scholarly journals Global earthworm distribution and activity windows based on soil hydromechanical constraints

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siul A. Ruiz ◽  
Samuel Bickel ◽  
Dani Or

AbstractEarthworm activity modifies soil structure and promotes important hydrological ecosystem functions for agricultural systems. Earthworms use their flexible hydroskeleton to burrow and expand biopores. Hence, their activity is constrained by soil hydromechanical conditions that permit deformation at earthworm’s maximal hydroskeletal pressure (≈200kPa). A mechanistic biophysical model is developed here to link the biomechanical limits of earthworm burrowing with soil moisture and texture to predict soil conditions that permit bioturbation across biomes. We include additional constraints that exclude earthworm activity such as freezing temperatures, low soil pH, and high sand content to develop the first predictive global map of earthworm habitats in good agreement with observed earthworm occurrence patterns. Earthworm activity is strongly constrained by seasonal dynamics that vary across latitudes largely due to soil hydromechanical status. The mechanistic model delineates the potential for earthworm migration via connectivity of hospitable sites and highlights regions sensitive to climate.

Author(s):  
Charles J. Oswald

Measurements made on a long span reinforced concrete arch culvert under 7.3 m (24 ft) of silty clay backfill were compared with results from finite-element analyses of the soil-structure system using the CANDE finite-element code. The culvert strains and deflections and the soil pressure on the culvert were measured during construction and during the following 2.5 years at three instrumented cross sections. The CANDE program was modified to account for the effects of concrete creep and shrinkage strains after it was noted that the measured postconstruction culvert deflection and strains increased significantly whereas the measured soil pressure on the culvert remained relatively constant. Good agreement was generally obtained between measured and calculated values of the culvert strain and deflection and the soil pressure during the entire monitoring period after the code was modified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann G. Zaller ◽  
Maureen Weber ◽  
Michael Maderthaner ◽  
Edith Gruber ◽  
Eszter Takács ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are among the most often used pesticides. The hundreds of GBHs used worldwide consist of the active ingredient (AI) glyphosate in form of different salts, possibly other AIs, and various mostly undisclosed co-formulants. Pesticide risk assessments are commonly performed using single AIs or GBHs at standard soil conditions without vegetation. In a greenhouse experiment, we established a weed population with common amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus) to examine the effects of three GBHs (Roundup LB Plus, Roundup PowerFlex, Touchdown Quattro) and their corresponding AIs (salts of glyphosate isopropylammonium, potassium, diammonium) on the activity and physiological biomarkers (glutathione S-transferase, GST; acetylcholine esterase, AChE) of an ecologically relevant earthworm species (Lumbricus terrestris). GBHs and AIs were applied at recommended doses; hand weeding served as control. Experiments were established with two soil types differing in organic matter content (SOM; 3.0% vs. 4.1%) and other properties. Results Earthworm activity (casting and movement activity) decreased after application of glyphosate formulations or active ingredients compared to hand weeding. We found no consistent pattern that formulations had either higher or lower effects on earthworm activity than their active ingredients; rather, differences were substance-specific. Earthworm activity was little affected by soil organic matter levels. Biomarkers remained unaffected by weed control types; GST but not AChE was decreased under high SOM. Water infiltration after a simulated heavy rainfall was interactively affected by weed control types and SOM. Leachate amount was higher after application of formulations than active ingredients and was higher under low SOM. Glyphosate concentrations in soil and leachate were strongly affected by application of formulations or active ingredients and varied with SOM (significant weed control type x SOM interaction). Conclusions We found that both commercial formulations and pure active ingredients can influence earthworms with consequences on important soil functions. Glyphosate products showed increased, reduced or similar effects than pure glyphosate on particular soil functions; soil properties can substantially alter this. Especially at lower SOM, heavy rainfalls could lead to more glyphosate leaching into water bodies. A full disclosure of co-formulants would be necessary to further decipher their specific contributions to these inconsistent effects.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 939
Author(s):  
Qiang Chen ◽  
Xingyi Zhang ◽  
Li Sun ◽  
Jianhua Ren ◽  
Yaru Yuan ◽  
...  

