Soil Macrofauna Communities Research Articles

The influence of forest types including native and non‐native tree species on soil macrofauna depends on site conditions

AbstractThe ongoing climate change calls for managing forest ecosystems in temperate regions toward more drought‐resistant and climate‐resilient stands. Yet ecological consequences of management options such as planting non‐native tree species and mixing coniferous and deciduous tree species have been little studied, especially on soil animal communities, key in litter decomposition and pest control. Here, we investigated the taxonomic and trophic structure of soil macrofauna communities in five forest types including native European beech (Fagus sylvatica), range‐expanding Norway spruce (Picea abies) and non‐native Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) as well as conifer‐beech mixtures across loamy and sandy sites in northern Germany. Abundance of primary decomposers (feeding predominantly on litter) was high in Douglas fir and beech forests, benefiting from less acidic soil and more favorable litter resources compared to spruce forests, while secondary decomposers (feeding predominantly on microorganisms and microbial residues) reached highest densities in spruce forests. Differences in abundance and species richness among forest types generally varied between regions and were most pronounced in Douglas fir of the sandy region. However, trophic guilds differed more between regions than between forest types, indicating that environmental factors outweigh the importance of forest type on soil macrofauna communities. The analysis of stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C values) supported the general robustness in trophic position of macrofauna trophic guilds against variations in forest types and regions, but indicated reduced detrital shifts and food‐chain lengths in coniferous compared to European beech forests with mixtures mitigating these effects. Overall, for evaluating consequences of future forest management practices on the structure and functioning of soil animal communities, regional factors need to be considered, but in particular at loamy sites the taxonomic and trophic structure of soil macrofauna communities are resistant against changes in forest types.

Spatial organisation of the soil macrofauna community of an oak forest in the steppe zone of Ukraine

Background. Environmental impact assessments and the development of measures for the protection and sustainable use of ecosystems should take into account that not only steppe ecosystems but also forest, marsh, salt marsh and meadow ecosystems are referenced for the steppe zone. A comparative approach requires the study of reference ecosystems to understand how much a particular ecosystem has been transformed or how far it is from natural patterns in the restoration process. The soil macrofaunal community of the forest ecosystem of the right bank of the Samara River can be considered a reference for many forest ecosystems in the region. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of spatial organization of the soil macrofaunal community of an oak forest on the right bank of the Samara River. Materials and Methods. A study was conducted in a deciduous woodland located in an oak forest on the right bank of the Samara River. The study area was divided into 5 transects, each consisting of 20 sampling points with a 2 m distance between rows. The samples of the soil macrofauna were taken from a single block of soil that was 25×25×30 cm deep and removed quickly. Vascular plant species lists were recorded for each 2×2 m subplot. The soil penetration resistance and electrical conductivity were measured. Soil faunal trophic activity was assessed by means of a bait lamina test. Results and Discussion. The spatial structure of the community is complex in terms of hierarchy. The driver of the broad-scale component of spatial variation in the community is the properties of the topsoil, mainly the density of the litter. Vegetation cover forms a broad component of the spatial variation in soil macrofauna. An important factor in structuring ecological space is the location of trees. The pure spatial pattern is represented by broad-, medium-, and fine-scale components. Conclusion. The soil macrofaunal community of an oak forest on the slope of the right bank of a steppe river has a high level of abundance and taxonomic and ecological diversity. The spatial distribution of trees forms a broad-scale component of variation in the soil macrofaunal community, and herbaceous cover forms a medium-scale component. The fine-scale component of community variation is due to neutral factors.

