{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.13678", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-01-25", "title": "Bacterial, Fungal, And Plant Communities Exhibit No Biomass Or Compositional Response To Two Years Of Simulated Nitrogen Deposition In A Semiarid Grassland", "description": "Summary

Nitrogen (N) deposition affects myriad aspects of terrestrial ecosystem structure and function, and microbial communities may be particularly sensitive to anthropogenic N inputs. However, our understanding of N deposition effects on microbial communities is far from complete, especially for drylands where data are comparatively rare. To address the need for an improved understanding of dryland biological responses to N deposition, we conducted a two\uffe2\uff80\uff90year fertilization experiment in a semiarid grassland on the Colorado Plateau in the southwestern United States. We evaluated effects of varied levels of N inputs on archaeal, bacterial, fungal and chlorophyte community composition within three microhabitats: biological soil crusts (biocrusts), soil below biocrusts, and the plant rhizosphere. Surprisingly, N addition did not affect the community composition or diversity of any of these microbial groups; however, microbial community composition varied significantly among sampling microhabitats. Further, while plant richness, diversity, and cover showed no response to N addition, there were strong linkages between plant properties and microbial community structure. Overall, these findings highlight the potential for some dryland communities to have limited biotic ability to retain augmented N inputs, possibly leading to large N losses to the atmosphere and to aquatic systems.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "Colorado", "Nitrogen", "Fungi", "15. Life on land", "Plants", "Archaea", "Grassland", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "13. Climate action", "Rhizosphere", "Biomass", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13678"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.13678", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.13678", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.13678"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-03-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.13954", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-10-18", "title": "Application of stable-isotope labelling techniques for the detection of active diazotrophs", "description": "Summary

Investigating active participants in the fixation of dinitrogen gas is vital as N is often a limiting factor for primary production. Biological nitrogen fixation is performed by a diverse guild of bacteria and archaea (diazotrophs), which can be free\uffe2\uff80\uff90living or symbionts. Free\uffe2\uff80\uff90living diazotrophs are widely distributed in the environment, yet our knowledge about their identity and ecophysiology is still limited. A major challenge in investigating this guild is inferring activity from genetic data as this process is highly regulated. To address this challenge, we evaluated and improved several 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90based methods for detecting N2 fixation activity (with a focus on soil samples) and studying active diazotrophs. We compared the acetylene reduction assay and the 15N2 tracer method and demonstrated that the latter is more sensitive in samples with low activity. Additionally, tracing 15N into microbial RNA provides much higher sensitivity compared to bulk soil analysis. Active soil diazotrophs were identified with a 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90RNA\uffe2\uff80\uff90SIP approach optimized for environmental samples and benchmarked to 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90DNA\uffe2\uff80\uff90SIP. Lastly, we investigated the feasibility of using SIP\uffe2\uff80\uff90Raman microspectroscopy for detecting 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90labelled cells. Taken together, these tools allow identifying and investigating active free\uffe2\uff80\uff90living diazotrophs in a highly sensitive manner in diverse environments, from bulk to the single\uffe2\uff80\uff90cell level.

", "keywords": ["Spectrum Analysis", " Raman", "BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS", "106005 Bioinformatik", "106023 Molekularbiologie", "Nitrogen Fixation", "REVEALS", "FLUORESCENCE", "Research Articles", "Soil Microbiology", "106022 Mikrobiologie", "SPECTROSCOPY", "Bacteria", "Nitrogen Isotopes", "106003 Biodiversity research", "106023 Molecular biology", "GENETIC-REGULATION", "Archaea", "6. Clean water", "SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN", "COMMUNITY", "106003 Biodiversit\u00e4tsforschung", "13. Climate action", "Isotope Labeling", "106022 Microbiology", "NITROGEN-FIXATION", "106005 Bioinformatics", "RIBOSOMAL-RNA", "N-2 FIXATION"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.13954"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13954"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.13954", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.13954", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.13954"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-12-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.15647", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-17", "title": "\u2018Cry\u2010for\u2010help\u2019 in contaminated soil: a dialogue among plants and soil microbiome to survive in hostile conditions", "description": "Summary

An open question in environmental ecology regards the mechanisms triggered by root chemistry to drive the assembly and functionality of a beneficial microbiome to rapidly adapt to stress conditions. This phenomenon, originally described in plant defence against pathogens and predators, is encompassed in the \uffe2\uff80\uff98cry\uffe2\uff80\uff90for\uffe2\uff80\uff90help\uffe2\uff80\uff99 hypothesis. Evidence suggests that this mechanism may be part of the adaptation strategy to ensure the holobiont fitness in polluted environments. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were considered as model pollutants due to their toxicity, recalcitrance and poor phyto\uffe2\uff80\uff90extraction potential, which lead to a plethora of phytotoxic effects and rise environmental safety concerns. Plants have inefficient detoxification processes to catabolize PCBs, even leading to by\uffe2\uff80\uff90products with a higher toxicity. We propose that the \uffe2\uff80\uff98cry\uffe2\uff80\uff90for\uffe2\uff80\uff90help\uffe2\uff80\uff99 mechanism could drive the exudation\uffe2\uff80\uff90mediated recruitment and sustainment of the microbial services for PCBs removal, exerted by an array of anaerobic and aerobic microbial degrading populations working in a complex metabolic network. Through this synergistic interaction, the holobiont copes with the soil contamination, releasing the plant from the pollutant stress by the ecological services provided by the boosted metabolism of PCBs microbial degraders. Improving knowledge of root chemistry under PCBs stress is, therefore, advocated to design rhizoremediation strategies based on plant microbiome engineering.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Microbiota", "Minireviews", "15. Life on land", "Polychlorinated Biphenyls", "6. Clean water", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Biodegradation", " Environmental", "13. Climate action", "Soil Pollutants", "Environmental Pollution", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/857922/2/Rolli%20et%20al.%202021_EM.pdf"}, {"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/857922/4/1462-2920.15647.pdf"}, {"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.15647"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15647"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.15647", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.15647", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.15647"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-06-23T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.15132", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-06-18", "title": "Trait\u2010based approaches reveal fungal adaptations to nutrient\u2010limiting conditions", "description": "Summary

The dependency of microbial activity on nutrient availability in soil is only partly understood, but highly relevant for nutrient cycling dynamics. In order to achieve more insight on microbial adaptations to nutrient limiting conditions, precise physiological knowledge is needed. Therefore, we developed an experimental system assessing traits of 16 saprobic fungal isolates in nitrogen (N) limited conditions. We tested the hypotheses that (1) fungal traits are negatively affected by N deficiency to a similar extent and (2) fungal isolates respond in a phylogenetically conserved fashion. Indeed, mycelial density, spore production and fungal activity (respiration and enzymatic activity) responded similarly to limiting conditions by an overall linear decrease. By contrast, mycelial extension and hyphal elongation peaked at lowest N supply (C:N 200), causing maximal biomass production at intermediate N contents. Optimal N supply rates differed among isolates, but only the extent of growth reduction was phylogenetically conserved. In conclusion, growth responses appeared as a switch from explorative growth in low nutrient conditions to exploitative growth in nutrient\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich patches, as also supported by responses to phosphorus and carbon limitations. This detailed trait\uffe2\uff80\uff90based pattern will not only improve fungal growth models, but also may facilitate interpretations of microbial responses observed in field studies.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "Nitrogen", "Fungi", "577", "Phosphorus", "Nutrients", "Spores", " Fungal", "15. Life on land", "microbial activity", "01 natural sciences", "Carbon", "Soil", "fungal adaptations", "03 medical and health sciences", "Biomass", "500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie::577 \u00d6kologie", "Soil Microbiology", "nutrient\u2010limiting conditions"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.15132"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15132"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.15132", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.15132", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.15132"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-07-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.15764", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-09-07", "title": "Aridity modulates belowground bacterial community dynamics in olive tree", "description": "Summary

Aridity negatively affects the diversity and abundance of edaphic microbial communities and their multiple ecosystem services, ultimately impacting vegetation productivity and biotic interactions. Investigation about how plant\uffe2\uff80\uff90associated microbial communities respond to increasing aridity is of particular importance, especially in light of the global climate change predictions. To assess the effect of aridity on plant associated bacterial communities, we investigated the diversity and co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurrence of bacteria associated with the bulk soil and the root system of olive trees cultivated in orchards located in higher, middle and lower arid regions of Tunisia. The results indicated that the selective process mediated by the plant root system is amplified with the increment of aridity, defining distinct bacterial communities, dominated by aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90winner and aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90loser bacteria negatively and positively correlated with increasing annual rainfall, respectively. Aridity regulated also the co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurrence interactions among bacteria by determining specific modules enriched with one of the two categories (aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90winners or aridity\uffe2\uff80\uff90losers), which included bacteria with multiple PGP functions against aridity. Our findings provide new insights into the process of bacterial assembly and interactions with the host plant in response to aridity, contributing to understand how the increasing aridity predicted by climate changes may affect the resilience of the plant holobiont.During the last few decades, a plethora of sequencing studies provided insight into fungal community composition under various environmental conditions. Still, the mechanisms of species assembly and fungal spread in soil remain largely unknown. While mycelial growth patterns are studied extensively, the abundant formation of asexual spores is often overlooked, though representing a substantial part of the fungal life cycle relevant for survival and dispersal. Here, we explore asexual sporulation (spore abundance, size and shape) in 32 co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurring soil fungal isolates under varying resource conditions, to answer the question whether resource limitation triggers or inhibits fungal investment into reproduction. We further hypothesized that trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs exist in fungal investment towards growth, spore production and size. The results revealed overall increased fungal investment into spore production under resource limitations; however, effect sizes and response types varied strongly among fungal isolates. Such isolate\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific effects were apparent in all measured traits, resulting in unique trait spaces of individual isolates. This comprehensive dataset also elucidated variability in sporulation strategies and trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs with fungal growth and reproduction under resource scarcity, as only predicted by theoretical models before. The observed isolate\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific strategies likely underpin mechanisms of co\uffe2\uff80\uff90existence in this diverse group of saprobic soil fungi.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "570", "ymp\u00e4rist\u00f6tekij\u00e4t", "Reproduction", "Fungi", "1. No poverty", "500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie", "maaper\u00e4eli\u00f6st\u00f6", "Spores", " Fungal", "15. Life on land", "lis\u00e4\u00e4ntyminen", "01 natural sciences", "Soil", "fungal spread", "Phenotype", "fungal community composition", "Reproduction", " Asexual", "soil fungi", "suvuton lis\u00e4\u00e4ntyminen", "sienet", "iti\u00f6t", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.16012"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16012"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.16012", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.16012", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.16012"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-04-27T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.16213", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-10-18", "title": "Application of stable\u2010isotope labelling techniques for the detection of active diazotrophs", "description": "Summary

