The impact of restoration processes on the selected soil properties and organic matter transformation of mountain fens under Caltho-Alnetum community in the Babiogórski National Park in Outer Flysch Carpathians, Poland

Soil properties are strongly influenced by the composition of the surrounding vegetation. We investigated soil properties of three ecosystems; a coniferous forest, a deciduous forest and an agricultural grassland, to determine the impact of land use change on soil properties. Disturbances such as deforestation followed by cultivation can severely alter soil properties, including losses of soil carbon. We collected nine 40 cm cores from three ecosystem types on the Roebuck Farm, north of Perth Village, Ontario, Canada. Dominant species in each ecosystem included hemlock and white pine in the coniferous forest; sugar maple, birch and beech in the deciduous forest; grasses, legumes and herbs in the grassland. Soil pH varied little between the three ecosystems and over depth. Soils under grassland vegetation had the highest bulk density, especially near the surface. The forest sites showed higher cation exchange capacity and soil moisture than the grassland; these differences largely resulted from higher organic matter levels in the surface forest soils. Vertical distribution of organic matter varied greatly amongst the three ecosystems. In the forest, more of the organic matter was located near the surface, while in the grassland organic matter concentrations varied little with depth. The results suggest that changes in land cover and land use alters litter inputs and nutrient cycling rates, modifying soil physical and chemical properties. Our results further suggest that conversion of forest into agricultural land in this area can lead to a decline in soil carbon storage.

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Small variations of soil properties control fire-induced water repellency .

Spanish Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.3232/sjss.2014.v4.n1.03 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge Mataix-Solera ◽

Lorena M. Zavala ◽

Antonio Jordán ◽

Gema Bárcenas-Moreno ◽

Elena Lozano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Plant Species ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Soil Types ◽

Water Repellent ◽

Key Factors ◽

The Impact

Fire induced soil water repellency (WR) is controlled by many different factors (temperature reached, amount and type of fuel, etc.). Soil properties may determine the occurrence and intensity of this property in burned soils. The objectives of this paper are to make advances in the study of soil properties as key factors controlling the behaviour of fire-induced WR, and to study the impact of pre-fire SOM content and SOM quality in fire-induced soil WR. In this research, experimental laboratory burnings were carried out using soil samples from different sites with different lithologies, soil types and plant species. Soil samples taken from the same site differ only in quantity and quality of soil organic matter, as they were collected from under different plant species. All soil samples were heated in a muffle furnace at 200, 250, 300 and 350 ºC without the addition of any fuel load. WR was measured using the water drop penetration time test (WDPT). The results showed significant differences between soil types and plant species, indicating that small differences in soil properties may act as key factors controlling the development and persistence of WR reached, with burned soil samples ranging from wettable to extremely water repellent. The main soil property controlling the response was texture, specifically sand content. The quality of organic matter was also observed to have an effect, since soil samples from the same site with similar organic matter contents, but taken from beneath different plant species, showed different WR values after burning.

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Vaccinium vitis-idaea decreases the dependence of alpine soil properties from soil moisture

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-20312 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mikhail Makarov ◽

Tatiana Malysheva ◽

Maksim Kadulin ◽

Rida Sabirova

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Moisture ◽

Enzymatic Activity ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Plant Community ◽

Inorganic Nitrogen ◽

Dwarf Shrub ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Activity Increase ◽

