(Press-News.org) The Science
Coastal forests are increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. However, scientists have an incomplete understanding of what this means for soil stability. This experiment examined how soil might change when transplanted between parts of a tidal creek that differed in salinity. Scientists found that soils with a history of salinity and inundation by seawater were more resistant to changes in water properties and movement. This suggests that the soils had already “learned” how to adapt to environmental changes. The researchers suggest that differences in the resilience of soils’ carbon cycling vary across landscapes. This variation is likely due to the soils’ composition, chemistry, other characteristics, and the legacy of prior exposure to disturbance.
The Impact
Coastal change research has traditionally focused on environments closest to the ocean, such as barrier islands, intertidal wetlands, and subtidal ecosystems. These studies have had conflicting results. Consequently, researchers know little about the sensitivity of coastal forest soil carbon to future changes in climate conditions. The results of this study suggest that disturbance legacies shape coastal forest soil responses to changing salinity and inundation from rising sea levels and storms. In the context of ongoing climate change, this type of manipulative transplant experiment provides a crucial inferential link between purely observational experiments, data synthesis efforts, and large-scale ecosystem manipulations.
Summary
Researchers used a natural salinity gradient in a tidal creek in eastern Maryland to examine how soil respiration and chemistry may change under novel salinity and inundation disturbance regimes. The team included Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the lab’s Joint Global Change Research Institute, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Researchers transplanted soil monoliths among plots varying in seawater exposure and elevation above the creek and monitored the soils for two years. The response of soil respiration—the flow of carbon dioxide from the soil to the atmosphere—was dependent upon the salinity and inundation legacies associated with each study location. Respiration did not change (i.e., high resistance) under new moisture conditions in lowland soils with a history of seawater exposure. Conversely, respiration decreased (i.e., low resistance) in upland soils that had little past exposure to seawater or inundation decreased (i.e., low resistance) and remained suppressed (i.e., low resilience) when those soils were exposed to wetter, saline conditions.
Additionally, transplantation resulted in greater changes to upland soil chemistry relative to that observed in lowland soils. Together, these results suggest that disturbance legacies shape coastal forest soil responses to changing salinity and inundation disturbance regimes. However, fully understanding the dependence of system responses on disturbance legacies requires future study across a variety of systems and spatial and temporal scales.
Funding
This research was initiated through the PREMIS Initiative, a Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and completed through the COMPASS-FME Project. COMPASS-FME is a multi-institutional project supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research as part of the Environmental System Science program. This research was also supported by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
END
The legacy of past disturbance shapes coastal forest soil stability
A soil transplant experiment gives new insights into coastal forests’ resilience in the face of rising seas and increasing storms
2023-07-18
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Cameron Whitehead wins U.S. Department of Energy’s 2023 CyberForce® Conquer the Hill — Reign Edition Competition
2023-07-18
Unleashing the power of cybersecurity: 2023 CyberForce® Conquer the Hill — Reign Edition competition set the stage for virtual showdown.
In an exciting showdown of talent and skill, Cameron Whitehead of University of Central Florida emerged as the champion of U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2023 CyberForce® Conquer the Hill — Reign Edition Competition. This virtual event, organized by DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, involved 144 individual participants from collegiate institutions across ...
Case Report: Intrathoracic synovial sarcoma with BRAF V600E mutation
2023-07-18
“The prognosis of recurrent/metastatic SS remains poor, highlighting the need for a novel therapeutic strategy.”
BUFFALO, NY- July 18, 2023 – A new case report was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on July 7, 2023, entitled, “Intrathoracic synovial sarcoma with BRAF V600E mutation.”
Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a highly malignant mesenchymal tumor that occurs mainly in adolescents and young adults. The treatment of SS is multimodal, involving surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The overall prognosis ...
AAA expands awards program to support students pursuing careers in anatomical sciences
2023-07-18
ROCKVILLE, MD—JULY 13, 2023 – The American Association for Anatomy (AAA) announced the deserving recipients of the AAA Predoctoral Fellowship, the DEI Dissertation Completion Award, and the EUReka EDI Undergraduate Research Award. In 2023, AAA expanded its portfolio of awards, grants, and scholarships by an additional $100,000, now topping out at over $650,000. These opportunities provide much-needed financial support to undergraduate and graduate students, enabling them to conduct groundbreaking research and make valuable contributions to the field.
AAA has continuously demonstrated ...
New geometric deep learning model for detecting stroke lesions
2023-07-18
Ischemic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain gets blocked by a clot, is among the leading causes of death worldwide. Fortunately, surgeons now have access to advanced imaging techniques that allow them to visualize the interior of a patient’s brain during a stroke. This helps them pinpoint the location of the clot and analyze the extent of damage to the brain tissue.
Computed tomography-perfusion (CT-P) is one of the most useful imaging modalities in the early stages of an acute stroke. However, it is challenging to accurately identify ...