Investigating active participants in the fixation of dinitrogen gas is vital as N is often a limiting factor for primary production. Biological nitrogen fixation is performed by a diverse guild of bacteria and archaea (diazotrophs), which can be free\uffe2\uff80\uff90living or symbionts. Free\uffe2\uff80\uff90living diazotrophs are widely distributed in the environment, yet our knowledge about their identity and ecophysiology is still limited. A major challenge in investigating this guild is inferring activity from genetic data as this process is highly regulated. To address this challenge, we evaluated and improved several 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90based methods for detecting N2 fixation activity (with a focus on soil samples) and studying active diazotrophs. We compared the acetylene reduction assay and the 15N2 tracer method and demonstrated that the latter is more sensitive in samples with low activity. Additionally, tracing 15N into microbial RNA provides much higher sensitivity compared to bulk soil analysis. Active soil diazotrophs were identified with a 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90RNA\uffe2\uff80\uff90SIP approach optimized for environmental samples and benchmarked to 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90DNA\uffe2\uff80\uff90SIP. Lastly, we investigated the feasibility of using SIP\uffe2\uff80\uff90Raman microspectroscopy for detecting 15N\uffe2\uff80\uff90labelled cells. Taken together, these tools allow identifying and investigating active free\uffe2\uff80\uff90living diazotrophs in a highly sensitive manner in diverse environments, from bulk to the single\uffe2\uff80\uff90cell level.The ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) is a key enzyme in ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing archaea, which are abundant and ubiquitous in soil environments. The AMO belongs to the copper\uffe2\uff80\uff90containing membrane monooxygenase (CuMMO) enzyme superfamily, which also contains particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO). Enzymes in the CuMMO superfamily are promiscuous, which results in co\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidation of alternative substrates. The phylogenetic and structural similarity between the pMMO and the archaeal AMO is well\uffe2\uff80\uff90established, but there is surprisingly little information on the influence of methane and methanol on the archaeal AMO and terrestrial nitrification. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of methane and methanol on the soil ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing archaeon \uffe2\uff80\uff98Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus franklandus C13\uffe2\uff80\uff99. We demonstrate that both methane and methanol are competitive inhibitors of the archaeal AMO. The inhibition constants (Ki) for methane and methanol were 2.2 and 20\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffce\uffbcM, respectively, concentrations which are environmentally relevant and orders of magnitude lower than those previously reported for ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing bacteria. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a specific suite of proteins is upregulated and downregulated in \uffe2\uff80\uff98Ca. Nitrosocosmicus franklandus C13\uffe2\uff80\uff99 in the presence of methane or methanol, which provides a foundation for future studies into metabolism of one\uffe2\uff80\uff90carbon (C1) compounds in ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing archaea.Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 methodologies commonly underpin project\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale carbon accounting for changes in land use and management and are used in frameworks for Life Cycle Assessment and carbon footprinting of food and energy crops. These methodologies were intended for use at large spatial scales. This can introduce error in predictions at finer spatial scales. There is an urgent need for development and implementation of higher tier methodologies that can be applied at fine spatial scales (e.g. farm/project/plantation) for food and bioenergy crop greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting to facilitate decision making in the land\uffe2\uff80\uff90based sectors. Higher tier methods have been defined by IPCC and must be well evaluated and operate across a range of domains (e.g. climate region, soil type, crop type, topography), and must account for land use transitions and management changes being implemented. Furthermore, the data required to calibrate and drive the models used at higher tiers need to be available and applicable at fine spatial resolution, covering the meteorological, soil, cropping system and management domains, with quantified uncertainties. Testing the reliability of the models will require data either from sites with repeated measurements or from chronosequences. We review current global capability for estimating changes in soil carbon at fine spatial scales and present a vision for a framework capable of quantifying land use change and management impacts on soil carbon, which could be used for addressing issues such as bioenergy and biofuel sustainability, food security, forest protection, and direct/indirect impacts of land use change. The aim of this framework is to provide a globally accepted standard of carbon measurement and modelling appropriate for GHG accounting that could be applied at project to national scales (allowing outputs to be scaled up to a country level), to address the impacts of land use and land management change on soil carbon.

", "keywords": ["land use change", "Environmental Impact Assessment", "550", "ecosystem model", "Carbon Sequestration Science", "01 natural sciences", "7. Clean energy", "upland grassland", "soil", "stock change", "12. Responsible consumption", "11. Sustainability", "forest biomass", "Environmental assessment and monitoring", "soil carbon", "organic-matter", "agriculture", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "model", "Ecology", "land management", "assimilated carbon", "land use", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "long-term experiments", "southern brazil", "monitoring", "high temporal resolution", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "biodiversity conservation", "environment", "Environmental Sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02689.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02689.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02689.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02689.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-04-09T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1541-4337.12727", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:49Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-03-05", "title": "Antimicrobial nanoparticles and biodegradable polymer composites for active food packaging applications", "description": "Abstract

The food industry faces numerous challenges to assure provision of tasty and convenient food that possesses extended shelf life and shows long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term high\uffe2\uff80\uff90quality preservation. Research and development of antimicrobial materials for food applications have provided active antibacterial packaging technologies that are able to meet these challenges. Furthermore, consumers expect and demand sustainable packaging materials that would reduce environmental problems associated with plastic waste. In this review, we discuss antimicrobial composite materials for active food packaging applications that combine highly efficient antibacterial nanoparticles (i.e., metal, metal oxide, mesoporous silica and graphene\uffe2\uff80\uff90based nanomaterials) with biodegradable and environmentally friendly green polymers (i.e., gelatin, alginate, cellulose, and chitosan) obtained from plants, bacteria, and animals. In addition, innovative syntheses and processing techniques used to obtain active and safe packaging are showcased. Implementation of such green active packaging can significantly reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen outbreaks, improve food safety and quality, and minimize product losses, while reducing waste and maintaining sustainability.Agricultural systems rely on healthy soils and their sustainability requires understanding the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term impacts of agricultural practices on soils, including microbial communities. We examined the impact of 17 years of land management on soil bacterial communities in a New Zealand randomized\uffe2\uff80\uff90block pasture trial. Significant variation in bacterial community structure related to mowing and plant biomass removal, while nitrogen fertilizer had no effect. Changes in soil chemistry and legume abundance described 52% of the observed variation in the bacterial community structure. Legumes (Trifolium species) were absent in unmanaged plots but increased in abundance with management intensity; 11% of the variation in soil bacterial community structure was attributed to this shift in the plant community. Olsen P explained 10% of the observed heterogeneity, which is likely due to persistent biomass removal resulting in P limitation; Olsen P was significantly lower in plots with biomass removed (14\uffe2\uff80\uff89mg kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb1\uffe2\uff80\uff891.3SE) compared with plots that were not mown, or where biomass was left after mowing (32\uffe2\uff80\uff89mg kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb1\uffe2\uff80\uff891.6SE). Our results suggest that removal of plant biomass and associated phosphorus, as well as shifts in the plant community, have greater long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term impacts on soil bacterial community structure than application of nitrogen fertilizers.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "Bacteria", "Nitrogen", "Microbial Consortia", "Population Dynamics", "Agriculture", "Fabaceae", "Phosphorus", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Biomass", "Fertilizers", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology", "New Zealand"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12049"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology%20Reports", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1758-2229.12049", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1758-2229.12049", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1758-2229.12049"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-04-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1574-6941.12384", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:49Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-07-21", "title": "Impact Of Long-Term N, P, K, And Npk Fertilization On The Composition And Potential Functions Of The Bacterial Community In Grassland Soil", "description": "Soil abiotic and biotic interactions govern important ecosystem processes. However, the mechanisms behind these interactions are complex, and the links between specific environmental factors, microbial community structures, and functions are not well understood. Here, we applied DNA shotgun metagenomic techniques to investigate the effect of inorganic fertilizers N, P, K, and NPK on the bacterial community composition and potential functions in grassland soils in a 54-year experiment. Differences in total and available nutrients were found in the treatment soils; interestingly, Al, As, Mg, and Mn contents were variable in N, P, K, and NPK treatments. Bacterial community compositions shifted and Actinobacteria were overrepresented under the four fertilization treatments compared to the control. Redundancy analysis of the soil parameters and the bacterial community profiles showed that Mg, total N, Cd, and Al were linked to community variation. Using correlation analysis, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia were linked similarly to soil parameters, and Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were linked separately to different suites of parameters. Surprisingly, we found no fertilizers effect on microbial functional profiles which supports functional redundancy as a mechanism for stabilization of functions during changes in microbial composition. We suggest that functional profiles are more resistant to environmental changes than community compositions in the grassland ecosystem.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "sandy loam", "Nitrogen", "verrucomicrobia", "microbial communities", "nitrogen", "diversity", "Phosphates", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Fertilizers", "Soil Microbiology", "2. Zero hunger", "metagenomics", "0303 health sciences", "Bacteria", "national", "15. Life on land", "Grassland", "13. Climate action", "genome size", "ammonia-oxidizing bacteria", "Potassium", "Metagenomics", "ecosystems", "management"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1574-6941.12384"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/FEMS%20Microbiology%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1574-6941.12384", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1574-6941.12384", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1574-6941.12384"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-08-21T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/SUM.12506", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-02-26", "title": "Harvesting European knowledge on soil functions and land management using multi\u2010criteria decision analysis", "description": "Abstract