Effects of conservation agriculture technologies on soil macrofauna community attributes in rainfed agriculture system

AbstractInappropriate rainfed crop management, especially wrong tillage and crop residue management, led to reduce the diversity of soil biological quality, especially soil macrofauna community, in semiarid region. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of 5 year conservation agriculture operation techniques on the quality and the diversity indices of soil macrofauna community in the rainfed lands in the west of Iran. This experiment was carried out in the statistical format of split‐split plots based on a randomized completely block design with three replications. The main treatments include control or conventional tillage, compound tillage, chisel tillage, and direct cultivation (no tillage) with three sub‐treatments of plant residues (no residues, one‐third, and two‐thirds of plant residues) in rainfed wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotation with rainfed chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Changes in soil biological quality indicators, such as soil microbial respiration were measured. Also, the indicators related to the population of soil macrofauna, including biodiversity index, uniformity index, and species richness, were measured and the effect of treatments on the measured indicators were compared with the classical statistical method of analysis of variance and Duncan's mean comparison test. The results showed that conservation agricultural treatments, including no‐tillage treatment, have led to significant increase of 19% and 15% of macrofauna biodiversity index in wheat and chickpea, respectively. Also, keeping one‐third of the wheat residues has led to an 18% increase in the biodiversity index of the soil macrofauna during the evaluation period. Biodiversity index and taxonomic richness of soil macrofauna were generally higher in the years of wheat than chickpea, and on the contrary, the species uniformity index of soil macrofauna biological community was higher in chickpea than wheat.

Variations of the soil macrofauna community and corresponding influencing factors in the newly reclaimed coastal area: A case study in Yangtze Estuary, China

Intensive reclamation activity has reshaped global coastal ecosystems. Soil macrofauna, an effective proxy for ecosystem health, has the potential to predict coastal reclamation ecological impact. Previous studies have primarily focused on the long-term (≥ 30 years) soil macrofaunal succession in reclaimed areas. However, composition of the soil macrofauna and its environmental drivers in newly reclaimed areas (< 30 years) remain uncertain. We selected Hengsha Dongtan in the Yangtze Estuary to conduct the study, and four different regions (reclaimed for 13, 8, 4, and 1 year, respectively) were employed to investigate soil macrofaunal composition and corresponding environmental drivers. The results showed that: (1) Terrestrial species millipedes (Paradoxosomatidae sp.), chinch bugs (Dimorphopterus spinolae), and wolf spiders (Pirata subpiraticus) were dominant. Millipedes, chinch bugs, wolf spiders, ants (Myrmecina sp.), and rove beetles (Stenus melanarius and Paederus fuscipes) were major species contributing to the average dissimilarity among regions. (2) The taxonomic composition of soil macrofauna varied over time after reclamation, which showed that the number of species, density, and biomass of soil macrofauna in region 1 (reclaimed for 13 years) was higher than that in regions 2, 3, and 4 (reclaimed for 8, 4, and 1 year). (3) The functional composition of soil macrofauna varied over time after reclamation. The number of species, density, and biomass of the phytophagous and saprophagous groups increased over time, whereas those of the predatory group decreased gradually. (4) Soil pH and total organic carbon content, together with land use, appeared to be key factors that determine soil macrofaunal composition. Overall, our study illustrates the response of soil macrofauna to changes in environmental factors and land use in newly reclaimed areas. Future studies should expand the range of potential factors and comprehensively analyze the mechanisms that maintain soil macrofaunal diversity in reclaimed areas.

Soil macrofauna communities in Brazilian land-use systems.

