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1. Atmospheric drying and soil drying: Differential effects on grass community composition

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17106  

   Huynh, A.; Aguirre, B_A; English, J.; Guzman, D.; Wright, A_J (December 2023, Global Change Biology)

   Abstract Global surface temperatures are projected to increase in the future; this will modify regional precipitation regimes and increase global atmospheric drying. Despite many drought studies examining the consequences of reduced precipitation, there are few experimental studies exploring plant responses to atmospheric drying via relative humidity and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). We examined eight native California perennial grass species grown in pots in a greenhouse in Los Angeles, California for 34 weeks. All pots were well‐watered for 21 weeks, at which point we reduced watering to zero and recorded daily growth and dormancy for 3 weeks. We used this information to better understand the drought tolerance of our species in a larger soil drying × atmospheric drying experiment. In this larger experiment, we grew all eight species together in outdoor mesocosms and measured changes in community composition after 4 years of growth. Soil drying in our small pot experiment mirrored compositional shifts in the larger experiment. Namely, our most drought‐tolerant species in our pot experiment wasPoa secunda, due to a summer dormancy strategy. Similarly, the grass community shifted towardP. secundain the driest soils asP. secundawas mostly unaffected by either soil drying or atmospheric drying. We found that some species responded strongly to soil drying (Elymus glaucus,Festuca idahoensis, andHordeum b. californicum), while others responded strongly to atmospheric drying (Bromus carinatusandStipa cernua). As result, community composition shifted in different and interacting ways in response to soil drying, atmospheric drying, and their combination. Further study of community responses to increasing atmospheric aridity is an essential next step to predicting the future consequences of climate change. 

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2. Impacts of stream drying depend on stream network size and location of drying

   https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.3015  

   Malish, Megan_C; Gao, Shang; Allen, Daniel_C; Neeson, Thomas_M (July 2024, Ecological Applications)

   Abstract Stream drying is increasing globally, with widespread impacts on stream ecosystems. Here, we investigated how the impacts of drying on stream ecosystem connectivity might depend on stream network size and the location of drying within the stream network. Using 11 stream networks from across the United States, we simulated drying scenarios in which we varied the location and spatial extent of drying. We found that the rate of connectivity loss varied with stream network size, such that larger stream networks lost connectivity more rapidly than smaller stream networks. We also found that the rate of connectivity loss varied with the location of drying. When drying occurred in the mainstem, even small amounts of drying resulted in rapid losses in ecosystem connectivity. When drying occurred in headwater reaches, small amounts of drying had little impact on connectivity. Beyond a certain threshold, however, connectivity declined rapidly with further increases in drying. Given the increasing stream drying worldwide, our findings underscore the need for managers to be particularly vigilant about fragmentation when managing at large spatial scales and when stream drying occurs in mainstem reaches. 

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3. Drying dynamics of pellet feces

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SM00359G  

   Magondu, Benjamin; Lee, Alexander B.; Schulz, Andrew; Buchelli, Gabriel Cervantes; Meng, Michelle; Kaminski, Candice; Yang, Patricia J.; Carver, Scott; Hu, David L. (January 2023, Soft Matter)

   Pellet feces are generated by a number of animals important to science or agriculture, including mice, rats, goats, and wombats. Understanding the factors that lead to fecal shape may provide a better understanding of animal health and diet. In this combined experimental and theoretical study, we test the hypothesis that pellet feces are formed by drying processes in the intestine. Inspirational to our work is the formation of hexagonal columnar jointings in cooling lava beds, in which the width L of the hexagon scales as L ∼ J −1 where J is the heat flux from the bed. Across 22 species of mammals, we report a transition from cylindrical to pellet feces if fecal water content drops below 0.65. Using a mathematical model that accounts for water intake rate and intestinal dimensions, we show pellet feces length L scales as L ∼ J −2.08 where J is the flux of water absorbed by the intestines. We build a mimic of the mammalian intestine using a corn starch cake drying in an open trough, finding that corn starch pellet length scales with water flux −0.46 . The range of exponents does not permit us to conclude that formation of columnar jointings is similar to the formation of pellet feces. Nevertheless, the methods and physical picture shown here may be of use to physicians and veterinarians interested in using feces length as a marker of intestinal health. 

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4. Encapsulation of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) using protein-polysaccharide combinations through spray drying and air drying

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2023.115268  

   Wang, Junyi; Enayati, Mojtaba; Madarshahian, Sara; Ufheil, Gerhard; Yan, Bing; Abbaspourrad, Alireza (September 2023, LWT)
5. The effect of sample drying temperature on marine particulate organic carbon composition: Drying temperature effects on marine POC

   https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10245  

   Rosengard, Sarah Z.; Lam, Phoebe J.; McNichol, Ann P.; Johnson, Carl G.; Galy, Valier V. (May 2018, Limnology and Oceanography: Methods)