A calcareous and clayey xeric Chromic Haploxerept of a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term experimental site in Sicily (Italy) was sampled (0\uffe2\uff80\uff9315\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm depth) under different land use management and cropping systems (CSs) to study their effect on soil aggregate stability and organic carbon (SOC). The experimental site had three tillage managements (no till [NT], dual\uffe2\uff80\uff90layer [DL] and conventional tillage [CT]) and two CSs (durum wheat monocropping [W] and durum wheat/faba bean rotation [WB]). The annually sequestered SOC with W was 2\uffc2\uffb775\uffe2\uff80\uff90times higher than with WB. SOC concentrations were also higher. Both NT and CT management systems were the most effective in SOC sequestration whereas with DL system no C was sequestered. The differences in SOC concentrations between NT and CT were surprisingly small. Cumulative C input of all cropping and tillage systems and the annually sequestered SOC indicated that a steady state occurred at a sequestration rate of 7\uffc2\uffb74\uffe2\uff80\uff89Mg\uffe2\uff80\uff89C\uffe2\uff80\uff89ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffe2\uff80\uff89y\uffe2\uff88\uff921. Independent of the CSs, most of the SOC was stored in the silt and clay fraction. This fraction had a high N content which is typical for organic matter interacting with minerals. Macroaggregates (>250\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb5m) and large microaggregates (75\uffe2\uff80\uff93250\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb5m) were influenced by the treatments whereas the finest fractions were not. DL reduced the SOC in macroaggregates while NT and CT gave rise to higher SOC contents. In Mediterranean areas with Vertisols, agricultural strategies aimed at increasing the SOC contents should probably consider enhancing the proportion of coarser soil fractions so that, in the short\uffe2\uff80\uff90term, organic C can be accumulated. Copyright \uffc2\uffa9 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
", "keywords": ["2300 General Environmental Science", "2. Zero hunger", "10122 Institute of Geography", "3303 Development", "2304 Environmental Chemistry", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "910 Geography & travel", "15. Life on land", "1111 Soil Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.1055"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Land%20Degradation%20%26amp%3B%20Development", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1002/ldr.1055", "name": "item", "description": "10.1002/ldr.1055", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1002/ldr.1055"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-10-14T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1002/ldr.2293", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:14:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-05-22", "title": "Long-Term Tillage And Cropping System Effects On Chemical And Biochemical Characteristics Of Soil Organic Matter In A Mediterranean Semiarid Environment", "description": "AbstractSeveral studies have reported how tillage and cropping systems affect quantity, quality, and distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) along the profile. However, the effect of soil management on the chemical structure of SOM and on its hydrophobic and hydrophilic components has been little investigated. In this work, the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term (19\uffe2\uff80\uff89years) effects of two cropping systems (wheat monoculture and wheat/faba bean rotation) and three tillage managements (conventional, reduced, and no tillage) on some chemical characteristics of SOM and their relationships with labile carbon (C) pools were evaluated. Soil samples were taken from the topsoil (0\uffe2\uff80\uff9315\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm) of a Chromic Haploxerert (central Sicily, Italy). After 19\uffe2\uff80\uff89years of different tillage and cropping systems management, total organic C significantly differed among treatments with the labile organic C pools showing the greater amount in no till and in wheat/faba bean plots. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic components of SOM, determined by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, were mainly affected by cropping system, whereas aromatic components of SOM by tillage. Soil organic matter components and characteristics showed significant correlations with the soil biochemical parameters, confirming the expected synergism between chemical and biochemical properties. This study demonstrated that (i) no tillage and crop rotation improve the chemical and biochemical properties of SOM of Vertisols under semiarid environment; and (ii) tillage management and cropping systems have affected, after 19\uffe2\uff80\uff89years, more the chemical and biochemical properties of SOM than its quantity. Copyright \uffc2\uffa9 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "3303 Development", "Soil Science", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Development", "6. Clean water", "2300 General Environmental Science", "10122 Institute of Geography", "13. Climate action", "2304 Environmental Chemistry", "Environmental Chemistry", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "910 Geography & travel", "1111 Soil Science", "General Environmental Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2293"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Land%20Degradation%20%26amp%3B%20Development", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1002/ldr.2293", "name": "item", "description": "10.1002/ldr.2293", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1002/ldr.2293"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-06-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02798.