Soil animal communities include more than 40 higher-order taxa, representing over 23% of all described species. These animals have a wide range of feeding sources and contribute to several important soil functions and ecosystem services. Although many studies have assessed macroinvertebrate communities in Brazil, few of them have been published in journals and even fewer have made the data openly available for consultation and further use. As part of ongoing efforts to synthesise the global soil macrofauna communities and to increase the amount of openly-accessible data in GBIF and other repositories related to soil biodiversity, the present paper provides links to 29 soil macroinvertebrate datasets covering 42 soil fauna taxa, collected in various land-use systems in Brazil. A total of 83,085 georeferenced occurrences of these taxa are presented, based on quantitative estimates performed using a standardised sampling method commonly adopted worldwide to collect soil macrofauna populations, i.e. the TSBF (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme) protocol. This consists of digging soil monoliths of 25 x 25 cm area, with handsorting of the macroinvertebrates visible to the naked eye from the surface litter and from within the soil, typically in the upper 0-20 cm layer (but sometimes shallower, i.e. top 0-10 cm or deeper to 0-40 cm, depending on the site). The land-use systems included anthropogenic sites managed with agricultural systems (e.g. pastures, annual and perennial crops, agroforestry), as well as planted forests and native vegetation located mostly in the southern Brazilian State of Paraná (96 sites), with a few additional sites in the neighbouring states of São Paulo (21 sites) and Santa Catarina (five sites). Important metadata on soil properties, particularly soil chemical parameters (mainly pH, C, P, Ca, K, Mg, Al contents, exchangeable acidity, Cation Exchange Capacity, Base Saturation and, infrequently, total N), particle size distribution (mainly % sand, silt and clay) and, infrequently, soil moisture and bulk density, as well as on human management practices (land use and vegetation cover) are provided. These data will be particularly useful for those interested in estimating land-use change impacts on soil biodiversity and its implications for below-ground foodwebs, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem service delivery. Quantitative estimates are provided for 42 soil animal taxa, for two biodiversity hotspots: the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. Data are provided at the individual monolith level, representing sampling events ranging from February 2001 up to September 2016 in 122 sampling sites and over 1800 samples, for a total of 83,085 ocurrences.

Distribution patterns and impact factors of soil macrofauna communities in the riparian zone of the Pengxi River

Distribution patterns and impact factors of soil macrofauna communities in the riparian zone of the Pengxi River

Influences of conservation tillage on soil macrofaunal biodiversity and trophic structure in the Mollisol region of Northeast China

Tillage regimes directly impact soil disturbance and crop residue levels in the field, subsequently affecting soil macrofauna abundance and diversity, crucial for maintaining soil health and ecosystem functionality. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different tillage regimes (no-tillage (NT), conventional tillage (CT) and reduced-tillage (RT)) on soil properties and macrofaunal communities in a typical black soil region of Northeast China. Our study revealed that, in comparison to CT and RT, NT significantly enhanced soil macrofauna biodiversity and brought about modification in the community composition. Additionally, it reduced changes in the soil physical–chemical properties. Furthermore, the choice of tillage regimes impacted the trophic structure of soil macrofauna, manifesting in great density and species richness of herbivores and predators in NT plots with crop residue retention when compared to those managed with tillage. Overall, soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH played pivotal roles in regulating the soil macrofaunal community. The alternations observed in the soil macrofaunal community represented a comprehensive response to tillage practices and residue return, which in turn influenced soil properties and microenvironments, including food resources and microhabitats. Therefore, our findings indicated that conservation tillage exerted a notable influence on the soil macrofaunal community. This underscores the significance of soil environments and properties in molding the structure and composition of the soil macrofaunal community. The study will enhance comprehension of soil management practices and advocate for diversity within soil macrofaunal communities.

Composition and vertical distribution of agricultural soil Macrofauna community after an extreme high temperature event in the summer of 2022

Extreme high temperature (EHT) events are becoming more frequent and prolonged due to global climate change. Predicting the effects of EHT events on agricultural soil fauna remains a major challenge. In order to assess the response of community composition and vertical distribution of soil fauna to EHT events, this study investigated the soil macrofauna communities in facility agricultural farmlands at the end of an EHT event in East China in 2022 and eighteen days after. The results showed that the taxonomic richness and abundances of the soil macrofauna community were reduced eighteen days after the EHT event. However, changes in abundance were taxonomically dependent: individuals of ants (Pheidole indica), centipedes (Himantariidae) and crickets decreased significantly, while Enchytraeidae and earthworms increased. Soil water content was an important factor determining taxonomic richness at the end of the EHT event and the abundance of earthworms eighteen days after the EHT event. The maximum values of taxonomic richness and abundance of the soil macrofauna community were observed in the surface layer (0–10 cm) at the end of the EHT event and eighteen days after. Earthworms burrowed into the deeper layer at the end of the EHT event, but moved to the surface layer eighteen days after the EHT event. These results showed that most soil fauna taxa experienced adverse effects posed by EHT events, while the earthworm and Enchytraeidae had abilities to increase their abundances rapidly by EHT events. This study suggests that soil water content and vertical distribution should be considered when assessing the impact of an EHT event on soil biodiversity.

