A Key Interaction Behind the Scenes: Dung Beetles in Livestock Production from Arid and Semi-Arid Rangelands

Pastoralism is a dominant agricultural activity in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The interaction between coprophagous insects and livestock is a key but an undervalued topic in rangeland management decisions. The objective was to identify similarities and differences in the composition of coprophagous insects and nesting strategies, associated with different climatic conditions within these regions. We performed a literature review of research articles available in the Scopus database which resulted in 17 articles. We examined the taxonomic diversity of dung beetles and their nesting strategies in relation to temperature and precipitation at the study sites. Results revealed a rich and varied interaction between dung beetles and livestock in arid and semi-arid environments, with 364 species from the Scarabaeoidea superfamily documented worldwide. The greatest diversity of dung beetles was reported in hot arid and semi-arid conditions with dry winters and in cold semi-arid ones with no marked annual precipitation cycle. These insects displayed diverse nesting strategies, with endocoprid strategies predominating in colder and drier settings, and paracoprid and telecoprid strategies in warmer, more humid environments. Domestic animal species are currently key components in promoting this interaction, which indicates that the ecological processes involving coprophagous fauna are occurring in production systems, which are under the influence of human decisions. We discuss the design and planning of livestock and rangeland management in arid and semi-arid environments, emphasizing in a more formalized manner the inclusion of this kind of interaction.

Inhibition of high sulfur on functional microorganisms and genes in slightly contaminated soil by cadmium and chromium

It is generally accepted that sulfur can passivate the bioavailability of heavy metals in soil, but it is not clear whether high sulfur in cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) contaminated soil has negative effect on soil microbial community and ecological function. In this study, total sulfur (TS) inhibited the Chao 1, Shannon, Phylogenetic diversity (Pd) of bacterial and Pd of fungi in slightly contaminated soil by Cd and Cr around pyrite. TS, total potassium, pH, total chromium, total cadmium, total nitrogen, soil organic matter were the predominant factors for soil microbial community; the contribution of TS in shaping bacterial and fungal communities ranked at first and fifth, respectively. Compared with the low sulfur group, the abundance of sulfur sensitive microorganisms Gemmatimonas, Pseudolabrys, MND1, and Schizothecium were decreased by 68.79-97.22% (p < 0.01) at high sulfur one; the carbon fixation, nitrogen cycling, phosphorus cycling and resistance genes abundance were significantly lower (p < 0.01) at the latter. Such variations were strongly and closely correlated to the suppression of energy metabolism (M00009, M00011, M00086) and carbon fixation (M00173, M00376) functional module genes abundance in the high sulfur group. Collectively, high sulfur significantly suppressed the abundances of functional microorganisms and functional genes in slightly contaminated soil with Cd and Cr, possibly through inhibition of energy metabolism and carbon fixation of functional microorganisms. This study provided new insights into the environmental behavior of sulfur in slightly contaminated soil with Cd and Cr.

Maize/peanut rotation intercropping improves ecosystem carbon budget and economic benefits in the dry farming regions of China

Monoculture is widely practiced to increase crop productivity, but long-term adaptation has drawbacks as it increases the depletion of soil nutrients and reduces soil quality, especially in dryland areas. Conversion from traditional maize monoculture to intercropping improves sustainable production. However, maize/peanut intercropping, especially rotation of planting strips impacts of maize/peanut intercropping in dryland on carbon (C) budgets and economic benefits remain unclear. In this study, a 5-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of maize/peanut intercropping with rotation of planting strips on soil health, indirect CO2-eq greenhouse gas emissions, and ecosystem C inputs. Four intercropping treatments viz. maize monoculture, peanut monoculture, maize/peanut intercropping, and maize/peanut rotation-intercropping were tested from 2018 to 2022. Maize/peanut rotation intercropping significantly improved the land equivalent ratio followed by intercropping and monoculture. Rotation-intercropping also improved economic benefits over intercropping and monoculture which were mainly associated with increased peanut yield where the border rows contributed the maximum, followed by the middle rows. Moreover, rotation-intercropping significantly increased the soil organic C and nitrogen (N) content. Rotation-intercropping decreased indirect CO2-eq greenhouse gas emissions and ecosystem C inputs by 3.11% and 18.04%, whereas increased ecosystem C outputs and net ecosystem C budget by 10.38% and 29.14%, respectively, over the average of monoculture. On average for intercropping and monoculture, rotation-intercropping increased ecosystem C emission efficiency for economic benefits by 51.94% and 227.27% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, showing the highest C utilization efficiency than other treatments. In the long run, maize/peanut rotation-intercropping can be practiced in dryland agriculture to achieve sustainable agriculture goals.

Sero-prevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in dryland of Borana, southern Oromia, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the largest African countries where livestock farming represent a relevant resource for the economy and the livelihood of the population. Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is among the transboundaries animal disease that is hindering cattle farming in Ethiopia. Due to the limited resources of veterinary services, disease control and surveillance is discontinuous and occasional field investigations of target areas contribute to depict disease spreading in the country. The study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence, at herd and animal level, and identify the risk factors involved in CBPP diffusion and persistence in the Borana pastoral zone. A total of 498 serum samples were collected from 120 cattle herds and tested using competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (c-ELISA). Of 120 herds sampled, 37 (30.83%; (95% CI = 22.73-39.91%) were tested positive to CBPP antibody. Out of 498 sera samples tested 46 (9.24%; 95% CI = 6.84-12.13%) were positive. The highest prevalence was observed in Teltele (12/95; 12.90%; 95% CI = 6.7-21%) followed by Yabello (12/104; 11.54%; 95% CI = 6.1-19.3%) and Arero (10/91; 10.99%; 95% CI = 95% CI = 5.4-19.3%), whereas the lowest prevalence was observed in Gomole (5/101; 6.42%; 95% CI = 1.6-11.2%) and Dubluk (7/109; 4.95%; 95% CI = 2.6-12.8%) districts and statistically not significant (p > 0.05). Results of multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that, age, herd movement and herd size of the animals had statistically significant effect on sero-positivity to CBPP (p < 0.05). Sex, season and body condition were not significantly (p > 0.05) associated with the occurrence of CBPP. The study confirms that CBPP is persistent in the territory and remain as a major problem that affects health and productivity of cattle. Therefore, awareness creation to the pastoralists in the study area about the effect of CBPP and designing appropriate control methods has a paramount importance to improve the health and productivity of cattle production in the area.

Mapping biocrust distribution in China's drylands under changing climate

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are widely distributed in global drylands and have multiple significant roles in regulating dryland soil and ecosystem multifunctionality. However, maps of their distribution over large spatial scales are uncommon and sometimes unreliable, because our current remote sensing technology is unable to efficiently discriminate between biocrusts and vascular plants or even bare soil across different ecosystem and soil types. The lack of biocrust spatial data may limit our ability to detect risks to dryland function or key tipping points. Here, we indirectly mapped biocrust distribution in China's drylands using spatial prediction modeling, based on a set of occurrences of biocrusts (379 in total) and high-resolution soil and environmental data. The results showed that biocrusts currently cover 13.9 % of China's drylands (or 5.7 % of China's total area), with moss-, lichen-, and cyanobacterial-dominated biocrusts each occupying 5.7 % to 10.7 % of the region. Biocrust distribution is mainly determined by soil properties (soil type and contents of gravel and nitrogen), aridity stress, and altitude. Their most favorable habitat is arenosols with low contents of gravel and nitrogen, in climate with a drought index of 0.54 and an altitude of about 500 m. By 2050, climate change will lead to a 5.5 %-9.0 % reduction in biocrust cover. Lichen biocrusts exhibit a high vulnerability to climate change, with potential reductions of up to 19.0 % in coverage. Biocrust cover loss is primarily caused by the combined effects of the elevated temperature and increased precipitation. Our study provides the first high-resolution (250 × 250 m) map of biocrust distribution in China's drylands and offers a reliable approach for mapping regional or global biocrust colonization. We suggest incorporating biocrusts into Earth system models to identify their significant impact on global or regional-scale processes under climate change.

Soil erodibility for water and wind erosion and its relationship to vegetation and soil properties in China's drylands

Drylands with fragile socio-ecological systems are vulnerable to soil erosion. China's drylands face the dual threat of water (WAE) and wind erosion (WIE). To mitigate soil erosion in drylands, China has implemented numerous ecological restoration measures. However, whether vegetation and soil have different effects on soil erodibility for water erosion (soil erodibility, K) and wind erosion (soil erodible fraction, EF) in drylands is unclear, hindering decision makers to develop suitable ecological restoration strategies. Here, we conducted a large-scale belt transect survey to explore the spatial variation of K and EF in China's drylands, and examined the linear and nolinear effects of aridity (aridity index), vegetation (fractional vegetation cover and below-ground biomass), and soil properties (bulk density, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) on K and EF. The results showed in China's drylands that the K ranges from 0.02 to 0.07, with high values recorded in the northern Loess Plateau and the eastern Inner Mongolia Plateau. The EF ranges from 0.26 to 0.98, and shows longitudinal zonation with higher values in the east and lower values in the west. Aridity has a negative linear effect on K and an inverse U-shaped nonlinear effect on EF. Aridity can affect K and EF by suppressing vegetation growth and disrupting soil properties. However, K and EF had different responses to some vegetation and soil variables. K and EF had opposite relationships with soil bulk density, and EF was significantly affected by fractional vegetation cover, while K was not. Overall, the effects of aridity and soil properties on soil erodibility were more pronounced than those from vegetation, whose effect on soil erodibility was limited. This study provides relevant information to support reducing soil water and wind erosion by highlighting the hotspot areas of soil erodibility, relevant for implementing vegetation restoration and soil conservation measures in drylands.