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:56Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-07-28", "title": "Increasing Soil Methane Sink Along A 120-Year Afforestation Chronosequence Is Driven By Soil Moisture", "description": "AbstractUpland soils are important sinks for atmospheric methane (CH4), a process essentially driven by methanotrophic bacteria. Soil CH4 uptake often depends on land use, with afforestation generally increasing the soil CH4 sink. However, the mechanisms driving these changes are not well understood to date. We measured soil CH4 and N2O fluxes along an afforestation chronosequence with Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) established on an extensively grazed subalpine pasture. Our experimental design included forest stands with ages ranging from 25 to >120\uffc2\uffa0years and included a factorial cattle urine addition treatment to test for the sensitivity of soil CH4 uptake to N application. Mean CH4 uptake significantly increased with stand age on all sampling dates. In contrast, CH4 oxidation by sieved soils incubated in the laboratory did not show a similar age dependency. Soil CH4 uptake was unrelated to soil N status (but cattle urine additions stimulated N2O emission). Our data indicated that soil CH4 uptake in older forest stands was driven by reduced soil water content, which resulted in a facilitated diffusion of atmospheric CH4 into soils. The lower soil moisture likely resulted from increased interception and/or evapotranspiration in the older forest stands. This mechanism contrasts alternative explanations focusing on nitrogen dynamics or the composition of methanotrophic communities, although these factors also might be at play. Our findings further imply that the current dramatic increase in forested area increases CH4 uptake in alpine regions.
", "keywords": ["2300 General Environmental Science", "2. Zero hunger", "10127 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies", "13. Climate action", "2304 Environmental Chemistry", "570 Life sciences; biology", "590 Animals (Zoology)", "2306 Global and Planetary Change", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "2303 Ecology", "6. Clean water"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02798.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02798.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02798.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02798.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-09-07T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/gcb.12666", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:44Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-06-21", "title": "Interactive Effects Of Elevated Co2 And Nitrogen Deposition On Fatty Acid Molecular And Isotope Composition Of Above- And Belowground Tree Biomass And Forest Soil Fractions", "description": "AbstractAtmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and reactive nitrogen (N) concentrations have been increasing due to human activities and impact the global carbon (C) cycle by affecting plant photosynthesis and decomposition processes in soil. Large amounts of C are stored in plants and soils, but the mechanisms behind the stabilization of plant\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and microbial\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived organic matter (OM) in soils are still under debate and it is not clear how N deposition affects soil OM dynamics. Here, we studied the effects of 4\uffc2\uffa0years of elevated (13C\uffe2\uff80\uff90depleted) CO2 and N deposition in forest ecosystems established in open\uffe2\uff80\uff90top chambers on composition and turnover of fatty acids (FAs) in plants and soils. FAs served as biomarkers for plant\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and microbial\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived OM in soil density fractions. We analyzed above\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and belowground plant biomass of beech and spruce trees as well as soil density fractions for the total organic C and FA molecular and isotope (\uffce\uffb413C) composition. FAs did not accumulate relative to total organic C in fine mineral fractions, showing that FAs are not effectively stabilized by association with soil minerals. The \uffce\uffb413C values of FAs in plant biomass increased under high N deposition. However, the N effect was only apparent under elevated CO2 suggesting a N limitation of the system. In soil fractions, only isotope compositions of short\uffe2\uff80\uff90chain FAs (C16+18) were affected. Fractions of \uffe2\uff80\uff98new\uffe2\uff80\uff99 (experimental\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived) FAs were calculated using isotope depletion in elevated CO2 plots and decreased from free light to fine mineral fractions. \uffe2\uff80\uff98New\uffe2\uff80\uff99 FAs were higher in short\uffe2\uff80\uff90chain compared to long\uffe2\uff80\uff90chain FAs (C20\uffe2\uff88\uff9230), indicating a faster turnover of short\uffe2\uff80\uff90chain compared to long\uffe2\uff80\uff90chain FAs. Increased N deposition did not significantly affect the quantity of \uffe2\uff80\uff98new\uffe2\uff80\uff99 FAs in soil fractions, but showed a tendency of increased amounts of \uffe2\uff80\uff98old\uffe2\uff80\uff99 (pre\uffe2\uff80\uff90experimental) C suggesting that decomposition of \uffe2\uff80\uff98old\uffe2\uff80\uff99 C is retarded by high N inputs.