Luther studying forest fragmentation & climate change
2023-07-18
David Luther, Assistant Professor, Biology, received funding from the National Science Foundation for: "Collaborative Research: LTREB: Forest fragmentation and climate change result in understory warming that adversely affects tropical avian biodiversity at the BDFFP."
Luther and his collaborators posit that remnant bird communities in Amazonian forest fragments are a precursor of future bird assemblages in continuous forest due to understory forest drying from edge effects in fragments and climate change in continuous ...
Can we use plastic waste to build roads, buildings, and more?
2023-07-18
Stanford engineers Michael Lepech and Zhiye Li have a unique vision of the future: buildings and roads made from plastic waste.
In a new white paper commissioned by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Lepech and Li study the current status, challenges, and needs of recycling plastics in a circular economy, and examine the long-term durability and environmental costs of doing so for use in infrastructure.
Using a mix of computer modeling, scientific research, experimental and field data, as well as interviews with recycling industry stakeholders, Lepech and Li analyze case studies using plastic ...
Sylvester, Dana-Farber researchers to receive funding to study how diet, exercise impact mental and physical functioning in older cancer survivors
2023-07-18
MIAMI, FLORIDA (JULY 18, 2023) – Researchers from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have been awarded $7 million in total funding to study how diet and exercise impact mental and physical functioning in older cancer survivors and their caregivers.
The funding is being provided by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a nonprofit, Washington, D.C.-based organization that supports research designed to help patients, caregivers and clinicians make better informed healthcare decisions.
Tracy ...
The cost of being a non-native English speaker in science
2023-07-18
English serves as a convenient, common language for science. However, this practice poses insurmountable barriers to those whose first language is not English — the majority of people around the world. According to research published on July 18th in the open access journal PLOS Biology, led by Dr. Tatsuya Amano at the University of Queensland, Australia, the disadvantages of being a non-native English speaker in science range from difficulties in reading and writing papers to reduced participation in international conferences.
Few studies to date have ...
Science language barrier could cost countless careers
2023-07-18
A “clear and significant” language barrier cost faced by non-native English-speaking scientists has been quantified by a University of Queensland-led international survey.
The study, led by UQ’s Dr Tatsuya Amano, surveyed 908 environmental science researchers on scientific activities across five categories – paper reading, writing, publication, dissemination, and conference participation – finding a substantial disadvantage for non-native English speakers in all five.
“Compared to native English speakers, non-native English speakers need up to twice as ...
New study throws light on mechanisms underlying helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer
2023-07-18
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections are commonly associated with abdominal pain, bloating, and acidity. Clinical evidence suggests that infection with H. pylori cagA+ strains dramatically increases the risk of developing gastric cancer. A specialized protein delivered by H. pylori to the host, oncoprotein “CagA,” has been shown to interact with multiple host proteins and promote gastric carcinogenesis (transformation of normal cells to cancer cells). However, the underlying mechanisms associated with its biochemical activity have not been fully determined yet.
A new study published in Science Signaling on 18 July 2023 shares insights ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Scientists trace origins of now extinct plant population from volcanically active Nishinoshima
AI algorithm based on routine mammogram + age can predict women’s major cardiovascular disease risk
New hurdle seen to prostate screening: primary-care docs
MSU researchers explore how virtual sports aid mental health
Working together, cells extend their senses
Cheese fungi help unlock secrets of evolution
Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking
Mental health effects of exposure to firearm violence persist long after direct exposure
Research identifies immune response that controls Oropouche infection and prevents neurological damage
University of Cincinnati, Kent State University awarded $3M by NSF to share research resources
Ancient DNA reveals deeply complex Mastodon family and repeated migrations driven by climate change
Measuring the quantum W state
Researchers find a way to use antibodies to direct T cells to kill Cytomegalovirus-infected cells
Engineers create mini microscope for real-time brain imaging
Funding for training and research in biological complexity
The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: September 12, 2025
ISSCR statement on the scientific and therapeutic value of human fetal tissue research
Novel PET tracer detects synaptic changes in spinal cord and brain after spinal cord injury
Wiley advances Knowitall Solutions with new trendfinder application for user-friendly chemometric analysis and additional enhancements to analytical workflows
Benchmark study tracks trends in dog behavior
OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech
Research spotlight: Study identifies a surprising new treatment target for chronic limb threatening ischemia
Childhood loneliness and cognitive decline and dementia risk in middle-aged and older adults
Parental diseases of despair and suicidal events in their children
Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults
Acupuncture treatment improves disabling effects of chronic low back pain in older adults
How interstellar objects similar to 3I/ATLAS could jump-start planet formation around infant stars
Rented e-bicycles more dangerous than e-scooters in cities
Ditches as waterways: Managing ‘ditch-scapes’ to strengthen communities and the environment
In-situ molecular passivation enables pure-blue perovskite LEDs via vacuum thermal evaporation
[Press-News.org] The legacy of past disturbance shapes coastal forest soil stabilityA soil transplant experiment gives new insights into coastal forests’ resilience in the face of rising seas and increasing storms