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1. Long-term variability of root production in bioenergy crops from ingrowth core measurements

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtab018  

   Lei, Cheyenne; Abraha, Michael; Chen, Jiquan; Su, Yahn-Jauh (October 2021, Journal of Plant Ecology)

   Zhang, Wen-Hao (Ed.)

   Abstract Aims Long-term determination of root biomass production upon land-use conversion to biofuel crops is rare. To assess land-use legacy influences on belowground biomass accumulation, we converted 22-year-old Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands and 50+-year-old agricultural (AGR) lands to corn (C), switchgrass (Sw) and restored prairie (Pr) biofuel crops. We maintained one CRP grassland as a reference (Ref). We hypothesized that land-use history and crop type have significant effects on root density, with perennial crops on CRP grasslands having a higher root biomass productivity, while corn grown on former agricultural lands produce the lowest root biomass. Methods The ingrowth core method was used to determine in situ ingrowth root biomass, alongside measurements of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). Ancillary measurements, including air temperature, growing season length and precipitation were used to examine their influences on root biomass production. Important Findings Root biomass productivity was the highest in unconverted CRP grassland (1716 g m−2 yr−1) and lowest in corn fields (526 g m−2 yr−1). All perennial sites converted from CRP and AGR lands had lower root biomass and ANPP in the first year of planting but peaked in 2011 for switchgrass and a year later for restored prairies. Ecosystem stability was higher in restored prairies (AGR-Pr: 4.3 ± 0.11; CRP-Pr: 4.1 ± 0.10), with all monocultures exhibiting a lower stability. Root biomass production was positively related to ANPP (R2 = 0.40). Overall, attention should be given to root biomass accumulation in large-scale biofuel production as it is a major source of carbon sequestration. 

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2. Prairie Strips and Lower Land Use Intensity Increase Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.833170  

   Kemmerling, Lindsey R.; Rutkoski, Corinn E.; Evans, Sarah E.; Helms, Jackson A.; Cordova-Ortiz, Esbeiry S.; Smith, Jamie D.; Vázquez Custodio, Jorge A.; Vizza, Carmella; Haddad, Nick M. (May 2022, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution)

   Agricultural landscapes can be managed to protect biodiversity and maintain ecosystem services. One approach to achieve this is to restore native perennial vegetation within croplands. Where rowcrops have displaced prairie, as in the US Midwest, restoration of native perennial vegetation can align with crops in so called “prairie strips.” We tested the effect of prairie strips in addition to other management practices on a variety of taxa and on a suite of ecosystem services. To do so, we worked within a 33-year-old experiment that included treatments that varied methods of agricultural management across a gradient of land use intensity. In the two lowest intensity crop management treatments, we introduced prairie strips that occupied 5% of crop area. We addressed three questions: (1) What are the effects of newly established prairie strips on the spillover of biodiversity and ecosystem services into cropland? (2) How does time since prairie strip establishment affect biodiversity and ecosystem services? (3) What are the tradeoffs and synergies among biodiversity conservation, non-provisioning ecosystem services, and provisioning ecosystem services (crop yield) across a land use intensity gradient (which includes prairie strips)? Within prairie strip treatments, where sampling effort occurred within and at increasing distance from strips, dung beetle abundance, spider abundance and richness, active carbon, decomposition, and pollination decreased with distance from prairie strips, and this effect increased between the first and second year. Across the entire land use intensity gradient, treatments with prairie strips and reduced chemical inputs had higher butterfly abundance, spider abundance, and pollination services. In addition, soil organic carbon, butterfly richness, and spider richness increased with a decrease in land use intensity. Crop yield in one treatment with prairie strips was equal to that of the highest intensity management, even while including the area taken out of production. We found no effects of strips on ant biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions (N 2 O and CH 4 ). Our results show that, even in early establishment, prairie strips and lower land use intensity can contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services without a disproportionate loss of crop yield. 

