH 4 budget. This study employed three isotopic methodologies, i.e., a simple mixing model, apparent fractionation factor, and dual isotopes (δ13C−CH 4 and δD−CH 4) to identify the biogenic CH 4 production pathway (BMPP) in a typical agricultural river network in subtropical China. The results indicated that the contribution of acetoclastic methanogenesis (AM) to BMPP in the Tuojia River network (TRN) ranged from 85 to 99%, with the first reach (S1) supporting the most biogenic CH 4 production. Furthermore, the α C value ranged from 1.00 to 1.039 and increased spatially over the four reaches (S1 to S4), while the α D value varied from 1.393 to 1.394, with S1 having the lowest value. The dual isotopes of δ13C and δD reflected a mixed BMPP. Clearly, the isotopic composition of CH 4 corroborated the predominance of AM in the BMPP in the TRN. Additionally, there was a remarkable spatiotemporal variation in δ13C−CH 4 and δD−CH 4 , as well as α C and α D. In combination with the correlation between the two paired isotopic signatures (antipathetic and positive, p < 0.05, respectively), this suggested a change in the BMPP in the TRN. The findings of our study implied that there was great impact of agricultural production and residential activities on environmental behavior of stable isotopes. Consequently, we recommend that multiple isotopic measures, based on long-term in situ isotopologue monitoring, should be applied when the uncertainties of CH 4 emissions from river networks are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Responses of green up to warming were different among years. • Water addition did not advance community phenology except in a dry and warm year. • Warming increased annual variability of plant green up and flowering. • Flowering of K. pygmaea advanced under warming plus water addition in all three years. • Soil moisture plays a critical role in determining phenological response to warming. Temperature and precipitation are primary regulators of plant phenology. However, our knowledge of how these factors might interact to affect plant phenology is incomplete. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a cold and high region, has experienced no consistent changes in spring phenology, despite a significant warming trend. We conducted a manipulative experiment of warming and precipitation addition in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in 2015 (cold and wet), 2016 (warm and dry) and 2017 (mild and very wet). We found that warming increased annual variability of plant spring phenology. Warming delayed green up of all monitored species in 2016, advanced green up of early flowering species in 2015, and did not alter green up in 2017. For example, green up of the shallow rooted Kobresia pygmaea advanced 8 (± 2) days in 2015 and was delayed by 23 (± 3) days in a dry year (2016) under warming compared with control. Early spring precipitation addition can offset the delaying effects of warming in a dry year on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Under warming plus precipitation addition, community average green up advanced compared to control plots in 2015 and 2016, and community average flowering advanced for all three years. In 2016, flowering of K. pygmaea (an early flowering species) advanced under warming plus precipitation addition compared to control while flowering of other species did not change. Our results highlight that annual variation of soil moisture condition plays a critical role in determining the magnitude and direction of spring phenology response to warming. We provide insights in how plant spring phenology might change in a warmer future in the presence or absence of precipitation increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River networks in subtropical agricultural hilly region become an inconvenient greenhouse gas (GHG, methane and nitrous oxide) source because of the influence of human activities, which has caused large uncertainties for refinement of national GHG inventories and their global budget. Based on field monitoring experiments at high temporal resolution, we employed regression tree and importance analysis to identify quantitatively factors that influence the diffusive flux of GHGs to provide a scientific basis for reducing GHG emissions and controlling regional carbon and nitrogen losses. The results indicate that significant spatiotemporal variation of methane (CH 4) nitrous oxide (N 2 O) diffusion occurs in all the four reaches (W1, W2, W3 and W4) of Tuojia river networks. Among them, W1 contributed lowest CH 4 (22.55 μg C m−2 h−1) and N 2 O (5.00 μg N m−2 h−1) diffusive flux than the other three (P < 0.05), while W4 offered highest CH 4 (166.15 μg C m−2 h−1) and N 2 O (30.47 μg N m−2 h−1) diffusive flux but with no statistically significant difference between W2 and W3 due to homogeneous extraneous nutrition loading into the two reaches. W4 also contributed largest cumulative flux of CH 4 (14.55 kg C ha−1 yr−1) and N 2 O (2.69 kg N ha−1 yr−1) in Tuojia River networks (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the regression tree and importance analysis indicate that, in the anaerobic environment, dissolved oxygen saturation controlled the production and diffusion for both CH 4 and N 2 O. The findings of this investigation highlighted that decision support tools provide an effective pathway to enhance the GHG mitigation technology research in agroecosystems and simultaneously shed light on the global campaign on refinement of national GHG inventories as well as regional nutrient management. Unlabelled Image • Higher reach of Tuojia River contributes more GHG diffusive flux. • There is significant impact of farming and living activities on behavior of GHGs transfer. • RTA revealed saturation of dissolved oxygen as most influential factor of GHG diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]