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Soil arthropods are pivotal in maintaining soil health and serve as sensitive indicators of soil alterations. The soil arthropod community in the Mefite Geological Site (Italy), characterized by a sulphurous lake and intense degassing, was the focus of this study. In details, the objectives were: i) to characterize soil arthropod community at different distances from the Mefite lake; ii) to identify resilient taxa acting as bioindicators to assess soil ecotoxicity. Soil cores were collected at A) 30m, B) 80m, C) 120m away from the lake; soil organic matter (SOM), and pH, ecotoxicity tests (Lepidium sativum: germination index, elongation inhibition; Folsomia candida: survival, reproduction), and identification of soil arthropods (orders, Collembola families, Protura species) have been carried out. Statistical analyses assessed the impact of sulphurous emissions on soil chemistry, ecotoxicity, and arthropod parameters (community structure, taxa associations, biodiversity indices like Shannon and Simpson, and soil biological quality index – QBS-ar). The results showed: no SOM differences; pH: A

The ecological impact of windthrow disturbance on humipedons and soil microarthropod communities is examined in two areas of the Italian Alps (Val di Fassa and Cansiglio) five years after the Vaia Storm. The following soil coverage conditions were identified: herbaceous vegetation (G), decaying wood (W), no vegetation (B) in windthrow areas; and these were compared with conditions in adjacent undisturbed intact forests (IF) and, only in Val di Fassa, with permanent meadows (M). Soil pH, soil organic matter content (SOM), humus systems and microarthropod communities were analyzed. In Val di Fassa, SOM loss was observed in windthrow areas vs. IF, moving toward a Mull humus system, while G evolved toward M-like conditions, W maintained a thicker O horizon and lower pH and B exhibited severe soil erosion and the lowest SOM. In Cansiglio, windthrow areas showed a slower transition to a Mull system, with a trend toward increasing pH and decreasing SOM. A clear relationship between microarthropod communities and humus systems could not be established because the consistency and biological origins of the humus diagnostic horizons were not considered. Microarthropod communities under different conditions exhibited significant dissimilarity, with varying responses across groups; Shannon and QBS-ar indices remained stable except for a significant decrease in B. Community dissimilarity thus appears to be enhanced by post-windthrow disturbance, suggesting that destructive windstorms may also present an opportunity for enriched microarthropod diversity.

In recent years, three sections (Humipedon, Copedon and Lithopedon) were recognized in the soil profile. It was then possible to link the first and most biologically active section to the characteristics of the environment and soil genesis. In particular, it is now possible to distinguish organic horizons, mainly produced by arthropods and enchytraeids in cold and acidic or dry and arid environments, from organo-mineral horizons produced by earthworms in more temperate and mesotrophic environments. Each set of horizons can be associated with a humus system or form, with important implications for forestry. Anecic/endogeic earthworms and Mull or Amphi systems are more abundant in the early and late stages of sylvogenesis; by completely recycling litter, earthworms accelerate the availability of organic and inorganic soil nutrients to roots and pedofauna. On the other hand, arthropods and Moder or Tangel systems characterize the intermediate stages of sylvogenesis, where thickening in the organic horizons and the parallel impoverishment/reduction in the underlying organo-mineral horizons are observed. Recognizing the humus system at the right spatial and temporal scale is crucial for the biological management of a forest. This article includes a data review, new data from a doctoral thesis, and recent comparisons of Italian and French investigations.

Under the increasing global energy demand, the new European Union Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 encourages combinations of energy production systems compatible with biodiversity conservation; however, in photovoltaic parks, panels shadowing the effects on soil health and biodiversity are still unknown. This study (location: Northern Italy) aimed to evaluate the effect of ground-mounted photovoltaic (GMPV) systems on soil arthropod biodiversity, considering two parks with different vegetation management: site 1—grassland mowed with tractor; site 2—grassland managed with sheep and donkeys. Three conditions were identified in each park: under photovoltaic panel (row), between the panel rows (inter-row), and around the photovoltaic plant (control). The soil pH and organic matter (SOM), soil arthropod community, biodiversity, and soil quality index (e.g., QBS-ar index) were characterised. Differences between the two GMPVs were mainly driven by the SOM content (higher values where grazing animals were present). No differences were observed in site 1, even if a high heterogeneity of results was observed for the soil biodiversity parameters under the panels. In site 2, SOM and pH, as well as arthropods biodiversity and QBS-ar, showed low values in the row. Soil fauna assemblages were also affected by ground-mounted panels, where Acarina, Collembola, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera showed the lowest density in the row. This study suggests that ground-mounted solar panels had significant effects on below-ground soil fauna, and was more marked depending on the system management. Furthermore, the results obtained for the inter-row were similar to the control, suggesting that the area between the panel rows could be considered a good hotspot for soil biodiversity.

