A sensitive soil biological indicator to changes in land-use in regions with Mediterranean climate

Abstract

The demand for reliable indicators to quantify soil health has increased recently. We propose and test the use of soil microbial functional diversity as an indicator of multifunctional performance in agriculturally important areas. Agricultural fields in the Mediterranean and semiarid regions of Israel were selected as test sites and measured in Spring and Autumn seasons. Measurements included microbial parameters, basic soil abiotic properties and biological responses to agricultural management relative to measures of a natural ecosystem. Using a canonical correlation analysis we found that soil moisture was the most important basic soil property with different responses in Spring and Autumn. In Spring, it had a strongly negative relation with microbial biomass (MB), community level physiological profiling (CLPP) and the Shannon-Weaver index H', while in Autumn it had a strong relation with CLPP. We further show a significant interaction between CLPP and climate for land-use type "orchards". CLPP measured in the autumn season was thus identified as a useful and rapid biological soil health indicator, recommended for application in semiarid and Mediterranean agricultural regions. Apart from obtaining a better understanding of CLPP as the soil indicator, the study concludes that CLPP is well suited to differentiate between soils in different climates, seasons and land use types. The study shows a promising direction for further research on characterizing soil health under a larger variety of conditions.

Spatio-temporal pattern change of LULC and its response to climate in the Loess Plateau, China

“…The study area has a continental monsoon climate, with average precipitation of 50-700 mm per year. precipitation is concentrated in summer and autumn, mainly rainstorm, and soil erosion is serious 32,33 . The topography of the LP is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, declining in a wave-like manner from northwest to southeast, with an elevation of 72-5018 m. The LP can be divided into mountainous areas, loess hills, loess plateau, loess terrace plateau, and river valley plains 34 .…”

Current Status of Biotechnological Approaches to Enhance the Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals in India—A Review

“…Heavy metals can have long-term detrimental effects on both human health and the environment since they can never be totally eliminated, just transformed from one oxidation phase or organic compound to another [6]. Since the soil is the foundation of both agricultural and natural ecosystems, as well as the point where the crust of the earth and the atmosphere meet, it is vulnerable to heavy metal inputs from a diversity of sources [7].…”

Effects of Forest Gaps on Forest Floor Microbial Community Composition in Pinus tabulaeformis Forests in a Rocky Mountain Area, Beijing, China

“…Numerous studies have suggested that the soil microbial community is a sensitive indicator of soil quality [38][39][40] and plays an essential role in a biogeochemical cycle by regulating the conversion of organic matter [41,42]. Understanding the variations in litter microbial communities is essential for elucidating litter decomposition characteristics, nutrient cycling, and forest regeneration.…”