Soil and its ecosystem functions play a societal role in securing sustainable food production while safeguarding natural resources. A functional land management framework has been proposed to optimize the agro\uffe2\uff80\uff90environmental outputs from the land and specifically the supply and demand of soil functions such as (a) primary productivity, (b) carbon sequestration, (c) water purification and regulation, (d) biodiversity and (e) nutrient cycling, for which soil knowledge is essential. From the outset, the LANDMARK multi\uffe2\uff80\uff90actor research project integrates harvested knowledge from local, national and European stakeholders to develop such guidelines, creating a sense of ownership, trust and reciprocity of the outcomes. About 470 stakeholders from five European countries participated in 32 structured workshops covering multiple land uses in six climatic zones. The harmonized results include stakeholders\uffe2\uff80\uff99 priorities and concerns, perceptions on soil quality and functions, implementation of tools, management techniques, indicators and monitoring, activities and policies, knowledge gaps and ideas. Multi\uffe2\uff80\uff90criteria decision analysis was used for data analysis. Two qualitative models were developed using Decision EXpert methodology to evaluate \uffe2\uff80\uff9cknowledge\uffe2\uff80\uff9d and \uffe2\uff80\uff9cneeds\uffe2\uff80\uff9d. Soil quality perceptions differed across workshops, depending on the stakeholder level and regionally established terminologies. Stakeholders had good inherent knowledge about soil functioning, but several gaps were identified. In terms of critical requirements, stakeholders defined high technical, activity and policy needs in (a) financial incentives, (b) credible information on improving more sustainable management practices, (c) locally relevant advice, (d) farmers\uffe2\uff80\uff99 discussion groups, (e) training programmes, (f) funding for applied research and monitoring, and (g) strengthening soil science in education.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "locally relevant advice", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "DEX model", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "participatory research", "farmers and multi-stakeholders", "soil quality", "Biology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/sum.12506"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/SUM.12506"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20Use%20and%20Management", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/SUM.12506", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/SUM.12506", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/SUM.12506"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/avsc.12107", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-05-02", "title": "Scale-Dependent Effects Of Grazing And Topographic Heterogeneity On Plant Species Richness In A Dutch Salt Marsh Ecosystem", "description": "AbstractQuestion

For over three decades, low\uffe2\uff80\uff90intensity grazing has been used to maintain or increase plant species richness in European natural areas, but the effects are highly variable. Thus far, good predictors of whether grazing will have positive effects on plant species richness are limited. How does the interplay between low\uffe2\uff80\uff90intensity grazing and topographic heterogeneity affect plant species richness at different spatial scales?

Location

Long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term grazed and ungrazed salt marshes of the Dutch Wadden Sea island of Schiermonnikoog.

Methods

We selected ten plots of 2200\uffc2\uffa0m2 in grazed and ungrazed areas of our study sites, and recorded and compared plant species richness in 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1000\uffc2\uffa0m2 subplots. Topographic heterogeneity was quantified at the plot scale using the standard deviation of the elevation derived from a high\uffe2\uff80\uff90resolution (5\uffc2\uffa0m\uffc2\uffa0\uffc3\uff97\uffc2\uffa05\uffc2\uffa0m) digital elevation model. We calculated species\uffe2\uff80\uff93area relationships to analyse our data.

Results

We found that large\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale topographic heterogeneity (based on the whole plot of 2200\uffc2\uffa0m2) positively affects plant species richness at all scales (even at the smallest 0.1\uffe2\uff80\uff90m2 scale), and that grazing has a positive additive effect at the small scales (0.1 and 10\uffc2\uffa0m2). While grazing also had a positive effect on species richness at larger scales (1000\uffc2\uffa0m2), the strength of the effect was dependent on the topographic heterogeneity at that scale. The effectiveness of grazing for increased plant species richness was highest at low topographic heterogeneity, and lowest at intermediate topographic heterogeneity. Effects of intermediate heterogeneity were probably counterbalanced by the effects of grazing.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the variation in elevation is an important predictor of whether low\uffe2\uff80\uff90intensity grazing has positive effects on plant species richness or not. Grazing appears most beneficial at low topographic heterogeneity, but whether these findings hold for other grazed ecosystems will depend on several factors, most importantly, the relationship between topographic and abiotic heterogeneity. Results of our study are highly relevant for the application of low\uffe2\uff80\uff90intensity grazing as tool for conservation management in salt marshes and other natural areas.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Topography", "Livestock", "IMPACT", "Vascular plants", "Spatial scale", "DIVERSITY", "Nature management", "Biodiversity", "Conservation", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "SOIL", "Grazing lawns", "HERBIVORES", "BIODIVERSITY", "Herbivory", "VEGETATION", "14. Life underwater", "Plant-herbivore interactions", "GRASSLANDS", "RESTORATION", "RESPONSES", "ENVIRONMENTS"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12107"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Vegetation%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/avsc.12107", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/avsc.12107", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/avsc.12107"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-05-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/aab.12599", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-04-28", "title": "Coexistent Mediterranean woody species as a driving factor of Phytophthora cinnamomi infectivity and survival", "description": "Abstract

The long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term conservation of Mediterranean mixed oak forests is seriously threatened by the massive mortality of Quercus suber caused by the exotic pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. This species frequently grows in mixed forests under natural conditions, but nothing is known about how its level of disease might be altered by the diversity and identity of coexisting neighbours varying in susceptibility to the exotic pathogen. Here we analysed the individual and combined effects of Q. suber and the main coexisting tree species (Quercus canariensis and Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris) in mixed forests of southern Spain on the production of infective and survival spores of P. cinnamomi. Through in vitro experiments, it was demonstrated that mixtures of Q. suber and Q. canariensis highly stimulated the production of P. cinnamomi zoospores in comparison with both species in monocultures. Olea europaea did not stimulate zoospore production. Under controlled conditions, the initial and final densities of inoculum in soil planted with monocultures of O. europaea and Q. canariensis did not differ. However, inoculum densities significantly decreased along the experiment in Q. suber mixtures with O. europaea and Q. canariensis. Phytophthora cinnamomi was able to infect and cause root rot symptoms on all tree species, including O. europaea var. sylvestris. We concluded that mixed stands of Q. suber and Q. canariensis are able to stimulate P. cinnamomi infectivity and survival much more than monospecific stands, and consequently under favourable conditions for root disease development, the coexistence of Q. suber and Q. canariensis might exacerbate Mediterranean forests decline. This study also constitutes the first report of O. europaea var. sylvestris as host and inductor of P. cinnamomi sporulation under controlled conditions.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Europaea var", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Quercus suber", "olea europaea subsp", "Quercus canariensis", "Sylvestris", "Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris", " Phytophthora interactions", " Quercus canariensis", " Quercus suber", " soil pathogens", "Phytophthora interactions", "15. Life on land", "Soil pathogens"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/aab.12599"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12599"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Annals%20of%20Applied%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/aab.12599", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/aab.12599", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/aab.12599"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-05-05T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/avsc.12195", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2015-08-21", "title": "What Factors Determined Restoration Success Of A Salt Marsh Ten Years After De-Embankment?", "description": "AbstractQuestions

How successful was the restoration of a salt marsh at a former summer polder on the mainland coast of the Dutch Wadden Sea 10\uffc2\uffa0yr after de\uffe2\uff80\uff90embankment? What were the most important factors determining the level of restoration success?

Location

Noard\uffe2\uff80\uff90Frysl\uffc3\uffa2n B\uffc3\uffbbtendyks, northwest Netherlands.

Methods

The frequencies of target plant species were recorded before de\uffe2\uff80\uff90embankment and monitored thereafter (1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10\uffc2\uffa0yr later) using permanent transects. Vegetation change was monitored using repeated mapping 14\uffc2\uffa0yr before and 1, 7 and 10\uffc2\uffa0yr after de\uffe2\uff80\uff90embankment. A large\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale factorial experiment with 72 sampling plots was set up to determine the effects of distance to a breach point, distance to a creek and grazing treatment on species composition. Abiotic data were also collected from the permanent transects and sampling plots on elevation, soil salinity and redox potential.

Results

Ten years after de\uffe2\uff80\uff90embankment, permanent transect data showed that 78% to 96% of the target species were found at the restoration site. Vegetation mapping, however, showed that the diversity of salt marsh communities was low, with 50% of the site covered by the secondary pioneer marsh community. A multivariate analogue of ANOVA indicated that the most important experimental factor determining species composition was the interaction between distance to the nearest creek and livestock grazing. The combination of proximity to a creek and exclusion from livestock grazing always resulted in development of the high marsh community. In contrast, the combination of being located far from a creek, grazed and situated at low elevation with accompanying high salinity resulted in development of the secondary pioneer marsh community.

Conclusions

Using target species as criteria, restoration success could be claimed 10\uffc2\uffa0yr after de\uffe2\uff80\uff90embankment. However, the diversity of communities in the salt marsh was lower than desired. Variable grazing regimes should be applied to high\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation areas to prevent dominance by single species of tall grasses and to promote formation of vegetation mosaics. Low\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation areas need lower grazing pressure. Also, an adequate soil drainage network should be preserved or constructed in low\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation areas before de\uffe2\uff80\uff90embankment.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "Salinity", "LAND", "Managed realignment", "Artificial saltmarsh", "NETHERLANDS", "Soil redox", "WADDEN SEA", "Soil drainage", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "Long-term study", "COLONIZATION", "Grazing", "Halophytes", "Elevation", "14. Life underwater", "MANAGED REALIGNMENT", "ELEVATION", "SCALE"], "contacts": [{"organization": "R.M. Veeneklaas, Petra Daniels, Jan P. Bakker, E. R. Chang, Peter Esselink,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12195"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Vegetation%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/avsc.12195", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/avsc.12195", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/avsc.12195"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-08-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/cobi.13930", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-05-05", "title": "Challenges of and opportunities for protecting European soil biodiversity", "description": "Abstract

Soil biodiversity and related ecosystem functions are neglected in most biodiversity assessments and nature conservation actions. We examined how society, and particularly policy makers, have addressed these factors worldwide with a focus on Europe and explored the role of soils in nature conservation in Germany as an example. We reviewed past and current global and European policies, compared soil ecosystem functioning in\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and outside protected areas, and examined the role of soils in nature conservation management via text analyses. Protection and conservation of soil biodiversity and soil ecosystem functioning have been insufficient. Soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90related policies are unenforceable and lack soil biodiversity conservation goals, focusing instead on other environmental objectives. We found no evidence of positive effects of current nature conservation measures in multiple soil ecosystem functions in Europe. In German conservation management, soils are considered only from a limited perspective (e.g., as physicochemical part of the environment and as habitat for aboveground organisms). By exploring policy, evidence, and management as it relates to soil ecosystems, we suggest an integrative perspective to move nature conservation toward targeting soil ecosystems directly (e.g., by setting baselines, monitoring soil threats, and establishing a soil indicator system).