Plant Biostimulants (BSs) are a valid supplement to be considered for the integration of conventional fertilization practices. Research in the BS field keeps providing alternative products of various origin, which can be employed in organic and conventional agriculture. In this study, we investigated the biostimulant activity of the eluate obtained as a by-product from the industrial production of lactic acid bacteria on bare agricultural soil. Eluates utilization is in line with the circular economy principle, creating economical value for an industrial waste product. The research focused on the study of physical, chemical, biochemical, and microbiological changes occurring in agricultural soil treated with the biowaste eluate, applied at three different dosages. The final aim was to demonstrate if, and to what extent, the application of the eluate improved soil quality parameters and enhanced the presence of beneficial soil-borne microbial communities. Results indicate that a single application at the two lower dosages does not have a pronounced effect on the soil chemical parameters tested, and neither on the biochemical proprieties. Only the higher dosage applied reported an improvement in the enzymatic activities of β-glucosidase and urease and in the chemical composition, showing a higher content of total, nitric and ammonia N, total K, and higher humification rate. On the other hand, microbial communities were strongly influenced at all dosages, showing a decrease in the bacterial biodiversity and an increase in the fungal biodiversity. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that some Operative Taxonomic Units (OTUs) promoted by the eluate application, belong to known plant growth promoting microbes. Some other OTUs, negatively influenced were attributed to known plant pathogens, mainly Fusarium spp. Finally, the ecotoxicological parameters were also determined and allowed to establish that no toxic effect occurred upon eluate applications onto soil.

Chemical analyses are inadequate for assessing soil biological quality. Instead, the soil living community can be used both for monitoring and restoring soil health. The aim of this research was to verify vermiremediation efficiency in PCDD/F and PCB contaminated soils from Brescia-Caffaro (Italy), using an ecotoxicity approach. To gauge whether Caffaro soil could sustain a living community, a characterization of the arthropod community was conducted. Earthworms’ suitability for soil bioremediation was assessed applying ecotoxicity tests. Five treatments were set up: 1) contaminated soil; 2) contaminated soil + Eisenia fetida; 3) contaminated soil + Lepidium sativum; 4) contaminated soil + E. fetida + L. sativum, 5) uncontaminated soil + E. fetida. The ecotoxicity tests were: L. sativum germination index and root elongation inhibition, and Folsomia candida survival and reproduction, applied on soil and elutriate on: starter soil (T0), after 56 and 112 days (T56 and T112), the last after water percolation. Soil arthropod community was dominated by Hypogastruridae, Oribatida and, to a lesser degree, Formicidae and Coleoptera larvae. Ecotoxicity tests showed that F. candida reproduction and L. sativum root elongation were more adversely affected by pollutants than survival and germination. The higher soil ecotoxicity at T112 than at T56, suggested higher contaminant bioavailability after water addition. F. candida showed more variability between soil and elutriate than L. sativum. Both bioassays suggested earthworm treatment as the most promising. The importance of selecting different organisms in soil ecotoxicity monitoring, and the role of elutriate like a solid phase complement, was highlighted.

Conservation Agriculture includes practices focused on the conservation and the restoration of main soil features, such as organic carbon content, structure, and biological diversity and activity. Our study was conducted in three farms in North-Eastern Italy in pairs of closely located fields to compare conservation agriculture (no tillage, cover cropping) with conventional agriculture. Differences in terms of soil enzymatic activity, such as FDA and β-glucosidase through spectrophotometric analyses, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen contents, total organic carbon, and nitrogen contents with CNS Elemental Analyzer and soil arthropod community via the QBS-ar index were investigated. Enzymatic activities resulted to be readily and positively affected by conservation agriculture whereas total and microbial carbon, nitrogen contents, and microarthropod community seemed to be more dependent on the time factor. The responses to conservation agriculture differed between the three farms, pointing out that differences in soil features may drive the effectiveness of conservation management. N stock, maybe dependent on previous soil management, might be the key characteristic able to influence soil evolution in the studied conditions. The present results could be helpful to predict soil reaction to sustainable agriculture in short periods.

It was time to take stock. We modified the humipedon classification key published in 2018 to make it easier and more practical. This morpho-functional taxonomy of the topsoil (humipedon) was only available in English; we also translated it into French and Italian. A standardized morpho-functional classification of humipedons (roughly the top 30–40 cm of soil: organic and organomineral surface horizons) would allow for a better understanding of the functioning of the soil ecosystem. This paper provides the founding principles of the classification of humipedon into humus systems and forms. With the recognition of a few diagnostic horizons, all humus systems can be determined. The humus forms that make up these humus systems are revealed by measuring the thicknesses of the diagnostic horizons. In the final part of the article, several figures represent the screenshots of a mobile phone or tablet application that allows for a fast recall of the diagnostic elements of the classification in the field. The article attempts to promote a standardized classification of humipedons for a global and shared management of soil at planet level.

At the end of October 2018, the “Vaia” storm hit the eastern sector of the Italian Alps, causing major damage to forests. The resulting changes in habitat and resource availability are expected to shape the structure and abundance of soil communities. In this research, a soil arthropod community is studied one year after the catastrophic Vaia event in forests affected by the storm (W: Windthrow) to highlight the shift in the soil faunal community in a Mediterranean area increasingly impacted by climate change. Intact forests (IF) close to W were studied as a control condition and meadows (M) were considered to understand if W is moving toward a conversion to M or if the wooded character still prevails. Soil organic matter content was higher in IF than in W and M. The arthropod community was different between M and forests, both W and IF, while no differences were detected between W and IF considering the whole soil arthropod community. The Vaia catastrophic event does not appear to have radically changed the soil arthropod community and biodiversity after one year, despite upheaval to the vegetation cover, but the response is partially OTU (operative taxonomic unit)-specific. Hymenoptera adults and Coleoptera and Diptera larvae appear to be the most affected OTUs, showing lower abundance in W than IF. Conversely, Chilopoda seemed to benefit from the habitat changes, the result strongly related with the W condition. The two most present OTUs, Collembola and Acarina, were not affected by the Vaia storm. We may conclude that the soil system needs longer time to show a clear shift in the soil arthropod community.