Gypsum Soils—Their Morphology, Classification, Function, and Landscapes

Casby-Horton, Susan M.; Herrero, J.; Rolong, Nelson A

doi:10.1016/bs.agron.2014.10.002

Cited by 64 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 108 publications

(148 reference statements)

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“…Gypsum is often used as a soil improver in agriculture, to decrease soil dispersion and compaction in clay-rich soils, resulting in increased water infiltration, seedling emergence, and crop yields in many semiarid climates (Shainberg et al 1989). However, high soil gypsum content can also inhibit plant root growth and reduce waterholding capacity (Casby-Horton et al 2015). Although we noticed a lack of vegetation growing directly in gypsum deposits in the study region, we presume gypsum concentrations are below this threshold across much of Triodia Mallee vegetation in this region.…”

Section: Important Environmental Covariates: Elevation and Gypsum Conmentioning

confidence: 51%

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Modeling variability in the fire response of an endangered bird to improve fire‐management

Verdon

Watson

Clarke

2019

Ecological Applications

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Conservation managers regularly burn vegetation to regenerate habitat for fire-dependent species. When determining the time since fire at which to burn, managers model change in a species' occurrence over time, post-fire (fire-response curve) and identify the time since fire associated with decline in occurrence. However, where species exhibit variability in their fire response across space, using a single fire-response curve to determine the timing of burns may lead to burning habitat at an inappropriate time since fire. We tested if elevation, local topography, soil properties, vegetation type or evapotranspiration affect the fire response of the endangered Mallee Emu-wren Stipiturus mallee and its hummock-grass habitat Triodia scariosa in southeastern Australia (n = 217). Previous work on the Mallee Emu-wren found a unimodal fire response with decline in occurrence at~30-50 yr since fire and a time window of occurrence of~30 yr. We found that time since fire and elevation interact to affect the Mallee Emu-wren fire response. At high elevations (55-98 m), Mallee Emuwrens declined in occurrence at~50 yr since fire, with a time window of occurrence of 20-40 yr. However, at low elevations (28-55 m), Mallee Emu-wrens showed no decline in occurrence with increasing time since fire with a time window of occurrence of up to 107 yr. Extent cover of Tall T. scariosa showed similar patterns to the Mallee Emu-wren, indicating that vegetation structure is a likely driver of variability in the Mallee Emu-wren fire response. We speculate that the effect of low elevation is mediated by increased soil nutrient and water availability for key plants. We used our findings to map the appropriate time since fire at which to burn to regenerate habitat for the Mallee Emu-wren across the study region. We recommend no burning for regeneration across one-third of potential habitat, because the Mallee Emu-wren showed no decline in occurrence in these areas. We recommend managers model variability in species' fire responses across space to improve the timing of burns for regeneration.

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Section: Important Environmental Covariates: Elevation and Gypsum Conmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…However, high soil gypsum content can also inhibit plant root growth and reduce water‐holding capacity (Casby‐Horton et al. ). Although we noticed a lack of vegetation growing directly in gypsum deposits in the study region, we presume gypsum concentrations are below this threshold across much of Triodia Mallee vegetation in this region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling variability in the fire response of an endangered bird to improve fire‐management

Verdon

Watson

Clarke

2019

Ecological Applications

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“…Only three samples with gypsum ranging from 1.9% to 2.1% had their gypsum content below the thresholds for saturating the 1:5 or the 1:10 dilutions, i.e., 1.2% and 2.4% gypsum, respectively, assuming that saturation is attained at 2.4 g of gypsum per liter of pure water, a solubility that increases if Cl - or other non-common ions are present. Most samples qualify as gypseous [ 93 ], but their high salinity supersedes other limitations to life [ 94 ].…”

Section: Dual Dilution Methodology For Hypersaline Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Fixed Ratio Dilutions for Soil Salinity Monitoring in Hypersaline Wetlands

