Search

An important goal of the SIGMEA project is to develop computer-based decision support systems (DSS) for the assessment of the

Udgivelsesdato: 01.05.10

In the context of work at the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO), an attempt is made to make a survey of EU supranational soil-related datasets in the EU, stemming from various sources. This work describes efforts made in the EUSO Working Group on Soil Data to find such data availability from a systematic literature search. Understanding the soil data availability due to research and innovation (R&I) investment is crucial to enhance the knowledge capacity and limit anthropogenic disturbance on soil dynamics in current global climate changes. When working at supranational scales, the international peer review literature reveals the data availability. Therefore, most research papers rely on datasets collected under supranational institutional efforts, rigorous laboratory standards and high representativeness of sample-to-population scale variability. On soils, we based all our main productive activities. Increasing our knowledge of soil properties, mapping and modelling its processes helps to quantify the capacity and define thresholds of pressures that need to be respected to prevent irreversible changes. To this end, a systematic bibliographic search was carried out using Scopus and the Web of Knowledge (WoS) and their research performance assessment tools which provide extreme value in understanding the data impact on the scientific community and the related output to the policy development and practical benefit for the society. The main objective of the present work is to prepare an inventory of the produced soil-related EU-wide data related to soil, published in the international peer review literature. A simple query was used to collect the vast majority of peer-review scientific contributions in Scopus and WoS. The search is limited to the topic areas of soil science, geomorphology, geology, agricultural sciences, ecology and other related environmental sectors. From the original search (WoS=481, Scopus=260) we identified 616 articles, with 125 duplicates. The contribution shows how to merge results from citation and abstract databases (SCOPUS and WoS). The screening process of the resulting database was carried out in collaboration with the Sub-WG data from EU projects. Practically, soil datasets were listed and counted following inclusion and exclusion criteria using the spreadsheet developed in the EUSO Working Group on soil data. Data from the bibliometric analysis were further analysed in R through the Bibliometrix R package. The metadata analysis shows that 85% of soil datasets used in publications for soil assessment at the EU scale belong to i) Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (LUCAS) soil module followed by ii) Geochemical Mapping Of Agricultural And Grazing Land Soil (GEMAS), and iii) World Soil Information Service (WoSIS)which represent the harmonized collection of legacy soil profiles. This indicates that harmonization procedures among the primary sources are still needed to increase data numerosity and improve models and estimations. In a future extension of the work, we will provide the list of publications with the related soil datasets and metadata. This work contributes to a common ground for a future EU soil data infrastructure and monitoring system (EU and national collaborations) linked to the European Soil Observatory EUSO.

A new procedure involving digital image processing and image analysis for determination of the number of individuals and size distribution of a collembolan population is presented. It is applicable to experiments conducted with a single species either on plaster or in soil. Collembolans are transferred to an even, black surface and immobilised by anaesthetisation with carbon dioxide. By scanning the surface with the collembolans, the number and size of individuals are quantified. In subsequent data treatment steps, adults and clutches of juveniles can be discriminated using an ordination or clustering technique. The method is illustrated by the weekly population development of Folsomia candida Willem in the laboratory.

The effects of eight polycyclic aromatic compounds on the survival and reproduction of the collembolan Folsomia fimetaria L. were investigated in a well-characterized Danish agricultural soil. With the exception of acridine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and neutral N-, S-, and O-monosubstituted analogues showed similar toxicities to soil collembolans when the results were expressed in relation to total soil concentrations (mg/kg). The estimated concentrations resulting in a 10% reduction of reproductive output (EC10 values) were based on measured initial concentrations and were for acridine 290 mg/kg, carbazole 10 mg/kg, dibenzofuran 19 mg/kg, dibenzothiophene 7.8 mg/kg, fluoranthene 37 mg/kg, fluorene 7.7 mg/kg, phenantrene 23 mg/kg, and pyrene 10 mg/kg. When the EC10 values were converted to soil pore-water concentrations, they showed a highly significant correlation (r2 = 0.71, p < 0.01) to no-observed-effect concentrations for the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna, as estimated by a quantitative structure activity relation (QSAR) for baseline toxicity (nonpolar narcosis). Only carbazole and acridine were more than two times more toxic (4.9 and 3.1, respectively) than expected from the Daphnia QSAR data. The latter result indicates that the toxicity of the tested substances is close to that expected for compounds with nonpolar narcosis as the mode of action. However, the relatively large uncertainties in the extrapolation method prevent final conclusions from being drawn.

In agricultural soil, a suite of anthropogenic events shape the ecosystem processes and populations. However, the impact from anthropogenic sources on the soil environment is almost exclusively assessed for chemicals, although other factors like crop and tillage practices have an important impact as well. Thus, the farming system as a whole should be evaluated and ranked according to its environmental benefits and impacts. Our starting point is a data set describing agricultural events and soil biological parameters. Using machine learning methods for inducing regression and model trees, we produce empirical models able to predict the soil quality from agricultural measures in terms of quantities describing the soil microarthropod community. We are also interested in discovering additional higher level knowledge. In particular, we have identified the most important factors influencing the population densities of springtails and mites and their biodiversity. We also identify to which agricultural actions different microarthropods react distinctly. To obtain this higher level knowledge, we employ multi-objective regression trees. ispartof: Ecological modelling vol:191 issue:1 pages:131-143 ispartof: location:SLOVENIA, Bled status: published

