scholarly journals Soil Biodiversity as Affected by Different Thinning Intensities in a Pinus laricio Stand of Calabrian Apennine, South Italy

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Adele Muscolo ◽  
Giovanna Settineri ◽  
Federico Romeo ◽  
Carmelo Mallamaci
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Humification Index ◽  
South Italy ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Pinus Laricio

Forest soil biodiversity, which drives natural ecosystem multifunctionality, can be altered by incorrect forestry management practices. Pinus laricio is the most representative and widespread conifer species in Calabria, South Italy, and appropriate management is needed to maintain Pinus laricio forest for its great economic and natural value. In Europe, thinning is considered the most effective silvicultural treatment to maintain/increase the ecological value of coniferous stands. In this study, moderate thinning (MT), intense thinning (HT), and clear cut (CC) treatments were used to manage Pinus laricio stands with the aim of identifying the thinning intensity that is less detrimental to soil biodiversity. The effects of the different thinning intensities were evaluated, in two contrasting seasons (summer and winter), on the abundance, and diversity of arthropods, fungi, and bacteria colonies as well as on selected soil properties (organic matter, humification index, bulk density, pH) related to soil habitability. Results evidenced that the abundance, species richness, and diversity of arthropods, as well as fungi, bacteria colonies, and soil properties, changed with the treatments and seasons. Under HT, the greatest biodiversity and the highest amounts of arthropods, fungi, and bacteria were found in both seasons. This study finds evidence for Connell’s intermediate disturbance hypothesis, highlighting that the greatest organic carbon content and humification index, as well as the lowest bulk density, found in HT reduced the likelihood of competitive exclusion between occurring species, thereby promoting high species richness and diversity. This study gives insights into ecological relationships between understory composition related to tree species abundance and soil community.

scholarly journals Effects of reduced and traditional tillage on soil properties and diversity of diatoms under winter wheat

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jadwiga Stanek-Tarkowska ◽  
Ewa A. Czyż ◽  
Anthony R. Dexter ◽  
Cezary Sławiński
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Dispersible Clay

Abstract The aim of this study was to quantify soil properties, microbial biodiversity and crop yield under two tillage systems used for winter wheat production in monoculture. The study was conducted in the period 2013-2016, on a long-term field experiment on a silt loam at the Krasne Research Station near Rzeszów, Poland. Traditional tillage involved soil inversion whereas reduced tillage was a non-inversion system. The following soil properties: chemical (soil organic carbon, pH, available P, K, Mg), physical (soil bulk density, water content, stability in water), and biological (the diversity of diatoms) were measured on samples collected throughout the growing season and at harvest. Soil organic carbon content, water content and bulk density in the 0-5 and 5-10 cm layers were greater in reduced tillage than in traditional tillage. Under reduced tillage the amount of readily dispersible clay was reduced giving increased soil stability in water. Soil under reduced tillage had greater diversity of diatoms (139 taxa) than that under traditional tillage (102 taxa). Wheat yields were positively correlated with precipitation, soil water content and soil organic carbon, and negatively correlated with readily dispersible clay.

High resolution soil hydrology maps as a decision tool for forest planning.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Gadermaier ◽  
Vanessa Färber ◽  
Klaus Klebinder ◽  
Klaus Katzensteiner
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Site Classification ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Organic Carbon Content

<p>High resolution, dynamic forest site classification is an innovative tool for decision making in forest management, in particular under the scope of climate change. For a high share of the Austrian forest area, forest soil/site maps are lacking, and, if available, they do not account for the fact that water, energy and nutrient supply may change over a forest rotation cycle. The project FORSITE aims at providing a dynamic site classification system for the Austrian province of Styria, covering 1 mio. hectares of forest area. High resolution maps of chemical and physical soil properties are a key requirement for describing water and nutrient supply, and for modelling scenarios of changing climatic conditions or the effects of management interventions. In order to provide the database for the creation of such maps, a stratified site description and soil sampling design was based on high resolution digital terrain models and lithological maps. The sampling  included a detailed description of 1,800 soil pits down to a minimum of 80 cm depth or solid bedrock. Chemical and physical soil parameters (e.g. carbon content, grain size, bulk density, stone content) were determined for samples of the forest floor and up to five geometric horizons of 400 soil profiles. In addition, geologists developed a subsolum geological substrate (SGS) map describing the parent material for soil formation down to a depth of 150 cm. In the current presentation, we describe the steps of modelling maps which support the estimation of the water balance of forest sites. A first step was the development of pedotransfer-functions (PTFs) in order to upscale soil parameters like soil organic carbon content, bulk density, grain size distribution and plant available water storage capacity determined in the laboratory a. to the 1800 field sites and b. to a 10*10 m resolution grid for the whole of Styria. Subsequently, a number of published PTFs for Mualem van Genuchten values based on soil texture, bulk density and organic carbon content were compared to 100 water retention curves which were determined on a subset of the FORSITE soil profiles. These values are required for the parametrization of the lumped parameter hydrological model (Brook 90) which is used to characterize the water supply under present and future climatic conditions. The regionalisation of the single point measurements from the profiles was performed with a Neural Network. Spatial maps SGSs and derivatives of the Digital Elevation Model such as slope, elevation and curvature served as predictors. Information on SGS improves the predictions of soil properties in comparison to standard standard geological maps, because it describes in more detail the relevant layer between soil and bedrock. As Neural Networks were insufficient for describing waterlogging and groundwater influence, random forest models were applied to a dataset comprised of the ForSite profiles and 4,000 soil profiles from agricultural soil surveys in the region. The resulting high resolution maps of soil properties form the base for the hydrological characterisation of the sites and for the calculation of climate change scenarios.</p>

