Mountain soils and climate change: importance, threats and mitigation measures

Singh, Raghuvir; Gupta, Ipsa; Raina, Riya; Mahajan, Preeti; Srivastava, Pratap; Singh, Vipin Kumar; Batish, Daizy R.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-95925-4.00019-4

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…This is particularly the case with mountains (Baruck et al, 2016;Guerra et al, 2020), even though mountain soils are critical for many ecosystem processes, functions, and services, and their maintenance and stability are particularly important in terms of hazards and natural risk management (FAO, 2015;Stanchi et al, 2023). Given that mountain soils can take thousands of years to develop (up to 1000 years for 2-3 cm in (high) alpine areas (Stanchi et al, 2023), their degradation and gradual erosion as a result of overexploitation and poor management may ultimately lead to a loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem collapse, with no option for recovery (Körner, 2021;Singh et al, 2023). It emphasises the complexity of ecological restoration, pointing out that while repairing functions and maintaining existing taxa is feasible to some extent, the irreversible loss of certain locally adapted species, especially in isolated environments like nunataks, is a significant concern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity in mountain soils above the treeline

Praeg,

Steinwandter,

Urbach

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Despite the importance of healthy soils for human livelihood, wellbeing, and safety, current gaps in our knowledge and understanding of biodiversity in soil are numerous, undermining conservation efforts. These gaps are particularly wide in mountain regions where healthy soils are especially important for human safety and yet evidence is accumulating of ongoing degradation, posing significant threats to ecosystem functioning and human settlements.To analyse these gaps in detail, we synthesise current research on the global diversity of microorganisms, cryptogams, and invertebrates in mountain soils above the treeline. This synthesis is based on a semi-quantitative survey of the literature and an expert-based analysis. Our work reveals not only deficiencies in geographic cover but also significant gaps in taxonomic coverage, particularly among soil protists and invertebrates, and a lack of (functional and ecological) description of the uncultivated majority of prokaryotes, fungi, and protists. We subsequently build on this overview to highlight opportunities for research on mountain soils as systems of co-occurring species that interact in complex environmental matrices to fulfil critical functions and make essential contributions to life on land.Closing gaps in biodiversity research in mountain soil is crucial to enhance our understanding and to promote laws and guidelines advancing international soil biodiversity conservation targets in mountains. Addressing sparse and biased data, recognizing the impact of environmental changes on mountain ecosystems, and advocating dedicated policies are essential strategies to safeguard mountain soils and their biodiversity.GLOSSARY

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