scholarly journals Linking Termite Feeding Preferences and Soil Physical Functioning in Southern-Indian Woodlands

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sougueh Cheik ◽  
Rashmi Ramesh Shanbhag ◽  
Ajay Harit ◽  
Nicolas Bottinelli ◽  
Raman Sukumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Bulk Density ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Feeding Preferences ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Odontotermes Obesus ◽  
Soil Hydraulic

Termites are undoubtedly amongst the most important soil macroinvertebrate decomposers in semi-arid environments in India. However, in this specific type of environment, the influence of termite foraging activity on soil functioning remains unexplored. Therefore, this study examines the link between the quality of litter and the functional impact of termite feeding preferences on soil properties and soil hydraulic conductivity in a deciduous forest in southern India. Different organic resources (elephant dung: “ED”, elephant grass: “EG”, acacia leaves: “AL” and layers of cardboard: “CB”) were applied on repacked soil cores. ED appeared to be the most attractive resource to Odontotermes obesus, leading to a larger amount of soil sheeting (i.e., the soil used by termites for covering the litter they consume), more numerous and larger holes in the ground and a lower soil bulk density. As a consequence, ED increased the soil hydraulic conductivity (4-fold) compared with the control soil. Thus, this study highlights that the more O. obesus prefers a substrate, the more this species impacts soil dynamics and water infiltration in the soil. This study also shows that ED can be used as an efficient substrate for accelerating the infiltration of water in southern-Indian soils, mainly through the production of galleries that are open on the soil surface, offering new perspectives on termite management in this environment.

scholarly journals Estimating hydraulic conductivity of a crusted loamy soil from beerkan experiments in a Mediterranean vineyard

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Alagna ◽  
Vincenzo Bagarello ◽  
Simone Di Prima ◽  
Fabio Guaitoli ◽  
Massimo Iovino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Rainfall Event ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Insertion Depth ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Hydraulic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. In bare soils of semi-arid areas, surface crusting is a rather common phenomenon due to the impact of raindrops. Water infiltration measurements under ponding conditions constitute a common way for an approximate characterization of crusted soils. In this study, the impact of crusting on soil hydraulic conductivity was assessed in a Mediterranean vineyard (western Sicily, Italy) under conventional tillage. The BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) algorithm was applied to the infiltration data to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of crusted and uncrusted soils. Soil hydraulic conductivity was found to vary during the year and also spatially (i.e., rows vs. inter-rows) due to crusting, tillage and vegetation cover. A 55 mm rainfall event resulted in a decrease of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, by a factor close to two in the inter-row areas, due to the formation of a crusted layer at the surface. The same rainfall event did not determine a Ks reduction in the row areas (i.e., Ks reduced by a non-significant factor of 1.05) because the vegetation cover intercepted the raindrops and therefore prevented alteration of the soil surface. The developed ring insertion methodology on crusted soil, implying pre-moistening through the periphery of the sampled surface, together with the very small insertion depth of the ring (0.01 m) prevented visible fractures. Consequently, beerkan tests carried out along and between the vine-rows and data analysis by the BEST algorithm allowed to assess crusting-dependent reductions in hydraulic conductivity with extemporaneous measurements alone. Testing the beerkan infiltration run in other crusted soils and establishing comparisons with other experimental methodologies appear advisable to increase confidence on the reliability of the method, that seems suitable to allow simple characterization of crusted soils.

scholarly journals A software to calculate soil hydraulic conductivity in internal drainage experiments (SHC, Version 2.00)

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1219-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Durval Dourado Neto ◽  
Klaus Reichardt ◽  
Adriana Lúcia da Silva ◽  
Osny Oliveira Santos Bacchi ◽  
Luis Carlos Timm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Internal Drainage ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Hydraulic

A software for the calculation of unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity K(theta) is presented for commonly used methods found in the literature, based on field experiments in which a soil profile is submitted to water infiltration followed by internal drainage. The software is available at: [email protected].

scholarly journals Assessing Water Infiltration and Soil Water Repellency in Brazilian Atlantic Forest Soils

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Esteban Lozano-Baez ◽  
Miguel Cooper ◽  
Silvio Frosini de Barros Ferraz ◽  
Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues ◽  
Laurent Lassabatere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Soil Water Repellency ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Hydraulic ◽  
Remnant Forest

