Biology subjects

te Beest, M.

Publications and source records attributed to te Beest, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Nutrient niche differentiation among European herbaceous species reflects an extinction to invasion continuum

Threatened and invasive plant species may appear worlds apart; however, we propose that mechanisms underlying invasive success and extinction risk among European herbaceous species constitute a continuum from successful, well-dispersing, fast-growing species to threatened, slow-growing species. We provide empirical evidence for such an extinction-invasion continuum and show that threatened and naturalized invasive plant species occur at opposite ends. Threatened species persist in phosphorus-limited nutrient-poor habitats, while naturalized and invasive species more often occur in nitrogen-limited nutrient-rich habitats. These opposing niches suggest invasive species do not directly displace threatened species; instead, species replacement and extinction result from nutrient regime shifts. Mitigating and preventing nutrient enrichment, especially phosphorus, for nature conservation protects existing nutrient niches for threatened species and limits plant invasion.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

A large global soil carbon sink informed by repeated soil samplings

Partitioning the terrestrial carbon sink between vegetation and soil is crucial for predicting future climate change, but the role of soils remains poorly quantified. Here, we compiled 3,099 soil organic carbon time series spanning five decades. We found a global soil organic carbon sink of 1.83 {+/-} 0.9 (mean {+/-} SE) petagrams per year from 1992 to 2020, driven by extratropical young forests, boreal old forests, and grasslands, while trends in tropical ecosystems remain uncertain. Our findings suggest the net land sink resides almost exclusively belowground as soil carbon, emphasizing the global opportunity of soil conservation and restoration for climate mitigation.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Macro-environment strongly interacts with warming in a global analysis of decomposition

Empirical studies worldwide show substantial variability in plant litter decomposition responses to warming, leaving the overall impact of climate change on this process uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, utilizing natural and standardized plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. Warming influences decomposition differently across macro-environmental gradients of moisture and temperature. Negative warming effects on decomposition in warmer, low-moisture areas were counterbalanced by the positive, though not significant, warming effects in colder areas, resulting in an overall non-significant effect. We determine that at least 5.2 degrees of warming is required for a significant increase in decomposition. This is particularly relevant given the past decades global warmth in higher latitudes, holding a significant proportion of terrestrial carbon. Low-quality plant litter was more sensitive to warming. Therefore, future vegetation changes toward low-quality, temperature-sensitive plants could increase carbon release and reduce the net supply of stored organic matter in the soil by increasing the decomposition of low-quality litter with warming. Our findings emphasize the connection between warming responses, macro-environment, and litter characteristics, refining predictions of climate changes consequences on key ecosystem processes and its contextual dependencies.

ecology↗