", "keywords": ["UFSP13-8 Global Change and Biodiversity", "2306 Global and Planetary Change", "Chemical Fractionation", "Forests", "2300 General Environmental Science", "Soil", "Fagus", "Environmental Chemistry", "Biomass", "Photosynthesis", "Picea", "General Environmental Science", "2. Zero hunger", "Global and Planetary Change", "Analysis of Variance", "Carbon Isotopes", "Ecology", "Atmosphere", "Fatty Acids", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Reactive Nitrogen Species", "13. Climate action", "2304 Environmental Chemistry", "570 Life sciences; biology", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "2303 Ecology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12666"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.12666", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.12666", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.12666"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-07-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s43247-023-00830-5", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:17:54Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-05-08", "title": "Soil organic carbon models need independent time-series validation for reliable prediction", "description": "AbstractNumerical models are crucial to understand and/or predict past and future soil organic carbon dynamics. For those models aiming at prediction, validation is a critical step to gain confidence in projections. With a comprehensive review of ~250 models, we assess how models are validated depending on their objectives and features, discuss how validation of predictive models can be improved. We find a critical lack of independent validation using observed time series. Conducting such validations should be a priority to improve the model reliability. Approximately 60% of the models we analysed are not designed for predictions, but rather for conceptual understanding of soil processes. These models provide important insights by identifying key processes and alternative formalisms that can be relevant for predictive models. We argue that combining independent validation based on observed time series and improved information flow between predictive and conceptual models will increase reliability in predictions.Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loading alters soil ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) abundances, likely leading to substantial changes in soil nitrification. However, the factors and mechanisms determining the responses of soil AOA:AOB and nitrification to N loading are still unclear, making it difficult to predict future changes in soil nitrification. Herein, we synthesize\uffc2\uffa068 field studies around the world to evaluate the impacts of N loading on soil ammonia oxidizers and nitrification. Across a wide range of biotic and abiotic factors, climate is the most important driver of the responses of AOA:AOB to N loading. Climate does not directly affect the N\uffe2\uff80\uff90stimulation of nitrification, but does so via climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90related shifts in AOA:AOB. Specifically, climate modulates the responses of AOA:AOB to N loading by affecting soil pH, N\uffe2\uff80\uff90availability and moisture. AOB play a dominant role in affecting nitrification in dry climates, while the impacts from AOA can exceed AOB in humid climates. Together, these results suggest that climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90related shifts in soil ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing community maintain the N\uffe2\uff80\uff90stimulation of nitrification, highlighting the importance of microbial community composition in mediating the responses of the soil N cycle to N loading.Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loading alters soil ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) abundances, likely leading to substantial changes in soil nitrification. However, the factors and mechanisms determining the responses of soil AOA:AOB and nitrification to N loading are still unclear, making it difficult to predict future changes in soil nitrification. Herein, we synthesize\uffc2\uffa068 field studies around the world to evaluate the impacts of N loading on soil ammonia oxidizers and nitrification. Across a wide range of biotic and abiotic factors, climate is the most important driver of the responses of AOA:AOB to N loading. Climate does not directly affect the N\uffe2\uff80\uff90stimulation of nitrification, but does so via climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90related shifts in AOA:AOB. Specifically, climate modulates the responses of AOA:AOB to N loading by affecting soil pH, N\uffe2\uff80\uff90availability and moisture. AOB play a dominant role in affecting nitrification in dry climates, while the impacts from AOA can exceed AOB in humid climates. Together, these results suggest that climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90related shifts in soil ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing community maintain the N\uffe2\uff80\uff90stimulation of nitrification, highlighting the importance of microbial community composition in mediating the responses of the soil N cycle to N loading.Numerical models are crucial to understand and/or predict past and future soil organic carbon dynamics. For those models aiming at prediction, validation is a critical step to gain confidence in projections. With a comprehensive review of ~250 models, we assess how models are validated depending on their objectives and features, discuss how validation of predictive models can be improved. We find a critical lack of independent validation using observed time series. Conducting such validations should be a priority to improve the model reliability. Approximately 60% of the models we analysed are not designed for predictions, but rather for conceptual understanding of soil processes. These models provide important insights by identifying key processes and alternative formalisms that can be relevant for predictive models. We argue that combining independent validation based on observed time series and improved information flow between predictive and conceptual models will increase reliability in predictions.