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3. Quantitative assessment of ecosystem services in diverse land uses within the forest-grassland transition zone of southern Great Plains, USA

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101697  

   Whiteis, Ally M; Zou, Chris B; Joshi, Omkar; Ferguson, Benedict; Roberts, Sophie (February 2025, Ecosystem Services)

   Ecosystem services, essential for supporting life, are increasingly being altered by anthropogenic activities. This study focuses on the Cross Timbers ecoregion of the southern Great Plains, USA, where oak woodland and grassland co-exist. However, grasslands are rapidly transitioning to woodlands through a process known as woody plant encroachment, or are being considered for switchgrass biofuel production. Our objectives were to quantify the supporting (plant biodiversity, aboveground net primary productivity), provisioning (water quantity, forage production), regulating (soil organic carbon, flood regulation), and cultural services (hunting-based recreation, aesthetics) of four land use types—tallgrass prairie, oak woodland, eastern redcedar woodland, and switchgrass biofuel production—using the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Framework. We integrated these services into an ecosystem sustainability index. Results showed that tallgrass prairie provided balanced services and ranked highest in this index. Eastern redcedar and switchgrass exhibited an imbalance in services, while oak woodland’s ranking varied with normalization methods. Our results highlight the need for grassland conservation by curtailment of eastern redcedar expansion. While oak woodland ranks high in cultural services, its restoration is recommended to enhance multiple ecosystem services. This study provides a roadmap for quantitatively evaluating ecosystem services to inform management decisions for ecosystem transitions and promote regional sustainability. Future research should broaden stakeholder engagement and explore integrated land use strategies within large watersheds encompassing multiple land uses to enhance regional environmental sustainability. 

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4. Restoring Soil Fertility on Degraded Lands to Meet Food, Fuel, and Climate Security Needs via Perennialization

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.706142  

   Mosier, Samantha; Córdova, S. Carolina; Robertson, G. Philip (October 2021, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems)

   null (Ed.)

   A continuously growing pressure to increase food, fiber, and fuel production to meet worldwide demand and achieve zero hunger has put severe pressure on soil resources. Abandoned, degraded, and marginal lands with significant agricultural constraints—many still used for agricultural production—result from inappropriately intensive management, insufficient attention to soil conservation, and climate change. Continued use for agricultural production will often require ever more external inputs such as fertilizers and herbicides, further exacerbating soil degradation and impeding nutrient recycling and retention. Growing evidence suggests that degraded lands have a large potential for restoration, perhaps most effectively via perennial cropping systems that can simultaneously provide additional ecosystem services. Here we synthesize the advantages of and potentials for using perennial vegetation to restore soil fertility on degraded croplands, by summarizing the principal mechanisms underpinning soil carbon stabilization and nitrogen and phosphorus availability and retention. We illustrate restoration potentials with example systems that deliver climate mitigation (cellulosic bioenergy), animal production (intensive rotational grazing), and biodiversity conservation (natural ecological succession). Perennialization has substantial promise for restoring fertility to degraded croplands, helping to meet future food security needs. 

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5. Projected changes in monthly baseflow across the U.S. Midwest

   https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.7140  

   Ayers, Jessica R.; Villarini, Gabriele; Schilling, Keith; Jones, Christopher (April 2021, International Journal of Climatology)

   Abstract Baseflow is an essential water resource because it is the groundwater discharged to streams and represents long‐term storage. Understanding its future changes is a major concern for water supply and ecosystem health. This study examines the impacts of climate and agriculture on monthly baseflow in the U.S. Midwest through the end of the 21st century. We use a statistical approach to evaluate three scenarios. The first scenario is based on downscaled and bias corrected global climate model (GCM) outputs and the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5, and agriculture is held constant (and equal to the mean from 2013 to 2019). In the next two scenarios, climate is held constant (2010–2019) to isolate the impact of agriculture on baseflow. In terms of agricultural changes, we consider scenarios representative of either increases or decreases with respect to the production of corn and soybeans. Changes in the climate system point to increases in baseflow that are likely a result of increased precipitation and antecedent wetness. Seasonally, warmer temperature in the winter and spring (i.e., February to July) is expected to cause increasing trends in baseflow. Changes in land use showed that agriculture would either mitigate the impact of climate change or possibly amplify it. Expanding corn and soybean areas would increase baseflow in the Corn Belt region. On the other hand, converting land back to perennial vegetation would decrease baseflow throughout the entire year. Despite its simplicity, this study can provide basic information to understand where to expect adverse effects on baseflow and thus improve land management practices in those areas. 

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