Soil erosion is one of the main threats driving soil degradation across the globe with important impacts on crop yields, soil biota, biogeochemical cycles, and ultimately human nutrition.
ObjectivesHere, using an empirical model, we present a global and temporally explicit assessment of soil erosion risk according to recent (2001\uffe2\uff80\uff932013) dynamics of rainfall and vegetation cover change to identify vulnerable areas for soils and soil biodiversity.
MethodsWe used an adaptation of the Universal Soil Loss Equation together with state of the art remote sensing models to create a spatially and temporally explicit global model of soil erosion and soil protection. Finally, we overlaid global maps of soil biodiversity to assess the potential vulnerability of these soil communities to soil erosion.
ResultsWe show a consistent decline in soil erosion protection over time across terrestrial biomes, which resulted in a global increase of 11.7% in soil erosion rates. Notably, soil erosion risk systematically increased between 2006 and 2013 in relation to the baseline year (2001). Although vegetation cover is central to soil protection, this increase was mostly driven by changes in rainfall erosivity. Globally, soil erosion is expected not only to have an impact on the vulnerability of soil conditions but also on soil biodiversity with 6.4% (for soil macrofauna) and 7.6% (for soil fungi) of these vulnerable areas coinciding with regions with high soil biodiversity.
ConclusionsOur results indicate that an increasing proportion of soils are degraded globally, affecting not only livelihoods but also potentially degrading local and regional landscapes. Similarly, many degraded regions coincide with and may have impacted high levels of soil biodiversity.75\u00a0years) grazing during spring (SPG), summer (SUG), winter (WG) and exclosure (non-grazed control) treatments on soil nutrients, penetration resistance and infiltration tests. A soil sampling campaign was carried out to collect soil to a depth of 60\u00a0cm to analyse bulk density, soil physical and chemical parameters as well as soil compaction and infiltration. Generally, grazing treatments reduced soil organic C (SOC) stocks and C:N ratios, and modified soil properties. There was higher SOC stock (0.128\u00a0Mg\u00a0ha\u22121\u00a0yr\u22121) in the exclosure than in the SPG (0.096\u00a0Mg\u00a0ha\u22121\u00a0yr\u22121), SUG (0.099\u00a0Mg\u00a0ha\u22121\u00a0yr\u22121) and WG (0.105\u00a0Mg\u00a0ha\u22121\u00a0yr\u22121). The C:N ratios exhibited similar pattern to that of C. From the grazing treatments, the WG demonstrated 7 to 10\u00a0% additional SOC stock over the SPG and SUG, respectively. Short period animal exclusion could be an option to be considered to improve plant nutrients in sandy soils of South Africa. However, this may require a policy environment which supports stock exclusion from such areas vulnerable to land degradation, nutrient and C losses by grazing-induced vegetation and landscape changes.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Soil organic carbon", "[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes", "Exclosure", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Total nitrogen", "15. Life on land", "630", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "[SDE.MCG] Environmental Sciences/Global Changes", "Grazing season", "\u00e9cosyst\u00e8me aride", "13. Climate action", "Arid ecosystem", "mati\u00e8re organique", "saison de p\u00e2turage", "carbone organique du sol", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Organic matter", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "azote total"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2625-z"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-015-2625-z", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-015-2625-z", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-015-2625-z"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-08-09T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11104-017-3369-8", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-08-22", "title": "Thaw Pond Development And Initial Vegetation Succession In Experimental Plots At A Siberian Lowland Tundra Site", "description": "
Background and aims: Permafrost degradation has the potential to change the Arctic tundra landscape. We observed rapid local thawing of ice-rich permafrost resulting in thaw pond formation, which was triggered by removal of the shrub cover in a field experiment. This study aimed to examine the rate of permafrost thaw and the initial vegetation succession after the permafrost collapse. Methods: In the experiment, we measured changes in soil thaw depth, plant species cover and soil subsidence over nine years (2007\u20132015). Results: After abrupt initial thaw, soil subsidence in the removal plots continued indicating further thawing of permafrost albeit at a much slower pace: 1 cm y\u22121 over 2012\u20132015 vs. 5 cm y\u22121 over 2007\u20132012. Grass cover strongly increased after the initial shrub removal, but later declined with ponding of water in the subsiding removal plots. Sedges established and expanded in the wetter removal plots. Thereby, the removal plots have become increasingly similar to nearby \u2018natural\u2019 thaw ponds. Conclusions: The nine years of field observations in a unique shrub removal experiment at a Siberian tundra site document possible trajectories of small-scale permafrost collapse and the initial stage of vegetation recovery, which is essential knowledge for assessing future tundra landscape changes.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Ecology (including Biodiversity Conservation)", "Permafrost degradation", "Betula nana", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Thermokarst", "Vegetation dynamics", "03 medical and health sciences", "13. Climate action", "Arctic tundra", "Environmental Sciences", "SDG 15 - Life on Land", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3369-8"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-017-3369-8", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-017-3369-8", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-017-3369-8"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-08-22T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11104-017-3388-5", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-08-26", "title": "Livestock grazing and aridity reduce the functional diversity of biocrusts", "description": "Livestock grazing and climate change are two of the most important global change drivers affecting ecosystem functioning in drylands. Grazing and climate are known to influence the cover and composition of biocrusts, which are substantial components of dryland soils globally. Much less is known, however, about how these global change drivers affect the functional diversity of biocrust communities in these ecosystems. Here, we evaluate the role of increasing aridity and grazing intensity in driving the functional diversity of biocrusts. We collected data on multiple biocrust functional traits and community composition, recent and historic grazing intensity, and vascular plants at 151 sites from drylands in eastern Australia. We then used structural equation modelling and a fourth corner analysis to examine the combined effects of aridity and grazing on biocrust functional diversity and individual functional traits. Aridity had a significant direct suppressive effect on biocrust functional diversity. Effects of grazing by livestock, kangaroos and rabbits on functional diversity were predominantly indirect and suppressive, mediated by a reduction in biocrust cover. Grazing did, however, promote functional diversity via an increase in vascular plant richness, with a concomitant increase in biocrust richness. The overall effect of grazing on biocrust functional diversity however was negative. Fourth corner analyses revealed that livestock grazing had a significant negative effect on the ability of biocrusts to stabilise the soil. Aridity had strong negative effects on biocrust height and their ability to absorb water and capture sediment. Few significant relationships were detected between enzyme-related traits and environmental variables. Our findings provide novel evidence that the combination of increasing aridity and intensified livestock grazing will reduce the functional diversity and capabilities of biocrust communities, with resultant declines in ecosystem functioning.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "13. Climate action", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Trait; Biological soil crust; soil crusts; ecosystem function; functional diversity; livestock; Drylands", "11. Sustainability", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11104-017-3388-5.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3388-5"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-017-3388-5", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-017-3388-5", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-017-3388-5"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-08-26T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11104-021-04970-5", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-04-30", "title": "Grazing impacts on ecosystem functions exceed those from mowing", "description": "Land use change due to the increasing anthropogenic activities is the most important driver leading to alteration of multiple ecosystem functions. Overgrazing is thought to be one of most pervasive and significant degrading processes in grasslands, but direct comparisons with other comparable drivers of land use intensification are lacking. Our results aimed to test how single land use practices (grazing, mowing), and combined land use practices (both grazing and mowing), influence biodiversity, soils and plant function, and the coupling of aboveground and belowground functions and properties in a Eurasian steppe grassland. We examined changes in individual functions associated with aboveground and belowground plant and soil compartments, and multiple combined functions (hereafter \u2018multifunctionality\u2019) at 317 sites along an extensive climatic gradient in Northern China. Further, we investigated the correlations (coupling) between aboveground and belowground processes under the three land use scenarios. We found a mixture of effects of grazing, mowing and mowing plus grazing. However, values of many aboveground and belowground attributes were lower when sites were grazed. Although grazed sites had lower values of soil carbon and nutrients, there were no grazing-induced changes in root carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. More importantly, the most intense land use scenario (grazing combined with mowing) decoupled the correlations between belowground and aboveground functions compared with that of single land uses. Our study demonstrates that mowing is a better long-term management method than grazing for semi-natural grasslands in the Eurasian steppe are heavily grazed. Our results demonstrate that additional land use pressures imposed when mowing and grazing are applied together can decouple the positive associations between plant richness and functions. This knowledge is critical if we are to adopt strategies to maintain diverse grassland ecosystems and the important services and functions that they provide.