Root endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in a natural hot desert are differentially regulated in dry and wet seasons by stochastic processes and functional traits

Dryland ecosystems experience seasonal cycles of severe drought and moderate precipitation. Desert plants may develop symbiotic relationships with root endophytic microbes to survive under the repeated wet and extremely dry conditions. Although community coalescence has been found in many systems, the colonization by functional microbes and its relationship to seasonal transitions in arid regions are not well understood. Here we examined root endophytic microbial taxa, and their traits in relation to their root colonization, during the dry and wet seasons in a hot desert of the southwestern United States. We used high-throughput DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer gene profiling of five desert shrubs, and analyzed the seasonal change in endophytic microbial lineages. Goodness of fit to the neutral community model in relationship to microbial traits was evaluated. In summer, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidia increased, although this was not genus-specific. For fungi, Glomeraceae selectively increased in summer. In winter, Gram-negative bacterial genera, including those capable of nitrogen fixation and plant growth promotion, increased. Neutral model analysis revealed a strong stochastic influence on endophytic bacteria but a weak effect for fungi, especially in summer. The taxa with higher frequency than that predicted by neutral model shared environmental adaptability and symbiotic traits, whereas the frequency of pathogenic fungi was at or under the predicted value. These results suggest that community assembly of bacteria and fungi is regulated differently. The bacterial community was affected by stochastic and deterministic processes via bacterial response to drought (response trait), beneficial effect on plants (effect trait), and likely stable mutualistic interactions with plants suggested by the frequency of nodule bacteria. For fungi, mycorrhizal fungi were selected by plants in summer. The regulation of beneficial microbes by plants in both dry and wet seasons suggests the presence of plant-soil positive feedback in this natural desert ecosystem.

An integrated framework for improving watershed management planning

Proper land use and management (LUM) planning is pivotal to curbing land degradation and ensuring sustainable use of limited watershed resources. Despite decades of research and development efforts, land degradation remains a serious environmental problem in many parts of the world. Issues regarding the sustainability of current LUM initiatives are due to poor linkages between the ecological and socio-economic dimensions of LUM decisions, and an integrated framework allowing LUM interventions to be properly planned and implemented is lacking. In this study, we developed an integrated framework to identify, evaluate, and propose LUM alternatives with ecological and socio-economic benefits. The framework comprises six components: (i) identification of land use problems and setting of objectives, (ii) identification of the best-performing land use-based integrated solutions, (iii) formulation of LUM alternatives and modeling of key indicators, (iv) cost-benefit analysis, (v) evaluation of the LUM alternatives with stakeholders engagement, and (vi) communication of the LUM alternatives to relevant stakeholders to obtain institutional and financial support for implementation. To demonstrate the use of this framework, we conducted a case study in the Aba Gerima watershed of the Upper Blue Nile basin in Ethiopia. This study used extensive plot- and watershed-scale observations (2015-2019) obtained under both conventional and improved sustainable land management practices. We analyzed changes in runoff, soil loss, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, and land productivity of five LUM alternatives as compared to a baseline scenario (existing farming practices). The results showed that the LUM alternatives reduced runoff by 11-71% and soil loss by 66-95%, and SOC stock and watershed-scale land productivity were improved by 36-104% and 48-134%, respectively. Evaluation of LUM alternatives by stakeholders, including land users, policy makers, and researchers, produced divergent results. In particular, land users prioritized implementation of sustainable land management practices without altering existing land uses. The integrated framework developed in this study can serve as a valuable tool for identifying, evaluating, and proposing LUM alternatives and facilitating decision-making in planning and implementation of LUM practices in watersheds experiencing land degradation.

Precipitation Drives Soil Protist Diversity and Community Structure in Dry Grasslands

Protists are essential components of soil microbial communities, mediating nutrient cycling and ecosystem functions in terrestrial ecosystems. However, their distribution patterns and driving factors, particularly, the relative importance of climate, plant and soil factors, remain largely unknown. This limits our understanding of soil protist roles in ecosystem functions and their responses to climate change. This is particularly a concern in dryland ecosystems where soil microbiomes are more important for ecosystem functions because plant diversity and growth are heavily constrained by environmental stresses. Here, we explored protist diversity and their driving factors in grassland soils on the Tibetan Plateau, which is a typical dryland region with yearly low temperatures. Soil protist diversity significantly decreased along the gradient of meadow, steppe, and desert. Soil protist diversity positively correlated with precipitation, plant biomass and soil nutrients, but these correlations were changed by grazing. Structural equation and random forest models demonstrated that precipitation dominated soil protist diversity directly and indirectly by influencing plant and soil factors. Soil protist community structure gradually shifted along meadow, steppe and desert, and was driven more by precipitation than by plant and soil factors. Soil protist community compositions were dominated by Cercozoa, Ciliophora and Chlorophyta. In particular, Ciliophora increased but Chlorophyta decreased in relative abundance along the gradient of meadow, steppe and desert. These results demonstrate that precipitation plays more important roles in driving soil protist diversity and community structure than plant and soil factors, suggesting that future precipitation change profoundly alters soil protist community and functions in dry grasslands.

Sand dam contributions to year-round water security monitored through telemetered handpump data

Sand dams are a form of rainwater harvesting, prolific in arid and semi-arid lands. Water is provided partly via handpumps, which, as the only improved method of abstraction from sand dams, are important for drinking water security. Accelerometers and cellular transmitters were fitted to 30 handpumps by the Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF) in 2019 to monitor the use and reliability of the handpumps by recording hourly water volume abstracted. Data from April 2019 to October 2021 for 26 of these sites, alongside qualitative data, were analysed and each handpump's contribution to year-round water security was explored, focusing on the long dry season when water supply from other sources is compromised. Abstraction was over 20 times higher in the long dry season than in any other season, and at sites with higher salinity, higher livestock use, and larger dam wall area. At 21 wells, abstraction was still being recorded at the end of at least one long dry season; however, high spatial and temporal heterogeneity between pumps and seasons means that not all sand dams deliver reliable water supply year-round. Quantifying the contribution that sand dams make to water security is crucial for understanding their resilience against a changing climate and can aid decision makers when choosing the most appropriate water management technique. Knowledge of temporal and site heterogeneity in abstraction can inform when other water sources need increasing and can help with sand dam design optimisation. Overall, our results indicate the positive contribution that sand dams make to year-round water security through the water that is abstracted through handpumps.

Nitrogen fertilization and precipitation affected Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in dryland the Loess Plateau of South Shanxi, China

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple crop worldwide, and its yield has improved since the green revolution, which was attributed to chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. An experiment was conducted to set seven nitrogen application levels of N0, N90, N120, N150, N180, N210 and N240 kg ha^-1 before sowing. The results showed that grain yield under the nitrogen rate of N210 kg ha^-1 was significantly increase the water intake during jointing to anthesis, Soil water storage of dryland wheat in fallow period was higher than water consumption in jointing stage and the leaf area index at anthesis, the tiller percentage rate, the jointing-anthesis, and nitrogen accumulation were closely related to yield and its components. Nitrogen fertiliser rate N150 kg ha^-1 significantly increased dry matter buildup from jointing to flowering in dryland wheat compared to N fertiliser rate N210 kg ha^-1. The rise of nitrogen application rate, there were no significant variance in nitrogen accumulation of Stem + leaf sheath and cob + glume at maturity, respectively. N fertiliser rate N210 kg ha^-1 compared to N180 kg ha^-1 significantly reduced grain gliadin content in dryland wheat, respectively. Wheat crops under N210 kg ha^-1 could achieve both high NUE and grain yield simultaneously with only moderate N fertilizer in South Shanxi, China.

Divergent effects of intensified precipitation on primary production in global drylands

Amplification of hydrological cycle under warming climate is anticipated to result in intensified precipitation characterized by fewer, more intense events and correspondingly longer dry intervals between events, even without major changes in annual total precipitation. Vegetation gross primary production (GPP) in drylands is highly responsive to intensified precipitation, however, how intensified precipitation influences GPP in global drylands is not well understood. Based on multiple satellite datasets from 2001 to 2020 and in-situ measurements, we investigated the effects of intensified precipitation on global drylands GPP under diverse annual total precipitation along the bioclimate gradient. Dry, normal, and wet years were identified as years with annual precipitation anomalies below, within, and above the range of one standard deviation. Intensified precipitation led to increases or decreases of GPP during dry or normal years, respectively. However, such effects were largely weakened during wet years. The responses of GPP to intensified precipitation were mirrored by soil water availability, as intensified precipitation enhanced root zone soil moisture, and thus vegetation transpiration and precipitation use efficiency during dry years. During wet years, root zone soil moisture showed less response to changed precipitation intensity. Land cover types and soil texture regulated the magnitude of the effects along the bioclimate gradient. Under intensified precipitation, shrubland and grassland distributed in drier region with coarse soil texture showed greater increases of GPP during dry years. As global precipitation will likely further intensify, the impacts of intensified precipitation on dryland carbon uptake capacity will be highly diverse along the bioclimate gradients.