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "570", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "0303 health sciences", "nature conservation", "soil biodiversity", "Biodiversity", "belowground", "Europe", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Biowissenschaften; Biologie", "Germany", "soil ecosystem functioning", "protected areas", "soil policy", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/cobi.13930"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13930"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Conservation%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/cobi.13930", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/cobi.13930", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/cobi.13930"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-07-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/rs10111720", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:22:41Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-10-31", "title": "Towards Estimating Land Evaporation at Field Scales Using GLEAM", "description": "

The evaporation of water from land into the atmosphere is a key component of the hydrological cycle. Accurate estimates of this flux are essential for proper water management and irrigation scheduling. However, continuous and qualitative information on land evaporation is currently not available at the required spatio-temporal scales for agricultural applications and regional-scale water management. Here, we apply the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) at 100 m spatial resolution and daily time steps to provide estimates of land evaporation over The Netherlands, Flanders, and western Germany for the period 2013\uffe2\uff80\uff932017. By making extensive use of microwave-based geophysical observations, we are able to provide data under all weather conditions. The soil moisture estimates from GLEAM at high resolution compare well with in situ measurements of surface soil moisture, resulting in a median temporal correlation coefficient of 0.76 across 29 sites. Estimates of terrestrial evaporation are also evaluated using in situ eddy-covariance measurements from five sites, and compared to estimates from the coarse-scale GLEAM v3.2b, land evaporation from the Satellite Application Facility on Land Surface Analysis (LSA-SAF), and reference grass evaporation based on Makkink\uffe2\uff80\uff99s equation. All datasets compare similarly with in situ measurements and differences in the temporal statistics are small, with correlation coefficients against in situ data ranging from 0.65 to 0.95, depending on the site. Evaporation estimates from GLEAM-HR are typically bounded by the high values of the Makkink evaporation and the low values from LSA-SAF. While GLEAM-HR and LSA-SAF show the highest spatial detail, their geographical patterns diverge strongly due to differences in model assumptions, model parameterizations, and forcing data. The separate consideration of rainfall interception loss by tall vegetation in GLEAM-HR is a key cause of this divergence: while LSA-SAF reports maximum annual evaporation volumes in the Green Heart of The Netherlands, an area dominated by shrubs and grasses, GLEAM-HR shows its maximum in the national parks of the Veluwe and Heuvelrug, both densely-forested regions where rainfall interception loss is a dominant process. The pioneering dataset presented here is unique in that it provides observational-based estimates at high resolution under all weather conditions, and represents a viable alternative to traditional visible and infrared models to retrieve evaporation at field scales.

", "keywords": ["microwave remote sensing", "EVAPOTRANSPIRATION", "WACMOS-ET PROJECT", "Science", "FLUXNET", "Q", "LSA-SAF", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "MODEL", "CARBON", "VARIABILITY", "terrestrial evaporation", "root-zone soil moisture", "13. Climate action", "Earth and Environmental Sciences", "SURFACE EVAPORATION", "GLOBAL DATABASE", "WATER", "SOIL-MOISTURE RETRIEVALS", "terrestrial evaporation; root-zone soil moisture; microwave remote sensing; GLEAM; LSA-SAF", "GLEAM", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/11/1720/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10111720"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Remote%20Sensing", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/rs10111720", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/rs10111720", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/rs10111720"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-10-31T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01192.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:20:18Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-09-01", "title": "Soil Characteristics More Strongly Influence Soil Bacterial Communities Than Land-Use Type", "description": "To gain insight into the factors driving the structure of bacterial communities in soil, we applied real-time PCR, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoreses, and phylogenetic microarray approaches targeting the 16S rRNA gene across a range of different land usages in the Netherlands. We observed that the main differences in the bacterial communities were not related to land-use type, but rather to soil factors. An exception was the bacterial community of pine forest soils (PFS), which was clearly different from all other sites. PFS had lowest bacterial abundance, lowest numbers of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), lowest soil pH, and highest C : N ratios. C : N ratio strongly influenced bacterial community structure and was the main factor separating PFS from other fields. For the sites other than PFS, phosphate was the most important factor explaining the differences in bacterial communities across fields. Firmicutes were the most dominant group in almost all fields, except in PFS and deciduous forest soils (DFS). In PFS, Alphaproteobacteria was most represented, while in DFS, Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria were both highly represented. Interestingly, Bacillii and Clostridium OTUs correlated with pH and phosphate, which might explain their high abundance across many of the Dutch soils. Numerous bacterial groups were highly correlated with specific soil factors, suggesting that they might be useful as indicators of soil status.", "keywords": ["land use change", "DNA", " Bacterial", "0301 basic medicine", "RNA 16S", "polymerase chain reaction", "soil nitrogen", "DNA sequence", "soil microorganism", "electrokinesis", "chemistry", "phylogeny", "Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction", "soil", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "NIOO", "RNA", " Ribosomal", " 16S", "genetics", "soil carbon", "Phylogeny", "Soil Microbiology", "phosphate", "biodiversity", "Alphaproteobacteria", "Netherlands", "growth", " development and aging", "2. Zero hunger", "abundance", "0303 health sciences", "real time", "Bacteria", "pH", "Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis", "microbiology", "denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis", "Biodiversity", "Sequence Analysis", " DNA", "15. Life on land", "bacterium", "bacterial DNA", "phylogenetics", "classification", "real time polymerase chain reaction", "microbial community", "Gammaproteobacteria"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01192.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/FEMS%20Microbiology%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01192.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01192.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01192.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-09-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.13090", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-01-22", "title": "Inconsistent effects of agricultural practices on soil fungal communities across 12 European long\u2010term experiments", "description": "Abstract

Cropping practices have a great potential to improve soil quality through changes in soil biota. Yet the effects of these soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90improving cropping systems on soil fungal communities are not well known. Here, we analysed soil fungal communities using standardized measurements in 12 long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term experiments and 20 agricultural treatments across Europe. We were interested in whether the same practices (i.e., tillage, fertilization, organic amendments and cover crops) applied across different sites have predictable and repeatable effects on soil fungal communities and guilds. The fungal communities were very variable across sites located in different soil types and climatic regions. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were the fungal guild with most unique species in individual sites, whereas plant pathogenic fungi were most shared between the sites. The fungal communities responded to the cropping practices differently in different sites and only fertilization showed a consistent effect on AMF and plant pathogenic fungi, whereas the responses to tillage, cover crops and organic amendments were site, soil and crop\uffe2\uff80\uff90species specific. We further show that the crop yield is negatively affected by cropping practices aimed at improving soil health. Yet, we show that these practices have the potential to change the fungal communities and that change in plant pathogenic fungi and in AMF is linked to the yield. We further link the soil fungal community and guilds to soil abiotic characteristics and reveal that especially Mn, K, Mg and pH affect the composition of fungi across sites. In summary, we show that fungal communities vary considerably between sites and that there are no clear directional responses in fungi or fungal guilds across sites to soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90improving cropping systems, but that the responses vary based on soil abiotic conditions, crop type and climatic conditions.

Highlights

Soil fungi were analysed using standardized measurements in 12 long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term experiments and 20 agricultural treatments

Fungal communities responded to the cropping practices differently at different sites

Only reduced fertilization showed a consistent effect on AMF and plant pathogenic fungi, whereas the responses to tillage, cover crops and organic amendments were site specific.

Fungal community structure varied significantly between sites, crops and climate conditions; therefore, more cross\uffe2\uff80\uff90site studies are needed in order to manage beneficial soil fungi in agricultural systems.

", "keywords": ["soil‐", "DIVERSITY", "0607 Plant Biology", "0703 Crop and Pasture Production", "Soil Science", "ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI", "FERTILIZATION", "improving cropping systems", "soil fungi", "0503 Soil Sciences", "S Agriculture (General)", "CROPS", "METAANALYSIS", "TILLAGE", "2. Zero hunger", "Science & Technology", "long‐", "LAND-USE", "soil-improving cropping systems", "Agriculture", "Agronomy & Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "PERFORMANCE", "15. Life on land", "4106 Soil sciences", "long-term experiments", "organic amendments", "tillage", "term experiments", "POPULATIONS", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "BIODIVERSITY", "Life Sciences & Biomedicine"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ejss.13090"}, {"href": "https://rau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/16456/1/ejss.13090.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13090"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.13090", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.13090", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.13090"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-02-18T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.13152", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-07-27", "title": "A holistic perspective on soil architecture is needed as a key to soil functions", "description": "Abstract

Soil functions, including climate regulation and the cycling of water and nutrients, are of central importance for a number of environmental issues of great societal concern. To understand and manage these functions, it is crucial to be able to quantify the structure of soils, now increasingly referred to as their \uffe2\uff80\uff9carchitecture,\uffe2\uff80\uff9d as it constraints the physical, chemical and biological processes in soils. This quantification was traditionally approached from two different angles, one focused on aggregates of the solid phase, and the other on the pore space. The recent development of sophisticated, non\uffe2\uff80\uff90disturbing imaging techniques has led to significant progress in the description of soil architecture, in terms of both the pore space and the spatial configuration of mineral and organic materials. We now have direct access to virtually all aspects of soil architecture. In the present article, we review how this affects the perception of soil architecture specifically when trying to describe the functions of soils. A key conclusion of our analysis is that soil architecture, in that context, imperatively needs to be explored in its natural state, with as little disturbance as possible. The same requirement applies to the key processes taking place in the hierarchical soil pore network, including those contributing to the emergence of a heterogeneous organo\uffe2\uff80\uff90mineral soil matrix by various mixing processes, such as bioturbation, diffusion, microbial metabolism and organo\uffe2\uff80\uff90mineral interactions. Artificially isolated aggregates are fundamentally inappropriate for deriving conclusions about the functioning of an intact soil. To fully account for soil functions, we argue that a holistic approach that centres on the pore space is mandatory while the dismantlement of soils into chunks may still be carried out to study the binding of soil solid components. In the future, significant progress is expected along this holistic direction, as new, advanced technologies become available.

Highlights

We highlight the crucial importance of the temporal dynamics of soil architecture for biological activity and carbon turnover.

We reconcile controversial concepts relative to how soil architecture is formed and reshaped with time.

Soil is demonstrated to be a heterogeneous porous matrix and not an assembly of aggregates.