scholarly journals Species richness and diversity in shrub savanna using ordinary kriging

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (8) ◽  
pp. 958-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anderson Pedro Bernardina Batista ◽  
José Márcio de Mello ◽  
Marcel Régis Raimundo ◽  
Henrique Ferraço Scolforo ◽  
Aliny Aparecida dos Reis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Dependence ◽  
Ordinary Kriging ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Spatial Models ◽  
Shannon Diversity Index ◽  
Shannon Diversity ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Number Of Species

Abstract: The objective of this work was to analyze the spatial distribution and the behavior of species richness and diversity in a shrub savanna fragment, in 2003 and 2014, using ordinary kriging, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In both evaluation years, the measurements were performed in a fragment with 236.85 hectares, in which individual trees were measured and identified across 40 plots (1,000 m2). Species richness was determined by the total number of species in each plot, and diversity by the Shannon diversity index. For the variogram study, spatial models were fitted and selected. Then, ordinary kriging was applied and the spatial distribution of the assessed variables was described. A strong spatial dependence was observed between species richness and diversity by the Shannon diversity index (<25% spatial dependence degree). Areas of low and high species diversity and richness were found in the shrub savanna fragment. Spatial distribution behavior shows relative stability regarding the number of species and the Shannon diversity index in the evaluated years.

scholarly journals Is polychaete diversity in the deep sublittoral of an Antarctic fiord related to habitat complexity?

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Pabis ◽  
Jacek Siciński
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Complexity ◽  
Feeding Guilds ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Soft Bottom ◽  
Admiralty Bay ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
South Shetlands ◽  
High Species Richness

Is polychaete diversity in the deep sublittoral of an Antarctic fiord related to habitat complexity?Seventy-six species of Polychaeta were found in 19 quantitative samples collected in the deep sublittoral (200-500 m) of Admiralty Bay (South Shetlands). Three assemblages were distinguished by similarity analysis (clustering, nMDS). The soft bottom in depths from 200 to 300m was strongly dominated byMaldane sarsi antarcticaand had very low species richness and diversity. The second assemblage was distinguished in the areas of the sea floor in the same depth range but with aggregations of Ascidiacea and Bryozoa. It was again characterized by high abundance ofMaldane sarsi antarctica, but showed significantly higher species richness and diversity. Diversity of polychaete feeding guilds was also high in these areas. This pattern was probably associated with an increased habitat complexity due to the presence of dense aggregations of large suspension feeders. High species richness and diversity was also noted in the third assemblage, associated with the deepest sublittoral (400-500 m) of Admiralty Bay. This is the area characterized by very stable environmental conditions, where the assemblage was dominated byTharyx cincinnatus, Sternaspissp.,Maldane sarsi antarctica, andAsychis amphiglypta.

scholarly journals Characterizing Soil Physical Properties for Soil Moisture Monitoring with the North Carolina Environment and Climate Observing Network

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 933-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weinan Pan ◽  
R. P. Boyles ◽  
J. G. White ◽  
J. L. Heitman
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Soil Moisture Monitoring