Organic Matter Transformation

Climatic and plant community changes are observed in the alpine belt of the Teberda Reserve (the Northwest Caucasus) in the last decades. Increase of average monthly temperature in the summer months in 2006-2018 was 1.8-2.2 &#186;C in comparison with 1966-1990. For the last 13 years, the maximum temperature in July and August reached 22.1-23.2 &#186;C vs. 20.5 &#186;C in 1966-1990, and minimum temperature during these months did not fall lower than -1.8 &#186;C whereas in 1966-1990 it fell up to -7.0 &#186;C. At the same time decrease of summer precipitation, especially in July and August is observed (average 80-100 mm per month vs. 150-160 mm in 1966-1990). Against this climatic background, a significant increase of dwarf shrub with ericoid mycorrhizal symbiosis (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) occurs in plant community of alpine lichen heath. As ericoid mycorrhiza is characterized by high enzymatic activity capable to transform and mobilize soil organic matter, we assume that the appearance of Vaccinium vitis-idaea in grass ecosystems can change soil properties. Simultaneously the observed tendency to decrease the amount of summer atmospheric precipitation in mountain regions can change soil moisture which is also highly important to control soil microbial activity and organic matter transformation.The properties of the mountain-meadow soil of the alpine lichen heath, characterizing labile forms of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as biological activity at different soil moisture and in the presence or absence of Vaccinium vitis-idaea in the plant community, have been studied. It has been shown that under V. vitis-idaea soil is characterized by greater acidity and less responsive to changes in soil moisture. Differences in properties in the presence and absence of V. vitis-idaea are predominantly determined by the expressed response of the soil to changes in moisture in the absence of dwarf shrub. Under herbal vegetation, when soil moisture decreases, concentrations of inorganic nitrogen, activity of N-mineralization and nitrification, microbial biomass and soil respiration decrease, but concentrations of labile organic carbon and nitrogen, and enzymatic activity increase. Such changes indicate a shift in organic matter transformation from mineralization to depolymerization, more characteristic of ectomycorrhizal and ericoid mycorrhizal dominated ecosystems. Thus, both factors (soil moisture and invasions of ericoid mycorrhizal plant species) should be taken into account in predicting changes of alpine ecosystems functioning.This study was supported by Russian Science Foundation (16-14-10208).

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The impact of urban effluents on the coastal marine environment of Mediterranean islands

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1995.0673 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 32 (9-10) ◽

pp. 85-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael O. Angelidis

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Suspended Particle ◽

Pollution Source ◽

Mediterranean Islands ◽

Coastal Marine Environment ◽

Coastal Marine ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

The impact of the urban effluents of Mytilene (Lesvos island, Greece) on the receiving coastal marine environment, was evaluated by studying the quality of the city effluents (BOD5, COD, SS, heavy metals) and the marine sediments (grain size, organic matter, heavy metals). It was found that the urban effluents of Mytilene contain high organic matter and suspended particle load because of septage discharge into the sewerage network. Furthermore, although the city does not host important industrial activity, its effluents contain appreciable metal load, which is mainly associated with the particulate phase. The city effluents are discharged into the coastal marine environment and their colloidal and particulate matter after flocculation settles to the bottom, where is incorporated into the sediments. Over the years, the accumulation of organic matter and metals into the harbour mud has created a non-point pollution source in the relatively non-polluted coastal marine environment of the island. Copper and Zn were the metals which presented the higher enrichment in the sediments of the inner harbour of Mytilene.

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Fish farming in Denmark: environmental impact of regulative legislation

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1995.0365 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 31 (10) ◽

pp. 73-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

T. M. Iversen

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Freshwater Fish ◽

Aquatic Environment ◽

Action Plan ◽

Fish Farming ◽

Fish Farms ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Local Impact ◽

The Impact

The main environmental problems associated with fish farming in Denmark are attributable to the dam, the “dead reach” and nutrient and organic matter discharge. The environmental regulation of fish farming in Denmark started with the Environmental Protection Act of 1974, the Statutory Order of 1985 forbidding wet feed, and the Action Plan on the Aquatic Environment of 1987. In the case of freshwater fish farms, the latter was implemented through the measures stipulated in the 1989 Statutory Order on Fish Farms. The impact of Danish legislative measures to reduce and regulate the environmental effects of freshwater fish farms can be summarized as follows: - the number of fish farms has been reduced from about 800 in 1974 to about 500 at present; - production has tripled since 1974 and has been stable since 1989; - a change from wet to dry feed has reduced the environmental impact of the farms; - the national goals of the Action Plan on the Aquatic Environment of 1987 for reducing fish farm discharges of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus have been fulfilled. The main remaining problems are that: - the local impact of fish farms on downstream stream quality is still much too high in about 15% of cases; - the problem of the passage of migrating invertebrates and fish is still unsolved at some farms; - the problems posed by “dead reaches” are still unsolved. It is concluded that sustainable fish farming is possible in Denmark, but with the present technology production will have to be significantly reduced.