Tillage practices are critical for sustaining soil quality necessary for successful crop growth and productivity, but there are only few studies for strip tillage (ST) in the Mollisols region of Northeast China at present. A long-term (≥10-year) study was carried out to investigate the influence of within the tilled row (IR) and between rows (BR) in ST (10-year), conventional tillage (CT, 14-year) and no tillage (NT, 14-year) treatments on soil physicochemical properties. Soil samples were taken in May of 2019 at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm depths and used to analyze bulk density (BD), soil aggregate distribution and stability, and soil organic carbon (SOC). Meanwhile, our study also explored the differences in seed emergence, soil moisture, and temperature during the seed emergence period, and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) among the different treatments. Similar soil properties were observed between ST-BR and NT, which showed they had a significantly greater BD, >0.25 mm water stable aggregate content (WR0.25) (especially in the amount of >2 mm and 1–2 mm size proportion), aggregate stability, and SOC than ST-IR and CT-IR at a depth of 0–20 cm. By improving soil conditions of seedbed, ST-IR and CT-IR increased soil temperature above NT by 1.64 °C and 1.80 °C, respectively, and ST-IR had a slight greater soil moisture than CT-IR in the top 10 cm layer during the seed emergence period. Late maize seed emergence was observed NT in than ST-IR and CT-IR and the average annual yields in ST were slightly greater than NT and CT, but the differences were not significant. Our results also showed that CT-BR had a poor soil structure and lower SOC than other treatments at 0–30 cm depth. We conclude from these long-term experimental results that ST could improve soil water-heat conditions to promote seed germination, maintain soil structure, and increase the maize yield and it should be applied in the Mollisols region of Northeast China.


2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2093-2099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wilcock ◽  
Sandy Elliott ◽  
Neale Hudson ◽  
Stephanie Parkyn ◽  
John Quinn

New Zealand is unique in that half of its national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory derives from agriculture - predominantly as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), in a 2:1 ratio. The remaining GHG emissions predominantly comprise carbon dioxide (CO2) deriving from energy and industry sources. Proposed strategies to mitigate emissions of CH4 and N2O from pastoral agriculture in New Zealand are: (1) utilising extensive and riparian afforestation of pasture to achieve CO2 uptake (carbon sequestration); (2) management of nitrogen through budgeting and/or the use of nitrification inhibitors, and minimizing soil anoxia to reduce N2O emissions; and (3) utilisation of alternative waste treatment technologies to minimise emissions of CH4. These mitigation measures have associated co-benefits and co-costs (disadvantages) for rivers, streams and lakes because they affect land use, runoff loads, and receiving water and habitat quality. Extensive afforestation results in lower specific yields (exports) of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), suspended sediment (SS) and faecal matter and also has benefits for stream habitat quality by improving stream temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH regimes through greater shading, and the supply of woody debris and terrestrial food resources. Riparian afforestation does not achieve the same reductions in exports as extensive afforestation but can achieve reductions in concentrations of N, P, SS and faecal organisms. Extensive afforestation of pasture leads to reduced water yields and stream flows. Both afforestation measures produce intermittent disturbances to waterways during forestry operations (logging and thinning), resulting in sediment release from channel re-stabilisation and localised flooding, including formation of debris dams at culverts. Soil and fertiliser management benefits aquatic ecosystems by reducing N exports but the use of nitrification inhibitors, viz. dicyandiamide (DCD), to achieve this may under some circumstances impair wetland function to intercept and remove nitrate from drainage water, or even add to the overall N loading to waterways. DCD is water soluble and degrades rapidly in warm soil conditions. The recommended application rate of 10 kg DCD/ha corresponds to 6 kg N/ha and may be exceeded in warm climates. Of the N2O produced by agricultural systems, approximately 30% is emitted from indirect sources, which are waterways draining agriculture. It is important therefore to focus strategies for managing N inputs to agricultural systems generally to reduce inputs to wetlands and streams where these might be reduced to N2O. Waste management options include utilizing the CH4 resource produced in farm waste treatment ponds as a source of energy, with conversion to CO2 via combustion achieving a 21-fold reduction in GHG emissions. Both of these have co-benefits for waterways as a result of reduced loadings. A conceptual model derived showing the linkages between key land management practices for greenhouse gas mitigation and key waterway values and ecosystem attributes is derived to aid resource managers making decisions affecting waterways and atmospheric GHG emissions.


