Effect of Fires on Certain Properties of Forest Soils in Western Algeria

AbstractNatural disturbances, such as forest fires, cause significant changes in the structure and functioning of semi-arid ecosystems. After such disturbances, the impact on the soil ecosystem in its entirety is misunderstood. In this study, two years after the last fire, changes in the physicochemical and biological properties of Aleppo pine forest soils in the semi-arid zone were observed. Among all physical properties analysed, only the soil moisture remained significantly lower in the burnt zone in contrast to control zone. Considering the chemical properties, the only negatively affected parameter is the rate of organic matter. In terms of biological properties, results showed that the fire caused a significant decrease in soil microorganisms by decreasing basal respiration and microbial biomass. Conversely, the metabolic quotient recorded higher values in the fire zone than in the control zone. These results indicate that microbial communities in semi-arid soils, already stressed by climatic hazards, are very sensitive to the passage of even low-intensity fires.

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Impact of water erosion on the properties of forest soils

Notulae Scientia Biologicae ◽

10.15835/nsb13210921 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 10921

Author(s):

Ayoub ALLAM ◽

Amine H. BORSALI ◽

Abdelkrim KEFIFA ◽

Mohamed ZOUIDI ◽

Anne M. FARNET DA SILVA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Soils ◽

Research Work ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Basal Respiration ◽

Control Zone ◽

Physicochemical And Biological Properties ◽

And Control

The research work was conducted on eroded soil in the Keroua forest of Saida, Algeria, whose objective is to know the changes in the physicochemical and biological properties of forest soils subjected to the effect of water erosion. The samples were taken to a depth between 0-10 cm in each zone (eroded zone and control zone). Our results show that the biological properties are the most affected by water erosion where there was a significant decrease in basal respiration and microbial biomass, which had a negative influence on the metabolic quotient (higher values in the eroded area). For chemical properties, there was an increase in organic matter and total limestone, while the pHWater decreased in the eroded zone. For the physical properties. We raised a slight difference between the two areas, but which was not statistically significant.

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The demography of desert Australia

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj07043 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 29 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Dominic Brown ◽

John Taylor ◽

Martin Bell

Keyword(s):

Economic Policy ◽

Arid Zone ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Population Projections ◽

Research Centre ◽

Arid Zones ◽

Demographic Information ◽

The Impact ◽

First Time ◽

Semi Arid

In recent years, with the formation of organisations such as the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, social science interest in the Australian desert has re-surfaced with a research emphasis that is focused on creating sustainable futures for the region. One consequence of this is a demand for detailed demographic information to allow an assessment of different quanta of need in social and economic policy, and for assessment of the impact of these in environmental policy. However, demographic analysis on human populations in the desert to date has attracted very little research attention. In this paper we begin to address this lack of analysis by focusing on the populations, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal, of the arid and semi-arid zones of Australia. We extend earlier analysis by including for the first time demographic information on the semi-arid as well as the arid zone to establish the spatial pattern of population growth within the whole desert area drawing attention to the resulting settlement structure as an outcome of prevailing social, cultural and economic conditions. By examining population structure and demographic components of population change we also present for the first time population projections for the semi-arid zone and, therefore, in combination with the arid zone, for the entire Australian desert. All of this provides a basis for considering social and economic policy implications and the nature of underlying processes that drive change in this region.

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Comparison of earthworm populations in arable and grassland fields in the Outer Western Carpathians, South Poland

Biologia ◽

10.1515/biolog-2016-0035 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Agnieszka Józefowska ◽

Anna Miechówka ◽

Jan Frouz

Keyword(s):

Chemical Properties ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Outer Western Carpathians ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Type Of Land Use ◽

Earthworm Biomass ◽

The Mean ◽

Physical And Chemical ◽

The Impact ◽

Earthworm Populations

AbstractThe impact of different geographical regions (Silesian Foothills, region 1 and Maly Beskids, region 2), and method of soil use (arable field and grassland) on the main soil properties and biological activity was studied. Earthworm biomass, density and diversity, as well as dehydrogenase activity, were analysed. Significant soil physical and chemical properties were more affected by regions, whereas the type of land use had a greater impact on the biological properties. The mean earthworm density was 213 ind. m

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Desertification Control Practices in China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12083258 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 3258

Author(s):

Yanli Lyu ◽

Peijun Shi ◽

Guoyi Han ◽

Lianyou Liu ◽

Lanlan Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Northern China ◽

Global Scale ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Arid Ecosystems ◽

Desertification Control ◽

The Impact ◽

Semi Arid

Desertification is a form of land degradation principally in semi-arid and arid areas influenced by climatic and human factors. As a country plagued by extensive sandy desertification and frequent sandstorms and dust storms, China has been trying to find ways to achieve the sustainable management of desertified lands. This paper reviewed the impact of climate change and anthropogenic activities on desertified areas, and the effort, outcome, and lessons learned from desertification control in China. Although drying and warming trends and growing population pressures exist in those areas, the expanding trend of desertified land achieved an overall reversal. In the past six decades, many efforts, including government policies, forestry, and desertification control programs, combined with eco-industrialization development, have been integrated to control the desertification in northern China. Positive human intervention including afforestation, and the rehabilitation of mobile sandy land, and water conservation have facilitated the return of arid and semi-arid ecosystems to a more balanced state. China’s practices in desertification control could provide valuable knowledge for sustainable desertified land management on a global scale.