Driving factors of soil organic carbon sequestration under straw returning across China's uplands

Straw returning is suggested as a sustainable agricultural practice to promote soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, whose magnitude can be influenced by climatic, edaphic and agronomic factors simultaneously. However, the driving factors regulating straw returning-induced SOC increase in China's uplands remain uncertain. This study conducted a meta-analysis by collecting data from 238 trials at 85 field sites. The results showed that straw returning significantly increased SOC content by an average of 16.1% ± 1.5% with an average sequestration rate of 0.26 ± 0.02 g kg^-1 yr^-1. The improvement effects were significantly better in the northern China (NE-NW-N) than in the eastern and central (E-C). SOC increases were more pronounced in C-rich and alkaline soils, in cold and dry climates, and under larger amounts of straw-C and moderate nitrogen fertilizer inputs. Longer experimental period resulted in higher SOC increase rates but lower SOC sequestration rates. Furthermore, partial correlation analysis and structural equation modelling revealed that total straw-C input was the key driving factor of SOC increase rate whereas straw returning duration was the dominant limiting factor of SOC sequestration rate across China. Climate conditions were potential limiting factors of SOC increase rate in NE-NW-N and SOC sequestration rate in E-C. It was suggested that straw returning with large application amounts should be more strongly recommended in uplands in NE-NW-N especially in the straw applications at the beginning, from the perspective of SOC sequestration.

Water abstraction of invasive Prosopis juliflora and native Senegalia senegal trees: A comparative study in the Great Rift Valley Area, Ethiopia

Besides direct water abstraction, natural water scarcity in semi-arid and arid regions may be further exacerbated by human-assisted changes in vegetation composition, including the invasion by non-native plant species. Water abstraction by the invasive tree Prosopis juliflora and by the native Senegalia senegal was compared in the dry Great Rift Valley, Ethiopia. Transpiration rates were quantified using the heat ratio method on six trees each of P. julifora and S. senegal, growing adjacent to each other in the same environment. Water use for P. juliflora trees ranges from 1 to 26 L/day (an average of 4.74 ± 1.97), and that of S. senegal trees from 1 to 38 L/day (an average of 5.48 ± 5.29 during two study years). For both species, soil heat, latent heat, and soil moisture status influenced the rates of sap flow of trees; in addition, water use by P. juliflora trees was related to vapor pressure deficit; the higher the vapor pressure deficit, the higher the water abstraction by P. juliflora. Stand densities of pure P. juliflora and S. senegal were 1200-1600 trees and 400-600 trees per ha, respectively. At the stand scale, P. juliflora consumed approximately 6636 L/day/ha (transpiration: 242 mm per year) and S. senegal stands consumed 2723 L/day/ha (transpiration: 87 mm per year). That is, P. juliflora stands consumed three times more water than S. senegal stands, because of two reasons: (1) P. juliflora stands are denser than S. senegal stands, and denser stands consume more water than less dense stands, and (2) P. juliflora is evergreen and uses water all year-round, while S. senegal sheds its leaves during the peak dry seasons. Our findings suggest that, compared to S. senegal, P. juliflora invasion results in severe impacts on groundwater resources of the drylands of Ethiopia, with direct and indirect consequences to ecosystem services and rural livelihoods.

CRISPR-FISH: A CRISPR/Cas9-Based In Situ Labeling Method

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been widely used to visualize target DNA sequences in fixed chromosome samples by denaturing the dsDNA to allow complementary probe hybridization, thus damaging the chromatin structure by harsh treatments. To overcome this limitation, a CRISPR/Cas9-based in situ labeling method was developed, termed CRISPR-FISH. This method is also known as RNA-guided endonuclease-in situ labeling (RGEN-ISL). Here we present different protocols for the application of CRISPR-FISH on acetic acid: ethanol or formaldehyde-fixed nuclei and chromosomes as well as tissue sections for labeling repetitive sequences in a range of plant species. In addition, methods on how immunostaining can be combined with CRISPR-FISH are provided.

Datasets supporting the adoption of multifunctional cover crops related to soil water and nitrogen in water-limited environments

Crop diversification with cover crops could deliver a wide range of agroecosystem services including water conservation, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and crop productivity as well as reducing the negative environmental footprint of conventional fallows. However, the potential competition of cover crops and subsequent cash crops on plant available water and soil mineral nitrogen (N) has limited the adoption of cover cropping for fallow replacement in water-limited environments. This article provides datasets for understanding the multifunctional role of cover crops as an alternative paradigm to conventional fallow in water-limited environments. The dataset is divided into four components comprising measured cover crop parameters (21 variables, n = 144), soil water (4 variables, n = 2,159), soil mineral N (4 variables, n = 1440), and site characteristics (8 variables). The datasets consist of crop resource quantity (biomass, N uptake, δ¹⁵N (‰), fixed shoot N, and water use), resource quality (C/N ratio, lignin, acid detergent fibre, and N concentration), and soil status (plant available water and mineral N) at field scale. The data supports the framework of the continuous development of alternative innovative cropping systems that have the potential to increase and maintain crop yield while minimizing the adverse effects of conventional fallowing in the context of sustainable intensification. The datasets are associated with the original research article published in Agriculture, Ecosystem, and Environment entitled "Fallow replacement cover crops impact soil water and nitrogen dynamics in a semi-arid sub-tropical environment" as Garba et al. [1].

Patch and matrix characteristics determine the outcome of ecosystem engineering by mole rats in dry grasslands

Background

Burrowing mammals are important ecosystem engineers, especially in open ecosystems where they create patches that differ from the surrounding matrix in their structure or ecosystem functions.

Methods

We evaluated the fine-scale effects of a subterranean ecosystem engineer, the Lesser blind mole rat on the vegetation composition of sandy dry grasslands in Hungary. In this model system we tested whether the characteristics of the patch (mound size) and the matrix (total vegetation cover in the undisturbed grassland) influence the structural and functional contrasts between the mounds and the undisturbed grasslands. We sampled the vegetation of 80 mounds and 80 undisturbed grassland plots in four sites, where we recorded the total vegetation cover, and the occurrence and cover of each vascular plant species. We used two proxies to characterise the patches (mounds) and the matrix (undisturbed grassland): we measured the perimeter of the mounds and estimated the total vegetation cover of the undisturbed grasslands. First, we compared the vegetation characteristics of the mounds and the surrounding grasslands with general linear models. Second, we characterised the contrasts between the mounds and the undisturbed grassland by relative response indices (RRIs) of the vegetation characteristics studied in the first step.

Results

Species composition of the vegetation of the mounds and undisturbed grasslands was well separated in three out of the four study sites. Mounds were characterised by lower vegetation cover, lower cover of perennial graminoids, and higher diversity, and evenness compared to undisturbed grasslands. The contrast in vegetation cover between mounds and undisturbed grasslands increased with decreasing patch size. Increasing vegetation cover in the matrix grasslands increased the contrasts between the mounds and undisturbed grasslands in terms of total cover, perennial graminoid cover, diversity, and evenness. Our results suggest that mole rat mounds provide improved establishment conditions for subordinate species, because they are larger than other types of natural gaps and are characterised by less intense belowground competition. The ecosystem engineering effect, i.e., the contrast between the patches and the matrix was the largest in the more closed grasslands.

Intermediate human activities maximize dryland ecosystem services in the long-term land-use change: Evidence from the Sangong River watershed, northwest China

Human activities cause widespread changes in landscape composition, which can affect ecosystem services produced by these landscapes. It is usually believed that ecosystem services can be maximized only when we eliminate all human activities. However, this belief is not the case, at least in dryland ecosystems. Here, a gradient of human activity intensity was used to investigate changes in the value of ecosystem services over 30-years of land-use change between 1990 and 2020 in the arid Sangong River watershed of northwest China. Spatial analyses were performed to determine how the value of dryland ecosystem services changed with human activity intensity. Stepwise regressions and linear programming models were also performed to examine how to optimize the value of ecosystem services (i.e., regulating services, provisioning services, supporting services, and cultural services). We found that landscapes of the Sangong River watershed became increasingly fragmented and that human activities gradually intensified, but the value of ecosystem services fluctuated rather than linearly decreasing over the past 30 years. Specifically, a unimodal relationship was observed between human activities and ecosystem services. The peak value of ecosystem services was 5799 USD ha^-1 yr^-1 under intermediate human activity intensity (i.e., human footprint index ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 at a scale of one). Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, population, and water consumption were the three most important driving factors of human activities and ecosystem services. Our results suggest that intermediate human activities may maximize dryland ecosystem services in long-term land-use change at the watershed scale, and highlight the importance of regulating economic development, population, and water consumption for the management of dryland ecosystem services.