A data set was generated aiming to predict the toxicity of PAHs to soil organisms. Toxicity data include the effects of 16 PAHs on the survival and reproduction of the soil-dwelling springtail Folsomia fimetaria. The results show that only PAHs with reported log K-ow values less than or equal to 5.2 (i.e., naphthalene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluorene, pyrene, and fluoranthene) significantly affected the survival or reproduction of the test organisms. Threshold values for the toxicity of the individual PAHs could be expressed as pore-water concentrations by the use of reported organic carbon-normalized soil-pore-water partitioning coefficients (K-oc values). For the PAHs with a log K-ow +/- 5.2, toxicity significantly increased with increasing lipophilicity of the substances (r(2) = 0.67; p 0.012; n = 8), suggesting a narcotic mode of toxic action for most substances. However, the position of anthracene in the regression plot indicated a more specific mode of toxic action than narcosis, and removing this data point yielded the following regression equation: log EC10 (mumol/L) = -0.97 log K-ow + 4.0 (r(2) = 0.80; p = 0.006; n 7). Using this quantitative structure- activity relationship (QSAR) to calculate threshold values for the toxicity of the remaining nontoxic substances (benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, perylene, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene), the absence of toxicity could in most cases, be explained by a limited water solubility, indicating that these substances do act by narcosis as the mode of toxic action and that their toxicity is governed by concentrations in the pore-water. The results provide important input to future model predictions of the ecological risk posed by PAH contaminated sites.

In 2006, the European Council established a mandatory target of 20 % renewable energy of consumption by 2020. Part of the replacement is burning biomass for heating and electricity. ~ Whole tree biomass harvesting for biofuel combustion intensifies removal of nutrients from the by applying ash from the combustion back to the system and thus recycle the besides being rich in inorganic nutrients, ash is also very alkaline and contains heavy metals.The ASHBACK project (www.ashback.dk) is a cooperation between three Danish universities other research institutions and stake-holders that aims to investigate the consequences of returning wood ash to biofuel producing coniferous forest. We that the change in pH and increased availability of nutrients after ash application to forest floor can facilitate an increase in the bacteria to fungi ratio with possible effects for the soil food by applying ash of different concentrations to experimental plots in a coniferous forest the soil will be collected with varying intervals and subsequently analyzed. The food web included several trophic levels; bacteria/fungi, protozoa, nematodes, enchytraeids and microarthropods and arthropods. Results from 2014 indicated that bacteria and protozoa were stimulated in the uppermost soil layer (0-3 cm) two months ash application, whereas the enchytraeids seemed to be slightly negatively affected. Generally, nematodes also appeared to be negatively affected, although it differed between feeding groups. On the higher trophic levels, no effect was observed. The 2015 results, 14 months after ash application, showed a strikingly similar picture to the 2014 results, as seen on for "2 months (2014) and 14 months (2015) after ash application". Bacteria and protozoa were still stimulated by ash in the top soil layer. Generally, the nematodes seemed to be slightly negatively affected, however the bacteria feeding nematodes a bit less so. The effects had not yet transferred to the lower soil layer (3-6 cm) at the site. Sampling in 2016 and 2017 will clarify the variability of both indirect effects of wood ash application to the terrestrial food web of a coniferous forest.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is key to soil fertility, climate change mitigation, combatting land degradation, and the conservation of above- and below-ground biodiversity and associated ecosystem services like decomposition, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, detoxification and maintenance of soil physico-chemical properties. SOM dynamics represent the balance between the input of plant material (residues, root-derived materials) and the output through decomposition (OM mineralization) by organisms, erosion and leaching. Approximately 20% of global CO2 emissions, one third of global CH4 emissions and two thirds of N2O emissions originate from soils. In many soils, most of the macro-aggregate structure is formed by the activities of soil invertebrates and roots, with important consequences for soil organic matter dynamics, carbon sequestration and water infiltration at several spatial and temporal scales. Current models of SOM dynamics are defined in terms of plant residues input and microbial decomposition, overlooking the important contribution of soil fauna. The composition and activity of soil fauna greatly vary with respect to climate and land use. SOM modelling has thus far largely ignored soil fauna due to various reasons: i) hardly existing communication between [C flow centered] biogeochemistry and [organism-centered] soil ecology, ii) lack of [awareness of] data on soil animals (both in the field and from laboratory experiments) and, iii) two different visions by soil ecologists: foodweb vs. self-organization. An international interdisciplinary approach (COST Action ES1406) is the proper platform for both experimentalists and modellers to discuss and provide solutions. This Action has fostered networking and collaboration for improved SOM models by implementing the role of the soil fauna as a basis for sustainable soil management. Key challenges in SOM management, soil fauna and modelling will be addressed and how far have we got thus far to meet the objectives of this Action.

In a project investigating the ecotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), we have previously reported on the sublethal toxicity of eight PACs to springtails (Folsomia fimetaria) and enchytraeids (Enchytraeus crypticus). The model substances included four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and four N-S-O-heterocyclies. Here, new data are presented on the effects of PACs on the survival and growth of the earthworm Eisenia veneta, showing that, in general, earthworm growth was reduced at PAC concentrations above 25 mg/kg soil dry weight. The E. veneta tests were performed using the same soil type and very similar test conditions as for the F. fimetaria and E. crypticus tests, thus providing a good opportunity to compare the sensitivity of these three organisms. Species sensitivity was examined using the 50% reduction in survival (LC50 values) and no-observable-effect concentrations (NOEC values) for growth or reproduction as endpoints. The difference between the least and most sensitive species was generally much larger for LC50 values as compared to the NOEC values, suggesting a higher degree of uncertainty when extrapolating from one species to another for the LC50 data. For the NOEC data, relatively small differences in sensitivity was observed, but as a rather consistent pattern, F. fimetaria was the most sensitive and E. crypticus the least sensitive species. However, one substance (acridine) showed specific toxicity toward E. veneta, which was more sensitive than the two other species by more than one order of magnitude.