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Impact of Intercropping Sorghum and Okra on the Incidence of Flea Beetles of Okra Podagrica spp in Dalwa, Maiduguri Semi-Arid Zone of Nigeria

International Letters of Natural Sciences ◽

10.18052/www.scipress.com/ilns.14.51 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 51-58

Author(s):

M.M. Degri ◽

I.B. Richard

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Insect Pests ◽

Arid Zone ◽

Flea Beetle ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Fruit Yield ◽

Leaf Damage ◽

The Impact ◽

Fruit Formation ◽

Semi Arid

Field experiments were conducted at faculty of Agriculture teaching and research farm, university of Maiduguri in 2010 and 2011 rainy seasons. The aim was to investigate the impact of intercropping sorghum with okra on the incidence of flea beetle of okra (Podagrica spp) in the semi-Arid zone of Nigeria. The results showed that sole crop okra suffered flea beetle attack which affected its growth, fruit formation, fruit weights and fruit yield. Intercropping okra with sorghum significantly reduced the flea beetle populations, leaf damage caused by Podagrica spp (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). While increasing number of leaves for photosynthetic activities, plant height, fruit formation, fresh fruit weight and total fruit yield. The study concluded that okra intercropping at 1:1, 1:2 and 2:2 are the most efficient and productive intercrop systems in flea beetle management. Okra intercropping with cereal sorghum was found to be good for sustainable agriculture and organic farming in Nigeria due to its numerous advantages, particularly with respect to insect pests’ control.

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Nitrogen addition pulse has minimal effect in big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) communities on the Pinedale Anticline, Wyoming (USA)

10.1101/446294 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher W. Beltz ◽

Megan L. Mobley ◽

Ingrid C. Burke

Keyword(s):

Artemisia Tridentata ◽

Forage Quality ◽

Single Pulse ◽

Nitrogen Addition ◽

Arid Ecosystems ◽

Available Nitrogen ◽

Big Sagebrush ◽

The Impact ◽

Nitrogen Additions ◽

Semi Arid

ABSTRACTNitrogen additions are known to elicit variable responses in semi-arid ecosystems, with responses increasing with precipitation. The response of semi-arid ecosystems to nitrogen are important to understand due to their large spatial extent worldwide and the global trend of increasingly available nitrogen. In this study, we evaluated the impact of a single nitrogen addition pulse on a semi-arid big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecosystem in western Wyoming. This is important given that sagebrush ecosystems are poorly understood, despite their prevalence in the western US. In addition, large-scale nitrogen additions have begun on sagebrush landscapes in Wyoming in order to mitigate population declines in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). The study objectives were (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of a nitrogen fertilization pulse in increasing sagebrush biomass and forage quality, and (2) to assess effects of nitrogen addition on soil biogeochemistry and vegetation community structure. We fertilized 15 plots across 5 locations in western Wyoming using a single pulse of urea (5.5g N m−2). In addition, we immobilized available nitrogen through surface hay treatments (250g hay/m2). Nitrogen additions failed to increase growth of sagebrush, alter nitrogen content of sagebrush leaders, or alter greenhouse gas efflux from soils. The plant community also remained unchanged; total cover, species richness, and community composition were all unaffected by our treatment application. Over the two years of this study, we did not find indications of nitrogen limitation of ecosystem processes, despite a wet growing season in 2014. Thus, we have found a general lack of response to nitrogen in sagebrush ecosystems and no treatment effect of a single pulse of N to sagebrush biomass or forage quality.

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Indicators for the physical chemical and biological filtering capacity of pesticides in pasture and orchard soils

New Zealand Plant Protection ◽

10.30843/nzpp.2009.62.4808 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 333-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. M?ller ◽

M. Deurer ◽

T. Aslam ◽

F. Rempt ◽

G. Northcott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Basal Respiration ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Physical Chemical ◽

Water Sorptivity ◽

The Impact ◽

Orchard Soils

Recently the loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) has been reported for some pastoral NZ soils The impact of decreased SOC on soil filtering capacity for pesticides was investigated using 24D The hypothesis was that in aggregated soils the filtering capacity for organic compounds depends on physical chemical and biological properties at the aggregate scale impacting water sorptivity pesticide sorption and pesticide degradation respectively and that these are related to the SOC content Indicators for these properties were identified namely the water repellency SOC content and microbial biomass and basal respiration rates Two pairs of sites with the same soil type texture landuse and climatic conditions but with significantly different SOC content within each of the pairs were selected For hydrophobic soils a SOC loss tended to have a negative impact on chemical and biological properties but a positive impact on the physical filtering capacity of aggregates for 24D

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The conservation agriculture in northwest of Morocco (Merchouch area): The impact of no-till systems on physical properties of soils in semi-arid climate