2015

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Highly soluble salts are undesirable in agriculture because they reduce yields or the quality of most cash crops and can leak to surface or sub-surface waters. In some cases salinity can be associated with unique history, rarity, or special habitats protected by environmental laws. Yet in considering the measurement of soil salinity for long-term monitoring purposes, adequate methods are required. Both saturated paste extracts, intended for agriculture, and direct surface and/or porewater salinity measurement, used in inundated wetlands, are unsuited for hypersaline wetlands that often are only occasionally inundated. For these cases, we propose the use of 1:5 soil/water (weight/weight) extracts as the standard for expressing the electrical conductivity (EC) of such soils and for further salt determinations. We also propose checking for ion-pairing with a 1:10 or more diluted extract in hypersaline soils. As an illustration, we apply the two-dilutions approach to a set of 359 soil samples from saline wetlands ranging in ECe from 2.3 dS m-1 to 183.0 dS m-1. This easy procedure will be useful in survey campaigns and in the monitoring of soil salt content.

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“…The richness in gypsum and calcium carbonate equivalent, also reported by Mees et al (2012, Fig. 6), plus the undetermined quantities of other components, e.g., organic matter and quartz or other detritic minerals, reduce the proportion and the role of mineralogical clays (Casby-Horton et al, 2015;Herrero et al, 2009) in the soils at AG. In addition, the high salinity observed at AG brings into question the use of SAR as an index of clay flocculation in those soils; however, SAR reflects Fig.…”

Section: Temporal Changes In the Mean Ece And Median Sarmentioning

confidence: 60%

Temporal changes in soil salinity at four saline wetlands in NE Spain

Herrero

Álamo

2015

CATENA

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The knowledge of soil salinity and the temporal changes of its distribution in the soil profiles can give warnings for the protection of saline habitats. This study described and compared the salinity profiles of the soils from four hypersaline wetlands at inland, ill-drained depressions in NE Spain, which were sampled throughout the year in 1979-1980 and 1999-2000, and differed in land use. The halophytic communities dictated the location of sampling sites. After the saturated pastes of 404 soil samples were prepared, the electrical conductivity of the extracts (ECe) and the concentrations of major ions were measured, and additional supplementary analyses were performed. A subset of the samples was titrated for calcium carbonate equivalent and gypsum content. ECe and ion concentrations calculated for synthetic soil layers facilitated the comparisons of the vertical distribution of soil salinity among dates, depths, and sites. The shape of the mean ECe profiles over all sampling dates indicated moderate differences between the two wetlands closest to each other, Plan de Callén (PC) and Paúl de Almuniente (AL), which had similar (b~10 dS m −1 ) ECe. In contrast, the ECe profile at Paúl de Anzano (AN) ranged from 40 dS m −1 to 50 dS m −1 in the upper meter of the soil, which decreased steadily to 20 dS m −1 at a 2-m depth. At Saladar de Agustín (AG), ECe was much higher and the profile had the opposite shape, ECe~55 dS m −1 at the surface and N80 dS m −1 at an 80-cm depth. The shape of ECe profiles at AL, PC, and AG was rather stable over time, contrasting with the measured desalination of the soil at AL after its conversion into a rice paddy. The changes in the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) in the soil profiles at AN, PC, and AL are indicators of the potential extremes in the hydric behavior of the soils. At AG, the mineralogical clays are a minor component of these gypseous soils; therefore, the SAR, only, was used as a measure of the relative concentrations of Na + versus Ca 2+ plus Mg 2+ . The median SAR of all AG soil samples did not differ significantly among sampling sites or dates. The shorter sampling depth intervals used in 1979-80 were responsible for the greater spread in the distribution and the increase in extreme SAR values compared to the data collected in 1999-2000.

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Gypsum Soils—Their Morphology, Classification, Function, and Landscapes

Cited by 64 publications

References 108 publications

Modeling variability in the fire response of an endangered bird to improve fire‐management

Modeling variability in the fire response of an endangered bird to improve fire‐management

Two Fixed Ratio Dilutions for Soil Salinity Monitoring in Hypersaline Wetlands

Temporal changes in soil salinity at four saline wetlands in NE Spain

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