Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

Identification and Characterization of a Previously Uncharacterized Metagenome-Derived Chitinase and Its Application in N -Acetyl- d -Glucosamine Production from Crayfish Shell Waste

Abstract The generation of agricultural and food-processing byproducts has increased rapidly, highlighting the importance of their high-value utilization. In this study, a putative chitinase gene was identified from a metagenome-assembled genome. The enzyme plays a key role in ch...

Satellite altimetry reveals heterogeneity in global flood peak timing and its shifts

Flood peak timing (FloPT) is a key indicator of hydrological responses to climate change. Yet global FloPT assessments is limited by sparse and uneven in-situ discharge observations. Here, we demonstrated the capability of satellite altimetry to estimate FloPT worldwide and prese...

Aridity regulates scale-dependent effects of multiple resource additions on productivity stability in Eurasian grasslands

Increasing the supply of multiple limiting resources generally reduces biodiversity and community stability in grasslands. Aridity is known to modify biodiversity-stability relationships, yet it remains unclear whether the effects of multiple resource supply on biodiversity and s...

Depth-dependent microbial roles and associations with soil multifunctionality along an afforestation chronosequence in a hyper-arid desert

Soil multifunctionality refers to the capacity of soil to support multiple ecosystem processes (e.g., nutrient cycling, organic matter stabilization), which is mediated by soil microorganisms. Afforestation is a pivotal strategy for combating desertification in hyper-arid regions...

Forest Conversion Reduces Soil Water Retention in Tropical Rainforest

ABSTRACT Extensive primary forests are being converted to secondary forests and plantations owing to human activities in recent decades, which have substantial effects on soil hydrological processes. However, the potential impact of forest conversion on soil water retention remai...

Exogenous SA- and IAA-Mediated Regulation of Silique Growth and Development in Isatis indigotica

Isatis indigotica Fort.—a well-known medicinal cruciferous species—is the source plant of Isatidis Radix and Folium Isatidis, and is widely cultivated for medicinal raw material. The silique serves as the propagative organ for seed production of I. indigotica, and its development...

Weed control, maize ( Zea mays L.) metabolism, and rhizosphere microbiome of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with S ‐metolachlor and ZnO quantum dots

Abstract BACKGROUND Conventional pesticide formulations employ large amounts of organic solvents, raising concerns regarding their environmental contamination, pesticide residues, and potential toxicity to non‐target organisms. Hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) are n...

Integrative phylogenomics, polyphasic taxonomy, and metagenomics expand the characterized taxonomic diversity of Thermoleophilia

Abstract The class Thermoleophilia represents a deep‐branching lineage within the phylum Actinomycetota , and yet, its taxonomic diversity remains incompletely resolved due to the limited availability of cultured representatives and uneven integration of genome‐resolved diversity...

An integrated diagnosis of agricultural groundwater over-abstraction in a Lake Urmia tributary catchment

Groundwater over-abstraction in agricultural catchments is not only a hydrological decline problem; it is also a management problem shaped by crops, wells, incentives and institutional capacity. This study develops an integrated diagnosis for the Siminehrood catchment, a major ag...

A Shallow‐Marine Ecosystem Before Initial Tibetan Plateau Uplift

Abstract The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau profoundly influences global atmospheric circulation, sediment transport, and biodiversity, but its pre‐uplift marine paleoenvironment remains poorly understood. Here we report the first discovery of an in situ benthic fossil assemblage...

Fetal hypoxia causes oocyte oxidative stress damage via the Sirt3/Sod2 pathway and can be alleviated by nicotinamide mononucleotide.

Environmental hypoxia exerts detrimental effects on the reproductive capabilities of both humans and animals. A fetal hypoxia model was established in which fetal mice were kept in a high-plateau hypoxic setting from embryonic day (E) 0 to 16.5. In our previous research, we found...

A Deep Model Framework for Morphological Trait Imputation Across Taxonomic Groups

ABSTRACT Incomplete morphological trait data pose major hurdles for trait‐based analyses, particularly when missing values, multicollinearity, and sparse sampling constrain inference. These issues limit our ability to quantify trait variation and explore broad patterns of functio...

Simulation and Multi-Time Scale Attribution Analysis of Actual Evapotranspiration in the Source Region of the Yangtze River, China

The Yangtze River Basin is a critical water supply region in China. To quantify the contributions of climate change and human activities to water resources across multiple temporal scales, this study focuses on actual evapotranspiration (AET), which directly influences water avai...

Small mammalian herbivores at moderate densities facilitate livestock growth by improving vegetation composition in grasslands

Small mammals and large herbivores have co-evolved in grasslands for millions of years, yet how they interplay remains unclear. Although large herbivores can significantly affect the smaller ones, the reversal effect is largely unknown. On the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, plateau pik...

Dynamic immune regulation of Gymnocypris eckloni in response to severe short-term hypoxia and moderate prolonged hypoxia

Abstract Background Aquatic hypoxia frequently occurs as a recurring environmental stressor, exerting detrimental effects on the growth and survival of fish. As a typical endemic fish species inhabiting the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Gymnocypris eckloni displays outstanding resilie...

Cumulative spatial assessment of observed wildlife-vehicle collisions based on indicator species thresholds

Global road network expansion has exacerbated wildlife-vehicle collisions. However, traditional risk assessments predominantly assume a linear relationship between landscape features and observed collision quantities, overlooking the non-linear threshold characteristics of ecolog...

Multi-Layer Soil Moisture Variability and Its Hydroclimatic Controls in Tajikistan, Central Asia

Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to climate change and depends heavily on agriculture, making soil moisture dynamics critical for water and food security. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of soil moisture variability across four depth layers (0–10 cm, 10–40 cm, 40–10...

Seasonal plant-microbial coupling regulates carbon transformation pathways and soil organic carbon persistence in alpine grasslands

To elucidate the seasonal mechanisms underlying soil carbon cycling in alpine grasslands, we collected soil profile samples (0–50 cm) from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) in May, August, and November. Amino sugars and lignin phenols were used as molecular markers of microbial-der...

Gut microbiome seasonality is associated with dietary plasticity and coexistence in three sympatric Pamir ungulates

This graphical abstract outlines a multi-omics framework investigating the seasonal dietary composition and gut microbial communities of three coexisting ungulate species inhabiting the extreme high-altitude Pamir Plateau (Ovis ammon polii, Capra sibirica, and Pseudois nayaur). B...

Integrated analysis of surface water-groundwater interactions and enhanced hydrological forecasting of glacierized river in cold and arid regions

Abstract In cold and arid regions, climate change has altered precipitation patterns and accelerated glacierized retreat, which imposes severe risks on the stability of regional hydrological systems. Combined with the strong interactions between surface water (SW) and groundwater...