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "Mowing", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Ecolog\u00eda", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Ecosystem functions", "Grazing", "Plant diversity", "Eurasian grassland", "13. Climate action", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Multifunctionality", "Ecosystem services", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04970-5"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-021-04970-5", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-021-04970-5", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-021-04970-5"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-04-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11104-021-05261-9", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-01-30", "title": "Tracing hotspots of soil erosion in high mountain environments: how forensic science based on plant eDNA can lead the way. An opinion", "description": "High mountain environments are among the most fragile on Earth. Due to anthropogenic disturbances and the exposure to extreme weather events, the rates of soil erosion have recently been accelerating, resulting in ecological degradation and geological hazards. Ecological restoration of mountains and an improved understanding of nature-based solutions to mitigate land degradation is therefore of utmost urgency. Identifying hotspots of soil erosion is a first step towards improving mitigation strategies. A promising methodology to identify erosion hotspots is sediment source fingerprinting, that differentiates the properties of soil from different sources, using signatures such as elemental geochemistry or radionuclides. However, in areas with complex lithologies or shallow and poorly developed soils, geochemical fingerprints allow only a rough distinction between erosion hotspots. In this opinion paper, we explore the relevance of environmental DNA (eDNA) that originates from plant litter and fixes onto fine soil particles, as a targeted sediment fingerprinting method sensitive to vegetation that could potentially allow the identification of erosion hotspots and their relative importance from sedimentary deposits. Pioneering studies indicate that eDNA allows not only the detection of specific vegetation communities, but also the identification of individual plant species. Supported by the increasing availability and quality of vegetation maps and eDNA reference libraries, we argue that sediment source fingerprinting using eDNA from plant litter, will evolve into a valuable method to identify hotspots of soil erosion and allow stakeholders to prioritize areas where ecological restoration is necessary in high mountain environments.", "keywords": ["Soil and water bioengineering", "Vegetation", "[SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics", "550", "Sediment source fingerprinting", "Phylogenetics and taxonomy", "[SDV.BV.BOT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology/Botanics", "15. Life on land", "Alpine", "01 natural sciences", "[SDV.BV.BOT] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology/Botanics", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "Landslide", "Erosion", "13. Climate action", "[SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", "[SDV.BID.SPT] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics", " Phylogenetics and taxonomy", "[SDV.EE.ECO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", " environment/Ecosystems", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "environment/Ecosystems", "sedDNA", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11104-021-05261-9.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-05261-9"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-021-05261-9", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-021-05261-9", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-021-05261-9"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-01-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11104-023-06151-y", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-07-26", "title": "Smart soils track the formation of pH gradients across the rhizosphere", "description": "Abstract AimsOur understanding of the rhizosphere is limited by the lack of techniques for in situ live microscopy. Current techniques are either destructive or unsuitable for observing chemical changes within the pore space. To address this limitation, we have developed artificial substrates, termed smart soils, that enable the acquisition and 3D reconstruction of chemical sensors attached to soil particles.
MethodsThe transparency of smart soils was achieved using polymer particles with refractive index matching that of water. The surface of the particles was modified both to retain water and act as a local sensor to report on pore space pH via fluorescence emissions. Multispectral signals were acquired from the particles using a light sheet microscope, and machine learning algorithms predicted the changes and spatial distribution in pH at the surface of the smart soil particles.
ResultsThe technique was able to predict pH live and in situ within \uffc2\uffb1\uffe2\uff80\uff890.5 units of the true pH value. pH distribution could be reconstructed across a volume of several cubic centimetres around plant roots at 10\uffc2\uffa0\uffce\uffbcm resolution. Using smart soils of different composition, we revealed how root exudation and pore structure create variability in chemical properties.
ConclusionSmart soils captured the pH gradients forming around a growing plant root. Future developments of the technology could include the fine tuning of soil physicochemical properties, the addition of chemical sensors and improved data processing. Hence, this technology could play a critical role in advancing our understanding of complex rhizosphere processes.
", "keywords": ["/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1111", "light sheet microscopy", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "name=Soil Science", "/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1110", "Sensing soil", "live imaging", "15. Life on land", "root", "530", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "03 medical and health sciences", "Root", "13. Climate action", "Rhizosphere", "Light sheet microscopy", "name=Plant Science", "rhizosphere", "[SDV.SA.SDS] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "Live imaging"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06151-y"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-023-06151-y", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-023-06151-y", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-023-06151-y"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-07-26T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11130-020-00799-y", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-02-03", "title": "Profile and Content of Residual Alkaloids in Ten Ecotypes of Lupinus mutabilis Sweet after Aqueous Debittering Process", "description": "AbstractThe evaluation of the level of alkaloids in edible Lupinus species is crucial from a food safety point of view. Debittering of lupin seeds has a long history; however, the control of the level of alkaloids after processing the seeds is typically only evaluated by changes in the bitter taste. The aim of this study was to evaluate the profile and residual levels of quinolizidine alkaloids (QA) in (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet) after aqueous debittering process. Samples from 10 ecotypes from different areas of Peru were analyzed before and after the process. Based on results obtained by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, from eight alkaloids identified before the debittering process, only small amounts of lupanine (avg. 0.0012\uffc2\uffa0g/100\uffc2\uffa0g DM) and sparteine (avg. 0.0014\uffc2\uffa0g/100\uffc2\uffa0g DM) remained in the seeds after the debittering process, and no other alkaloids were identified. The aqueous debittering process reduced the content of alkaloids to levels far below the maximal level allowed by international regulations (\uffe2\uff89\uffa4 0.2\uffc2\uffa0g/kg DM).
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Lupin Seeds", "Sparteine", "Organic chemistry", "Propiedades fisicoqu\u00edmicas", "Plant Science", "Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry", "Evolution and Nutritional Properties of Lupin Seeds", "Agricultural and Biological Sciences", "Food science", "Per\u00fa", "03 medical and health sciences", "Deshidrataci\u00f3n acuosa", "Alkaloids", "Secado", "Tarwi", "https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#2.11.01", "Granos", "Composici\u00f3n qu\u00edmica", "ta116", "Biology", "Ecotipos", "Ecology", " Evolution", " Behavior and Systematics", "Ecotype", "2. Zero hunger", "Original Paper", "0303 health sciences", "Rendimiento", "Procesamiento", "Evaluaci\u00f3n", "ta1183", "An\u00e1lisis organol\u00e9ptico", "ta1182", "Botany", "Life Sciences", "Diversity and Applications of Cyperus Species", "Lupinus", "Chocho", "Chemistry", "Contenido proteico", "Evolution and Ecology of Endophyte-Grass Symbiosis", "Taste", "Seeds", "Lupinus mutabilis"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11130-020-00799-y.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-020-00799-y"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20Foods%20for%20Human%20Nutrition", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11130-020-00799-y", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11130-020-00799-y", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11130-020-00799-y"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-02-03T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11274-004-5812-2", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2004-11-18", "title": "Rhizosphere Bacterial Populations Of Metallophyte Plants In Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils From Mining Areas In Semiarid Climate", "description": "Rhizosphere bacterial populations associated with four metallophyte plants in one of major polymetallic (Pb\u2013Zn\u2013Cu) semiarid Moroccan Hercynian province (Dra\u00e2 Sfar, Marrakech, Morocco) presenting long-term contamination mainly with Zn and Pb were analysed and compared to selected control soils. In the highly Zn-, Cu-, Pb- and Cd- contaminated soils, the total number of culturable heterotrophic bacteria were found in low proportions (< 2.6 \u00d7 102 \u2013 1.6 \u00d7 104 g\u22121soil). This bacterial content was slightly similar to that found in moderately polluted and controls soils (6.7 \u00d7 104 \u2013 5.8 \u00d7 106). However, the bacterial diversity and the rhizosphere/soil ratio, which compares the bacterial content (or bacterial charge) around the metallophyte plants with that in non-rhizosphere soil, were the bacteriological parameters mostly affected by heavy metal contamination. The chronic Zinc-stress results in an increase of tolerance to this metal of both the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere bacterial communities. However, in general, the rhizosphere bacterial populations exhibited less tolerance to Zn toxicity than the bacterial population of non-rhizosphere soils. This result suggests that toxic effects of Zn decrease in the rhizosphere soils of the metallophyte plants.