Biological and physical mixing processes are key for the formation and dynamics of soil architecture.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "570", "aggregation", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "[SDV.SA.SDS]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "910", "soil functions", "15. Life on land", "630", "6. Clean water", "13. Climate action", "bioturbation", "soil mechanics", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "soil structure", "[SDV.SA.SDS] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Soil study", "organic matter"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ejss.13152"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13152"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.13152", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.13152", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.13152"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-08-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.12095", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2013-10-12", "title": "Effect Of Biochar Addition On Soil Respiration Partitioning And Root Dynamics In An Apple Orchard", "description": "Summary

Biochar addition to soil has been suggested as a promising strategy to increase soil carbon storage with important side\uffe2\uff80\uff90effects on soil fertility and crop productivity. Understanding the effect of biochar on soil respiration partitioning into rhizosphere\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived (Fr) and soil organic carbon\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived (Fsoc) components and on plant root dynamics and microbial activity is a crucial issue in the prediction of the impact of biochar on soil organic carbon and nutrient cycles. Within this framework, an experiment was carried out in an apple (Malus domestica Bork) orchard located in the experimental farm of the Bologna University (Italy). In spring 2009, 10\uffe2\uff80\uff89t of biochar per hectare were incorporated into the surface 20\uffe2\uff80\uff90cm soil layer by soil ploughing. The trenching method was used in order to partition total soil respiration (Fs) into Fr and Fsoc components in both biochar\uffe2\uff80\uff90treated and control soil. Soil respiration measurements were performed from June 2009 to March 2011. To study root dynamics, polycarbonate boxes were built and buried into the soil. Soil profile pictures were collected fortnightly with a CCD sensor scanner inserted in the boxes and analysed with the WinRHIZO Tron MF software. Biochar addition increased Fsoc and reduced Fr, even if the root length intensity (La) increased in biochar\uffe2\uff80\uff90treated soils relative to that in the control. A decrease in root metabolic activity was postulated to explain these contrasting results.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "biochar", " soil respiration", " root growth", " apple", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "3. Good health"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12095"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.12095", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.12095", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.12095"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-10-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.12205", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-12-02", "title": "Carbon And Macronutrient Losses During Accelerated Erosion Under Different Tillage And Residue Management", "description": "Summary

There have been many studies on the effects of tillage on erosional losses from soil, but rarely have soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses been quantified simultaneously during a single erosion event. We applied a simulated rainfall event (70 mm hour\uffe2\uff88\uff921) to plots within a gently sloping field (6%) in Ohio, USA, on which maize (C4) cultivation had replaced C3 vegetation several decades earlier. The plots were under different tillage management: (i) no till (NT100) for 42 years; (ii) NT100 plots from which 50% (NT50) or (iii) 100% (NT0) of crop residues were removed annually for 8 years; (iv) NT100 plots tilled 24 hours previously (TNT); and (v) conventional tillage (CT) for 28 years. Relationships between SOC, N and P concentrations and natural abundance 13C : 15N stable isotope values in the topsoils and sediments suggested that eroded SOC and TN were associated with the erosion of soil organic matter, whilst P losses were driven by the transport of the mineral fraction. Stable 13C isotope analyses revealed that tillage and residue removal both increased the proportion of older (C3), rather than new (C4, maize\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived), SOC in eroded sediments. This study therefore demonstrated that a single tillage event after 42 years of continuous no\uffe2\uff80\uff90till caused larger erosional fluxes than 8 years of continuous removal of all maize residues, and that long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term conventional tillage resulted in the loss of a greater amount of older (> 28 years) SOC in eroded sediments, compared with continuous NT management.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Soil Science", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "10. No inequality"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12205"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.12205", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.12205", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.12205"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2014-12-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.12264", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2015-05-14", "title": "Changes In Forest Floor And Mineral Soil Carbon And\u00a0Nitrogen Stocks In A Boreal Forest After Clear-Cutting And\u00a0Mechanical Site Preparation", "description": "Summary

Significant amounts of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are accumulated in soil in boreal forests. However, increased concern has been shown regarding the negative impacts of forestry operations on both the C sequestration and N stocks in soil. Changes in the C and N stocks in woody debris, forest floor and mineral soil (0\uffe2\uff80\uff9320\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm) were studied in Eastern Finland for 10\uffe2\uff80\uff89years after stem\uffe2\uff80\uff90only clear\uffe2\uff80\uff90cutting followed by soil harrowing. Samples were taken from the uncut forest and from the different microsites formed by the harrowing (ridges, furrows and undisturbed areas). Carbon and N from logging residues were not incorporated into the forest floor or mineral soil stocks to any great extent. After 5\uffe2\uff80\uff89years the C stock above the mineral soil was smaller (<\uffe2\uff80\uff8920%) in the treated area than in the uncut forest and after 10\uffe2\uff80\uff89years it was <\uffe2\uff80\uff8950% smaller. The corresponding N stock was marginally larger (<\uffe2\uff80\uff895%) after 5\uffe2\uff80\uff89years, but smaller (<\uffe2\uff80\uff8920%) after 10\uffe2\uff80\uff89years. In the mineral soil there were no changes; only the furrows lost C and N when compared with the other microsites, but not when compared with the forest. Harrowing increased the spatial variation in the forest floor C and N stocks. The comparison of the N losses from the soil and logging residues and woody debris with the leaching losses, the amounts utilized by the regenerating vegetation or estimated to be immobilized by the stumps at the same site indicated that N which remained after the clear\uffe2\uff80\uff90cutting was retained at the site. For a full understanding of the impact of such a disturbance on stocks at a site all significant fluxes and stocks would need to be monitored.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "maaper\u00e4", "havumets\u00e4t", "hakkuut\u00e4hteet", "hiili", "carbon", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "ta4112", "01 natural sciences", "nitrogen", "soil", "felling", "typpi", "Muut aihealueet", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "boreal forests", "hakkuu"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12264"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.12264", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.12264", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.12264"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-05-14T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.12327", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-03-20", "title": "Changes in organic carbon and nitrogen in soil with metal pollution by Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn: a meta-analysis", "description": "Summary

Organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) storage in soil plays an important role in global climate change and in maintaining food security. Pollution of soil with heavy metals has occurred in many parts of the world, but their effects on soil OC and N have not been well addressed. Relevant data were extracted from peer\uffe2\uff80\uff90reviewed journal papers and analysed by a meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90analysis to determine how long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term heavy metal pollution affected soil OC and N status. Plant biomass decreased significantly because heavy metals in soil decreased soil OC and N concentrations by 5.0 and 17.9%, respectively, but increased the C/N ratio by 5.1%. The largest reductions in soil OC and N concentrations were in soil more strongly polluted by metals. The changes in soil OC and N with metal pollution varied with climatic conditions. More substantial decreases in OC and N concentrations were likely to occur in polluted soil with large background contents of OC and low pH. Overall, heavy metals were linked to greater reductions in soil OC and N concentrations in natural ecosystems than in agro\uffe2\uff80\uff90ecosystems. These results provided a quantitative evaluation of the effects of heavy metal pollution on the decrease in soil C and N concentrations and, therefore, on global climate change. Further consideration should be given to changes in the cycling of C and N in soil polluted with metals in natural and agro\uffe2\uff80\uff90ecosystems.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "anzsrc-for: 0503 Soil Sciences", "550", "anzsrc-for: 4105 Pollution and Contamination", "anzsrc-for: 0703 Crop and Pasture Production", "anzsrc-for: 4106 Soil sciences", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "41 Environmental Sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "anzsrc-for: 41 Environmental Sciences", "anzsrc-for: 0607 Plant Biology", "4105 Pollution and Contamination", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12327"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.12327", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.12327", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.12327"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/rs10060969", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:22:41Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-06-18", "title": "Relation between Convective Rainfall Properties and Antecedent Soil Moisture Heterogeneity Conditions in North Africa", "description": "

Recent observational studies have demonstrated the relevance of soil moisture heterogeneity and the associated thermally-induced circulation on deep convection and rainfall triggering. However, whether this dynamical mechanism further influences rainfall properties\uffe2\uff80\uff94such as rain volume or timing\uffe2\uff80\uff94has yet to be confirmed by observational data. Here, we analyze 10 years of satellite-based sub-daily soil moisture and precipitation records and explore the potential of strong spatial gradients in morning soil moisture to influence the properties of afternoon rainfall in the North African region, at the 100-km scale. We find that the convective rain systems that form over locally drier soils and anomalously strong soil moisture gradients have a tendency to initiate earlier in the afternoon; they also yield lower volumes of rain, weaker intensity and lower spatial variability. The strongest sensitivity to antecedent soil conditions is identified for the timing of the rain onset; it is found to be correlated with the magnitude of the soil moisture gradient. Further analysis shows that the early initiation of rainfall over dry soils and strong surface gradients yet requires the presence of a very moist boundary layer on that day. Our findings agree well with the expected effects of thermally-induced circulation on rainfall properties suggested by theoretical studies and point to the potential of locally drier and heterogeneous soils to influence convective rainfall development. The systematic nature of the identified effect of soil moisture state on the onset time of rainstorms in the region is of particular relevance and may help foster research on rainfall predictability.