This study presents the results of the soil hydraulic characterization performed under three land covers, namely pasture, 9-year-old restored forest, and remnant forest, in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Two types of infiltration tests were performed, namely tension (Mini-Disk Infiltrometer, MDI) and ponding (Beerkan) tests. MDI and Beerkan tests provided complementary information, highlighting a clear increase of the hydraulic conductivity, especially at the remnant forest plots, when moving from near-saturated to saturated conditions. In addition, measuring the unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity with different water pressure heads allowed the estimation of the macroscopic capillary length in the field. This approach, in conjunction with Beerkan measurements, allowed the design better estimates of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity under challenging field conditions, such as soil water repellency (SWR). This research also reports, for the first time, evidence of SWR in the Atlantic Forest, which affected the early stage of the infiltration process with more frequency in the remnant forest.

Libardi's method refinement for soil hydraulic conductivity measurement

Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 851 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Libardi ◽  
P. L. Libardi ◽  
K. Reichardt ◽  
K. Reichardt
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Conductivity Measurement ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Hydraulic Gradient ◽  
Saturated Soil ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Hydraulic

The method of Libardi to estimate soil hydraulic conductivity in the field, during the redistribution of soil water, is discussed and improved. It is shown that if the saturated soil water content is measured at the soil surface, values at any other depth can be calculated from the database used to compute hydraulic conductivity. Since the saturated soil water content is difficult to measure and critical to the establishment of the hydraulic conductivity functions, this is an important refinement of the method. It is also shown that the unit hydraulic gradient assumption, which is part of the methodology, does not introduce significant errors in the estimation of soil hydraulic conductivity.

Assessing Water Infiltration and Soil Water Repellency in Brazilian Atlantic Forest Soils

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Esteban Lozano-Baez ◽  
Miguel Cooper ◽  
Silvio Frosini de Barros Ferraz ◽  
Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues ◽  
Mirko Castellini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Soil Water Repellency ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Hydraulic ◽  
Remnant Forest

<p>This study presents the results of the soil hydraulic characterization performed under three land covers, namely pasture, 9-year-old restored forest, and remnant forest, in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Two types of infiltration tests were performed, namely tension (Mini-Disk Infiltrometer, MDI) and ponding (Beerkan) tests. MDI and Beerkan tests provided a complementary information, highlighting a clear increase of the hydraulic conductivity, especially at the remnant forest plots, when moving from near-saturated to saturated conditions. In addition, measuring the unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity with different water pressure heads also allowed to estimate the macroscopic capillary length in the field. This approach, in conjunction with Beerkan measurements, allowed to generate better estimates of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity under challenging field conditions, such as soil water repellency (SWR). This research also reports for the first time evidence of SWR in the Atlantic Forest, which affected the early stage of the infiltration process with more frequency in the remnant forest.</p>

scholarly journals Using Beerkan experiments to estimate hydraulic conductivity of a crusted loamy soil in a Mediterranean vineyard

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Alagna ◽  
Vincenzo Bagarello ◽  
Simone Di Prima ◽  
Fabio Guaitoli ◽  
Massimo Iovino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Rainfall Event ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Insertion Depth ◽  
Infiltration Process ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Hydraulic ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn bare soils of semi-arid areas, surface crusting is a rather common phenomenon due to the impact of raindrops. Water infiltration measurements under ponding conditions are becoming largely applied techniques for an approximate characterization of crusted soils. In this study, the impact of crusting on soil hydraulic conductivity was assessed in a Mediterranean vineyard (western Sicily, Italy) under conventional tillage. The BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) algorithm was applied to the infiltration data to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of crusted and uncrusted soils. Soil hydraulic conductivity was found to vary during the year and also spatially (i.e., rows vs. inter-rows) due to crusting, tillage and vegetation cover. A 55 mm rainfall event resulted in a decrease of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity,Ks, by a factor of 1.6 in the inter-row areas, due to the formation of a crusted layer at the surface. The same rainfall event did not determine aKsreduction in the row areas (i.e.,Ksdecreased by a non-significant factor of 1.05) because the vegetation cover intercepted the raindrops and therefore prevented alteration of the soil surface. The developed ring insertion methodology on crusted soil, implying pre-moistening through the periphery of the sampled surface, together with the very small insertion depth of the ring (0.01 m), prevented visible fractures. Consequently, Beerkan tests carried out along and between the vine-rows and data analysis by the BEST algorithm allowed to assess crusting-dependent reductions in hydraulic conductivity with extemporaneous measurements alone. The reliability of the tested technique was also confirmed by the results of the numerical simulation of the infiltration process in a crusted soil. Testing the Beerkan infiltration run in other crusted soils and establishing comparisons with other experimental methodologies appear advisable to increase confidence on the reliability of the method that seems suitable for simple characterization of crusted soils.