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202123400037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 234 ◽

pp. 00037

Author(s):

Abdelali El Mekkaoui ◽

Rachid Moussadek ◽

Rachid Mrabet ◽

Said Chakiri ◽

Ahmed Douaik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conservation Agriculture ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Water Retention Capacity ◽

Arid Zones ◽

Arid Environments ◽

Retention Capacity ◽

No Till ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Impact ◽

Semi Arid

Conservation agriculture (CA) is characterized by three principles: minimum tillage, even the total absence of tillage in the case of direct seeding (NT), permanent soil cover by mulch, and diversification of crops. Its main objective is to control soil degradation by conserving the physical and biological properties and fertility of the soil, which leads to an improvement in productivity, while preserving the environment. Conventional tillage (CT) used in the arid and semi-arid environments of Morocco (particularly in the study site area of Merchouch) compromise the productivity of established crops in these regions. The work presented consists in the study of the impact of NT on the physico-chemical properties of the soil, especially organic matter (SOM), bulk density (BD), soil moisture (θg), and structural stability (SS) in semi-arid zones. The results show that the use of the NT system positively influences the accumulation of SOM, especially at the soil surface horizon (0-5cm). Concerning θg, there is a significant difference between the two treatments (NT and CT) at the average of the three depths and especially at the horizon 20-40 cm so NT increases the water retention capacity. This study also shows that the mean weight diameter (MWD) of the 3 tests (water, ethanol, and rehumectation) is higher for NT compared to CT. This shows that no-till helped to build a good soil structure over time, which is highly desirable for improving agricultural productivity and conserving natural resources, especially water.

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Effects of wildfires on flora, fauna and physico-chemical properties of soil-An overview

Journal of Applied and Natural Science ◽

10.31018/jans.v6i2.550 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 887-897 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Manoj Kumar Jhariya ◽

Abhishek Raj

Keyword(s):

Forest Fires ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Fire Effects ◽

Fire Season ◽

Individual Plant ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Fire Exclusion ◽

Animal Communities ◽

The Impact

Fire is one of the most destructive threats faced by our forests. Fire is good servant but a bad master. The fire season starts in March/April continues up to June. Wildfires destroy not only flora (tree, herbs, grassland, forbs, etc.) and their diversity but also considerable long term negative impact on fauna including wild endangered species. Repeated fires can convert some shrub-lands to grass and fire exclusion converts some grassland to shrub-land and forest. Fires affect animals mainly through effects on their habitat. The extent of fire effects on animal communities generally depends on the extent of change in habitat structure and species composition caused by fire. Fire can also influence a physico-chemical property of soil including texture, color, bulk density, pH, porosity, organic matter, nutrient availability and soil biota. Drought, disease, insect infestation, overgrazing or a combination of these factors mayincrease the impact of fire on an individual plant species or communities. Common effects include plant mortality, increase flowering, seed production and numerous communal affects. Fire affected area showed reduction in species diversity both in flora and fauna. In a social context, fire directly affects people, property and infrastructure, thereby directly affecting the health and livelihood of individuals and communities.

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Drought and heatwave impacts on semi-arid ecosystems' carbon fluxes along a precipitation gradient

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2019.0519 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 375 (1810) ◽

pp. 20190519 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tarek S. El-Madany ◽

Arnaud Carrara ◽

M. Pilar Martín ◽

Gerardo Moreno ◽

Olaf Kolle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Cycle ◽

Ecosystem Respiration ◽

Carbon Fluxes ◽

Arid Ecosystems ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Precipitation Gradient ◽

Continental Scale ◽

Compound Event ◽

The Impact ◽

Semi Arid

The inter-annual variability (IAV) of the terrestrial carbon cycle is tightly linked to the variability of semi-arid ecosystems. Thus, it is of utmost importance to understand what the main meteorological drivers for the IAV of such ecosystems are, and how they respond to extreme events such as droughts and heatwaves. To shed light onto these questions, we analyse the IAV of carbon fluxes, its relation with meteorological variables, and the impact of compound drought and heatwave on the carbon cycle of two similar ecosystems, along a precipitation gradient. A four-year long dataset from 2016 to 2019 was used for the FLUXNET sites ES-LMa and ES-Abr, located in central (39°56'25″ N 5°46'28″ W) and southeastern (38°42'6″ N 6°47'9″ W) Spain. We analyse the physiological impact of compound drought and heatwave on the dominant tree species, Quercus ilex. Our results show that the gross primary productivity of the wetter ecosystem was less sensitive to changes in soil water content, compared to the dryer site. Still, the wetter ecosystem was a source of CO 2 each year, owing to large ecosystem respiration during summer; while the dry site turned into a CO 2 sink during wet years. Overall, the impact of the summertime compound event on annual CO 2 fluxes was marginal at both sites, compared to drought events during spring or autumn. This highlights that drought timing is crucial to determine the annual carbon fluxes in these semi-arid ecosystems. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Impacts of the 2018 severe drought and heatwave in Europe: from site to continental scale’.

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