Meta-analysis of 21st century studies shows that deforestation induces profound changes in soil characteristics, particularly soil organic carbon accumulation
April 2025
Deforestation is one of the most serious environmental problems facing humankind. It continues to escalate rapidly across many regions of the world, thereby deteriorating the forest soil quality. This...
Potential for improved groundwater recharge and dry-season flows through forest landscape restoration on degraded lands in the tropics
December 2025
As interest in tropical forest restoration accelerates, understanding its hydrological implications is increasingly urgent. While concerns persist that reforestation will reduce annual water yields—particularly...
Biotic and abiotic factors jointly drive the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in forests worldwide
December 2025
The sensitivity of soil respiration (Rs) to temperature (Q10) is a key parameter for benchmarking the carbon (C) cycle and climate feedbacks in the context of global warming. However, previous studies...
Tree community composition modulates early-stage decomposition of standard litter through chemical and physical engineering
April 2026
Litter decomposition is an essential ecosystem process influenced by multiple factors, including substrate quality, climate, edaphic environment, and decomposer communities. However, the role of canopy...
Old-growth mixed beech-dominated forests continue accumulating carbon with advancing age
April 2026
Old-growth forests uniquely support biodiversity while serving as some of the planet's most important carbon stocks. The influence of tree and stand age on carbon flux dynamics remains debated—an urgent...
Leaf morphological trait integration and modularity provide insights into ecological adaptation in evergreen oaks
December 2025
The integration and modularity of leaf morphological traits are fundamental to plant adaptations, yet their responses to diverse environmental pressures remain unclear. In this study, we investigate...
The origin and beginnings of modern Continuous Cover Forestry in Europe
December 2025
Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) is a type of forest management that is based on ecological, environmental, and biological principles. Specific definitions of CCF greatly vary and the concept usually...
Evaporation dominates growing season evapotranspiration: A case study from a boreal larch forest with synchronized water supply and energy demand in China
April 2026
Understanding the relative contributions of transpiration (T) and evaporation (E) to evapotranspiration (ET) is critical for evaluating water use efficiency, ecosystem productivity, and soil–plant–atmosphere...
Disentangling drivers of organic layer and charcoal carbon stocks in boreal pine and spruce forests with different fire histories
December 2025
A key property of the boreal forest is that it stores huge amounts of carbon (C), especially belowground in the soil. Amounts of C stored in the uppermost organic layer of boreal forest soils vary greatly...
Global warming levels exceeding 2 °C may cause tipping point of low elevation forests in a peri-urban forest of the black forest foothills
April 2026
Climate change is impacting forests in Central Europe, causing increased mortality and degradation of forest ecosystem services (FES). As global warming intensifies, these effects are likely to worsen,...
The patterns of forest soil particulate and mineral associated organic carbon characteristics with latitude and soil depth across eastern China
April 2025
Forest ecosystems function as the largest carbon (C) sink in terrestrial ecosystems, and nearly half of the C in forest ecosystems is stored in forest soils. However, the patterns of two main fractions...
Topographic complexity drives trait composition as well as functional and phylogenetic diversity of understory plant communities in microrefugia: New insights for conservation
April 2025
Topographic complexity supports the maintenance of a high diversity of microhabitats, which may act as important ‘safe havens’ – or microrefugia – for biodiversity. Microrefugia are sites with specific...
Biodiversity in primary vs. managed forests: Biological legacies of old living and large dead trees drive lichen diversity
December 2025
Anthropogenic activities have significantly contributed to the loss and fragmentation of primary forests across the globe, which has accelerated biodiversity decline, particularly among highly specialised...
Allometric equations quantify accelerated growth and carbon fixation in trees of northeastern north America
December 2025
A tree's basal area (BA) and wood volume scale exponentially with tree diameter in species-specific patterns. Recent observed increases in tree growth suggest these allometric relationships are shifting...
Tree biomass allocation is governed by allometry but modulated by optimization
April 2026
Understanding the patterns and drivers of biomass allocation among organs at a broad scale is crucial for predicting the responses of plant growth and carbon sequestration to environmental change. However,...
Allometry-based estimation of forest aboveground biomass combining LiDAR canopy height attributes and optical spectral indexes
2022
Accurate estimates of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) are essential for global carbon cycle studies and have widely relied on approaches using spectral and structural information of forest canopies...
Microbial life strategies-mediated differences in carbon metabolism explain the variation in SOC sequestration between Kandelia obovata and Sonneratia apetala
December 2025
Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in mangrove blue carbon formation, yet the differences in microbe-mediated underlying SOC sequestration between introduced and native mangroves remain...
Height-based biomass models differ for naturally regenerated and planted young trees
April 2026
This study investigated biomass allocation in young stands of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) across 31 forest sites in the Western Carpathians, Slovakia....
Impact of heatwave and thinning on tree growth and soil water content in young lodgepole pine forests
April 2026
Extreme climate events (e.g., heatwaves and droughts) are becoming increasingly frequent due to global climate change, which inevitably affects tree growth and various other ecological processes. While...
Contrasting controls on symbiotic and asymbiotic nitrogen fixation rates along altitudinal gradients in subtropical forests
December 2025
Symbiotic and asymbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF and ANF), two forms of biological nitrogen (N) fixation, are the main pathways for external N inputs into natural terrestrial ecosystems. However, the...
Both composition and configuration of forests and urban development shape bat activity and diversity in North American temperate forests
December 2025
Temperate forest ecosystems are important habitats for many bat species. However, these habitats are increasingly affected by anthropogenic disturbances, particularly urban development, leading to landscapes...
Causes of co-existence of cool-temperate Fagus and warm-loving evergreen Quercus forests in central Italy during the Holocene thermal maximum
December 2025
Mediterranean forest communities are particularly diverse but at risk due to their sensitivity to global warming. Understanding the long-term vulnerability of Mediterranean vegetation to climate change...
Multidimensional factors influencing ecosystem services and their relationships in alpine ecosystems: A case study of the Daxing'anling forest area, Inner Mongolia
December 2025
Understanding the influencing factors of ecosystem services (ESs) and their relationships is essential for sustainable ecosystem management in degraded alpine ecosystems. There is a lack of integrated...
Leveraging missing-data remote sensing for forest inventory
April 2026
Remote sensing plays a pivotal role in forest inventory by enabling efficient large-scale monitoring while minimizing fieldwork costs. However, missing values pose a critical challenge in remote sensing...
Coarse woody debris requirements for maintaining land snail diversity in managed spruce forests
December 2025
Coarse woody debris (CWD) plays a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems by supporting habitat complexity and influencing soil properties. This study investigates the effects...