", "keywords": ["Science", "0207 environmental engineering", "UNITED-STATES", "EVIDENCE", "soil moisture-precipitation coupling", "02 engineering and technology", "01 natural sciences", "soil moisture-precipitation coupling; soil moisture heterogeneity; convective rainfall initiation; semi-arid Sahel", "Soilmoisture heterogeneity", "convective rainfall initiation", "LARGE-EDDY SIMULATIONS", "Soilmoisture-precipitation coupling", "WEST-AFRICA", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "Semi-arid Sahel", "PRECIPITATION FEEDBACK", "Convective rainfall initiation", "Q", "PASSIVE MICROWAVE", "15. Life on land", "LAND-SURFACE", "DIURNAL CYCLES", "semi-arid Sahel", "13. Climate action", "Earth and Environmental Sciences", "AMMA CAMPAIGN", "OBSERVATIONAL", "soil moisture heterogeneity", "BOUNDARY-LAYER INTERACTIONS"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/6/969/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10060969"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Remote%20Sensing", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/rs10060969", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/rs10060969", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/rs10060969"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-06-17T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "44546066-980b-451c-84b0-d01be3da4064", "type": "Feature", "geometry": {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[5.81, 47.26], [5.81, 54.76], [15.77, 54.76], [15.77, 47.26], [5.81, 47.26]]]}, "properties": {"themes": [{"concepts": [{"id": "biota"}], "scheme": "https://standards.iso.org/iso/19139/resources/gmxCodelists.xml#MD_TopicCategoryCode"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "Soil"}, {"id": "soil density"}, {"id": "density"}, {"id": "soil chemicophysical properties"}, {"id": "earthworms"}, {"id": "soil organisms"}, {"id": "soil compaction"}, {"id": "soil porosity"}, {"id": "soil properties"}, {"id": "soil structure"}, {"id": "soil fauna"}], "scheme": "AGROVOC Multilingual agricultural thesaurus"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "opendata"}], "scheme": "Individual"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "Boden"}], "scheme": "GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0"}], "rights": "Restrictions applied to assure the protection of privacy or intellectual property, and any special restrictions or limitations or warnings on using the resource or metadata. Reports, articles, papers, scientific and non - scientific works of any form, including tables, maps, or any other kind of output, in printed or electronic form, based in whole or in part on the data supplied, must contain an acknowledgement of the form: \"Data reused from the BonaRes Data Centre www.bonares.de. This data were created as part of the BonaRes Centre's research activities.\"\n\nAlthough every care has been taken in preparing and testing the data, the BonaRes Centre and the BonaRes Data Centre cannot guarantee that the data are correct; neither does the BonaRes Centre and the BonaRes Data Centre accept any liability whatsoever for any error, missing data or omission in the data, or for any loss or damage arising from its use. The BonaRes Centre and BonaRes Data Centre will not be responsible for any direct or indirect use which might be made of the data.", "updated": "2020-12-08", "type": "Dataset", "created": "2020-09-29", "language": "eng", "title": "Effects of earthworms on bulk density: A meta\u2010analysis", "description": "Using meta-analysis, we quantified earthworm effects on bulk density and investigated the influence of driving factors (Lang, B. & Russell, D.J. Eur J Soil Sci. (2020) 71: 80\u2013 83. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12846). We compiled data from 22 articles, yielding 111 data points. In the supplementary data file, we give information on geographical location, climate, soils (soil type, soil texture, organic carbon, pH), experimental details (laboratory or field experiment, natural soil structure or repacked soil, mesocosm and sampling depth, experimental duration, land use, treatment, replication, initial bulk density), organisms (species or higher taxon, earthworm ecological group, mean individual mass, biomass, abundance), and results (bulk density and standard deviation for fauna and control treatments).\n\nResearch domain: Other\n\nResearch question: We estimated taxon-specific impacts on bulk density, whether general earthworm effects depended on ecological groups, earthworm body mass, abundance, soil texture, land use or experimental duration. Furthermore, we assessed whether earthworms are able to counteract soil compaction.", "keywords": ["Soil", "soil density", "density", "soil chemicophysical properties", "earthworms", "soil organisms", "soil compaction", "soil porosity", "soil properties", "soil structure", "soil fauna", "opendata", "Boden"], "contacts": [{"name": "Birgit Lang", "organization": "Senckenberg Museum of Natural History G\u00f6rlitz", "position": null, "roles": ["author"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": "birgit.lang@senckenberg.de"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": null}]}, {"name": "David J. Russell", "organization": "Senckenberg Museum of Natural History G\u00f6rlitz", "position": null, "roles": ["projectLeader"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": "david.russell@senckenberg.de"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": null}]}, {"name": "BonaRes Data Centre", "organization": "Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)", "position": "Research Platform 'Data Analysis & Simulation' - WG Geodata", "roles": ["publisher"], "phones": [{"value": "+49 33432 82 171"}], "emails": [{"value": "bonares-datenzentrum@zalf.de"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": ["Eberswalder Strasse 84"], "city": "M\u00fcncheberg", "administrativeArea": "Brandenburg", "postalCode": "15374", "country": "Germany"}], "links": [{"href": null}]}, {"name": "David J. Russell", "organization": "Senckenberg Museum of Natural History G\u00f6rlitz", "position": null, "roles": ["author"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": "david.russell@senckenberg.de"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": null}]}, {"organization": "Senckenberg Museum of Natural History G\u00f6rlitz", "roles": ["contributor"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12846", "rel": "download"}, {"href": "https://maps.bonares.de/mapapps/resources/apps/bonares/index.html?lang=en&mid=44546066-980b-451c-84b0-d01be3da4064", "rel": "information"}, {"href": "https://metadata.bonares.de:443/smartEditor/preview/Lang_Graphic_overview.png", "name": "preview", "description": "Web image thumbnail (URL)", "protocol": "WWW:LINK-1.0-http--image-thumbnail", "rel": "preview"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "44546066-980b-451c-84b0-d01be3da4064", "name": "item", "description": "44546066-980b-451c-84b0-d01be3da4064", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/44546066-980b-451c-84b0-d01be3da4064"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-12-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.13051", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-07-02", "title": "Soil multifunctionality: Synergies and trade\u2010offs across European climatic zones and land uses", "description": "Abstract

With increasing societal demands for food security and environmental sustainability on land, the question arises: to what extent do synergies and trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs exist between soil functions and how can they be measured across Europe? To address this challenge, we followed the functional land management approach and assessed five soil functions: primary productivity, water regulation and purification, climate regulation, soil biodiversity and nutrient cycling. Soil, management and climate data were collected from 94 sites covering 13 countries, five climatic zones and two land\uffe2\uff80\uff90use types (arable and grassland). This dataset was analysed using the Soil Navigator, a multicriteria decision support system developed to assess the supply of the five soil functions simultaneously. Most sites scored high for two to three soil functions, demonstrating that managing for multifunctionality in soil is possible but that local constraints and trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs do exist. Nutrient cycling, biodiversity and climate regulation were less frequently delivered at high capacity than the other two soil functions. Using correlation and co\uffe2\uff80\uff90occurrence analyses, we also found that synergies and trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between soil functions vary among climatic zones and land\uffe2\uff80\uff90use types. This study provides a new framework for monitoring soil quality at the European scale where both the supply of soil functions and their interactions are considered.

Highlights

Managing and monitoring soil multifunctionality across Europe is possible.

Synergies and trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between soil functions exist, making it difficult to maximize the supply of all five soil functions simultaneously.

Synergies and trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between soil functions vary by climatic zone and land\uffe2\uff80\uff90use type.

Climate regulation, biodiversity and nutrient cycling are less frequently delivered at high capacity.

The importance of soils to society has gained increasing recognition over the past decade, with the potential to contribute to most of the United Nations\uffe2\uff80\uff99 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With unprecedented and growing demands for food, water and energy, there is an urgent need for a global effort to address the challenges of climate change and land degradation, whilst protecting soil as a natural resource. In this paper, we identify the contribution of soil science over the past decade to addressing gaps in our knowledge regarding major environmental challenges: climate change, food security, water security, urban development, and ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. Continuing to address knowledge gaps in soil science is essential for the achievement of the SDGs. However, with limited time and budget, it is also pertinent to identify effective methods of working that ensure the research carried out leads to real\uffe2\uff80\uff90world impact. Here, we suggest three strategies for the next decade of soil science, comprising a greater implementation of research into policy, interdisciplinary partnerships to evaluate function trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs and synergies between soils and other environmental domains, and integrating monitoring and modelling methods to ensure soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90based policies can withstand the uncertainties of the future.

Highlights

We highlight the contributions of soil science to five major environmental challenges since 2010.

Researchers have contributed to recommendation reports, but work is rarely translated into policy.

Interdisciplinary work should assess trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs and synergies between soils and other domains.

Integrating monitoring and modelling is key for robust and sustainable soils\uffe2\uff80\uff90based policymaking.

We have read with interest an opinion paper recently published in the European Journal of Soil Science (Berthelin et al., 2022). This paper presents some interesting considerations, at least one of which is already well known to soil scientists working on soil organic carbon (SOC), that is, a large portion (80%\uffe2\uff80\uff9390%) of fresh carbon inputs to soil is subject to rapid mineralization. The short\uffe2\uff80\uff90term mineralization kinetics of organic inputs is well\uffe2\uff80\uff90known and accounted for in soil organic matter models. Thus, clearly, the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term predictions based on these models do not overlook short\uffe2\uff80\uff90term mineralization. We point out that many agronomic practices can significantly contribute to SOC sequestration. If conducted responsibly whilst fully recognising the caveats, SOC sequestration can lead to a win\uffe2\uff80\uff90win situation where agriculture can both contribute to the mitigation of climate change and adapt to it, whilst at the same time delivering other co\uffe2\uff80\uff90benefits such as reduced soil erosion and enhanced biodiversity.

Highlights

Rapid mineralization of organic inputs is an important factor for soil carbon sequestration.

Mineralization kinetics of organic inputs are well\uffe2\uff80\uff90known and accounted for in soil organic matter models.

Many agronomic practices can contribute significantly to SOC sequestration.

SOC sequestration can lead to a win\uffe2\uff80\uff90win situation where agriculture can both contribute to the mitigation of climate change and adapt to it.

There is increasing recognition that soils fulfil many functions for society. Each soil can deliver a range of functions, but some soils are more effective at some functions than others due to their intrinsic properties. In this study we mapped four different soil functions on agricultural lands across the European Union. For each soil function, indicators were developed to evaluate their performance. To calculate the indicators and assess the interdependencies between the soil functions, data from continental long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term simulation with the DayCent model were used to build crop\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific Bayesian networks. These Bayesian Networks were then used to calculate the soil functions' performance and trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between the soil functions under current conditions. For each soil function the maximum potential was estimated across the European Union and changes in trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs were assessed. By deriving current and potential soil function delivery from Bayesian networks a better understanding is gained of how different soil functions and their interdependencies can differ depending on soil, climate and management.

Highlights

When increasing a soil function, how do trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs affect the other functions under different conditions?

Bayesian networks evaluate trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between soil functions and estimate their maximal delivery.

Maximizing a soil function has varied effects on other functions depending on soil, climate and management.

Differences in trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs make some locations more suitable for increasing a soil function then others.