Exploiting the miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements insertion polymorphisms as an efficient DNA marker system for genome analysis and evolutionary studies in wheat and related species

Transposable elements (TEs) constitute ~80% of the complex bread wheat genome and contribute significantly to wheat evolution and environmental adaptation. We studied 52 TE insertion polymorphism markers to ascertain their efficiency as a robust DNA marker system for genetic studies in wheat and related species. Significant variation was found in miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) insertions in relation to ploidy with the highest number of "full site" insertions occurring in the hexaploids (32.6 ± 3.8), while the tetraploid and diploid progenitors had 22.3 ± 0.6 and 15.0 ± 3.5 "full sites," respectively, which suggested a recent rapid activation of these transposons after the formation of wheat. Constructed phylogenetic trees were consistent with the evolutionary history of these species which clustered mainly according to ploidy and genome types (SS, AA, DD, AABB, and AABBDD). The synthetic hexaploids sub-clustered near the tetraploid species from which they were re-synthesized. Preliminary genotyping in 104 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) showed predominantly 1:1 segregation for simplex markers, with four of these markers already integrated into our current DArT-and SNP-based linkage map. The MITE insertions also showed stability with no single excision observed. The MITE insertion site polymorphisms uncovered in this study are very promising as high-potential evolutionary markers for genomic studies in wheat.

The role of potassium on drought resistance of winter wheat cultivars under cold dryland conditions: Probed by chlorophyll a fluorescence

Potassium (K) is an important cation that regulates plant metabolism. Therefore the effect of different concentrations of potassium (0, 75, 150 kg ha^-1 K₂SO₄) on photosynthesis efficiency of three winter wheat cultivars (Baran, Homa, Hashtrud) was investigated during the growing seasons of 2017-18 and 2018-19 under cold dryland conditions in Maragheh, Iran. Accumulation of potassium ion (K⁺) was observed to be increased with an increase in the concentration of K₂SO₄. With an increase in K⁺ the Hashtrud cultivar was observed to have more relative water content (RWC), normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI), and stomatal conductance (gs) than other cultivars. This resulted in a higher grain yield for the Hashtrud cultivar. RWC (R² = 0.97), NDVI (R² = 0.96), and gs (R² = 0.92) had a positive relationship with KUE (grain yield/unit of K fertilizer used), especially in dryer years. K deficiency induced hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in plants. The application of K increased superoxide dismutases and reduced abscisic acid, to maintain the plants' stomatal conductance. Chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) and the calculation of double normalized relative variable fluorescence reveal detailed information's about the response of wheat plants to K application under dryland conditions. The application of a high concentration of K (150 kg ha^-1 K₂SO₄) on Hashtrud plants had a beneficial effect on the ChlF efficiency at different OJIP phases (KJ and JI). We found the efficiency of ChlF at the ΔW_K-I phase with the values of F_V/F_O and PI_ABS improved with the application of 150 kg ha^-1 K₂SO₄ and can be correlated with total yield improvement. These observations indicated that the application of a high concentration of K in stressed conditions for dryland areas could improve photosynthetic efficiency and wheat plant performance.

Seedling responses to soil moisture amount versus pulse frequency in a successfully encroaching semi-arid shrub

Rainfall timing, frequency, and quantity is rapidly changing in dryland regions, altering dryland plant communities. Understanding dryland plant responses to future rainfall scenarios is crucial for implementing proactive management strategies, particularly in light of land cover changes concurrent with climate change. One such change is woody plant encroachment, an increasing abundance of woody plants in areas formerly dominated by grasslands or savannas. Continued woody plant encroachment will depend, in part, on seedling capacity to establish and thrive under future climate conditions. Seedling performance is primarily impacted by soil moisture conditions governed by precipitation amount (quantity) and frequency. We hypothesized that (H1) seedling performance would be enhanced by both greater soil moisture and pulse frequency, such that seedlings with similar mean soil moisture would perform best under high pulse frequency. Alternatively, (H2) mean soil moisture would have greater influence than pulse frequency, such that a given pulse frequency would have little influence on seedling performance. The hypotheses were tested with Prosopis velutina, a shrub native to the United States that has encroached throughout its range and is invasive in other continents. Seedlings were grown in a greenhouse under two soil moisture treatments, each which was maintained by two pulse frequency treatments. Contrary to H1, mean soil moisture had greater impact than pulse frequency on seedling growth, photosynthetic gas exchange, leaf chemistry, and biomass allocation. These results indicate that P. velutina seedlings may be more responsive to rainfall amount than frequency, at least within the conditions seedlings experienced in this experimental manipulation.

Rare soil bacteria are more responsive in desertification restoration than abundant bacteria

Soil microbes play key roles in ecosystem functions, especially in the recovery of ecosystems from disturbance, and exploring community assembly under changing environments has long been a central theme in microbial ecology. The response of abundant and rare bacteria in desertified land to restoration is still unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of vegetation restoration on the assemblage patterns of abundant and rare bacteria in soil across the four sandy lands (Hulunbeir, Horqin, Otindag, and Mu Us) in northern China. Our results revealed that abundant bacteria maintained a relatively stable state under restoration, whereas rare taxa were more responsive, indicating the higher resilience of the rare community to change. Our network analysis also showed that restoration promoted destabilizing properties in rare, but not in abundant, bacterial co-occurrence networks in soil. Environmental selection played a key role in abundant and rare community assembly under restoration. Of the two, the rare subcommunity was mainly affected by environmental filtering. The variations in the abundant and rare communities at the sampling sites under restoration were controlled mainly by plant species richness, and stronger effects were observed in the rare taxa. Overall, these results provide new insight into the mechanisms controlling bacterial community assembly in response to vegetation restoration.

Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and its chemical drivers across dryland habitats

Qatar is largely characterized by a hyper-arid climate and low soil fertility which create a stressful soil environment for arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In a study of AM fungal communities and their relationship with soil chemical characteristics, we used a high-throughput sequencing technique to explore AM fungal diversity and community composition in different habitats across Qatar. We identified a total of 79 AM fungal taxa, over 77% of which were species from the Glomeraceae family. The lowest AM fungal diversity was observed in saltmarsh and in one rawdha site, while the highest richness, effective number of species, and diversity were observed in rawdha and sabkha communities. NMDS and multiple regression analyses showed that AM fungi were negatively correlated with soil pH and TC, but positively correlated with K and NO₃^-. AM fungi also were positively correlated with Cd, with the latter suggesting that very low levels of heavy metals may not always be harmful to AM fungi. These findings provide baseline information on AM fungal assemblages and the chemical drivers of diversity across communities in Qatar. This work partly compensates for the current lack of broad-scale studies in the Arabian Peninsula by providing understanding of overall patterns of AM fungi and their drivers in the region.

Impact of climate change on greenhouse gas emissions and water balance in a dryland-cropping region with variable precipitation

Wheat covers a significant fraction of the US Pacific Northwest (PNW) dryland agriculture. Past studies have suggested that management practices can differentially affect productivity and emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) across the different agro-ecological Zones (AEZs) in PNW. In this study we used CropSyst, a biophysically-based cropping systems model that simulates crop processes and water and nitrogen cycles, with the purpose of evaluating relevant scenarios and contributing analyses to inform adaptation and mitigation strategies aimed at reducing and managing the risks of climate change. We compared the baseline historical period of 1980-2010 with three future periods: 2015-2045 (2030s), 2035-2065 (2050s), and 2055-2085 (2070s). The uncertainty of the future climate was captured using 12 general circulation models (GCMs) forced with two representative carbon dioxide concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and 8.5). The study region was divided into three AEZs: crop-fallow (CF), continuous cropping to fallow transition (CCF), and continuous cropping (CC). The results indicated that areas with higher precipitation, N fertilization, and mineralization produced more N₂O emissions during both baseline and future periods. The average annual N₂O emission during the baseline period was between 1.8 and 4.1 kg ha^-1 depending on AEZ. The overall N₂O emission showed decreasing future trends from 2030s to 2070s which resulted from a higher proportion of N used by crops. From 2015 to 2085 under RCP 4.5, the average N₂O emission was between 1.8 and 4.4 kg ha^-1 year^-1. They are slightly higher under RCP 8.5 since it is a warmer scenario. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content decreased during the baseline period while SOC did not reach equilibrium with the cropping systems considered in the study. SOC decreased during the future periods as well, with rate of change ranging from -146 to -352 kg ha^-1year^-1 depending on AEZ and RCP. Warming increased SOC oxidation in future scenarios, but after an initial increase of SOC losses during the 2030s period, the rate of SOC losses decreased in the 2050s, and more so in the 2070s as SOC and carbon input reached equilibrium with losses. Higher carbon input resulted from higher biomass production under elevated CO₂ scenarios. The total GHG emissions were 1.95, 3.16 and 4.84 Mg CO₂-equivalent ha^-1year^-1 under RCP 4.5, and 1.99, 3.43 and 5.49 Mg CO₂-equivalent ha^-1year^-1 under RCP 8.5 during 2070s in CF, CCF and CC respectively, with N₂O accounting for about 81% of total GHG emissions.