Relationship of Macrofauna and Soil Organic Carbon in Various Types of Agroforestry, Sumberejo Village, Batuwarno District, Wonogiri Regency

Macrofauna affects carbon and nutrient cycling, modifies soil structure and water-holding capacity, and contributes to the provision of various ecosystem services [6]. Agroforestry systems with diverse tree cover support macrofauna diversity that supports sustainable soil ecosystems [3]. Research conducted by [5] that agricultural practices associated with agroforestry systems in Honduras resulted in relatively abundant and diverse soil macrofauna communities. This study examines the diversity of macrofauna in the agroforestry system because in the agroforestry system various types of stands will produce plant litter. This research was conducted in Sumberejo Village, Baturetno District, Wonogiri Regency. This research was conducted on teak agroforestry, mahogany agroforestry, mixed agroforestry, and seasonal crops that did not apply the agroforestry system. Diversity of macrofauna using pitfall trap and monolith method. This study examines soil organic carbon because it is used as energy by soil macrofauna. This study aims to determine the relationship between soil macrofauna and soil organic carbon. The relationship between soil macrofauna and soil organic carbon is negatively correlated, mahogany agroforestry land organic carbon is included in the high category but the total macrofauna individuals found are few, but the macrofauna diversity index of mahogany agroforestry land is high.

Cloud forests of the Orinoco River Basin (Colombia): Variation in vegetation and soil macrofauna composition along the hydrometeorological gradient

AbstractTropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) in the Orinoco River Basin are vulnerable to climate and regional land‐use changes. These changes will force TMCF to migrate upwards, affecting biodiversity conservation and water flow regulation. Here, we evaluate how vegetation and soil macrofauna composition vary along the hydrometeorological gradient driven by an increase in fog incidence with elevation. Vegetation data were collected for all individuals with a diameter at breast height (DBH) &gt; 5 cm in four vegetation plots (5 × 50 m; total: 0.1 ha) every 100 m in altitude between 1700 and 2200 m a.s.l. From each plot, we obtained three soil monoliths from the organic layer and three from the mineral horizon, and manually extracted their soil macrofauna. For these groups, we describe: (1) their compositional changes along the hydrometeorological gradient employing ordination analyses techniques and (2) the relation of the composition changes between vegetation and soil macrofauna communities using a symmetrical co‐correspondence analysis. Our results show that the vegetation morphospecies composition and soil macrofauna‐order composition vary significantly with the hydrometeorological gradient along elevation. The co‐correspondence between vegetation and soil macrofauna reveals a shared breakpoint above the 2000 m a.s.l., where fog is more persistent. Furthermore, we identified eight indicator vegetation species and two soil macrofauna orders associated with specific elevations. These results suggest that under a climate‐change‐driven fog lift, the TMCF of the Orinoco River Basin will be displaced. Moreover, this study provides a baseline to monitor such displacement.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

Effects of natural forest conversion and plantation tree species composition on soil macrofauna communities in Northeast China mountains

Effects of natural forest conversion and plantation tree species composition on soil macrofauna communities in Northeast China mountains

