Soil Nematodes of Grasslands in Northern China presents research on China’s temperate grasslands, providing the findings and results of a large field survey along a transect across the northern temperate grassland. It examines nematode distribution patterns along the transect from trophic group and family, to genus level, also evaluating their relationship with climatic conditions, plant biomass and soil parameters. The book then presents detailed taxonomy information of nematodes to genus or species level, providing keen insights into nematode diversity along the grassland transect in north China. Final sections review the advances and perspectives for the research of soil ecology on soil nematodes in China, including recent major discoveries of soil microbial diversity and eco-function during this field survey. This work will help researchers predict the impact of global change drivers on below ground soil biota and better understand the functioning and services they provide in terrestrial ecosystems. Features previously unavailable information on nematode diversity and distribution along a large geographic region of China Describes the relationship of nematode assemblage composition with climatic conditions, plant and soil characteristics Covers nematode genera and species descriptions along the grassland transect

Aboveground-Belowground Linkages provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive synthesis of recent advances in our understanding of the roles that interactions between aboveground and belowground communities play in regulating the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, and their responses to global change. It charts the historical development of this field of ecology and evaluates what can be learned from the recent proliferation of studies on the ecological and biogeochemical significance of aboveground-belowground linkages. The book is structured around four key topics: biotic interactions in the soil; plant community effects; the role of aboveground consumers; and the influence of species gains and losses. A concluding chapter draws together this information and identifies a number of cross-cutting themes, including consideration of aboveground-belowground feedbacks that occur at different spatial and temporal scales, the consequences of these feedbacks for ecosystem processes, and how aboveground-belowground interactions link to human-induced global change.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of grassland ecosystems based on publications by Chinese scholars. It offers an up-to-date review of the recent advances in grassland research in China, discusses the climatic and physical conditions governing the grasslands, describes their types and distribution, and introduces a new classification scheme for grassland ecosystems. Further, it details the plant, animal, and microbial compositions of each grassland ecosystem type, examining the above and below ground relationships between phytomass, vegetation succession, and past/current management practices with a particular focus on the steppes in China. It also includes references that are only available in the Chinese language. This scientifically rigorous book offers insights into knowledge gaps for the scientific community and identifies pressing issues facing practitioners of grassland ecology and management. It can be used as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students in ecology, environmental science, natural resource management, agriculture, and other relevant fields, and is also a valuable reference resource for researchers studying drylands in China or around the globe.

Terrestrial Earthworms (Oligochaeta: Opisthopora) of China summarizes the results of the classification of terrestrial earthworms in China and provides detailed and authoritative information. The content is classified according to the classification system of Sims and Easton. Each earthworm is described in detail from existing data sources and includes descriptions of external morphological characteristics, internal morphological characteristics, body color and distribution. This book is a useful resource for researchers and practitioners in the field of systematics, phylogeny, biodiversity, soil invertebrate zoology and ecology. Covers over 370 species of earthworms Describes the source of each kind of earthworm, their main classification features, and distribution Discusses the differences between similar earthworms Includes accompanying figures on the typical characteristics of each earthworm

A holistic overview of soil fauna, their contributions to ecosystem function, and implications of global change belowground.

Nematology being an established discipline covers a wide range of area ranging from basic aspect to the advanced and applied aspects involving recent advances in molecular techniques. This book discusses the following topics: the role of nematodes in our life (in agriculture, ecosystem functioning, experimental biology, ecological studies, pest management programs, or biocontrol), identification of GRSPs in nematode genomes, novel way for the diagnosis of pathogenic nematodes involving various recent molecular techniques, other methodologies for successful control of termites, evolution of plant-parasitic nematodes, viability of adult filarial nematode parasites, the impact of plant-parasitic nematodes on crops, and harnessing useful rhizosphere microorganisms for nematode control. The book also encompasses on classical study, molecular study, bioinformatics in nematology, biodiversity analysis, and culturing of nematodes in laboratory condition.