Agroecology-based soil erosion assessment for better conservation planning in Ethiopian river basins

Soil erosion by water is one of the main environmental concerns in Ethiopia. Several studies have examined this at plot and watershed scales, but no systematic study of soil erosion severity and management solutions at national scale is available. This study investigated soil erosion and the potential of land-cover- and agroecology-specific land management practices in reducing soil loss through employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation and the best available datasets. The mean rate of soil loss by water erosion in Ethiopia was estimated as 16.5 t ha^-1 yr^-1, with an annual gross soil loss of ca. 1.9 × 10⁹ t, of which the net soil loss was estimated as ca. 410 × 10⁶ t (22% of the gross soil loss). Soil loss varied across land cover types, 15 agroecological zones, and 10 river basins, with the main contributors in the respective analyses being cropland (ca. 23% of Ethiopia; 50% of the soil loss; mean soil loss rate of 36.5 t ha^-1 yr^-1), Moist Weyna Dega (ca. 10%; 20%; 33.3 t ha^-1 yr^-1), and the Abay basin (ca. 15%; 30%; 32.8 t ha^-1 yr^-1). Our results show that ca. 25% of Ethiopia (28 × 10⁶ ha) has soil loss rates above 10 t ha^-1 yr^-1, which is higher than the tolerable soil loss limits estimated for Ethiopia. Ex-ante analysis revealed that implementation of land-cover- and agroecology-specific land management practices (level bunds, graded bunds, trenches, and exclosures combined with trenches and/or bunds) in such areas could reduce the mean soil loss rate from 16.5 t ha^-1 yr^-1 to 5.3 t ha^-1 yr^-1 (mean, by ca. 68%; range, 65-70%). Suitable land management practices in the Abay and Tekeze basins and Dega and Weyna Dega agroecologies, which experience particularly severe erosion, would account for ca. 50 and 70% of the estimated soil loss reduction, respectively. This study can help raise awareness among policy makers and land managers of the extent and severity of soil loss by water erosion for better conservation planning in river basins to support sustainable use of land and water resources.

Continuous resin tapping for frankincense harvest increases susceptibility of Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst trees to longhorn beetle damage

Frankincense is an important tree resin that provides a livelihood in the semi-arid lower highlands of East Africa. In the absence of sustainable management strategies, Boswellia papyrifera trees were being overexploited, leading to a depletion of genetic diversity, affected by pests and diseases, failure in natural regeneration, and hence a subsequent decline in socio-ecological benefits obtained from the species. We studied the impact of (i) continuous resin tapping without resting years and (ii) tapping or wonding intensity for frankincence production on the prevalence of longhorn beetle (Idactus spinipennis Gahan, Cerambycidae (sub family Lamiinae) damage in northern Ethiopia. We found that continuous resin tapping for frankincense harvest without adequate resting period made trees more vulnerable to longhorn beetle damage (P < 0.05). Trees rested for 10 and more years from resin tapping had less beetle damage occurrence than those tapped continuously (P < 0.05). Stem tapping intensity of more than 12 wounds per tree in one frankincense harvesting season caused high longhorn beetle damage incidence in Central Tigray (up to 90%) and Western Tigray (up to 80%). We recommend that B. papyrifera trees should have a resting period of at least 3 years and more after one year of continuous tapping. Depending on the size of a tree, wounding for frankincense harvest should be restricted to less than 12 wounds per tree. These measures would help the species develop resistance to longhorn beetle attack and maintain a healthy population for sustainable provision of ecosystem services including frankincense production in the dryalnds of northern Ethiopia.

Lagged precipitation effect on plant productivity is influenced collectively by climate and edaphic factors in drylands

Lagged precipitation effect explains a large proportion of annual aboveground net primary productivity in some dryland ecosystems. Using satellite-derived plant productivity and precipitation datasets in the Northern Hemisphere drylands during 2000-2018, we identify 1111 pixels mainly located in the Tibetan Plateau, the western US, and Kazakhstan where productivities are significantly correlated with previous-year precipitation (hereafter, the lagged type). Differences in climatic and edaphic factors between the lagged and unlagged (pixels where productivities are not correlated with previous-year precipitation) types are evaluated. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance shows that the two types differ significantly regarding six climatic and edaphic factors. Compared to unlagged type, water availability, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, field capacity, silt content and radiation are more sensitive to changes in precipitation in lagged type. Water availability is the most important factor for distinguishing the two types, followed by soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, field capacity, soil texture, and radiation. Our study suggests that the altered sensitivities of several climatic and edaphic factors to precipitation collectively affect the lagged effect of precipitation on productivity in drylands.

Trends of carbon emissions from applications of nitrogen fertiliser and crop residues to agricultural soils in South Africa

The Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector produces approximately 10% of the global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and growing demands for food to meet the needs of an increasing population make it difficult to mitigate these emissions. This study investigated historical (1911-2018) nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from applications of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertiliser for agricultural purposes and crop residues retained in the fields post-harvest in South Africa. The aim was to develop trends of different sources of these emissions to guide national mitigation plans. Disaggregation of the emissions from key crops were developed using area planted, N application rates and residues retained in the fields. N₂O intensities were calculated to establish a relationship between agricultural emissions and socio-economic conditions. Total emissions from N and crop residues were 7.3 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions in 2018 and N₂O from N fertiliser was approximately 3.0 Mt. Arrival of subsidised synthetic N in the 1950s grew the emissions significantly until they peaked in the 1980s when the support was terminated. N₂O emissions per capita are gradually decreasing with time which indicates an unsustainable situation of population growing faster than its ability to produce food for itself. Less emissions per kilocalorie further indicate that crop emissions are not carbon intensive.

No tillage increases soil organic carbon storage and decreases carbon dioxide emission in the crop residue-returned farming system

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission under different tillage methods in a crop residue-returned farming system may not be consistent with result from studies of the usual tillage researches because crop residues are important carbon sources with significant effects on soil carbon input and output. Herein, we address a knowledge gap over the "hot spot" research on tillage practices on SOC storage and CO₂ emission in crop residue-returned farming systems. In this study, a long-term (2007-2019) field experiment was conducted, and the crop residues were returned to the soil after harvest; then, three tillage methods were conducted: no tillage (NT), subsoiling tillage (ST), and a moldboard plow tillage (CT). Our results showed that in the crop residue-returned farming system, NT and ST still showed advantages of lower CO₂ flux compared with CT, as well as a reduced average CO₂ flux of 14.5% and 8.5%, respectively, over a two-year average. The results of our long-term study suggest that the NT had advantages of SOC accumulation. In addition, as of June 2018, NT increased SOC stocks with 5.85 Mg hm^-2 at a 0-60-cm soil depth compared with CT, whereas no significant difference was found between ST and CT. Overall, adopting NT in a crop residue-returned farming system improved SOC storage to 5.85 Mg hm^-2 after 11 years as well as decreased CO₂ flux by 14.5% in comparison with CT, which is meaningful in improving soil carbon pool and decreasing soil CO₂ emission during agriculture production.

Seasonal and interannual variations in ecosystem respiration in relation to temperature, moisture, and productivity in a temperate semi-arid shrubland

Understanding the temporal dynamics and influencing factors of ecosystem respiration (Reco) in semi-arid shrublands is critical for predicting how their carbon balance may respond to climate change. Using the eddy-covariance technique, we quantified the net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) in a semi-arid shrubland of northern China from July 2011 to December 2016, and partitioned NEE into Reco and gross primary productivity (GPP). Annual Reco varied from 300 g C m^-2 yr^-1 in 2014 to 426 g C m^-2 yr^-1 in 2012, and GPP ranged from 277 g C m^-2 yr^-1 in 2014 to 503 g C m^-2 yr^-1 in 2012. The relationship between half-hourly nighttime Reco and air temperature (T_a) was well-described by the Lloyd & Taylor model. Indicators of the seasonal temperature sensitivity (E₀ and Q₁₀) of Reco increased with both the annual integral and seasonal amplitude of GPP. However, when averaged into 1 °C T_a bins, nighttime Reco increased with T_a up to an optimal temperature of ~20 °C, above which it decreased with increasing T_a. Periods of low soil moisture in spring and summer markedly depressed Reco, contributing to its seasonal and interannual variations. In addition, low soil moisture had little effect on nighttime Reco when T_a was below 15 °C, but substantially reduced nighttime Reco when T_a was above 15 °C. Ecosystem respiration increased linearly with GPP at both seasonal and interannual scales, with the slope being 0.50 and 0.55, respectively. Our results have important implications for predicting Reco under climate change, considering continuous warming and increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme events (e.g., heat waves, droughts). Moreover, our results suggest that process-based carbon models should adequately represent the effects of substrate supply (e.g., by GPP) on Reco and its temperature sensitivity.

Can management of 'thirsty' alien trees improve water security in semi-arid India?

Arid and semi-arid regions of central India receive scarce and episodic precipitation during the short monsoon season, and also experience substantial evaporation. Traditional and innovative water harvesting and governance practices improve water stewardship, or abate some impacts of intensive mechanised water extraction. However, significant numbers of alien trees, in particular Eucalyptus species with high water demands, populate some regions practicing progressive water stewardship. The water demands of these trees can potentially undermine efforts to achieve water security. Through interviews with community leaders in Indian villages with differing eucalyptus tree densities, water loss through evapotranspiration compared with livelihood demands was approximated. Literature review of the water demands and ecosystem services provided respectively by alien eucalypts and native, culturally valued neem trees supports assessment of the likely benefits and acceptability of a replacement programme favouring native trees. Although data limitations mean that the findings of this study are necessarily uncertain, they nonetheless illustrate the likely scale of impact, substantiating the case for alien tree management as an important contribution to water security. Alien vegetation management practices as a contribution to water security are already firmly established in South Africa, and are likely to yield equivalent benefits if translated to dryland India.