Abstract Soil moisture has important implications for meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and agriculture. This has led to growing interest in development of in situ soil moisture monitoring networks. Measurement interpretation is severely limited without soil property data. In North Carolina, soil moisture has been monitored since 1999 as a routine parameter in the statewide Environment and Climate Observing Network (ECONet), but with little soils information available for ECONet sites. The objective of this paper is to provide soils data for ECONet development. The authors studied soil physical properties at 27 ECONet sites and generated a database with 13 soil physical parameters, including sand, silt, and clay contents; bulk density; total porosity; saturated hydraulic conductivity; air-dried water content; and water retention at six pressures. Soil properties were highly variable among individual ECONet sites [coefficients of variation (CVs) ranging from 12% to 80%]. This wide range of properties suggests very different behavior among sites with respect to soil moisture. A principal component analysis indicated parameter groupings associated primarily with soil texture, bulk density, and air-dried water content accounted for 80% of the total variance in the dataset. These results suggested that a few specific soil properties could be measured to provide an understanding of differences in sites with respect to major soil properties. The authors also illustrate how the measured soil properties have been used to develop new soil moisture products and data screening for the North Carolina ECONet. The methods, analysis, and results presented here have applications to North Carolina and for other regions with heterogeneous soils where soil moisture monitoring is valuable.

Impacts of Prescribed Fire, Glyphosate, and Seeding on Cogongrass, Species Richness, and Species Diversity in Longleaf Pine

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 536-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen F. Enloe ◽  
Nancy J. Loewenstein ◽  
David W. Held ◽  
Lori Eckhardt ◽  
Dwight K. Lauer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Herbaceous Species ◽  
Integrated Strategies ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Herbicide Treatments ◽  
Rhizome Biomass

AbstractCogongrass [Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.] is a warm-season, rhizomatous grass native to southeast Asia that has invaded thousands of hectares in the southeastern United States. Its negative impacts on pine forests have been well documented, and aggressive control is widely recommended. Although repeated herbicide treatments are effective for suppression, integrated strategies of prescribed burning coupled with herbicide treatment and revegetation are lacking in pine systems. In particular, longleaf pine forests, which are typically open, fire-dependent, communities, are highly susceptible to cogongrass, which is a pyrogenic species. To address management goals for cogongrass control and herbaceous restoration in longleaf pine forests better, field studies were conducted in southwestern Alabama from 2010 to 2012. Two longleaf pine forests with near-monotypic stands of cogongrass in the understory were selected for study. Treatments included combinations of winter prescribed fire, spring and fall glyphosate herbicide treatments, and seeding a mix of native, herbaceous species. Data were collected for three growing seasons following study initiation, and included seasonal herbaceous species cover and final cogongrass shoot and rhizome biomass. Species richness and diversity were calculated and analyzed to ascertain treatment effects over the duration of the study. Burning slightly improved cogongrass control with glyphosate, but had no effect on total cover, species richness, or species diversity. Three glyphosate treatments reduced total vegetative cover and nearly eliminated cogongrass cover, shoot, and rhizome biomass. Glyphosate and glyphosate + seeding also increased herbaceous species richness and diversity. However, aboveground productivity in treated plots was significantly lower than productivity in the untreated control, which was almost exclusively cogongrass. These studies indicate that glyphosate and integrated strategies utilizing glyphosate and seeding are very useful for cogongrass management and increasing herbaceous species richness and diversity in longleaf pine.

scholarly journals Improvement of Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) Soil Properties by Growing Different Green Crops

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashim Kumar Saha ◽  
Apu Biswas ◽  
Abdul Qayyum Khan ◽  
Md. Mohashin Farazi ◽  
Md. Habibur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Critical Value ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Organic Carbon Content

Long-term tea cultivation has led to degradation of the soil. Old tea soils require rehabilitation for restoring soil health. Soil rehabilitation by growing different green crops can break the chain of monoculture of tea. An experiment was conducted at The Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) Farm during 2008-2011 to find out the efficiency of different green crops on the improvement of soil properties. Four green crops such as Guatemala, Citronella, Mimosa and Calopogonium were grown to develop the nutritional value of the degraded tea soil. Soil samples were collected and analyzed before and at the end of experiment. Soil pH was increased in all four green crops treated plots with the highest increase in Citronella treated plots (from 4.1 to 4.5). Highest content of organic carbon (1.19%) and total nitrogen (0.119%) were found in Mimosa and Calopogonium treated plots, respectively. Concentration of available phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in all green crops treated plots were above the critical values, while available potassium content was above the critical value in Guatemala, Citronella and Mimosa treated plots. Changes in soil pH and available potassium were significant, while changes in organic carbon content, total nitrogen and available calcium were insignificant. Changes in available phosphorus and magnesium were significant. The Agriculturists 2014; 12(2) 34-38

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