城市嵌草式铺装植被和大型土壤动物群落组成特征——以新泰市为例

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 城市嵌草式铺装植被和大型土壤动物群落组成特征——以新泰市为例 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202109232671 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 福建省中青年教师教育科研项目(JAT210346);厦门理工学院科学技术研究项目(YKJ22009R) Community composition of vegetation and soil macrofauna in the urban grass planting pavement: A case study in Xintai City Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:嵌草式铺装近年来广泛应用于城市停车场及道路,研究其群落组成特征对城市生态的综合治理具有重要意义。以新泰市为例,通过现场采样调研分析探讨了嵌草式铺装对植被和土壤动物群落组成和多样性的影响。结果显示,植被调查中共记录草本植物14科22属22种。牛筋草(Eleusine indica)为新泰市嵌草式铺装中植被的优势种。植被的平均密度和生物量分别为(21.87±2.15)株/m2和(4.15±0.45)g/m2。不同站点间植株密度和高度有显著空间差异(P<0.05),生物量和盖度差异不显著。不同站点的植被物种多样性特征也有所差异。大型土壤动物调查共记录7目8科10种,其中蚁科为优势类群。嵌草式铺装中土壤动物的丰度、生物量均显著高于不透水路面(P<0.05)。逐步回归分析表明,嵌草式铺装中植被和土壤动物的丰度和生物量与土壤的容积密度和含水率等理化性质显著相关(P<0.05)。土壤动物丰度与植被盖度、土壤动物生物量与植被生物量间也具有显著相关关系(P<0.05)。结果表明,嵌草式铺装能够有效提高城市生态系统中植被和土壤动物群落的丰度、生物量和多样性,这种影响是直接和间接多种方式的协同作用。未来应结合多种环境因子的监测,在不同时空尺度上系统探究嵌草式铺装带来的生态效应及其高效合理利用途径。 Abstract:Grass planting pavement has been widely used in urban roads, parks, and parking lots in recent years due to its composite structure of plant-soil-permeable filler. Many scholars have extensively studied its ecological and environmental functions in enhancing infiltration, reducing urban surface runoff, purifying water quality, and adjusting the microclimate of the local ecosystem. However, we had little knowledge about its effects on the organism communities and species diversity, even though it is of great significance to the comprehensive management and planning of the urban ecosystem. Therefore, based on field sampling and investigation, we carried out this study to quantitatively analyze the community composition and species diversity of the vegetation and soil macrofauna in the urban grass planting pavement in 9 sites of Xintai City, Shandong Province, and discuss the ecological effects of the grass planting pavement. A total of 22 species of herbaceous plants in 14 families, 22 genera were recorded in the study. With the highest relative abundance and biomass, Eleusine indica was the dominant species of vegetation in the grass planting pavement in Xintai City. The average abundance and biomass of the vegetation in the grass planting pavement was (21.87±2.15) shoots/m2 and (4.15±0.45) g/m2. There were significantly spatial differences in the shoot density (F=2.671, P<0.05) and stem height (F=2.748, P<0.05) among different sampling sites. Nevertheless, the differences in the vegetation biomass and coverage among different sites were not significant (P＞0.05), though significant differences existed in the pairwise comparison between sites by the Least Significant Difference (LSD) analysis. The species diversity of vegetation at different sites also varied significantly, the lowest value appeared in the grass planting pavement of the hospital parking lot. A total of 10 species in 7 orders, 8 families of the soil macrofauna were recorded in the survey. Formicidae was the dominant group of the soil macrofauna communities in the grass-planting pavement transects. Only two species of soil macrofauna were recorded in the porous pavement transect of all sites. The abundance and biomass of the soil macrofauna in grass planting pavement transect were significantly higher than that in porous pavement (P<0.05). The results of stepwise regression analysis showed that the community characteristics of vegetation and soil macrofauna significantly correlated to the soil physiochemical properties, such as bulk density and water content. The biomass (R2=0.810, P<0.05) and coverage (R2=0.819, P<0.001) of the vegetation in the grass planting pavement had the strongest correlations with the biomass and abundance of the soil macrofauna. The study showed that the grass planting pavement could effectively increase the abundance, biomass, and diversity of the vegetation and soil macrofauna communities in the urban ecosystem. This effect is a direct and indirect synergy of multiple factors, such as trampling frequency, soil texture, water content and some other biological factors. On the basis of long-term monitoring, systematic and comprehensive studies should be carried out in combination with environmental factors in the future to systematically explore the ecological effects of the grass planting pavement and provide a scientific basis for the further efficient and reasonable utilization of the grass planting pavement. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Response of soil macrofauna to urban park reconstruction