Nutritional effects of using cactus cladodes (Opuntia stricta Haw Haw) to replace sorghum silage in sheep diet

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of replacing the sorghum silage in sheep diet with cactus cladodes [CC - Opuntia stricta (Haw) Haw] on dry matter and its compound intake and digestibility, feeding behavior, and nitrogen balance. The diets consisted of five replacement levels [0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 g/kg on a dry matter (DM) basis] and were formulated to be isonitrogenous [140 g/kg crude protein [CP], considering the ingredients' composition, with a roughage/concentrate ratio of 65:35, on a DM basis. Five uncastrated crossbred sheep, with an average body weight of 52.9 ± 6.0 kg, were assigned to a 5 × 5 Latin square. The trial lasted for 105 days with five consecutive 21-day periods, divided into 14-day adaptation and 7-day sampling periods. Dry matter (DM), organic matter, non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC), total digestible nutrient intake, and DM and NFC digestibility, increased (P ≤ 0.04) with the replacement of sorghum silage by CC. However, the time spent feeding and ruminating decreased, while idle time increased (P ≤ 0.03). Only feeding and rumination efficiency of DM improved (P ≤ 0.01) with the replacement, whereas feeding and rumination efficiency of neutral detergent fiber corrected to ash and protein did not. Nitrogen intake and nitrogen balance were not influenced, and urinary volume increased (P ≤ 0.01) with the addition of CC in the diet. In conclusion, we recommend replacing 80% of the sorghum silage with CC in sheep diets (with 35% concentrate), as CC was found to substantially increase the intake of nutrients, primarily energy.

Mitigating the anti-nutritional effect of polyphenols on in vitro digestibility and fermentation characteristics of browse species in north western Ethiopia

Browse species are important sources of forage for livestock in Ethiopia, especially during the dry season, when the quality and quantity of green herbage is limited. However, browse species have anti-nutritional factors, such as polyphenols. This study evaluated the extent to which polyethylene glycol (PEG) can reduce the anti-nutritional effects of polyphenols whose extent is expected to vary depending on the species type and season on the in vitro fermentation of these plant samples. We selected ten browse species commonly used as livestock feed based on their tannin content, and sixty samples of the leaf and twig of these species were collected during the wet and dry seasons. The study was designed as 10 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with 10 browse species (Acacia nilotica, Crateva adonsonia, Dombeya torrida, Ekebergia capensis, Ensete ventricosum, Erythrina brucei, Maesa lanceolate, Sesbania sesban, Stereospermum kunthianum, and Terminalia laxiflora), 2 seasons (wet and dry) and 2 states of PEG (with and without PEG). The effects of tannin on the nutritive characteristics were also evaluated by adding PEG as a tannin-binding agent. The chemical composition and in vitro fermentation products of these samples differed significantly (p < 0.001) among browse species. Specifically, total extractable phenol (TEP) ranged from 26.3 to 250.3 g/kg, total extractable tannin (TET) from 22.8 to 210.9 g/kg, and condensed tannin (CT) from 11.1 to 141.3 g/kg, respectively. Season, species, and their interaction have a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the chemical composition and fermentation characteristics of most browse species. The addition of PEG increased gas production (GP), in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), metabolizable energy (ME) concentration, dry matter degradability (DMD), and volatile fatty acids (VFA), on average, by 76.8%, 47.9%, 42.2%, 21.2%, and 20.2%, respectively. Secondary polyphenols (TEP, TET, CT, and SCT) were significantly (p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with GP, IVOMD, ME, and VFA. Preferable species namely E. ventricosum, S. sesban, M. lanceolata, E. capensis, and A. nilotica were selected for supplementation in terms of their chemical composition, IVOMD, and mitigating effects of PEG on anti-nutritional functions of their secondary compounds. In conclusion, PEG markedly reduced the anti-nutritional effects of polyphenols and improved the in vitro fermentation of browse species harvested in contrasting seasons.

Improved assessment of pasture availability in semi-arid grassland of South Africa

Satellite remote sensing technology has been successfully used to monitor grassland productivity, especially for estimating the green component of biomass using popular indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The non-green component, which includes senescent and dead standing material, has not been widely quantified. Our study aimed at devising a satellite remote sensing-based method that can distinguish between green and non-green herbage, in order to improve the accuracy of total aboveground biomass (TBM) estimations. This in turn can minimise under-estimations of pasture availability in semi-arid grasslands. MODIS satellite data was used to determine the relations of various indices to ground-measured green aboveground biomass (GBM) and non-green aboveground biomass (NBM) in South African semi-arid grasslands. We found a strong correlation of GBM to NDVI. We were then able to detect a correlation of NBM to Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), but a robust relationship was between NDWI and the ratio of NBM to TBM. NDVI and NDWI were used to estimate long-term TBM, which varies inter- and intra-seasonally. During the non-rainy season, NBM is important to maintain livestock grazing and in this regard monitoring of pasture availability in terms of green and non-green herbage is critical for sustainable grassland management.

The response of carbon stocks of drylands in Central Asia to changes of CO2 and climate during past 35 years

Drylands are terrestrial ecosystems sensitive to climate change. There are totally drylands of 5.17 × 10⁶ km² (above 80% of global total temperate desert area) in Central Asia (CAS), in which significant increases of temperature and changes of precipitation have been detected in recent decades. However, environment-induced changes in terrestrial carbon stocks of these dryland ecosystems have not been well investigated. With the Arid Ecosystem Model (AEM), this study was devoted to analyze spatiotemporal changes of carbon stocks in drylands over CAS during the past 35 years (1980-2014) and to quantify contributions to these changes of various factors, including temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Over the study period, total stocks of vegetation carbon (VEGC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and litter carbon (LTRC) averaged 2.8 ± 0.05 Pg C, 45.2 ± 0.01 Pg C, and 0.3 ± 0.004 Pg C(1Pg = 10¹⁵ g) in CAS, respectively. Meanwhile, total carbon (TOTC) declined by 0.7 Pg C. Climate change caused TOTC to decrease by 1.3 Pg C. In contrast, CO₂ enrichment effect caused TOTC to increase by 0.9 Pg C. The effects of different factors on TOTC changes varied spatially. Precipitation was the dominant factor regulating TOTC change in 40.9% of the study area, mainly in the desert sparse shrub region in northwest Kazakhstan and the dryland region of southern Xinjiang of China, in which vegetation growth was mainly limited by water resource. CO₂ dominated the change of TOTC in 38.3% of the study area, mainly in the lower altitude regions of Tianshan mountain, in which the hydrothermal condition was relatively suitable for vegetation growth. Ecosystems in southern Xinjiang of China and northwest Kazakhstan are fragile to climate change.

Straw mulch as an alternative to plastic film mulch: Positive evidence from dryland wheat production on the Loess Plateau

A large body of research has emphasized how plastic mulching can benefit crop yields in dryland areas. However, this practice's pollution of the soil, air and environment has only recently attracted attention. We conducted a five-year field experiment with winter wheat as a test crop to evaluate whether plastic mulching can be replaced with straw mulching in dryland areas of the Loess Plateau in China. The obtained results showed that straw mulching (SM) resulted in similar grain yields that were comparable with plastic mulching. More specifically, ridge-furrow plastic mulching plus furrow seeding (RM+FS), whole field plastic mulching (PM) and SM treatments resulted in average yields of 5950, 6447 and 6246kgha^-1, respectively. No soil water storage difference was observed at harvest, but SM retained more water during summer fallow and then stored more water prior to seeding, 26mm and 27mm higher that of PM, and 44mm and 46mm higher that of RM+FS, respectively. None of the three treatments caused soil nitrate-N leaching. Furthermore, because straw is a potential source of slow-releasing N, the SM 0-200cm soil profile contained significantly more nitrate-N than the corresponding RM+FS and PM soil profiles. The SM treatment decreased greenhouse gas emissions intensity (GHGI) by 47% and 40% and increased economic return by 13% and 27% when compared to the PM and RM+FS treatments, respectively. Therefore, an optimized SM system is a viable alternative for increasing crop yields in dryland wheat production that avoids the negative impacts of the increasingly popular plastic mulching approach.