scholarly journals Litter Quality Affects Termite Sheeting Production and Water Infiltration in the Soil

Sociobiology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashmi R Shanbhag ◽  
Ajay Harit ◽  
Sougueh Cheik ◽  
Ekta Chaudhary ◽  
Nicolas Bottinelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Infiltration Rates ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
Odontotermes Obesus ◽  
Elephant Dung

This study aimed to understand the relationship between termite food preferences and the ecological benefits derived from their activity in terms of soil dynamics and water infiltration. A field study was carried out for six months with different food baits (elephant dung, Acacia leaves, twigs and leaves of Lantana camara as well as Ficus religiosa, Pterocarpus marsupium, Prosopis juliflora, Michelia champaca, Azadirachta indica and Hevea brasiliensis wood stakes) installed on the soil surface in a semi-deciduous forest in southern India. At the end of the experiment we determined bait consumption rates and the amount of soil sheetings covering the different baits. Water infiltration rates were also measured using the Beerkan method. The initial infiltration rates (i.e. average of the first three infiltration rates) under the baits were compared to those at the end of the experiment (average of the last three infiltration rates when the steady state was reached). Three termite species, Odontotermes obesus, O. feae and Microtermes obesi, were found associated with some of the baits in the study area. Among the different baits, elephant dung and Acacia leaves were the most preferred and a relationship was observed between the quantity of soil sheetings and the bait consumption rate. Termite preference for elephant dung and Acacia leaves was also associated with higher water infiltration rates. However, this difference was only significant at the beginning of the experiment and no significant difference was measured once the steady state was reached. In conclusion, we showed that resource quality was of primary importance for soil sheeting production but that the influence of termites on water infiltration remained limited, most likely because of the low stability of their tunnels in the soil.

Simplified estimation of unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity using bulk electrical conductivity and particle size distribution

Soil Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Neyshabouri ◽  
Mehdi Rahmati ◽  
Claude Doussan ◽  
Boshra Behroozinezhad
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Particle Size ◽  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Particle Size Distribution ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Soil Core ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Core Samples ◽  
Soil Hydraulic

Unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity K is a fundamental transfer property of soil but its measurement is costly, difficult, and time-consuming due to its large variations with water content (θ) or matric potential (h). Recently, C. Doussan and S. Ruy proposed a method/model using measurements of the electrical conductivity of soil core samples to predict K(h). This method requires the measurement or the setting of a range of matric potentials h in the core samples—a possible lengthy process requiring specialised devices. To avoid h estimation, we propose to simplify that method by introducing the particle-size distribution (PSD) of the soil as a proxy for soil pore diameters and matric potentials, with the Arya and Paris (AP) model. Tests of this simplified model (SM) with laboratory data on a broad range of soils and using the AP model with available, previously defined parameters showed that the accuracy was lower for the SM than for the original model (DR) in predicting K (RMSE of logK = 1.10 for SM v. 0.30 for DR; K in m s–1). However, accuracy was increased for SM when considering coarse- and medium-textured soils only (RMSE of logK = 0.61 for SM v. 0.26 for DR). Further tests with 51 soils from the UNSODA database and our own measurements, with estimated electrical properties, confirmed good agreement of the SM for coarse–medium-textured soils (<35–40% clay). For these textures, the SM also performed well compared with the van Genuchten–Mualem model. Error analysis of SM results and fitting of the AP parameter showed that most of the error for fine-textured soils came from poorer adequacy of the AP model’s previously defined parameters for defining the water retention curve, whereas this was much less so for coarse-textured soils. The SM, using readily accessible soil data, could be a relatively straightforward way to estimate, in situ or in the laboratory, K(h) for coarse–medium-textured soils. This requires, however, a prior check of the predictive efficacy of the AP model for the specific soil investigated, in particular for fine-textured/structured soils and when using previously defined AP parameters.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document