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "13. Climate action", "[SDV.BID.SPT] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics", " Phylogenetics and taxonomy", "6. Clean water"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Bennisse, Rhizlane, Labat, Marc, Elasli, Abdelghani, Brhada, Fatiha, Chandad, Fatiha, Liegbott, Pierre-Pol, Hibti, Mohamed, Qatibi, Abdel-Illah,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-004-5812-2"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/World%20Journal%20of%20Microbiology%20%26amp%3B%20Biotechnology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11274-004-5812-2", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11274-004-5812-2", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11274-004-5812-2"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2004-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11274-011-0809-0", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-06-15", "title": "Soil Bacterial Community Composition And Diversity Respond To Cultivation In Karst Ecosystems", "description": "Soil microorganisms play vital roles in recovering and maintaining the health of ecosystems, particularly in fragile Karst ecosystems that are easily degraded after cultivation. We investigated the composition and diversity of soil bacterial communities, based on RFLP and 16S rDNA sequencing, in a cropland, a naturally revegetated land with former cultivation disturbance and a primeval forest in the subtropical Karst of southwest China. Our results illustrated that Proteobacteria accounted for 44.8% of the 600 tested clones, making it the most dominant phylum observed. This phylum was followed by Acidobacteria and Planctomycetes for the three Karst soils analyzed. Compared with the primeval forest soil, the proportions of Proteobacteria were decreased by 30.2 and 37.9%, while Acidobacteria increased by 93.9 and 87.9%, and the Shannon-Wiener diversity indices and the physicochemical parameters declined in the cropland and the revegetated land, respectively. Among the three soils, the proportion of dominant bacterial phyla and the diversity indices in the revegetated land were similar to the cropland, implying the bacterial community in the cropland was relatively stable, and the after-effects of cultivation were difficult to eliminate. However, similar distributions of the four Proteobacteria subphyla were observed between the revegetated land and the primeval forest soil. Furthermore, the proportion of Rhizobiales belonging to \u03b1-Proteobacteria was sharply decreased with cultivation compared to the primeval forest soil, while a small cluster of Rhizobiales recurred with vegetation recovery. These results indicated that although the subphyla of the dominant bacterial phylum had some positive responses to 20\u00a0years of vegetation recovery, it is a slow process. Our results suggest that priority should be given to conserve the primeval forest and inoculation of functional microorganisms on the basis of vegetation recovery may be more effective for the restoration of Karst ecosystems after cultivation.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "China", "0303 health sciences", "Bacteria", "Agriculture", "Biodiversity", "15. Life on land", "Trees", "RNA", " Bacterial", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "RNA", " Ribosomal", " 16S", "Metagenome", "Ecosystem", "Phylogeny", "Polymorphism", " Restriction Fragment Length", "Soil Microbiology"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Xiangbi Chen, Ya-wei Wei, Wenxue Wei, Jinshui Wu, Yirong Su, Xunyang He,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-011-0809-0"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/World%20Journal%20of%20Microbiology%20and%20Biotechnology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11274-011-0809-0", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11274-011-0809-0", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11274-011-0809-0"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-06-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100732", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:17:10Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-08-07", "title": "Aeromycological studies in the crops of the main cereals: A systematic review", "description": "Open AccessLes \u00e9tudes a\u00e9romycologiques sur les cultures c\u00e9r\u00e9ali\u00e8res permettent de d\u00e9terminer la variation temporelle des agents pathog\u00e8nes des plantes affectant la culture et de d\u00e9terminer le moment appropri\u00e9 pour appliquer les fongicides. Cependant, ce sujet n'a pas \u00e9t\u00e9 syst\u00e9matiquement revu. L'objectif de ce travail \u00e9tait d'analyser syst\u00e9matiquement toutes les \u00e9tudes a\u00e9romycologiques r\u00e9alis\u00e9es sur le ma\u00efs, le bl\u00e9, le riz, l'avoine, l'orge, le seigle, le sorgho et le millet. Une recherche syst\u00e9matique a \u00e9t\u00e9 effectu\u00e9e dans Scopus depuis le d\u00e9but de la base de donn\u00e9es jusqu'au 1er ao\u00fbt 2022. Les crit\u00e8res d'inclusion \u00e9taient qu'il s'agissait d'\u00e9tudes a\u00e9romycologiques sur le bl\u00e9 ou le riz ou le ma\u00efs ou l'avoine ou le sorgho ou le seigle ou l'orge ou le millet et d'\u00e9tudes publi\u00e9es dans des revues \u00e0 comit\u00e9 de lecture index\u00e9es dans Journal Citation Reports et r\u00e9dig\u00e9es en anglais ou en espagnol. Quarante-trois \u00e9tudes (21 sur le bl\u00e9, 15 sur le riz, 5 sur le ma\u00efs, 1 sur le sorgho et 2 sur l'orge) r\u00e9pondant \u00e0 tous les crit\u00e8res d'\u00e9ligibilit\u00e9 ont \u00e9t\u00e9 incluses (une des \u00e9tudes sur le ma\u00efs a \u00e9galement \u00e9t\u00e9 men\u00e9e sur le bl\u00e9). Aucune \u00e9tude a\u00e9romycologique n'a \u00e9t\u00e9 trouv\u00e9e chez l'avoine, le seigle et le millet. Il a \u00e9t\u00e9 not\u00e9 que la plupart des recherches a\u00e9romycologiques ont \u00e9t\u00e9 men\u00e9es sur les cultures de bl\u00e9 et principalement dans les pays des Am\u00e9riques. De plus, les propagules fongiques sont principalement collect\u00e9es par des m\u00e9thodes non viables, en utilisant divers types de collecteurs. En g\u00e9n\u00e9ral, les \u00e9tudes visaient \u00e0 identifier un agent pathog\u00e8ne sp\u00e9cifique et non \u00e0 la diversit\u00e9 des agents pathog\u00e8nes qui peuvent \u00eatre trouv\u00e9s. La relation des champignons identifi\u00e9s avec les param\u00e8tres m\u00e9t\u00e9orologiques \u00e9tait variable dans les diff\u00e9rentes \u00e9tudes. Cette revue syst\u00e9matique permet de r\u00e9sumer les \u00e9tudes a\u00e9romycologiques qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 men\u00e9es sur les cultures de bl\u00e9, de riz, de ma\u00efs, de sorgho et d'orge. Il sugg\u00e8re \u00e9galement o\u00f9 les futures \u00e9tudes dans ce domaine devraient \u00eatre dirig\u00e9es, en fonction des limites rencontr\u00e9es.", "keywords": ["Impacts of Elevated CO2 and Ozone on Plant Physiology", "Agriculture (General)", "Health", " Toxicology and Mutagenesis", "Plant Science", "Crop", "S1-972", "Agricultural and Biological Sciences", "Barley", "Biochemistry", " Genetics and Molecular Biology", "TX341-641", "10. No inequality", "Biology", "Sorghum", "2. Zero hunger", "Corn", "Airborne spores", "Nutrition. Foods and food supply", "Life Sciences", "Phylogenetic Analysis", "Cell Biology", "15. Life on land", "2414.06 Hongos", "Agronomy", "3. Good health", "Wheat", "Environmental Science", "Physical Sciences", "Rice", "Indoor Air Quality and Health Effects", "Diversity and Evolution of Fungal Pathogens", "Biotechnology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100732"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Agriculture%20and%20Food%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100732", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100732", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100732"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.still.2008.10.008", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-06-24T16:17:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2008-12-06", "title": "Soil Microbial Communities Under Different Soybean Cropping Systems: Characterization Of Microbial Population Dynamics, Soil Microbial Activity, Microbial Biomass, And Fatty Acid Profiles", "description": "This work analyzes the direct effect of soil management practices on soil microbial communities, which may affect soil productivity and sustainability. The experimental design consisted of two tillage treatments: reduced tillage (RT) and zero tillage (ZT), and three crop rotation treatments: continuous soybean (SS), corn\u2013soybean (CS), and soybean\u2013corn (SC). Soil samples were taken at soybean planting and harvest. The following quantifications were performed: soil microbial populations by soil dilution plate technique on selective and semi-selective culture media; microbial respiration and microbial biomass by chloroform fumigation-extraction; microbial activity by fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis; and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Soil chemical parameters were also quantified. Soil organic matter content was significantly lower in RT and SS sequence crops, whereas soil pH and total N were significantly higher in CS and SC sequence crops. Trichoderma and Gliocladium populations were lower under RTSS and ZTSS treatments. Except in a few cases, soil microbial respiration, biomass and activity were higher under zero tillage than under reduced tillage, both at planting and harvest sampling times. Multivariate analyses of FAMEs clearly separated both RT and ZT management practices at each sampling time; however, separation of sequence crops was less evident. In our experiments ZT treatment had highest proportion of 10Me 16:0, an actinomycetes biomarker, and 16:1\u03c99 and 18:1\u03c97, two fatty acids associated with organic matter content and substrate availability. In contrast, RT treatment had highest content of branched biomarkers (i15:0 and i16:0) and of cy19:0, fatty acids associated with cell stasis and/or stress. As cultural practices can influence soil microbial populations, it is important to analyze the effect that they produce on biological parameters, with the aim of conserving soil richness over time. Thus, in a soybean-based cropping system, appropriate crop management is necessary for a sustainable productivity without reducing soil quality.