Spatiotemporal transition of institutional and socioeconomic impacts on vegetation productivity in Central Asia over last three decades

Central Asia experienced substantial institutional and socioeconomic changes during the last few decades, especially the Soviet Union collapse in 1991. It remains unclear how these profound changes impacted vegetation productivity across space and time. This study used the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and gridded climate data to examine the institutional and socioeconomic impacts on vegetation productivity in Central Asia in 1982-2015. The improved Residual Trend (ResTREND) algorithm was used to calculate NDVI residuals (NDVI_res) that reflect the impacts of human factors by excluding the influences of multiple climate factors. Our results showed that 45.7% of the vegetated areas experienced significant transitions (p < 0.05) in NDVI_res with turning point (TP), of which 83.8% occurred after 1992 except for the Aral Sea Basin. During the pre-TP period, positive NDVI_res (i.e., positive impact) and increasing trends (i.e., positive tendency) were predominant, accounting for 31.6% and 16.5% of the vegetated land, respectively. This was attribute to the expanded cultivation due to Virgin Lands Campaign in North Kazakhstan region and the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Basins. However, the institutional and socioeconomic changes largely suppressed vegetation productivity. In the post-TP period, only 7.0% of the vegetated lands experienced an increasing trend in NDVI_res, while NDVI_res decline accounted for 20.1% of the vegetated areas (p < 0.05), mainly distributed in northern Kazakhstan and large areas in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Basins. Positive transitions resulted from the changes in crop types, decreases in grazing pressure, and increases in water resources, whereas negative transitions were coincident with areas that saw land abandonment, water resource shortages, and soil salinization due to former intensive cultivation. These findings highlight the spatiotemporal changes of institutional and socioeconomic impacts on vegetation productivity in Central Asian dryland and provide implications for future dryland management and restoration efforts.

Summer fallow increases loss of residual nitrogen fertilizer in dryland of the Loess Plateau: a 15N-labeled method

Summer fallow is very common in dryland agriculture to conserve rainwater and replenish soil fertility. However, bare land and intensive rainfall during summer fallow might result in a potential risk of N loss. We used a ¹⁵N-labelling method to study the loss of residual N fertilizer during summer fallow and its use by next wheat in the Loess Plateau. Our study included three treatments: without the addition of N (N₀W₀), with the addition of 50 kg ha^-1 N (NW₀) and with the addition of 50 kg ha^-1 N plus 35% more water (NW). The N fertilizer (K¹⁵NO₃) in solution was injected into the soil at a depth of 35 cm of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) columns in field. The fates of ¹⁵N were followed after summer fallow and in the next season's wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The summer fallow of this study was a dry summer; however, fertilizer ¹⁵N was still leached down to 40-cm depth for the NW₀ treatment; and for the NW treatment, the peak of ¹⁵N fertilizer was approximately 20 cm deeper. After summer fallow, the loss of the initially applied ¹⁵N was 26% in the soil profile for the NW₀ treatment; and for the NW treatment, it increased to 37%. Soil ¹⁵N abundance in 0-20 cm of the NW₀ and NW treatments was higher than the N₀W₀ treatment, indicating the upward movement of ¹⁵N in summer fallow. After the next wheat harvest, ¹⁵N uptake by wheat in the NW treatment decreased from 21.0 to 18.6% compared to the NW₀ treatment. High rainfall during summer fallow increased residual N loss during summer fallow but decreased its use by the next crop.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities under gradients of grazing in Mongolian grasslands of different aridity

Communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in Mongolian grassland were characterized under gradients of grazing intensity at three study sites of different aridity: mountain forest steppe at Hustai National Park (Hustai), and desert steppe at Mandalgovi and Bulgan. Grazing intensity was classified into three categories: lightly grazed (LG), moderately grazed (MG), and heavily grazed (HG). With regard to floristic composition, grazing decreased the shoot biomass of Poaceae species, especially Stipa spp. Distinctness of the AM fungal communities was observed among the three study sites, but most of the AM fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that comprised over 1.0% of the total reads were ubiquitous. This result indicates that the AM fungal communities may be derived from similar AM fungal floras in correspondence with environmental factors. The composition of AM fungal communities differed significantly among the grazing intensities at all study sites. The relative abundance of the most dominant AM fungal OTU of the LG plots decreased with an increase in grazing intensity at all study sites. The mean proportions of the most dominant AM fungal OTUs also decreased with increased grazing intensity at Hustai. Dominance by a single AM fungal taxon may be a typical ecological feature of the AM fungal symbiosis, and grazing disturbs AM fungal community structure.

Diversity of desert rangelands of Tunisia

Plants are important components of any rangeland. However, the importance of desert rangeland plant diversity has often been underestimated. It has been argued that desert rangelands of Tunisia in good ecological condition provide more services than those in poor ecological condition. This is because rangelands in good condition support a more diverse mixture of vegetation with many benefits, such as forage for livestock and medicinal plants. Nearly one-quarter of Tunisia, covering about 5.5 million hectares, are rangelands, of which 87% are located in the arid and desert areas (45% and 42%, respectively). Here, we provide a brief review of the floristic richness of desert rangelands of Tunisia. Approximately 135 species are specific to desert rangelands. The predominant families are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Fabaceae. These represent approximately 50% of Tunisian desert flora.

Prediction of health effects of cross-border atmospheric pollutants using an aerosol forecast model

Health effects of cross-border air pollutants and Asian dust are of significant concern in Japan. Currently, models predicting the arrival of aerosols have not investigated the association between arrival predictions and health effects. We investigated the association between subjective health symptoms and unreleased aerosol data from the Model of Aerosol Species in the Global Atmosphere (MASINGAR) acquired from the Japan Meteorological Agency, with the objective of ascertaining if these data could be applied to predicting health effects. Subjective symptom scores were collected via self-administered questionnaires and, along with modeled surface aerosol concentration data, were used to conduct a risk evaluation using generalized estimating equations between October and November 2011. Altogether, 29 individuals provided 1670 responses. Spearman's correlation coefficients were determined for the relationship between the proportion of the participants reporting the maximum score of two or more for each symptom and the surface concentrations for each considered aerosol species calculated using MASINGAR; the coefficients showed significant intermediate correlations between surface sulfate aerosol concentration and respiratory, throat, and fever symptoms (R = 0.557, 0.454, and 0.470, respectively; p < 0.01). In the general estimation equation (logit link) analyses, a significant linear association of surface sulfate aerosol concentration, with an endpoint determined by reported respiratory symptom scores of two or more, was observed (P trend = 0.001, odds ratio [OR] of the highest quartile [Q4] vs. the lowest [Q1] = 5.31, 95% CI = 2.18 to 12.96), with adjustment for potential confounding. The surface sulfate aerosol concentration was also associated with throat and fever symptoms. In conclusion, our findings suggest that modeled data are potentially useful for predicting health risks of cross-border aerosol arrivals.

The Impacts of Soil Fertility and Salinity on Soil Nitrogen Dynamics Mediated by the Soil Microbial Community Beneath the Halophytic Shrub Tamarisk

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most common limiting nutrients for primary production in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microbes transform organic N into inorganic N, which is available to plants, but soil microbe activity in drylands is sometimes critically suppressed by environmental factors, such as low soil substrate availability or high salinity. Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) is a halophytic shrub species that is widely distributed in the drylands of China; it produces litter enriched in nutrients and salts that are thought to increase soil fertility and salinity under its crown. To elucidate the effects of tamarisks on the soil microbial community, and thus N dynamics, by creating "islands of fertility" and "islands of salinity," we collected soil samples from under tamarisk crowns and adjacent barren areas at three habitats in the summer and fall. We analyzed soil physicochemical properties, inorganic N dynamics, and prokaryotic community abundance and composition. In soils sampled beneath tamarisks, the N mineralization rate was significantly higher, and the prokaryotic community structure was significantly different, from soils sampled in barren areas, irrespective of site and season. Tamarisks provided suitable nutrient conditions for one of the important decomposers in the area, Verrucomicrobia, by creating "islands of fertility," but provided unsuitable salinity conditions for other important decomposers, Flavobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria, by mitigating salt accumulation. However, the quantity of these decomposers tended to be higher beneath tamarisks, because they were relatively unaffected by the small salinity gradient created by the tamarisks, which may explain the higher N mineralization rate beneath tamarisks.

Namib Desert Soil Microbial Community Diversity, Assembly, and Function Along a Natural Xeric Gradient

The hyperarid Namib desert is a coastal desert in southwestern Africa and one of the oldest and driest deserts on the planet. It is characterized by a west/east increasing precipitation gradient and by regular coastal fog events (extending up to 75 km inland) that can also provide soil moisture. In this study, we evaluated the role of this natural aridity and xeric gradient on edaphic microbial community structure and function in the Namib desert. A total of 80 individual soil samples were collected at 10-km intervals along a 190-km transect from the fog-dominated western coastal region to the eastern desert boundary. Seventeen physicochemical parameters were measured for each soil sample. Soil parameters reflected the three a priori defined climatic/xeric zones along the transect ("fog," "low rain," and "high rain"). Microbial community structures were characterized by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting and shotgun metaviromics, and their functional capacities were determined by extracellular enzyme activity assays. Both microbial community structures and activities differed significantly between the three xeric zones. The deep sequencing of surface soil metavirome libraries also showed shifts in viral composition along the xeric transect. While bacterial community assembly was influenced by soil chemistry and stochasticity along the transect, variations in community "function" were apparently tuned by xeric stress.

