Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
Soil is fundamental for the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, but our knowledge about soil organisms and the habitat they provide (shortly: Soil biodiversity) is poorly developed. For instance, the European Atlas of Soil Biodiversity and the Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas contain maps with rather coarse information on soil biodiversity. This paper presents a methodology to map soil biodiversity with limited data and models. Two issues were addressed. First, the lack of consensus to quantify the soil biodiversity function and second, the limited data to represent large areas. For the later issue, we applied a digital soil mapping (DSM) approach at the scale of the Netherlands and Europe. Data of five groups of soil organisms (earthworms, enchytraeids, micro-arthropods, nematodes, and micro-organisms) in the Netherlands were linked to soil habitat predictors (chemical soil attributes) in a regression analysis. High-resolution maps with soil characteristics were then used together with a model for the soil biodiversity function with equal weights for each group of organisms. To predict soil biodiversity at the scale of Europe, data for soil biological (earthworms and bacteria) and chemical (pH, soil organic matter, and nutrient content) attributes were used in a soil biodiversity model. Differential weights were assigned to the soil attributes after consulting a group of scientists. The issue of reducing uncertainty in soil biodiversity modelling and mapping by the use of data from biological soil attributes is discussed. Considering the importance of soil biodiversity to support the delivery of ecosystem services, the ability to create maps illustrating an aggregate measure of soil biodiversity is a key to future environmental policymaking, optimizing land use, and land management decision support taking into account the loss and gains on soil biodiversity.
Highlights
Healthy soil systems contain a very diverse assemblage of soil organisms, with a total biomass often exceeding that of aboveground organisms [1,2]
The objective of this study is to demonstrate how data limitations in the first place, and limitations in the modelling of soil biodiversity in the second place, can be efficiently dealt with in a digital soil mapping approach
Soil biological attributes were analyzed in the Netherlands soil monitoring network (NSMN) as described by Rutgers et al (2009) [11]
Summary
Healthy soil systems contain a very diverse assemblage of soil organisms, with a total biomass often exceeding that of aboveground organisms [1,2]. In 1992, soil biodiversity and its presumed decrease became a wider acknowledged issue with the ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This brought wider attention to the beneficial use of biodiversity [12], besides the protection of species. Research to underpin the relevance of soil biodiversity and the expected downward trends due to intensive land use and soil degradation was stimulated [14,15,16,17], including mapping and assessment approaches [18,19,20,21]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