Forest fires can alter the biological properties of soils. There is increasing evidence that fires cause a shift in soil microbial communities, which play a central role in forest carbon and nutrient cycling. In this study, we evaluate the effect of soil heating on soil microbial functions. We hypothesised that fire reduces the catabolic functional diversity of soil, and that post\uffe2\uff80\uff90fire plant growth enhances its recovery. To test this, we experimentally heated a forest soil at 200\uffc2\uffb0C (T200) or 450\uffc2\uffb0C (T450). Heated and unheated soils were then incubated in tubs with or without live grass (Lolium perenne L.). We determined the functional profiles by measuring the substrate\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced respiration (SIR) using the Microresp\uffe2\uff84\uffa2 technique and analysed nutrient availability at the end of the incubation. At both temperatures, soil heating altered the respiration responses to substrate additions and the catabolic functional diversity of soils. Functional diversity was initially reduced in T200 soils but recovered at the end of the incubation. In contrast, T450 soils initially maintained the catabolic functional diversity, but decreased at the end of the incubation. Heating\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced nutrient availability stimulated the growth of grass, which in turn increased the response to several substrates and increased the functional diversity to values similar to the unheated controls. Our results suggest that fire\uffe2\uff80\uff90driven alteration of soil microbial communities has consequences at a functional level, and that the recovery of plant communities enhances the recovery of soil microbial functions.

Highlights

Soil experimental heating altered microbial functions and reduced soil functional diversity.

Soil heating also increased nutrient availability, enhancing plant growth.

Growth of plants promoted the recovery of soil functional diversity.

Post\uffe2\uff80\uff90fire recovery of functional diversity may be related to the recovery of photosynthetic tissues.

", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "soil heating", "soil microbial functions", "Incendis forestals", "Forest fires", "Aboveground biomass", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Soil microbial functions", "catabolic functional diversity", "substrate-induced respiration", "S\u00f2ls", "13. Climate action", "forest fires", "Substrate-induced respiration", "Soils", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Catabolic functional diversity", "Forest soils", "aboveground biomass", "Soil heating", "S\u00f2ls forestals"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ejss.13290"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13290"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ejss.13290", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ejss.13290", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ejss.13290"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-07-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ejss.13396", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:19:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-07-03", "title": "The importance of biochar quality and pyrolysis yield for soil carbon sequestration in practice", "description": "Abstract