• Soil penetration resistance increases as a result of park reconstruction.• Soil compaction explains one-third of the variability in soil macrofauna.• The abundance of the earthworm Aporrectodea rosea increases after reconstruction.• The abundance of the earthworm A. calliginosa decreases after reconstruction.This study is based on a park in an industrial city in Ukraine. In 2019, a 2.8 ha area of the park was reconstructed. The park’s reconstruction aimed to create a comfortable environment for visitors and to improve the efficiency of ecosystem services, and thereby enhance the quality of life of citizens. The reconstruction of the park was found to cause changes in the physical properties of soils and the structure of the soil macrofauna community. The increases of soil compaction in the layers at depth 5–20 cm and the soil electrical conductivity were a consequence of technological operations during reconstruction. The park reconstruction activities can also explain 29% of the variation in the soil macrofauna community. Extracting the variation induced by the park reconstruction from the community variation induced by other causes was a major challenge. The specific changes in the community of soil macrofauna following the reconstruction of the park were revealed. The abundance of soil animal species A. rosea, A. trapezoides, H. affinis, H. rufipes, B. affinis was found to increase after the reconstruction. The earthworm A. trapezoides decreased in abundance due to the park reconstruction.

SOilFauna -a global synthesis effort on the drivers of soil macrofauna communities and functioning

sOilFauna -a global synthesis effort on the drivers of soil macrofauna communities and functioning

Spatial organization of the soil macrofauna community in a floodplain forest

Soil fauna is an important functional component of terrestrial ecosystems. Several hierarchical levels of spatial organization of pedobionts communities can be distinguished: point level, ecosystem level and landscape level. Of particular importance is the ecosystem level of spatial organization where the results of interaction between soil animals and soil and plant environmental factors, as well as the results of the influence of factors of neutral nature are expressed to the greatest extent. The aim of the work is to test the hypothesis that the spatial patterns of soil macrofauna at the ecosystem level can be explained by ecomorphs. Soil animals were sampled in floodplain ecosystems in the Dnieper River valley. Animals were sampled according to a regular grid with recording of local coordinates of sampling points. At the same points, soil properties were measured and geobotanical descriptions of vegetation were made. Phytoindication assessment of environmental factors was carried out on the basis of vegetation descriptions. The soil animal community is represented by high taxonomic and ecological diversity. The spatial distribution of soil macrofauna is not random and is a consequence of environmental factors and causes of a neutral nature. The ratio of these factors varies depending on the scale level. The fine-scale level is represented by factors of neutral nature. Medium- and broad-scale components are determined by soil and vegetation factors. The main spatial patterns of variation in the soil animal community correlate with the ecomorphic features of the animals. The ecomorphic approach allows interpreting the information on the spatial organization of pedobionts communities.

Land use effects on soil macrofauna communities in a mountainous region of southwest Guizhou, China