1972 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1649-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Schnabel ◽  
H. Bolton Seed ◽  
J. Lysmer

abstract A procedure for modifying the time histories of seismic records for the effect of local soil conditions is presented. The method is based on a conventional one-dimensional wave-propagation approach with equivalent linear soil properties, extended to practical use for transient motions through the Fast Fourier technique. The validity of the approach is tested against the motions recorded at four soil sites and one rock site during the 1957 San Francisco earthquake. The good agreement between the computed and recorded values indicates that rock motions can be computed from motions recorded on soil deposits, and that the computed rock motions in turn can be used to predict the motion that would have been recorded under different soil and geological conditions. The method is also used to evaluate the probable rock motions in the vicinity of El Centro in the earthquake of 1940 and the ground surface motions that could have been developed on various soil conditions in the same general area.


2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismail Lazoglu

Abstract In this paper, a new mechanistic model is developed for the prediction of cutting force system in ball-end milling process. The key feature of the model includes the ability to calculate the workpiece / cutter intersection domain automatically for a given cutter location (CL) file, cutter and workpiece geometries. Moreover, an analytical approach is used to determine the instantaneous chip load and cutting forces. The model also employs a Boolean approach for given cutter, workpiece geometries, and the CL file in order to determine the surface topography and scallop height variations along the workpiece surface which can be visualized in 3-D. Some of the typical results from the model validation experiments performed on Ti-6A1-4V are also reported in the paper. Comparisons of the predicted and measured forces as well as the surface topographies show good agreement.


SPE Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (03) ◽  
pp. 1128-1139
Author(s):  
Dong-Su Park ◽  
Mun-Beom Shin ◽  
Young-Kyo Seo

Summary A good pipeline design must ensure that the heat loss is small enough for flow assurance despite unfavorable hydrate and wax depositions. The objective of this study is to experimentally verify a formula for the modified overall-heat-transfer coefficient (OHTC) that considers multilayered soil conditions for steady-state subsea pipelines. A laboratory-scale experiment is conducted to simulate the flows of cold seawater and hot crude oil inside the pipes immersed in multilayered soils at nine burial-depth rates. The obtained results are in good agreement with the data obtained by a previously derived OHTC analytical formula.


Author(s):  
Young-Sun Jang ◽  
Kwang-Ho Joo ◽  
Chong-Hak Kim

The SSI (Soil-Structure Interaction) analyses are being performed for the APR1400 (Advanced Power Reactor 1400MWe, Old name - KNGR ; Korean Next Generation Reactor) design, because the APR1400 is developed as a Standard Nuclear Power Plant concept enveloping suitable soil conditions. For the SSI analyses, SASSI program which adopts the Flexible Volume Method is used. In the SSI analyses, there can be uncertainties by Bond and De-bond problem between the structure and lateral soil elements. According to ASCE Standard 4, one method to address this concern is to assume no connectivity between structure and lateral soil over the upper half of the embedment of 20ft (6m), whichever is less. This study is performed as a part of the parametric analyses for the APR1400 seismic analyses to address the concern of the potential embedment effect on the in-structure response spectra due to connectivity between structure and lateral soil. In this study, 4 model cases are analyzed to check the potential embedment effect — Full connection, 20ft no connectivity which is defined as a minimum De-bond depth of the soil in ASCE Standard 4 and 26.5ft no connectivity between structure and lateral soil over the upper half of the embedment. Last one is full no connection for only reference. The in-structure response spectra are compared with the response spectra without considering the embedment effect.


Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 755
Author(s):  
T. G. Orton ◽  
D. E. Allen ◽  
P. M. Bloesch

Using Australian sugarcane regions as a case study, we present an approach for prediction of in-field nitrogen (N) mineralisation over a crop season. The approach builds on the statistical modelling applied in Allen et al. 2019, which demonstrated good predictive ability on data from a laboratory incubation study (an external R2 of 0.84 in a cross-validation exercise), and adjusts those mineralisation rates according to soil moisture and temperature factors. The required field soil temperature and moisture conditions were simulated using a mechanistic model for the response of soil conditions to input climate data. We investigate drivers of variability in the predicted in-season mineralised N, and compare predictions with currently implemented N fertiliser discounts, which are based on a relationship with soil organic carbon content. The main purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential use of the results in Allen et al. (2019) for calculating predictions of in-season mineralised N that could be applicable under field conditions in the Australian sugarcane regions. A thorough test to properly validate predictions has not yet been conducted, but collecting data to do so should be the focus of further work.


1975 ◽  
Vol 8 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Scott Russell ◽  
R Q Cannell ◽  
M J Goss

Direct drilling affects the pore size distribution in the soil, the distribution of organic debris on and within the soil, and the soil structure. These changes in turn affect the development of the root system of the crop, with consequential changes on its nutrient supply and early growth.


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