Biochar is a carbon (C)\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich material produced from biomass by anoxic or oxygen\uffe2\uff80\uff90limited thermal treatment known as pyrolysis. Despite substantial gaseous losses of C during pyrolysis, incorporating biochar in soil has been suggested as an effective long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term option to sequester CO 2 for climate change mitigation, due to the intrinsic stability of biochar C. However, no universally applicable approach that combines biochar quality and pyrolysis yield into an overall metric of C sequestration efficiency has been suggested yet. To ensure safe environmental use of biochar in agricultural soils, the International Biochar Initiative and the European Biochar Certificate have developed guidelines on biochar quality. In both guidelines, the hydrogen\uffe2\uff80\uff90to\uffe2\uff80\uff90organic C (H/C org ) ratio is an important quality criterion widely used as a proxy of biochar stability, which has been recognized also in the new EU regulation 2021/2088. Here, we evaluate the biochar C sequestration efficiency from published data that comply with the biochar quality criteria in the above guidelines, which may regulate future large\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale field application in practice. The sequestration efficiency is calculated from the fraction of biochar C remaining in soil after 100\uffe2\uff80\uff89years (F perm ) and the C\uffe2\uff80\uff90yield of various feedstocks pyrolyzed at different temperatures. Both parameters are expressed as a function of H/C org . Combining these two metrics is relevant for assessing the mitigation potential of the biochar economy. We find that the C sequestration efficiency for stable biochar is in the range of 25%\uffe2\uff80\uff9350% of feedstock C. It depends on the type of feedstock and is in general a non\uffe2\uff80\uff90linear function of H/C org . We suggest that for plant\uffe2\uff80\uff90based feedstock, biochar production that achieves H/C org of 0.38\uffe2\uff80\uff930.44, corresponding to pyrolysis temperatures of 500\uffe2\uff80\uff93550\uffc2\uffb0C, is the most efficient in terms of soil carbon sequestration. Such biochars reveal an average sequestration efficiency of 41.4% (\uffc2\uffb14.5%) over 100\uffe2\uff80\uff89years. The European Commission has set targets for a reduction in nutrient losses by at least 50% and a reduction in fertiliser use by at least 20% by 2030 while ensuring no deterioration in soil fertility. Within the mandate of the European Joint Programme EJP Soil \uffe2\uff80\uff98Towards climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90smart sustainable management of agricultural soils\uffe2\uff80\uff99, the objective of this study was to assess current fertilisation practices across Europe and discuss the potential for harmonisation of fertilisation methodologies as a strategy to reduce nutrient loss and overall fertiliser use. A stocktake study of current methods of delivering fertilisation advice took place across 23 European countries. The stocktake was in the form of a questionnaire, comprising 46 questions. Information was gathered on a large range of factors, including soil analysis methods, along with soil, crop and climatic factors taken into consideration within fertilisation calculations. The questionnaire was completed by experts, who are involved in compiling fertilisation recommendations within their country. Substantial differences exist in the content, format and delivery of fertilisation guidelines across Europe. The barriers, constraints and potential benefits of a harmonised approach to fertilisation across Europe are discussed. The general consensus from all participating countries was that harmonisation of fertilisation guidelines should be increased, but it was unclear in what format this could be achieved. Shared learning in the delivery and format of fertilisation guidelines and mechanisms to adhere to environmental legislation were viewed as being beneficial. However, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to harmonise all soil test data and fertilisation methodologies at EU level due to diverse soil types and agro\uffe2\uff80\uff90ecosystem influences. Nevertheless, increased future collaboration, especially between neighbouring countries within the same environmental zone, was seen as potentially very beneficial. This study is unique in providing current detail on fertilisation practices across European countries in a side\uffe2\uff80\uff90by\uffe2\uff80\uff90side comparison. The gathered data can provide a baseline for the development of scientifically based EU policy targets for nutrient loss and soil fertility evaluation.The structure of soil is critical for the ecosystem services it provides since it regulates many key soil processes, including water, air and solute movement, root growth and the activity of soil biota. Soil structure is dynamic, driven by external factors such as land management and climate and mediated by a wide range of biological agents and physical processes operating at strongly contrasting time\uffe2\uff80\uff90scales, from seconds (e.g., tillage) to many decades (e.g., faunal activity and soil aggregation). In this respect, positive feedbacks in the soil\uffe2\uff80\uff93plant system may lead in the longer term to soil physical degradation or to the recovery of structurally poor soils. As far as we are aware, no existing soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90crop model can account for such processes. In this paper, we describe a new soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90crop model (USSF, Uppsala model of Soil Structure and Function) that accounts for the effects of soil structure dynamics on water and organic matter cycling at the soil profile scale. Soil structure dynamics are expressed as time\uffe2\uff80\uff90varying physical (bulk density, porosity) and hydraulic properties (water retention, hydraulic conductivity) responding to the activity of biological agents (i.e., earthworms, plant roots) and physical processes (i.e., tillage, soil swell\uffe2\uff80\uff90shrink) at seasonal to decadal time\uffe2\uff80\uff90scales. In this first application of the model, we present the results of 30\uffe2\uff80\uff90year scenario simulations that illustrate the potential role and importance of soil structure dynamics for the soil water balance, carbon storage in soil, root growth, and winter wheat yields on two soils (loam and clay) in the climate of central Sweden. A sensitivity analysis was also performed for these two scenarios using the Morris method of elementary effects, which revealed that the most sensitive parameters controlling soil structure dynamics in the USSF model are those determining aggregation induced by organic matter turnover and swell/shrink. We suggest that the USSF model is a promising new tool to investigate a wide range of processes and phenomena triggered by land use and climate change. Results from this study show that feedback in the soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90crop system mediated by the dynamics of soil physical and hydraulic properties are potentially of central importance for long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term predictions of soil water balance, crop production, and carbon sequestration under global change. Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in agricultural land are an important part of the Land Use, Land\uffe2\uff80\uff90Use Change and Forestry component of national greenhouse gas emission inventories. Furthermore, as climate mitigation strategies and incentives for carbon farming are being developed, accurate estimates of SOC stocks are essential to verify any management\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced changes in SOC. Based on agricultural mineral soils in the Danish soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90monitoring network, we analysed management effects on SOC stocks using data from the two most recent surveys (2009 and 2019). Between 2009 and 2019, the average increase in SOC stock was 1.2\uffe2\uff80\uff89Mg C\uffe2\uff80\uff89ha \uffe2\uff88\uff921 for 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9350\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm despite a loss of 1.2\uffe2\uff80\uff89Mg\uffe2\uff80\uff89C\uffe2\uff80\uff89ha \uffe2\uff88\uff921 from the topsoil (0\uffe2\uff80\uff9325\uffe2\uff80\uff89cm), stressing the importance of including deeper soil layers in soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90monitoring networks. Comparing all four national surveys (1986, 1997, 2009, 2019), the mean SOC stock of mineral soils in Denmark appears stable. The change in SOC stock between 2009 and 2019 was analysed in detail in relation to management practices as reported by farmers. We found that the effects of single management factors were difficult to isolate from co\uffe2\uff80\uff90varying factors including soil parameters and that the use of farm management data to explain changes in SOC stocks observed in soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90monitoring networks appears limited. Uncertainty in SOC stock estimates also arises from low sampling frequency and statistical challenges related to regression to the mean. However, repeated stock measurements at decadal intervals still represent a benchmark for the overall development in regional and national SOC storage, as affected by actual farm management. At the European scale, soil characteristics are needed to evaluate soil quality, soil health and soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90based ecosystem services in the context of the European Green Deal. While some soil databases exist at the European scale, a much larger wealth of data is present in individual European countries, allowing a more detailed soil assessment. There is thus an urgent and crucial need to combine these data at the European scale. In the frame of a large European Joint Programme on agricultural soils launched by the European Commission, a survey was conducted in the spring of 2020, in the 24 European participating countries to assess the existing soil data sources, focusing on agricultural soils. The survey will become a contribution to the European Soil Observatory, launched in December 2020, which aims to collect metadata of soil databases related to all kind of land uses, including forest and urban soils. Based upon a comprehensive questionnaire, 170 soil databases were identified at local, regional and national scales. Soil parameters were divided into five groups: (1) main soil parameters according to the Global Soil Map specifications; (2) other soil chemical parameters; (3) other physical parameters; (4) other pedological parameters; and (5) soil biological features. A classification based on the environmental zones of Europe was used to distinguish the climatic zones. This survey shows that while most of the main pedological and chemical parameters are included in more than 70% of the country soil databases, water content, contamination with organic pollutants, and biological parameters are the least frequently reported parameters. Such differences will have consequences when developing an EU policy on soil health as proposed under the EU soil strategy for 2023 and using the data to derive soil health indicators. Many differences in the methods used in collecting, preparing, and analysing the soils were found, thus requiring harmonization procedures and more cooperation among countries and with the EU to use the data at the European scale. In addition, choosing harmonized and useful interpretation and threshold values for EU soil indicators may be challenging due to the different methods used and the wide variety of soil land\uffe2\uff80\uff90use and climate combinations influencing possible thresholds. The temporal scale of the soil databases reported is also extremely wide, starting from the '20s of the 20th century.Soils are the foundation of agricultural production, ecosystem functioning and human well\uffe2\uff80\uff90being. Bridging soil knowledge gaps and improving the knowledge system is crucial to meet the growing EU soil policy ambitions in the face of climate change and the ongoing trend in soil degradation. The objective of this article is to assess the current state of knowledge, knowledge use and knowledge gaps concerning sustainable soil management in Europe. This study is based on interviews with 791 stakeholders and 254 researchers and on a comprehensive review of >1800 documents carried out under the European Joint Programme on agricultural soils. Despite differences in stakeholder groups, the conclusions are rather consistent and complementary. We identified major knowledge gaps with respect to (1) soil carbon stocks, (2) soil degradation and fertility and (3) strategies for improved soil management. Transcending these three areas, particularly the loss of soil organic carbon, peatland degradation and soil compaction, are most critical, thus, we stress the urgency of developing more models and monitoring programmes on soils. Stakeholders further report that insufficient transfer of existing soil research findings to practitioners is a hindrance to the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. In addition to knowledge production, soil knowledge gaps may be addressed by considering seven recommendations from the stakeholders: (1) raising awareness, (2) strengthening knowledge brokers, (3) improving relevance of research activities and resource allocation for land users, (4) peer\uffe2\uff80\uff90to\uffe2\uff80\uff90peer communication, (5) targeting advice and information, (6) improving knowledge access, and (7) providing incentives. We argue that filling and bridging knowledge gaps should be a priority for policymakers and the insights provided in the article may help prioritise research and dissemination needs enabling a transition to more sustainable soil management in Europe.Soils have achieved prominence in the political agenda of the European Commission with the proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law and the ambitious Soil Mission research framework. The EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) used the latest state\uffe2\uff80\uff90of\uffe2\uff80\uff90the\uffe2\uff80\uff90art pan\uffe2\uff80\uff90European datasets to propose a preliminary assessment of soil health in the EU based on 18 soil degradation proxy indicators. The body of knowledge will soon be enriched thanks to the investment of 1\uffe2\uff80\uff89billion euros towards the Mission \uffe2\uff80\uff98A Soil Deal for Europe\uffe2\uff80\uff99, which has the ambition to promote the development of new harmonized bottom\uffe2\uff80\uff90up and top\uffe2\uff80\uff90down soil health indicators. New data and knowledge are also anticipated through the national soil monitoring schemes to support the implementation of the Soil Monitoring Law. We present the Soil Mission roadmap towards assessing and achieving soil health in the EU by 2030 to meet Green Deal objectives. We introduce the EUSO Soil Health Dashboard, a soil degradation indicator tool using soil health indicators developed by the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) (2012\uffe2\uff80\uff932023) that will contribute to Soil Monitoring Law assessments.Soil plays a central role in most aspects of human societies, and there is a large body of literature about sustainable soil management. Nevertheless, soil is currently facing degradation arising from different threats, which undermines sustainable development globally. In order to design effective research and policy strategies, it is necessary to identify the current knowledge level about sustainable soil management. This study summarises the key findings from a systematic stocktake of available knowledge about agricultural soil management practices in 23 European countries, which included the identification of soil management practices in use, the associated impacts and the soil challenges addressed. The aim of the study was to understand the current state of knowledge about the impacts of soil management practices, investigated and/or implemented across Europe. The results were analysed at the European level and were also grouped into European Regions and Environmental Zones. Key findings from this study were the identification of knowledge gaps that are key to climate mitigation and adaptation. There is a knowledge gap about soil management practices to avoid greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils, as the few reported studies evidence the complexity of the processes governing these emissions. Further knowledge is needed on the impact of tillage practices on long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term carbon storage and distribution along the soil profile, as the reported knowledge was not consensual about carbon storage in deeper soil layers.Soils are key components of our ecosystems and provide 95%\uffe2\uff80\uff9399% of our food. This importance is reflected by an increase in participatory citizen science projects on soils. Citizen science is a participatory research method that actively involves and engages the public in scientific enquiry to generate new knowledge or understanding. Here, we review past and current citizen science projects on agricultural soils across Europe. We conducted a web\uffe2\uff80\uff90based survey and described 24 reviewed European citizen science projects in the light of the 10 principles of citizen science and identified success factors for citizen science. Over 66% of the projects generated soil biodiversity data; 54% and 42% of the projects generated data on vegetation cover and soil organic carbon, respectively. Our findings show that soil citizen science projects aligned with the 10 principles of citizen science offer an unexploited resource for European soil health research. We conclude that promoting co\uffe2\uff80\uff90creation, fostering knowledge\uffe2\uff80\uff90sharing networks and enabling long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term communication and commitment with citizens are success factors for further development of citizen science on soils.European soils are under increasing pressure, making it difficult to maintain the provision of soil ecosystem services (SESs). A better understanding of soil processes is needed to counteract soil threats (STs) and to promote sustainable soil management. The EJP SOIL programme of the EU provides a framework for the necessary research. However, different definitions of soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90related terms potentially lead to varied understandings of concepts. Furthermore, there are numerous indicators available to quantify STs or SESs. As unclear communication is a key barrier that hinders the implementation of research results into practice, this study aimed to answer the question about whether the terminology of large\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale initiatives is adequately understood within the soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90science community and non\uffe2\uff80\uff90research stakeholders. An online questionnaire was used to provide definitions for 33 soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90related terms in both scientific and plain language, as well as indicators for seven SESs and 11 STs. Participants were asked to rate their agreement with the definitions and indicators on a seven\uffe2\uff80\uff90grade Likert scale. The level of agreement was calculated as the percentage of ratings above 4, the neutral position. The survey was available from June to September 2023 and was distributed by a snowball approach. More than 260 stakeholders assessed the survey; 70% of respondents were researchers, and 15% were practitioners. Mean agreement levels for the definitions and indicators were generally high, at 85% and 78% respectively. However, it was apparent that the lowest agreement was found for terms that are relatively new, such as Ecosystem Services and Bundle, or unfamiliar for certain subgroups, such as ecological terms for stakeholders working at the farm scale. Due to their distinct majority, the results of this study primarily reflect the opinions of scientists. Thus, broad conclusions can only be drawn by comparing scientists with non\uffe2\uff80\uff90scientists. In this regard, the agreement was surprisingly high across all types of questions. The combined outcomes indicate that there is still a need to facilitate communication between stakeholders and to improve knowledge distribution strategies. Nevertheless, this study can support and be used by future projects and programmes, especially regarding the harmonization of terminology and methods.Sustainable agricultural soil management practices are key to restore, maintain and improve soil health. The European Joint Programme for SOIL (EJP SOIL) has identified twelve main soil challenges in Europe. To assess the potential and eventually increase the adoption of soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90improving management practices, it is necessary to know (i) the current levels of adoption of the practices, (ii) socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90technical barriers influencing their adoption, and (iii) their bio\uffe2\uff80\uff90physical limits. This study compiled an inventory of soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90improving management practices relevant to European conditions, and used a survey among soil scientists to assess the levels of adoption of these practices in Europe. In total, 53 soil management practices were identified that address one or several of the soil challenges. The adoption of most practices was low or spatially heterogeneous across Europe, highlighting region\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific limitations to sustainable soil management. Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore the importance of socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90technical aspects of adoption. Using conservation agriculture as an example, factors that can hinder adoption included the availability of knowledge and adequate machinery, financial risks, and farming traditions. Through a modelling approach, 54% of arable land in Europe was found to be suitable for cover cropping, indicating that the adoption of soil management practices is frequently limited by climatic constraints. We propose a region\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific approach that recognizes the importance of identifying and overcoming socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90technical barriers, and by acknowledging bio\uffe2\uff80\uff90physical limits that may be expanded by innovation.Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in agricultural soils is an important tool for climate change mitigation within the EU soil strategy for 2030 and can be achieved via the adoption of soil management strategies (SMS). These strategies may induce synergistic effects by simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or nitrogen (N) leaching. In contrast, other SMS may stimulate emissions of GHG such as nitrous oxide (N2O) or methane (CH4), offsetting the climate change mitigation gained via SOC sequestration. Despite the importance of understanding trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs and synergies for selecting sustainable SMS for European agriculture, knowledge on these effects remains limited. This review synthesizes existing knowledge, identifies knowledge gaps and provides research recommendations on trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs and synergies between SOC sequestration or SOC accrual, non\uffe2\uff80\uff90CO2 GHG emissions and N leaching related to selected SMS. We investigated 87 peer\uffe2\uff80\uff90reviewed articles that address SMS and categorized them under tillage management, cropping systems, water management and fertilization and organic matter (OM) inputs. SMS, such as conservation tillage, adapted crop rotations, adapted water management, OM inputs by cover crops (CC), organic amendments (OA) and biochar, contribute to increase SOC stocks and reduce N leaching. Adoption of leguminous CC or specific cropping systems and adapted water management tend to create trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs by stimulating N2O emissions, while specific cropping systems or application of biochar can mitigate N2O emissions. The effect of crop residues on N2O emissions depends strongly on their C/N ratio. Organic agriculture and agroforestry clearly mitigate CH4 emissions but the impact of other SMS requires additional study. More experimental research is needed to study the impact of both the pedoclimatic conditions and the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term dynamics of trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs and synergies. Researchers should simultaneously assess the impact of (multiple) agricultural SMS on SOC stocks, GHG emissions and N leaching. This review provides guidance to policymakers as well as a framework to design field experiments and model simulations, which can address knowledge gaps and non\uffe2\uff80\uff90intentional effects of applying agricultural SMS meant to increase SOC sequestration.