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From the Ground Up: Prairies on Reclaimed Mine Land—Impacts on Soil and Vegetation

Land ◽

10.3390/land9110455 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 455

Author(s):

Rebecca M. Swab ◽

Nicola Lorenz ◽

Nathan R. Lee ◽

Steven W. Culman ◽

Richard P. Dick

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Plant Community ◽

Prairie Restoration ◽

Native Plant ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Prairie Restorations ◽

Mine Lands ◽

The Impact

After strip mining, soils typically suffer from compaction, low nutrient availability, loss of soil organic carbon, and a compromised soil microbial community. Prairie restorations can improve ecosystem services on former agricultural lands, but prairie restorations on mine lands are relatively under-studied. This study investigated the impact of prairie restoration on mine lands, focusing on the plant community and soil properties. In southeast Ohio, 305 ha within a ~2000 ha area of former mine land was converted to native prairie through herbicide and planting between 1999–2016. Soil and vegetation sampling occurred from 2016–2018. Plant community composition shifted with prairie age, with highest native cover in the oldest prairie areas. Prairie plants were more abundant in older prairies. The oldest prairies had significantly more soil fungal biomass and higher soil microbial biomass. However, many soil properties (e.g., soil nutrients, β-glucosoidase activity, and soil organic carbon), as well as plant species diversity and richness trended higher in prairies, but were not significantly different from baseline cool-season grasslands. Overall, restoration with prairie plant communities slowly shifted soil properties, but mining disturbance was still the most significant driver in controlling soil properties. Prairie restoration on reclaimed mine land was effective in establishing a native plant community, with the associated ecosystem benefits.

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Social media reveal ecoregional variation in how weather influences visitor behavior in U.S. National Park Service units

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82145-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Emily J. Wilkins ◽

Peter D. Howe ◽

Jordan W. Smith

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

National Park Service ◽

Spatial Behavior ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Daily Maximum Temperature ◽

Daily Maximum ◽

Daily Weather ◽

Visitor Behavior ◽

Park Service ◽

The Impact

AbstractDaily weather affects total visitation to parks and protected areas, as well as visitors’ experiences. However, it is unknown if and how visitors change their spatial behavior within a park due to daily weather conditions. We investigated the impact of daily maximum temperature and precipitation on summer visitation patterns within 110 U.S. National Park Service units. We connected 489,061 geotagged Flickr photos to daily weather, as well as visitors’ elevation and distance to amenities (i.e., roads, waterbodies, parking areas, and buildings). We compared visitor behavior on cold, average, and hot days, and on days with precipitation compared to days without precipitation, across fourteen ecoregions within the continental U.S. Our results suggest daily weather impacts where visitors go within parks, and the effect of weather differs substantially by ecoregion. In most ecoregions, visitors stayed closer to infrastructure on rainy days. Temperature also affects visitors’ spatial behavior within parks, but there was not a consistent trend across ecoregions. Importantly, parks in some ecoregions contain more microclimates than others, which may allow visitors to adapt to unfavorable conditions. These findings suggest visitors’ spatial behavior in parks may change in the future due to the increasing frequency of hot summer days.

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Effect of Organic Amendment Addition on Soil Properties, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Grape Yield in Semi-Arid Vineyard Agroecosystems

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11081477 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1477

Author(s):

Antonio Marín-Martínez ◽

Alberto Sanz-Cobeña ◽

Mª Angeles Bustamante ◽

Enrique Agulló ◽

Concepción Paredes

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Organic N ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

The Impact ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Grape Yield

In semi-arid vineyard agroecosystems, highly vulnerable in the context of climate change, the soil organic matter (OM) content is crucial to the improvement of soil fertility and grape productivity. The impact of OM, from compost and animal manure, on soil properties (e.g., pH, oxidisable organic C, organic N, NH4+-N and NO3−-N), grape yield and direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in vineyards was assessed. For this purpose, two wine grape varieties were chosen and managed differently: with a rain-fed non-trellising vineyard of Monastrell, a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard of Monastrell and a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon. The studied fertiliser treatments were without organic amendments (C), sheep/goat manure (SGM) and distillery organic waste compost (DC). The SGM and DC treatments were applied at a rate of 4600 kg ha−1 (fresh weight, FW) and 5000 kg ha−1 FW, respectively. The use of organic amendments improved soil fertility and grape yield, especially in the drip-irrigated trellising vineyards. Increased CO2 emissions were coincident with higher grape yields and manure application (maximum CO2 emissions = 1518 mg C-CO2 m−2 d−1). In contrast, N2O emissions, mainly produced through nitrification, were decreased in the plots showing higher grape production (minimum N2O emissions = −0.090 mg N2O-N m−2 d−1). In all plots, the CH4 fluxes were negative during most of the experiment (−1.073−0.403 mg CH4-C m−2 d−1), indicating that these ecosystems can represent a significant sink for atmospheric CH4. According to our results, the optimal vineyard management, considering soil properties, yield and GHG mitigation together, was the use of compost in a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard with the grape variety Monastrell.

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