An experiment to compare the effects of land use types on soil and macrofauna characteristics was conducted in a mountainous region of southwestern China. Soil physical and chemical properties and soil macrofauna were investigated in four land use types: natural grassland, mixed pasture of Dactylis glomerata L. and Trifolium repens L., mixed pasture of Holcus lanatus L. and Trifolium repens L., and cropland planted with annual Brassica napus L. and Zea mays L. rotation. The results showed that natural grassland, mixed pasture and cropping increased soil pH (23.0%–36.0%), soil organic matter (69.1%–73.9%, except the cropland with a decrease of 18.9%), total nitrogen (346.2%–738.5%), available nitrogen (389.9%–482.7%), available phosphorus (61.9%–303.6%) and available potassium (326.2%–481.4%). The taxonomic richness of macrofaunal communities was lower in the mixed pasture and cropped land than in natural grassland, with the Shannon’s index and Menhinick index being negatively related to soil organic carbon content. The mixed pasture maintained the abundance and diversity of soil macrofauna. The short-term cessation of utilization and management facilitated the restoration of soil macrofaunal communities. This study shows that pasture/grazing or leaving fallow for a year after cropping were able to better sustain macrofaunal communities in this mountainous region.

Soil Macrofauna Abundance and Taxonomic Richness under Long-Term No-Till Conservation Agriculture in a Semi-Arid Environment of South Africa

Soil macrofauna are a critical component for ecosystem function and strongly affect production sustainability. The effect of fertiliser management practices, in different cropping systems, on soil macrofauna communities remains poorly understood in semi-arid to arid regions. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of tillage practices i.e., no-till (NT), rotational tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) and nitrogen fertiliser application rates (0, 100 and 200 kg/ha N) (urea) on abundance and order diversity of soil macrofauna in a maize continuous monocropping system. The sampling of macrofauna in the trial was conducted in April 2019, August 2019 and March 2020 using 25 cm × 25 cm × 25 cm steel monoliths in randomly selected positions, and this was replicated four times. The study found a significant (p &lt; 0.05) increase in the abundance of soil macrofauna in NT (127 ind/m2) and RT (110 ind/m2) compared to CT (51 ind/m2) treatment. The abundance of macrofauna was also negatively affected by increasing the rate of fertiliser, with 0, 100 and 200 kg/ha resulting in 133, 94 and 62 ind/m2. Orders Haplotaxida and Diplopoda were found to be sensitive to increases in the fertiliser application rate. Haplotaxida (48.4%) was the most abundant order, followed by Coleoptera (18.2%). Other orders included Diplopoda (9.2%), Gastropoda (6.3%), Isoptera (4.7%), Chilopoda (4.7%), Araneae (4%), Hymenoptera (3.2%), Orthoptera (0.9%) and Dermaptera (0.3%). No-till (NT) and rotational tillage (RT) with mulch favoured the establishment of various macrofauna communities in the studied cropping system.

Land use conversion to agriculture impacts biodiversity, erosion control, and key soil properties in an Andean watershed

AbstractThe conversion of natural vegetation to agricultural land uses in mountainous Andean landscapes threatens an array of key ecological processes and ecosystem services (ES). In protected areas and buffer regions that provide water to cities, it is critical to understand how interactions between plants and soil communities sustain a range of ecosystem functions associated with nutrient recycling, soil structure, and erosion control. We sought to examine how land use conversion within a mountainous tropical forest landscape influences the diversity of vegetation and soil macrofauna communities, soil physicochemical properties, and hydrological regulation services. Biodiversity and a suite of key soil‐based ES were compared in five major land uses of the Cali River watershed: (1) annual cropping systems, (2) coffee plantations, (3) pastures, (4) abandoned shrubland, and (5) secondary forests. The diversity of woody and herbaceous vegetation, as well as soil macrofauna, was assessed in each land use. Soil chemical fertility and aggregate morphology were assessed via laboratory analyses and visual separation of soil aggregates based on their origin. Infiltration, runoff, and sediment production were measured using a portable rainfall simulator. We found a decrease in the diversity of woody vegetation across land uses to be associated with lower diversity of soil macrofauna. At the same time, agricultural management, annual crops in particular, supports the largest earthworm populations, likely due to increased organic inputs and low impact tillage, which appears not to diminish soil fertility and water infiltration. In contrast, the low soil fertility in pastures was associated with the lowest values of soil C, poor aggregation, and high bulk density and likely reflects overgrazing, with negative implications for water infiltration and erosion. Associations between the different sets of variables, evaluated with co‐inertia analysis, highlight the hierarchical relevance of plant cover and woody diversity on ES. The biological complexity associated with intact forest cover appears to generate “bundles” of co‐occurring ES, with this land use demonstrating the highest infiltration, and low runoff and sediment losses. Our findings demonstrate that forests and tree‐based agricultural systems may better contribute to the provision of multiple ES, including biodiversity conservation and hydrologic regulation.