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Bacteria", "Cropping System", "Fungi", "Soybean Management", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Soil Microflora", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "https://purl.org/becyt/ford/4.1", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "https://purl.org/becyt/ford/4", "Microbial Diversity"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Meriles, Jose Manuel, Vargas Gil, Silvina, Conforto, Cinthia, Figoni, Gervasio, Lovera, Edgar, March, Guillermo Juan, Guzman, Carlos Alberto,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2008.10.008"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20and%20Tillage%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.still.2008.10.008", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.still.2008.10.008", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.still.2008.10.008"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-05-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s12275-014-4129-6", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-12-02", "title": "Effect Of Long-Term Different Fertilization On Bacterial Community Structures And Diversity In Citrus Orchard Soil Of Volcanic Ash", "description": "This study was conducted to assess bacterial species richness, diversity and community distribution according to different fertilization regimes for 16 years in citrus orchard soil of volcanic ash. Soil samples were collected and analyzed from Compost (cattle manure, 2,000 kg/10a), 1/2 NPK+compost (14-20-14+2,000 kg/10a), NPK+compost (28-40-28+2,000 kg/10a), NPK (28-40-28 kg/10a), 3 NPK (84-120-84 kg/10a), and Control (no fertilization) plot which have been managed in the same manners with compost and different amount of chemical fertilization. The range of pyrosequencing reads and OTUs were 4,687-7,330 and 1,790-3,695, respectively. Species richness estimates such as Ace, Chao1, and Shannon index were higher in 1/2 NPK+compost than other treatments, which were 15,202, 9,112, 7.7, respectively. Dominant bacterial groups at level of phylum were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Those were occupied at 70.9% in 1/2 NPK+compost. Dominant bacterial groups at level of genus were Pseudolabrys, Bradyrhizobium, and Acidobacteria. Those were distributed at 14.4% of a total of bacteria in Compost. Soil pH displayed significantly closely related to bacterial species richness estimates such as Ace, Chao1 (p<0.05) and Shannon index (p<0.01). However, it showed the negative correlation with exchangeable aluminum contents (p<0.05). In conclusion, diversity of bacterial community in citrus orchard soil was affected by fertilization management, soil pH changes and characteristics of volcanic ash.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "Citrus", "0303 health sciences", "Bacteria", "Agriculture", "Biodiversity", "Volcanic Eruptions", "15. Life on land", "Acidobacteria", "Actinobacteria", "Manure", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "RNA", " Ribosomal", " 16S", "Proteobacteria", "Animals", "Cattle", "14. Life underwater", "Fertilizers", "Soil Microbiology", "Alphaproteobacteria"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-014-4129-6"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s12275-014-4129-6", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s12275-014-4129-6", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s12275-014-4129-6"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-11-29T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s12571-009-0030-2", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:15:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-07-24", "title": "Assessing The Effect Of Faidherbia Albida Based Land Use Systems On Barley Yield At Field And Regional Scale In The Highlands Of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia", "description": "Implications of changes in traditional Faidherbia albida based land use systems on productivity were investigated in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. The relation between F. albida based-land use systems and crop productivity was explored in 77 fields and 81 farms at field and regional scales, respectively. Barley yield and soil fertility increased when field locations were closer to a F. albida trunk in the F. albida alone (AA) and F. albida + livestock (AL) land use systems. However, the F. albida + Eucalyptus camaldulensis (AE) land use system showed a decreasing trend in barley yield and soil fertility as distance from a F. albida trunk decreased. At regional scales, higher F. albida tree density per farm and sparsely cultivated land use types were associated with increased potential ecosystem services (barley yield). This study suggests that local biodiversity components (e.g. F. albida trees) can increase crop yield and soil fertility significantly when grown within and around farm lands. This study contributes to the knowledge on agricultural productivity enhancement by developing an approach to scaling up from farm to regional level.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "growth", "conservation", "tree-crop interactions", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "agroforestry practices", "maize", "01 natural sciences", "acacia-albida", "eucalyptus-tereticornis", "opportunities", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "nitrogen mineralization", "biodiversity"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Hadgu, K.M., Kooistra, L., Rossing, W.A.H., van Bruggen, A.H.C.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-009-0030-2"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Food%20Security", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s12571-009-0030-2", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s12571-009-0030-2", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s12571-009-0030-2"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-07-25T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.001", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:03Z", "type": "Report", "created": "2019-07-23", "title": "A multitrophic perspective on biodiversity\u2013ecosystem functioning research", "description": "Concern about the functional consequences of unprecedented loss in biodiversity has prompted biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research to become one of the most active fields of ecological research in the past 25 years. Hundreds of experiments have manipulated biodiversity as an independent variable and found compelling support that the functioning of ecosystems increases with the diversity of their ecological communities. This research has also identified some of the mechanisms underlying BEF relationships, some context-dependencies of the strength of relationships, as well as implications for various ecosystem services that mankind depends upon. In this paper, we argue that a multitrophic perspective of biotic interactions in random and non-random biodiversity change scenarios is key to advance future BEF research and to address some of its most important remaining challenges. We discuss that the study and the quantification of multitrophic interactions in space and time facilitates scaling up from small-scale biodiversity manipulations and ecosystem function assessments to management-relevant spatial scales across ecosystem boundaries. We specifically consider multitrophic conceptual frameworks to understand and predict the context-dependency of BEF relationships. Moreover, we highlight the importance of the eco-evolutionary underpinnings of multitrophic BEF relationships. We outline that FAIR data (meeting the standards of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) and reproducible processing will be key to advance this field of research by making it more integrative. Finally, we show how these BEF insights may be implemented for ecosystem management, society, and policy. Given that human well-being critically depends on the multiple services provided by diverse, multitrophic communities, integrating the approaches of evolutionary ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem ecology in future BEF research will be key to refine conservation targets and develop sustainable management strategies.", "keywords": ["580", "Biodiversity change", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "Geography & travel", "577", "Food web", "Spatial scaling", "910", "15. Life on land", "ddc:910", "Ecosystem functions", "Management", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "03 medical and health sciences", "Eco-evolution", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "Multifunctionality", "Landscape", "info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/910", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "Real-world biodiversity change"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.001"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.001", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.001", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.001"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/b978-0-12-849873-6.00003-0", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:03Z", "type": "Report", "created": "2017-10-12", "title": "Changes in Soil Ecosystem Structure and Functions Due to Soil Contamination", "description": "Open Accesspublished", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Soil organic matter", "Services and goods", "13. Climate action", "Soil pollution", "15. Life on land", "Functional biodiversity", "Nutrient cycling", "6. Clean water"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-849873-6.00003-0"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/b978-0-12-849873-6.00003-0", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/b978-0-12-849873-6.00003-0", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/b978-0-12-849873-6.00003-0"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.actao.2011.01.004", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:04Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-02-07", "title": "Impact Of Acacia Tortilis Ssp. Raddiana Tree On Wheat And Barley Yield In The South Of Tunisia", "description": "no abstract", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "ARID ZONE", "GEOMORPHOLOGY", "SOIL ENRICHMENT", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "RENDEMENT C\u00c9R\u00c9ALIER", "01 natural sciences", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "YIELD", "G\u00c9OMORPHOLOGIE", "13. Climate action", "ACACIA TORTILIS RADDIANA", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "RAINFALL", "INTERACTION", "TREE", "CEREALS"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2011.01.004"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Acta%20Oecologica", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.actao.2011.01.004", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.actao.2011.01.004", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.actao.2011.01.004"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.agee.2006.05.022", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2006-07-08", "title": "Soil Organic Matter And Biological Soil Quality Indicators After 21 Years Of Organic And Conventional Farming", "description": "Organic farming systems often comprise crops and livestock, recycle farmyard manure for fertilization, and preventive or biocontrol measures are used for plant protection. We determined indicators for soil quality changes in the DOK long-term comparison trial that was initiated in 1978. This replicated field trial comprises organic and integrated (conventional) farming systems that are typical for Swiss agriculture. Livestock based bio-organic (BIOORG), bio-dynamic (BIODYN) and integrated farming systems (CONFYM) were compared at reduced and normal fertilization intensity (0.7 and 1.4 livestock units, LU) in a 7 year crop rotation. A stockless integrated system is fertilized with mineral fertilizers exclusively (CONMIN) and one control treatment remained unfertilized (NOFERT). The CONFYM system is amended with stacked manure, supplemental mineral fertilizers, as well as chemical pesticides. Manure of the BIOORG system is slightly rotted and in BIODYN it is composted aerobically with some herbal additives. In the third crop rotation period at normal fertiliser intensity soil organic carbon (Corg, w/w) in the plough layer (0\u201320 cm) of the BIODYN system remained constant and decreased by 7% in CONFYM and 9% in BIOORG as compared to the starting values. With no manure application Corg-loss was severest in NOFERT (22%), followed by CONMIN together with the systems at reduced fertiliser intensity (14\u201316%). Soil pH tended to increase in the organic systems, whereas the integrated systems had the lowest pH values. At the end of the third crop rotation period in 1998 biological soil quality indicators were determined. Compared to soil microbial biomass in the BIODYN systems the CONFYM soils showed 25% lower values and the systems without manure application were lower by 34%. Relative to the BIODYN soils at the same fertilization intensity dehydrogenase activity was 39\u201342% lower in CONFYM soils and even 62% lower in soils of CONMIN. Soil basal respiration did not differ between farming systems at the same intensity, but when related to microbial biomass (qCO2) it was 20% higher in CONFYM soils and 52% higher in CONMIN as compared to BIODYN, suggesting a higher maintenance requirement of microbial biomass in soils of the integrated systems. The manure based farming systems of the DOK trial are likely to favour an active and fertile soil. Both, Corg and biological soil quality indicators were clearly depending on the quantity and quality of the applied manure types, but soil microbial biomass and activities were much more affected than Corg.