Reposted by Ning ChenFunctional Ecology @funecology.bsky.social · 14/07/2026📰Published📰Who gets the rain? How tiny biocrusts control the survival of dryland grasses under drought🌧️ buff.ly/byLCLAq 🧪🌍️buff.lyWho gets the rain? How tiny biocrusts control the survival of dryland grasses under droughtHaoran Luo, Jiamin Shi, Qianhai Ye, Siqing Wang, Li Ma, Yali Ma, Linjie Qiao, Renyi Zhang, Yunyao Ma, Hao Wang, Xiaobo Yuan, Chao Song, Changming Zhao, Ning Chen This is a plain language summary of… 0113
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 14/07/2026New paper out! @FunEcology The joint response of biocrusts and vascular plants to climate change lack community-level studies. We found the divergent response and the dominant roles of biocrusts in mediating rainfall redistribution. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 020
Reposted by Ning ChenMethods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 11/07/2026📖 Published📖 This study aims to provide an easy-to-use template for studying alternative stable states with snapshot field survey data, which can be tailored to individual study systems 🌱 🧪 🌏️ 🔎buff.ly 051
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 30/06/2026A nice work based on our field experiment. Microbial enzymatic and necromass pathways mediate the asymmetric responses of soil organic carbon composition to increased and decreased rainfall www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 111
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 25/06/2026New paper out! @MethodsEcolEvol Field observation data are increasingly critical for research on alternative stable states. Nevertheless, a user-friendly methodological framework dedicated to this research remains absent. Here it is. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.comInferring alternative ecosystem states with field survey dataMany ecosystems potentially exhibit alternative stable states, where distinct states can coexist under identical environmental conditions. While simulation models have generated key hypotheses in ... 010
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 06/05/2026New Paper out! System equilibirum behavior of forest GPP over global drylands differ among climatic zones. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.comRegionalized Determinants of Dryland Forest Gross Primary ProductivityGlobal dryland forest GPP exhibited alternative stable states along the AI gradient Patterns of dryland forest GPP differ among climatic zones, but not ecosystem types 000
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Glad to share our new paper published in PNAS, which investigates the system equilibrium behavior of vegetation on the Loess Plateau. The pattern of three stable states--forest, open woodland, and treeless land is so clear. free ePrint available at www.pnas.org/eprint/9BASR... 000
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 26/03/2026New paper out @Pedosphere! We explored microbial diversity and composition in biocrusts along aridity gradient. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.comDiscrepant factors drive the diversity and composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities underlying cyanobacterial crust along a precipitation gradientIn dryland ecosystems, cyanobacterial crust creates distinct microhabitats for underlying soil microbes, yet the drivers of microbial diversity and co… 000
Reposted by Ning ChenNicolas Gross @nicolas-p-gross.bsky.social · 07/02/2026Drylands are globally resistant to invasive species! Native biodiversity and aridity are key but increasing grazing pressure and eutrophication may change the game 🌐 Our new paper is here @natecoevo.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comAbiotic and biotic controls of non-native perennial plant success in drylands - Nature Ecology & EvolutionIt is unclear whether the harsh abiotic conditions of drylands hinder biological invasions. This global analysis shows that drylands are vulnerable to non-native plants and are likely to become more s... 1189
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 20/01/2026New paper out! Nutrient addition shifts bacterial life-history strategies in biocrusts from K to r. Beautiful experimental design. Shapotou (SE Tengger Desert) is an exceptional natural laboratory for ecology. www.the-innovation.org/life/article... 121
Reposted by Ning ChenFernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 24/12/2025Just published in @journalofecology.bsky.social Using data from 1,854 plant species coming from the @erc.europa.eu funded #BIODESERT survey, we show how climate & grazing jointly shape leaf phenolics—key defence compounds—across global drylands. Great work led by PhD student Kaarina Shilula 171
Reposted by Ning ChenThe Innovation @theinnovation.bsky.social · 18/12/2025Exciting news! The Innovation Drug Discovery is launching! A new international platform for breakthrough science in drug R&D, from discovery to clinical development. We aim to accelerate novel therapeutics for the world’s most critical diseases. www.the-innovation.org/drugdiscover... #DrugDiscovery 021
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 05/11/2025New paper out! The Loess Plateau provides a wonderful chance to compare drought response of planted vs. natural forests. Natural forests have lower drought vulnerability. kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F... 010
Reposted by Ning ChenFernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 08/10/2025In #drylands, plants don’t grow randomly — they self-organize into disordered hyperuniform patterns that help them use water wisely & endure extreme aridity. A beautiful hidden logic of nature, revealed in a new @pnas.org study doi.org/10.1073/pnas... including #Maestrelab alumni 16025
Reposted by Ning ChenFernando T. Maestre @ftmaestre.bsky.social · 14/08/2025To meet the targets of the #UN Rio Conventions (#UNCCD, #UNFCCC & #CBD) we must bend the curve of land degradation. Our latest Review in @natureportfolio.nature.com #Nature discusses how to do it by 2050 by urgently transforming global food systems rdcu.be/eACfr #KAUST 01710
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 25/07/2025Soil microbial network mediate the effects of nitrogen addition on multiservices. realized by a 13-year field experiment! besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com 020
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 23/07/2025Happy to share an excellent study on the self-organized spatial patterns of biocrusts. Biocrusts make a difference. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 032
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 21/05/2025New paper out! We found that biocrust can coexist with vascular plants and form alternative states on the Loess Plateau. This is critical for restoration projects therein, especially when restoration has costed hundreds of billions of Chinese Yuan. link.springer.com/article/10.1... 010
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 24/03/2025New paper out. Response Patterns of Three Types of Biocrust to Reduced Rainfall. Moss showed delayed response to rainfall reduction. Soil water content may play a role in mediating biocrust's response. in which way? spj.science.org/doi/abs/10.3...spj.science.orgResponse Patterns of Three Types of Biocrust to Reduced Rainfall | Ecosystem Health and Sustainability 010
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 11/03/2025Short forests should be noticed. Resilience and resistance of short vs. tall forests are compared. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...iopscience.iop.orgDivergent patterns and determinants of resistance and resilience in short and tall forests across global drylands - IOPscienceSearchDivergent patterns and determinants of resistance and resilience in short and tall forests across global drylands, He, Xiao, Dong, Xiaoxue, Li, Xuan, Chen, Ning, Zhao, Changming 000
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 08/03/2025New paper out. Prioritizing microbial functions over soil quality for enhanced multifunctionality in saline-sodic soil remediation Paddy cultivation improves saline-sodic soil quality by mediating core genes related to carbon, nitrogen, and especially phosphorus cycling 010
Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · 06/03/2025A wonderful group to connect with go.bsky.app/MkLHiKU DM @global-ecology.bsky.social to join. 030