Characteristics of Soil Macrofauna and Its Coupling Relationship with Environmental Factors in the Loess Area of Northern Shaanxi

Even with the in-depth implementation of forestry ecological projects, such as restoring farmland to forest (grass) in the loess area of northern Shaanxi, the characteristics of soil macrofauna communities and their coupling relationship with environmental factors after vegetation restoration in the study area are yet obscure. However, the soil macrofauna community characteristics are of great significance for evaluating the effectiveness of vegetation restoration in the study area. Therefore, the study aims to reveal the characteristics of the soil macrofauna community and their coupling relationships with the environment in the loess area of northern Shaanxi. In this study, all organisms of the five typical vegetation types in the study area were collected by manual sorting (Armeniaca sibirica and Populus simonii mixed forest (M), Robinia pseudoacacia (P), Populus simonii (S), Populus hopeiensis (H) and Hippophae rhamnoides (R)), and the adjacent abandoned grassland (G) was used as a control group. The group number and the individual number of soil macrofauna of different vegetation types in the study area and their coupling relationships with environmental factors are studied, and the following conclusions were drawn. (1) The study shows that there are certain differences in the environmental factors of different vegetation types in the study area, which include the significant differences in the alkaline nitrogen content of various vegetation types (p &lt; 0.05). (2) The effects of different vegetation on soil macrofauna community were different. There were no significant differences in the soil macrofauna community structure between Armeniaca sibirica and Populus simonii mixed forest, Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus simonii and Populus hopeiensis, but there was a large difference from that of the abandoned grasslands. The community density of soil macrofauna in Armeniaca sibirica and Populus simonii mixed forest and Populus simonii were significantly higher than that in the abandoned grassland (p &lt; 0.05), but the other indexes showed no significant differences. The Shannon–Wiener index of Robinia pseudoacacia and Populus hopeiensis were much lower than that of the abandoned grassland (p &lt; 0.05). (3) The diversity of soil macrofauna communities was mainly affected by pH, alkaline nitrogen, potassium available, vegetation coverage and litter production. (4) Different groups of soil macrofauna were closely related and reacted differently to environmental factors, and vegetation coverage, litter production and alkaline nitrogen content were the key factors affecting the composition of soil macrofauna communities.

Soil macrofaunal communities develop a habitat-specific trophic structure dependent on the degree of degradation of alpine wetlands

The alpine wetlands in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau have degraded in recent decades. However, the response of the soil food web to the degradation is still unclear. Four habitats including a wet meadow (WM), a grassland meadow (GM), a moderately degraded meadow (MDM) and a severely degraded meadow (SDM) (sandy meadows) were selected along the degrees of degradation. The soil macrofaunal biomass and the environmental factors of vegetation and soil were investigated. The soil macrofaunal community biomass increased significantly from WM to MDM and decreased to a very small amount in SDM, with most taxa disappearing. The biomass of the trophic groups of detritivores, herbivores and predators exhibited similar responses to soil macrofaunal communities. The relative biomass of detritivores increased from WM to MDM, but herbivores responded in an opposite manner, resulting in the dominant trophic group and trophic structure varying progressively from WM to GM to MDM. Soil properties but not vegetation determined the changes in trophic groups and trophic structure. The results implied that the higher trophic levels (carnivores or omnivores) responded more sensitively than the lower trophic levels (herbivores) to alpine wetland degradation. Our results also suggested that soil macrofauna have a habitat-specific characteristic trophic structure and can be used as indicators of soil health conditions.