Soil physical properties response to tillage practices during summer fallow of dryland winter wheat field on the Loess Plateau

Soil physical properties are a greatly important part of the soil and indicator of soil quality, which can directly affect soil nutrient turnover and crop yields in dryland. This study was carried out with three tillage practices during the summer fallow season since 2011, including no tillage (NT), plow tillage (PT), and subsoiling (ST) in dryland winter wheat fields of the Loess Plateau. Results showed that soil tillage during the summer fallow had a small effect on soil bulk density (ρ _b) in the 0-50-cm soil profile before sowing and after harvesting of winter wheat. Soil ρ _b under NT at a depth of 20-30 cm was significantly greater than those under PT in both seasons. Both soil gravimetric water content (θ _g) and volumetric moisture content (θ _v) after harvesting increased by 28.8-78.6% and 37.5-87.3%, respectively, compared with those before sowing. Adoption of PT significantly increased soil θ _g and θ _v in the entire 0-50-cm profile before sowing compared with NT and ST (P < 0.05). In addition, there was a small effect on soil porosity (e.g., total porosity, air-filled porosity, and capillary porosity) in the profile of 0-50 cm both before sowing and after harvesting. Overall, short-term tillage during summer fallow mainly affected soil water content in the 0-50-cm soil profile, and it had a slight effect on other physical soil properties.

Methodological considerations of terrestrial laser scanning for vegetation monitoring in the sagebrush steppe

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) provides fast collection of high-definition structural information, making it a valuable field instrument to many monitoring applications. A weakness of TLS collections, especially in vegetation, is the occurrence of unsampled regions in point clouds where the sensor's line-of-sight is blocked by intervening material. This problem, referred to as occlusion, may be mitigated by scanning target areas from several positions, increasing the chance that any given area will fall within the scanner's line-of-sight from at least one position. Because TLS collections are often employed in remote regions where the scope of sampling is limited by logistical factors such as time and battery power, it is important to design field protocols which maximize efficiency and support increased quantity and quality of the data collected. This study informs researchers and practitioners seeking to optimize TLS sampling methods for vegetation monitoring in dryland ecosystems through three analyses. First, we quantify the 2D extent of occluded regions based on the range from single scan positions. Second, we measure the efficacy of additional scan positions on the reduction of 2D occluded regions (area) using progressive configurations of scan positions in 1 ha plots. Third, we test the reproducibility of 3D sampling yielded by a 5-scan/ha sampling methodology using redundant sets of scans. Analyses were performed using measurements at analysis scales of 5 to 50 cm across the 1-ha plots, and we considered plots in grass and shrub-dominated communities separately. In grass-dominated plots, a center-scan configuration and 5 cm pixel size sampled at least 90% of the area up to 18 m away from the scanner. In shrub-dominated plots, sampling at least 90% of the area was only achieved within a distance of 12 m. We found that 3 and 5 scans/ha are needed to sample at least ~ 70% of the total area (1 ha) in the grass and shrub-dominated plots, respectively, using 5 cm pixels to measure sampling presence-absence. The reproducibility of 3D sampling provided by a 5 position scan layout across 1-ha plots was 50% (shrub) and 70% (grass) using a 5-cm voxel size, whereas at the 50-cm voxel scale, reproducibility of sampling was nearly 100% for all plot types. Future studies applying TLS in similar dryland environments for vegetation monitoring may use our results as a guide to efficiently achieve sampling coverage and reproducibility in datasets.

Impacts of terrain attributes and human activities on soil texture class variations in hilly areas, south-west China

Knowledge of soil texture variations is critical for agricultural and engineering applications because texture influences many other soil properties. This study used random forest method to evaluate the effects of human activities and topographic parameters on the spatial variability of soil texture in hilly areas where soil parent material was uniform. The study site covers 252 km² and is located in the Upper Yangtze River Basin of south-west China. A total of 3636 samples were collected from the cultivated soils at a depth of 20 cm of dryland (sloping field and terraced land) landscape. The soil texture class for each sample was estimated by experienced soil scientists in the field. Two soil texture classes (loam and clay) were observed in the watershed. Eleven terrain parameters were derived from a digital elevation model with a resolution of 30 m. Compared with loamy soils, clayey soils were mostly observed in the areas with lower elevation and gentle slopes. The outcome of random forest indicated that human activities and elevation had strong effects on soil texture class variations across the study site. Further results showed that the relative importance of terrain parameters to soil texture class variations varied with dryland landscape. Topographic wetness index and elevation were the most important variables for sloping field and terraced land landscapes, respectively.

Variations in the structure of airborne bacterial communities in Tsogt-Ovoo of Gobi desert area during dust events

Asian dust events transport the airborne bacteria in Chinese desert regions as well as mineral particles and influence downwind area varying biological ecosystems and climate changes. However, the airborne bacterial dynamics were rarely investigated in the Gobi desert area, where dust events are highly frequent. In this study, air samplings were sequentially performed at a 2-m high above the ground at the sampling site located in desert area (Tsogt-Ovoo of Gobi desert; Mongolia 44.2304°N, 105.1700°E). During the dust event days, the bacterial cells and mineral particles increased to more than tenfold of concentrations. MiSeq sequencing targeting 16S ribosomal DNA revealed that the airborne bacteria in desert area mainly belonged to the classes Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Bacilli, Alpha-proteobacteria, Beta-proteobacteria, and Gamma-proteobacteria. The bacterial community structures were different between dust events and non-dust events. The air samples collected at the dust events indicated high abundance rates of Alpha-proteobacteria, which were reported to dominate on the leaf surfaces of plants or in the saline lake environments. After the dust events, the members of Firmicutes (Bacilli) and Bacteroidetes, which are known to form endospore and attach with coarse particles, respectively, increased their relative abundances in the air samples. Presumably, the bacterial compositions and diversities in atmosphere significantly vary during dust events, which carry some particles from grassland (phyllo-sphere), dry lake, and sand surfaces, as well as some bacterial populations such as Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes maintain in the atmosphere for longer time.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir from Brazilian semi-arid

Many plant species from Brazilian semi-arid present arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in their rhizosphere. These microorganisms play a key role in the establishment, growth, survival of plants and protection against drought, pathogenic fungi and nematodes. This study presents a quantitative analysis of the AMF species associated with Mimosa tenuiflora, an important native plant of the Caatinga flora. AMF diversity, spore abundance and root colonization were estimated in seven sampling locations in the Ceará and Paraíba States, during September of 2012. There were significant differences in soil properties, spore abundance, percentage of root colonization, and AMF diversity among sites. Altogether, 18 AMF species were identified, and spores of the genera Acaulospora, Claroideoglomus, Dentiscutata, Entrophospora, Funneliformis, Gigaspora, Glomus, Racocetra, Rhizoglomus and Scutellospora were observed. AMF species diversity and their spore abundance found in M. tenuiflora rhizosphere shown that this native plant species is an important host plant to AMF communities from Brazilian semi-arid region. We concluded that: (a) during the dry period and in semi-arid conditions, there is a high spore production in M. tenuiflora root zone; and (b) soil properties, as soil pH and available phosphorous, affect AMF species diversity, thus constituting key factors for the similarity/dissimilarity of AMF communities in the M. tenuiflora root zone among sites.

Effects of different forms of white lupin (Lupinus albus) grain supplementation on feed intake, digestibility, growth performance and carcass characteristics of Washera sheep fed Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay-based diets

Protein is the major limiting nutrient in feeding ruminants especially in dryland areas. Thus, looking for locally available protein sources such as white lupin (Lupinus albus) grain is commendable. The objective of this experiment was to determine effects of supplementation of different forms of white lupin grain (WLG) on feed and nutrient intake, digestibility, growth and carcass characteristics. Twenty-five yearling male Washera sheep with initial body weight (BW) of 16.26 ± 1.41 kg (mean ± SD) were used. Animals were blocked into five based on their initial BW and were randomly assigned to one of the following five dietary treatments: Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay (RGH) alone (T1) or supplemented with 300 g (on dry matter (DM) basis) raw WLG (T2) or raw soaked and dehulled WLG (T3) or roasted WLG (T4) or raw soaked WLG (T5). Supplementation with WLG significantly improved total DM and nutrient intake (P < 0.001), nutrient digestibility (P < 0.01), and average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) (P < 0.001). Carcass quality parameters were significantly (P < 0.001) higher for supplemented sheep. However, the difference in carcass quality parameters among supplemented groups was not significant (P > 0.05). It is concluded that roasting white lupin grain can lead to a better feed and nutrient intake and consequently better carcass quality. White lupin grain can be recommended not only for maintenance but also for optimum performance of ruminants.

Use of two indicators for the socio-environmental risk analysis of Northern Mexico under three climate change scenarios

The aims of this study were to (1) find critical areas susceptible to the degradation of natural resources according to local erosion rates and aridity levels, which were used as environmental quality indicators, and (2) identify areas of risk associated with the presence of natural hazards according to three climate change scenarios defined for Mexico. The focus was the municipality of Lerdo, Durango (25.166° to 25.783° N and 103.333° to 103.983° W), which has dry temperate and very dry climates (BSohw and BWhw). From the Global Circulation Models, downscaling techniques for the dynamic modeling of environmental processes using climate data, historical information, and three regionalized climate change scenarios were applied to determine the impacts from laminar wind erosion rates (LWER) and aridity indices (AI). From the historic period to scenario A2 (ScA2, 2010-2039), regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the LWER was predicted to reach 147.2 t ha^-1 year^-1, representing a 0.5 m thickness over nearly 30 years and a change in the AI from 9.3 to 8.7. This trend represents an increase in drought for 70.8 % of the study area and could affect 90 % of the agricultural activities and approximately 80 % of the population living in the southeastern Lerdense territory.