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Biodiversity and ecosystem services", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Soil quality"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2006.05.022"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agriculture%2C%20Ecosystems%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.agee.2006.05.022", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.agee.2006.05.022", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.agee.2006.05.022"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2007-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.agee.2010.01.017", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:07Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-02-26", "title": "Resilience Of Acid Subalpine Grassland To Short-Term Liming And Fertilisation", "description": "Une exp\u00e9rience de fertilisation a d\u00e9but\u00e9 en 1989 dans les Alpes fran\u00e7aises, sur une prairie acidophile situ\u00e9e \u00e0 2000 m d'altitude, o\u00f9 de la chaux (\u00ab chaulage \u00bb) et des scories enrichies par chlorure de potassium (\u00ab fertilisation \u00bb) ont \u00e9t\u00e9 apport\u00e9s jusqu'en 1992. Depuis, aucun autre amendement n'a \u00e9t\u00e9 appliqu\u00e9. En 2007 nous avons revisit\u00e9 l'exp\u00e9rience et avons observ\u00e9 que le pH du sol \u00e9tait toujours sensiblement plus haut sur les placettes chaul\u00e9es, alors que les concentrations du sol en azote (N) \u00e9taient inf\u00e9rieures dans ces m\u00eames placettes. Sur les placettes fertilis\u00e9es, le carbone du sol (C) et les concentrations en N \u00e9taient inf\u00e9rieurs compar\u00e9s aux placettes non-fertilis\u00e9es. Cependant, la qualit\u00e9 de la liti\u00e8re (concentrations en C et N, donn\u00e9es SPIRS) \u00e9tait semblable pour les deux traitements. La composition floristique, mais pas la richesse sp\u00e9cifique, s'est r\u00e9v\u00e9l\u00e9e \u00eatre diff\u00e9rente entre les placettes chaul\u00e9es et non-chaul\u00e9es, et les placettes fertilis\u00e9es et non-fertilis\u00e9es. Ces changements sont probablement dus \u00e0 la diminution de la proportion de gramin\u00e9es acidophiles autrefois dominantes et \u00e0 une augmentation des plantes g\u00e9n\u00e9ralistes et meilleures fourrag\u00e8res. Cependant, ces changements n'ont pas influenc\u00e9 la productivit\u00e9. Les concentrations en N et C et les donn\u00e9es de SPIRS ont indiqu\u00e9 une modification de la composition chimique de la v\u00e9g\u00e9tation en r\u00e9ponse aux traitements. Nous concluons que trois ann\u00e9es de fertilisation et chaulage ont influenc\u00e9 la composition floristique et men\u00e9 \u00e0 une banalisation de la v\u00e9g\u00e9tation encore visible 15 ann\u00e9es plus tard. Ces changements sont probablement durables \u00e9tant donn\u00e9 les modifications du fonctionnement du sol qu'ils ont engendr\u00e9es.", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "ECOSYSTEME", "PH", "PHOSPHORE", "ALPES FRANCAISES", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "RESILIENCE ECOLOGIQUE", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "FERTILISATION", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "EXPERIMENTATION", "RELATION SOL PLANTE"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2010.01.017"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agriculture%2C%20Ecosystems%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.agee.2010.01.017", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.agee.2010.01.017", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.agee.2010.01.017"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-04-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.agee.2014.07.010", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:11Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-07-28", "title": "Benefits Of Winter Cover Crops And No-Tillage For Microbial Parameters In A Brazilian Oxisol: A Long-Term Study", "description": "Soil degradation in Brazil is a concern due to intensive agricultural production. Combining conservation practice, such as no-tillage, with winter cover crops may increase microbial activity and enhance soil quality more than either practice alone. This research evaluated the benefits of long-term (23 years) winter cover crops and reduced tillage on soil microbial quality indicators in an Oxisol from Parana State, Southern Brazil. The winter cover treatments were: fallow, black oat, wheat, radish, blue lupin, and hairy vetch in conventional (plow) or no-tillage management; the summer crop was a soybean/maize rotation. Soil quality parameters included organic C, microbial biomass C and N, total and labile polysaccharide, easily extractable and total glomalin-related soil protein, and enzyme activity. Winter crops increased soil microbial quality parameters compared to fallow in both tillage systems, with greater relative increase in conventional than no-tillage. No-tillage had higher microbial biomass, polysaccharide, glomalin-related soil protein, and soil enzyme activity than conventional tillage. Including legumes in the crop rotation was important for N balance in the soil\u2013plant system, increasing soil organic C content, and enhancing soil quality parameters to a greater extent than grasses or radish. The microbial parameters proved to be more sensitive indicators of soil change than soil organic C. Cultivating winter cover crop with either tillage is a beneficial practice enhancing soil microbial quality and also soil organic C stocks.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Soil biology", "13. Climate action", "Biodiversity and ecosystem services", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Elcio L. Balota, Ademir Calegari, Andre S. Nakatani, Mark S. Coyne,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.07.010"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agriculture%2C%20Ecosystems%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.agee.2014.07.010", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.agee.2014.07.010", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.agee.2014.07.010"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.agee.2017.04.007", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:13Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-04-21", "title": "Shade Trees Have Limited Benefits For Soil Fertility In Cocoa Agroforests", "description": "Abstract Agroforestry is often promoted as a sustainable agricultural practice that can ameliorate causes of declining yields, such as soil degradation. However, despite the often-stated potential of agroforestry, quantitative data on the benefits of shade trees are limited to relatively few cropping systems, particularly maize and coffee. Furthermore, agroforests are not cost-free and the benefits of agroforests might not be sufficient to outweigh these costs in all cropping systems or environments. Here we quantify costs and benefits of agroforests for cocoa production in Ghana, West Africa. Specifically, we quantified the ability of shade trees to increase soil carbon stocks and soil fertility (i.e. total soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, available phosphorus and potassium, cation exchange capacity, soil aggregation, pH, and foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations), and investigate if these benefits are sufficient to outweigh the negative effects of shade trees on cocoa growth and yields. We measured cocoa yields, soil fertility and carbon-sequestration under individual shade trees, and in 30\u00a0\u00d7\u00a030\u00a0m plots that were distributed along a gradient of shade-tree cover (plot-scale). We found localized positive effects of individual shade trees on soil carbon and nitrogen content, as well as soil aggregation. However, we found no evidence for positive effects of agroforests via improved soil fertility or carbon-sequestration with increasing shade-tree cover at the plot scale, a scale that more closely matches the scale at which agroforests are managed. Cocoa growth was lower under individual shade trees and decreased with increasing shade-tree cover in plots, and cocoa yields also decreased with increasing shade-tree cover. Our results indicate that the benefits of agroforestry for soil fertility and carbon sequestration in cocoa cultivation systems might not be as extensive as believed, and may not be sufficient to compensate for short-term costs to production.", "keywords": ["Theobroma-Cacao", "2. Zero hunger", "571", "Landscapes", "Tropical Agroforestry", "Systems", "Biodiversity", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Management", "12. Responsible consumption", "Stocks", "Carbon-Sequestration", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Forest", "Trade-Offs", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.04.007"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agriculture%2C%20Ecosystems%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.agee.2017.04.007", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.agee.2017.04.007", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.agee.2017.04.007"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-06-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.agee.2021.107351", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:14Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-02-23", "title": "Weed community diversity in conservation agriculture: Post-adoption changes", "description": "Abstract Conservation agriculture has been identified as one of the farming systems likely to deliver sustainable agriculture but its effects over time on the diversity and composition of weed communities are poorly documented. Using a network of 100 winter wheat fields selected to encompass a gradient of years in conservation agriculture from 1 to 20 years in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region (France), we analyzed the changes that occurred in the diversity of