The difference in soil organic carbon (SOC) content.

<p>SF-1 and SF-2 are sites of secondary forest while RG-1 and RG-2 are sites of restored grassland. Different lower-case letters denote significant differences among depths within an individual study site; different upper-case letters denote significant differences among vegetation restoration types (<i>P</i><0.05) (plot to plot and depth to depth, N = 6).</p

The difference in bulk density at secondary forest (SF-1, SF-2) and restored grassland (RG-1, RG-2).

<p>Error bars are standard error (plot to plot and depth to depth, N = 6).</p

The difference in soil C/N ratios among sites (a) and depths (b).

<p>SF-1 and SF-2 are sites of secondary forest while RG-1 and RG-2 are sites of restored grassland. Error bars are standard error (plot to plot and depth to depth, N = 6).</p

Changes in soil δ¹³C values with depth and vegetation restoration types.

<p>SF-1 and SF-2 are sites of secondary forest while RG-1 and RG-2 are sites of restored grassland. Error bars are standard error (plot to plot and depth to depth, N = 6).</p

Relationship between soil δ¹³C values and soil organic carbon (SOC) content.

<p>SF-1 and SF-2 are sites of secondary forest while RG-1 and RG-2 are sites of restored grassland.</p

Sample sites (filled red pentagram) of this study at Yunwu Mountain and Ziwuling Mountain.

<p>Sample sites (filled red pentagram) of this study at Yunwu Mountain and Ziwuling Mountain.</p

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage (± standard deviation) at sites secondary forest (SF-1 and SF-2) and restored grassland (RG-1 and RG-2).

<p>Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage (± standard deviation) at sites secondary forest (SF-1 and SF-2) and restored grassland (RG-1 and RG-2).</p

Variation of carbon isotope fractionation factors (α) at different depth among study sites.

<p>SF-1 and SF-2 are sites of secondary forest while RG-1 and RG-2 are sites of restored grassland. Error bars are standard error (plot to plot and depth to depth, N = 6).</p

DataSheet_1_Snow-cover loss attenuates the effects of N addition on desert nutrient cycling and microbial community.pdf

Desert ecosystems are sensitive to nitrogen (N) deposition. Considering snow is an important source of soil water, which is vital for plant growth and the biogeochemical cycle in desert areas. The effects of N deposition on biological soil crusts (BSCs) could be impacted by the removal of snow-cover. Here, we established a split-plot experiment in the Gurbantunggut Desert to examine the effects of snow-cover treatments on soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and the bacterial community under various N addition. The removal of snow-cover reduced the soil nutrients with light and moderate N addition, it also reduced the activities of urease (URE) and alkaline phosphatase (PHOS). The structural equation model (SEM) result indicated that low soil moisture (SMO) under snow-uncover inhibited the bacterial community, particularly suppressed bacterial diversity. Additionally, N addition indirectly affected the bacterial community via modifications to soil nutrients, and soil organic matter (SOM) (P < 0.001) was the crucial factor. Snow-uncover weakened soil nutrient and enzyme responses to N addition, indicating that snow-cover removal reduced the sensitivity of the desert ecosystem to N deposition. The study highlights the critical role of snow-cover in the desert ecosystem, raising our awareness of the ecological risks of BSCs in future global change.</p

Altered Resting-State Brain Activity and Connectivity in Depressed Parkinson’s Disease

<div><p>Depressive symptoms are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the neurophysiological mechanisms of depression in PD are poorly understood. The current study attempted to examine disrupted spontaneous local brain activities and functional connectivities that underlie the depression in PD. We recruited a total of 20 depressed PD patients (DPD), 40 non-depressed PD patients (NDPD) and 43 matched healthy controls (HC). All the subjects underwent neuropsychological tests and resting-state fMRI scanning. The between-group differences in the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of BOLD signals were examined using post-hoc tests after the analysis of covariance. Compared with the NDPD and HC, the DPD group showed significantly increased ALFF in the left median cingulated cortex (MCC). The functional connectivity (FC) between left MCC and all the other voxels in the brain were then calculated. Compared with the HC and NDPD group, the DPD patients showed stronger FC between the left MCC and some of the major nodes of the default mode network (DMN), including the post cingulated cortex/precuneus, medial prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, and cerebellum. Correlation analysis revealed that both the ALFF values in the left MCC and the FC between the left MCC and the nodes of DMN were significantly correlated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score. Moreover, higher local activities in the left MCC were associated with increased functional connections between the MCC and the nodes of DMN in PD. These abnormal activities and connectivities of the limbic-cortical circuit may indicate impaired high-order cortical control or uncontrol of negative mood in DPD, which suggested a possible neural mechanism of the depression in PD.</p></div