weed communities over several years, both in \u03b1- and \u03b2-diversity using a taxonomic (species level) and functional (10 response traits) approach. Based on three weed surveys (before the last herbicide use, before harvest, before sowing the following crop), we identified weeds able to maintain and/or to produce propagules. All the observed weed communities were rich (average species richness of 23.9 species), diverse (average Shannon diversity of 2.15) and equitably composed of low-density species. The results showed an increase in species richness, total weed abundance and \u03b1-functional diversity but no change in species diversity and species evenness over time. Heterogeneity and average values of \u03b2-taxonomic and \u03b2-functional diversity between communities were high in the early years following the adoption of conservation agriculture. Heterogeneity and average \u03b2-taxonomic and \u03b2-functional diversity decreased over time, leading to a homogenization of weed community assemblages. Despite major changes in cultural practices related to conservation agriculture, homogenization of weed community was not immediate and did not concern all the traits studied.", "keywords": ["[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "functional convergence", "no-tillage", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "630", "\u03b2-diversity", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "\u03b1-diversity", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "weed survey"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Derrouch, Damien, Dessaint, Fabrice, Fried, Guillaume, Chauvel, Bruno,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107351"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agriculture%2C%20Ecosystems%20%26amp%3B%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.agee.2021.107351", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.agee.2021.107351", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107351"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-06-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108031", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:16Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-05-29", "title": "Inter-individual variability in spring phenology of temperate deciduous trees depends on species, tree size and previous year autumn phenology", "description": "We explored the inter-individual variability in bud-burst and its potential drivers, in homogeneous mature stands of temperate deciduous trees. Phenological observations of leaves and wood formation were performed weekly from summer 2017 to summer 2018 for pedunculate oak, European beech and silver birch in Belgium. The variability of bud-burst was correlated to previous' year autumn phenology (i.e. the onset of leaf senescence and the cessation of wood formation) and tree size but with important differences among species. In fact, variability of bud-burst was primarily related to onset of leaf senescence, cessation of wood formation and tree height for oak, beech and birch, respectively. The inter-individual variability of onset of leaf senescence was not related to the tree characteristics considered and was much larger than the inter-individual variability in bud-burst. Multi-species multivariate models could explain up to 66% of the bud-burst variability. These findings represent an important advance in our fundamental understanding and modelling of phenology and tree functioning of deciduous tree species.", "keywords": ["Agriculture and Food Sciences", "0106 biological sciences", "Atmospheric Science", "polno olistanje", "Broadleaved forest", "Silver birch", "Edellauvskog", "coloration", "01 natural sciences", "fenologija", "navadna bukev", "Pedunculate oak", "FAGUS-SYLVATICA", "PHLOEM", "Global and Planetary Change", "LEAF PHENOLOGY", "CLIMATE-CHANGE", "VDP::\u00d8kologi: 488", "Physics", "Forestry", "VDP::Ecology: 488", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "dob", "navadna breza", "Chemistry", "Phenology", "info:eu-repo/classification/udc/630*811", "rumenenje listov", "XYLEM", "MODELS", "Article", "leaf unfolding", "Fenologi", "Coloration", "nastanek lesa", "Biology", "Wood formation", "kambij", "Leaf unfolding", "RADIAL GROWTH", "15. Life on land", "listavci", "European beech", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "SENESCENCE", "13. Climate action", "wood formation", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "Agronomy and Crop Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108031"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agricultural%20and%20Forest%20Meteorology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108031", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108031", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108031"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-08-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2005.03.003", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:21Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2005-04-20", "title": "Effects Of Organic Versus Conventional Management On Chemical And Biological Parameters In Agricultural Soils", "description": "Abstract A comparative study of organic and conventional arable farming systems was conducted in The Netherlands to determine the effect of management practices on chemical and biological soil properties and soil health. Soils from thirteen accredited organic farms and conventionally managed neighboring farms were analyzed using a polyphasic approach combining traditional soil analysis, culture-dependent and independent microbiological analyses, a nematode community analysis and an enquiry about different management practices among the farmers. Organic management, known primarily for the abstinence of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, resulted in significantly lower levels of both nitrate and total soluble nitrogen in the soil, higher numbers of bacteria of different trophic groups, as well as larger species richness in both bacteria and nematode communities and more resilience to a drying\u2013rewetting disturbance in the soil. The organic farmers plough their fields less deeply and tend to apply more organic carbon to their fields, but this did not result in a significantly higher organic carbon content in their soils. The levels of ammonium, organic nitrogen, phosphate and total phosphorus did not differ, significantly between the soils under different management. Fifty percent of the conventional Dutch farmers also used organic fertilizers and the numbers of farmers using a green crop fertilizer did not differ between the two management types. Soil type \u2013 clayey or sandy soil \u2013 in general had a much stronger effect on the soil characteristics than management type. The soil type influenced pH, nitrate, ammonium, phosphate and organic carbon levels as well as numbers of oligotrophic bacteria and of different groups of nematodes, and different diversity indices. With the collected data set certain soil characteristics could also be attributed to the use of different management practices like plow depth, crop or cover crop type or to the management history of the soil.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "agroecosystems", "microbial-populations", "species composition", "plant", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "maturity index", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "diversity", "communities", "gradient gel-electrophoresis", "low-input", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "farming systems"], "contacts": [{"organization": "van Diepeningen, A.D., de Vos, O.J., Korthals, G.W., van Bruggen, A.H.C.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2005.03.003"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Soil%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2005.03.003", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2005.03.003", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.apsoil.2005.03.003"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2006-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.03.006", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:21Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2007-04-24", "title": "Influence Of Tillage, Residue Management, And Crop Rotation On Soil Microbial Biomass And Catabolic Diversity", "description": "The densely populated, intensively cropped subtropical highlands of the world have agricultural sustainability problems from soil erosion and fertility decline. In 1991, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) initiated a long-term field experiment at its semi-arid highland experiment station in Mexico (2240 masl; 19.318N, 98.508W; Cumulic Phaeozem) to investigate the long-term effects of tillage/seeding practices, crop rotations, and crop residue management on maize and wheat grown under rainfed conditions. Soil ecology status contributes to agricultural system sustainability, and evaluations were made to determine the effect of different management practices on soil microbial biomass (SMB) (substrate-induced respiration (SIR) and chloroform fumigation incubation (CFI)) and micro-flora physiological and catabolic diversity (BIOLOG TM ecoplate well system). SMB-C (CFI, SIR) was significantly and respectively 1.2 and 1.3 times higher for residue retention (average 387 mg C kg 1 dry soil and 515 mg C kg 1 dry soil, respectively) compared to residue removal. SMB-C (CFI) was significantly higher for wheat (369 mg C kg 1 dry soil) compared to maize (319 mg C kg 1 dry soil). SMB-N (CFI) was significantly 1.3 times higher for residue retention (average 28 mg N kg 1 dry soil) compared to residue removal. The average well color development (AWCD) obtained by the BIOLOG TM ecoplate essay indicated there were large differences in the catabolic capability of soil microbial communities after 15 years of contrasting management practices. While maize and wheat rotation under conventional tillage with residue retention showed a significantly higher overall AWCD value compared to the other treatments, AWCD of maize with zero tillage and residue removal was significantly lower than in the other treatments. AWCD was significantly higher for residue retention compared to residue removal and for wheat as compared to maize. For maize, the management practices were divided into two groups; zero tillage with residue removal was separate from all other treatments. For wheat, conventional tillage was separate from all zero tillage treatments. This study suggests that in the target area, a cropping system that includes zero tillage, crop rotation, and crop residue retention can increase overall biomass and micro-flora activity and diversity compared with common farming practices. In the long term, zero tillage combined with residue retention creates conditions", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Conservation agriculture", "Small-scale farming", "Residue management", "Microbial biomass", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Crop rotations", "Catabolic diversity", "6. Clean water", "Tillage", "Central Mexico", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Field Scale", "Rainfed agriculture", "Conservation tillage"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.03.006"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Soil%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.03.006", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.03.006", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.03.006"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2007-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106329", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2025-07-22", "title": "Reliability of earthworm data from citizen science: Lessons from 7\u00a0years of a French national monitoring protocol", "description": "Monitoring biodiversity is seldom comprehensive, as the spatio-temporal resolution needed to accurately reflect dynamic changes of these communities in diverse environments is often lacking. Citizen science offers a promising tool to help fill these gaps, engaging a wider audience in monitoring efforts and thus enhancing our understanding of earthworm ecology. However, a significant challenge arises as earthworms are difficult to identify to the species level in the field by non-experts, necessitating the use of morphotypes as taxonomic proxies. This study evaluates the reliability of earthworm classification into four earthworm morphotypes within the \u2018500 ENI\u2019 (Non-intended Effects) Monitoring Network in France. The network relies on annual sampling conducted in agricultural lands by non-specialist participants with subsequent identification verification by earthworm taxonomists. Analyzing >48,000 individual earthworms collected over 950 plots, we calculated two indices: the misclassification rate (MR) and the undetected rate (UR) to assess the reliability of classification into earthworm morphotypes. The results indicated an average MR of 28 % and an average UR of 32 %, which both varied according to morphotypes. Endogeics had lower error rates compared to epigeics, anecics with a red anterior, and anecics with a black anterior. Our findings underscored the significant impact of sampler experience and earthworm community composition on the reliability of classification of individuals into morphotypes by citizens. The results highlight the critical need for enhanced support and guidance for participants with limited experience. Furthermore, we recommend providing additional training or resources to aid in morphotype classification, especially for earthworm communities exhibiting low abundance, low adult proportion, or low morphotype diversity. Encouraging participants to sample during periods favorable for detecting reliable total and adult abundances would also help optimize morphotype detection.
", "keywords": ["[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "Monitoring", "Participants' experience", "Participatory science", "Data quality", "Earthworm morphological group Data quality Monitoring Participants' experience Participatory science Training", "Earthworm morphological group", "Training"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Hoeffner, Kevin, Bergerot, Benjamin, Butt, Kevin, G\u00e9rard, Sylvain, Pelosi, C\u00e9line, P\u00e9r\u00e8s, Gu\u00e9nola, Briones, Maria J.I., Deca\u00ebns, Thibaud, Delaveau, Natacha, Guillocheau, Sarah, Hedde, Micka\u00ebl, Hotte, Ho\u00ebl, Le Bayon, Ren\u00e9e-Claire, Muys, Bart, Phillips, Helen R.P., Poupelin, Maxime, Cluzeau, Daniel,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106329"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Soil%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106329", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106329", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106329"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103596", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-06-02", "title": "Soil management intensity shifts microbial catabolic profiles across a range of European long-term field experiments", "description": "Assessing soil microbial functionality has the potential to reveal meaningful effects of soil management on soil processes influencing soil quality. We used MicroResp\u2122 to assess microbial respiration upon the addition of six carbon substrates (glucose, alanine, aminobutyric acid, N-acetyl glucosamine, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, and lignin). From this, we calculated the multiple substrate induced respiration (MSIR), the microbial catabolic profile expressed as absolute and relative utilization rate, and the Shannon microbial functional diversity index (H\u2032). We tested the effect of tillage (reduced vs. conventional) and organic matter addition (high vs. low) on these microbial parameters in soil from 10 European long-term field experiments (LTEs), and investigated their relationships with labile organic carbon fractions and various soil parameters linked to soil functions. Reduced tillage and high organic matter input increased MSIR compared to conventional tillage and low organic matter input. In addition, reduced tillage resulted in a small but significant increase in functional diversity compared to conventional tillage. An increase in soil management intensity (CT-Low > CT-High > RT-Low > RT-High) was associated with lower utilization of all the substrates expressed as absolute utilization rate, and a proportionately higher utilization of alpha-ketoglutaric acid compared to the other substrates. More intensive management systems also showed lower soil quality as measured by various soil parameters, in particular total and labile organic carbon, basal respiration, and microbial biomass nitrogen. The present work shows for the first time the key role of labile organic carbon, as affected by soil management, in determining microbial functional diversity. Aggregating results from 10 European arable LTEs, making use of a comprehensive dataset, MicroResp\u2122 showed that reduced tillage and increased organic matter addition created a more favourable habitat for the microbial community to utilize different carbon substrates and, thereby, the potential for nutrient cycling.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "MicroResp\u2122", "Microbial functional diversity", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Community level physiological profiling", "6. Clean water", "Tillage", "Structural equation modelling", "13. Climate action", "Organic matter addition", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103596"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Soil%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103596", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103596", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103596"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105585", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-08-15", "title": "Managing both overstory and understory vegetation mitigates the impact of drought on soil nematode communities in a Mediterranean pine forest", "description": "Forest management strategies can effectively mitigate the impacts of drought on tree species, but their effects on soil fauna remain largely unexplored. Among soil organisms, soil nematodes can serve as valuable bioindicators to assess the impact of forest management on soil biodiversity and soil functioning. Consequently, we investigated two related questions in a Mediterranean Pinus halepensis Mill. forest located in southeastern France. First, how do soil nematodes respond to forest management practices? Second, can forest management practices help modulate the effects of Mediterranean summer drought on these soil organisms? We conducted a field experiment in which we explored the influence of two forest management techniques-tree thinning (intense, moderate, or absent) and understory removal (shrubs present or absent)-on soil nematodes before and after the summer drought. We found that only total and bacterivorous nematode abundances were positively influenced by the forest management practices. The highest values were observed under conditions of intense thinning combined with shrub presence, with an average of 97,509 individuals per kg of dry soil. In contrast, the abundances of all nematodes, with the exception of predaceous nematodes, were lower after the summer drought with a reduction ranging from-55 % to-82 %. Total, bacterivorous, and fungivorous nematode abundances were less negatively affected by the summer drought under conditions of moderate thinning when shrubs were present versus absent. More generally, we discovered that bacterivorous and fungivorous nematodes were particularly sensitive to the forest management practices and the summer drought. It is thus apparent that habitat alterations induced by forest management can strongly affect nematode community structure and could therefore prompt shifts in ecosystem functioning. Finally, this study highlights that, in forests, understory vegetation can have significant positive impacts on soil nematode populations when severe dry periods occur.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "570", "Forest management", "Drought", "Soil nematodes", "15. Life on land", "630", "6. Clean water", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "13. Climate action", "Soil health", "Pinus halepensis", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "Thinning"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105585"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Soil%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105585", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105585", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105585"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.003", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-07-24", "title": "Grazing and aridity have contrasting effects on the functional and taxonomic diversity of ants", "description": "Open AccessM.D-B. was supported by the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 702057 (CLIMIFUN) and by a Large Research Grant from the British Ecological Society (Grant Agreement No. LRA17 1193, MUSGONET).", "keywords": ["Richness", "0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Grazing", "Ants", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Drylands", "Functional diversity", "Ecolog\u00eda", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.003"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Basic%20and%20Applied%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.003", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.003", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.003"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.001", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-10-12", "title": "Taxonomic and functional characteristics of field edge weed communities under contrasting crop management strategies", "description": "Abstract The widespread loss of weed diversity and associated ecosystem functions is raising important concerns. Field edges could play a major role in the maintenance of weed functional diversity in arable landscapes as these habitats still harbour high weed diversity, owing to either a reduced farming management intensity and/or to a spillover of species from adjacent perennial field margins. Here, we investigated the taxonomic and functional characteristics of weed species recorded in surveys of field edges and their associated field cores over six consecutive years in 60 arable fields farmed with five crop management strategies. We found that field edges were richer, with species more functionally diverse and composition more stable over years than field core surveys. The distribution of individual functional traits differed between field edges and field cores, with higher values for seed mass and nitrophily (Ellenberg.N), and a wider distribution of specific leaf area values in field edges. The bimodal distribution of plant height and germination period observed in field edges became unimodal in field cores. Field edges harboured species with ecological strategies associated with field cores (ruderal species) plus a conservative strategy which could be explained by a spillover from the adjacent perennial field margins. Crop management strategies impacted field edge flora, though to a lesser extent than the field core flora whereas the functional differences between the field edge and the field core flora were less marked when crop management intensity was lower. These results indicate that field edges harbour a unique assemblage of species and highly contribute to the maintenance of weed diversity in arable landscapes. Future studies should thus focus on the importance of these specific functional traits to the agroecosystem functioning.", "keywords": ["agroecology", "disturbance", "[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "functional ecology", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "630", "plant traits", "field margin", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "ecological strategy", "species spillover", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "biodiversity conservation"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.001"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Basic%20and%20Applied%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.001", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.001", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.001"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.024", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-12-19", "title": "Alpha- And Beta-Diversity In Moth Communities In Salt Marshes Is Driven By Grazing Management", "description": "This study evaluates the effects of long-term sheep grazing in salt marshes on the diversity of moths and derives conclusive management suggestions for the conservation of invertebrate diversity in salt marshes. Study sites were located on the Hamburger Hallig, on the Western coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Between 2006 and 2009, salt marshes that have been under four levels of livestock density (0, 1-2 sheep/ha, 3-4 sheep/ha, 10 sheep/ha) for over 20 years were sampled using light traps and photoeclectors. Plant and moth species richness were highest under low stocking densities, moth species richness, however, showed no difference between low stocking densities and abandonment. Species richness of moths was only weakly correlated with vegetation parameters (species richness, vegetation height, cover and litter). Using additive diversity partitioning we show that no single grazing treatment harbored all recorded moth species and that grazing increases habitat heterogeneity within each treatment. Additionally, we show that moths react more sensitively to grazing than plants, and that therefore assessments of plant species richness in salt marshes do not allow conclusions on invertebrate diversity. For the evaluation of salt-marsh diversity, a multi-species approach should be favored combining plant and invertebrate assessments. A mosaic of abandoned sites and sites with low and intermediate stocking densities would benefit moth diversity in salt-marsh conservation. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
", "keywords": ["Additive diversity partitioning", "PLANT DIVERSITY", "0106 biological sciences", "LONG-TERM", "Small scale", "CONSERVATION", "SPECIES-DIVERSITY", "WESTERN FRANCE", "HABITAT HETEROGENEITY", "/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/biology; name=Ecosystems Research", "Microlepidoptera", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Vegetation structure", "Plant diversity", "FARMLAND BIODIVERSITY", "GEE", "GAMMA-DIVERSITY", "SPATIAL VARIATION", "14. Life underwater", "GRASSLANDS"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.024"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biological%20Conservation", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.024", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.024", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.024"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109475", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:16:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-03-15", "title": "In defence of soil biodiversity: Towards an inclusive protection in the European Union", "description": "Open AccessSince soil biodiversity sustains above-ground life, the European Union (EU) has recently announced its new Soil Strategy to better protect soil ecosystems as part of the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Also, the EU\u2019s Farm to Fork Strategy and the Zero Pollution Action Plan aim for soil protection. However, the status of soil biodiversity protection has not been comprehensively assessed. Therefore, we explored regulatory, incentive-based and knowledge-based instruments and strategic policy documents at the EU and national levels to determine whether they adequately protect soil biodiversity. Our review of 507 literature references concluded that only eight EU member states explicitly address threats to soil biodiversity in 14 regulatory instruments while 13 countries mainly focus on implicit threats to soil biodiversity, whereas six countries do not consider soil biodiversity. At the EU level, current directives and regulations only tackle individual threats to soil biodiversity. An EU-wide, legally binding protection could ensure a standardised minimum level of soil biodiversity protection while preventing surging costs of not acting. The EU Soil Health Law foreseen for 2023 could couple land management practices beneficial for soil biodiversity with incentive-based instruments. Simultaneously, models should be designed to predict soil biodiversity, considering soil biodiversity\u2019s spatial and temporal heterogeneity.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "2511.06 Conservaci\u00f3n de Suelos", "13. Climate action", "Common Agricultural Policy", " Green Deal", " Soil biodiversity conservation", " Soil governance", " Soil protection", "11. Sustainability", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "12. Responsible consumption"], "contacts": [{"organization": "K\u00f6ninger, J., Panagos, P., Jones, A., Briones, M.J.I., Orgiazzi, A.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109475"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biological%20Conservation", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109475", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109475", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109475"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174881", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:17:30Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-07-22", "title": "The time for ambitious action is now: Science-based recommendations for plastic chemicals to inform an effective global plastic treaty", "description": "Open AccessPublished by Elsevier Science, Amsterdam [u.a.]", "keywords": ["Faculty of Law", "330", "Human Rights", "United Nations", "[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes", "Microplastics", "International Cooperation", "/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/TheFacultyOfLaw", "610", "Transparency", "PLASTIC CHEMICALS", "01 natural sciences", "12. Responsible consumption", "https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5", "11. Sustainability", "Human rights", "Humans", "Microplastics", " Global plastic treaty", " Human rights", " Nanoplastics", " Source reduction", " Transparency", "/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being; name=SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being", "https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1", "info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/610", "PLASTIC POLLUTION", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "MICROPLASTICS", "16. Peace & justice", "Global plastic treaty", "Environmental Policy", "3. Good health", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "[SDE.MCG] Environmental Sciences/Global Changes", "Source reduction", "13. Climate action", "Global Plastics Treaty", "Environmental Pollutants", "Nanoplastics", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "Environmental Pollution", "Plastics"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174881"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174881", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174881", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174881"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.7717/peerj.14222", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-24T16:25:19Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-10-12", "title": "When disturbances favour species adapted to stressful soils: grazing may benefit soil specialists in gypsum plant communities", "description": "BackgroundHerbivory and extreme soils are drivers of plant evolution. Adaptation to extreme soils often implies substrate-specific traits, and resistance to herbivory involves tolerance or avoidance mechanisms. However, little research has been done on the effect of grazing on plant communities rich in edaphic endemics growing on extreme soils. A widespread study case is gypsum drylands, where livestock grazing often prevails. Despite their limiting conditions, gypsum soils host a unique and highly specialised flora, identified as a conservation priority.
MethodsWe evaluated the effect of different grazing intensities on the assembly of perennial plant communities growing on gypsum soils. We considered the contribution of species gypsum affinity and key functional traits of species such as traits related to gypsum specialisation (leaf S accumulation) or traits related to plant tolerance to herbivory such as leaf C and N concentrations. The effect of grazing intensity on plant community indices (i.e., richness, diversity, community weighted-means (CWM) and functional diversity (FD) indices for each trait) were modelled using Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). We analysed the relative contribution of interspecific trait variation and intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in shifts of community index values.
ResultsLivestock grazing may benefit gypsum plant specialists during community assembly, as species with high gypsum affinity, and high leaf S contents, were more likely to assemble in the most grazed plots. Grazing also promoted species with traits related to herbivory tolerance, as species with a rapid-growth strategy (high leaf N, low leaf C) were promoted under high grazing conditions. Species that ultimately formed gypsum plant communities had sufficient functional variability among individuals to cope with different grazing intensities, as intraspecific variability was the main component of species assembly for CWM values.
ConclusionsThe positive effects of grazing on plant communities in gypsum soils indicate that livestock may be a key tool for the conservation of these edaphic endemics.