Article
Forestry
Ondrej Spulak, Dusan Kacalek, Jan Bartos, Jan Leugner
Summary: The characteristics of different forest canopies and their litter contribute to variations in forest-floor properties. This study examined the organic layers and topsoil in three study sites with mixed treatments including beech-spruce, beech-fir, spruce-fir, and pure beech and spruce treatments. The age of the forest stands ranged from 11 to 15 years, and the forest floors were new without influence from previous humus. The mineral soil was affected by previous fertilization, resulting in differences among the study sites. The early-developed forest floors showed differences between treatments with beech and the others, including variations in nutrient content and soil acidity.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Hanna Stepniewska, Robert Jankowiak, Piotr Bilanski, Georg Hausner
Summary: Members of the genus Fusarium and related genera play important roles in many ecosystems worldwide, but their impact on the structure of beech litter communities and natural regeneration of European beech is not well understood. The study found that Fusarium species richness was highest in old-growth beech-dominated forests, while abundances were higher in managed beech stands, suggesting a potential negative impact on natural beech regeneration. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that certain Fusarium species isolated from beechnuts and beech germinants could cause rot, further supporting the hypothesis of their negative role in the natural regeneration of beech.
Article
Agronomy
Karin Potthast, Alexander Tischer, Martina Herrmann, Alexander Weinhold, Kirsten Kusel, Nicole M. van Dam, Beate Michalzik
Summary: The study found that aphids significantly increase inputs of OC within throughfall. Honeydew on infested leaves had little impact on total phyllosphere bacterial abundances, but did affect the community structure. In all soil compartments, cold-water extractable OC pools declined significantly due to frequent inputs of readily available OC, potentially related to reductions in rhizodepositions and altered microbial processing.
Article
Soil Science
Roberta Pastorelli, Virginia Costagli, Claudia Forte, Carlo Viti, Bianca Rompato, Giulia Nannini, Giacomo Certini
Summary: In a mountain forest in Italy, the study found little evidence to support the home-field advantage hypothesis, with the chemical composition being the main factor affecting the early stages of litter decomposition. Tree species and soil properties play a crucial role in the advanced stages of decomposition, controlling the assemblage and functions of the soil microbial community.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Pavel Danek, Pavel Samonil, Libor Hort
Summary: This study assessed the factors influencing the regeneration of European beech and Norway spruce in mixed old-growth mountain forests. It found that beech regeneration was more successful in litter-rich microsites and drier soils, while spruce was more common in deadwood and moister soils. Both species showed an ability to modify their environment to favor their own regeneration, with beech being more successful than spruce under current conditions.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Mycology
Marco Alexandre Guerreiro, Stephan Kambach, Raphael Stoll, Andreas Brachmann, Juergen Senker, Dominik Begerow, Derek Persoh
Summary: In forest ecosystems, decomposition plays a crucial role in carbon and nutrient cycling. This study aimed to characterize chemical shifts during decomposition and link them to changes in decomposer fungal activity. By using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers analyzed the chemical composition of freshly fallen autumn leaves and the corresponding leaf litter after 1 year of decomposition. They also assessed the composition and transcriptional activity of fungal communities in the litter samples. The study found that chemical composition of the leaves changed with decomposition, and the fungal communities were functionally redundant in terms of litter degrading enzymes. Fungal genera Mycena and Chalara were found to correlate with the transcription of litter-degrading enzymes in the 1-year-old litter.
MYCOLOGICAL PROGRESS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Florian Achilles, Alexander Tischer, Markus Bernhardt-Roemermann, Ines Chmara, Mareike Achilles, Beate Michalzik
Summary: The study revealed significant differences between coniferous stands and European beech under moderate N deposition rates, with higher water fluxes and concentrations of nitrate nitrogen and sulfate ions in the deeper mineral soil of coniferous stands. In European beech, foliar litter fall was found to be the main pathway for nutrient return, while at coniferous stands, the input of base cations through litter fall and depositions were at the same magnitude.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juyan Cui, Xiaochun Yuan, Qiufang Zhang, Jiacong Zhou, Kaimiao Lin, Jianguo Xu, Yaozhong Zeng, Yue Wu, Lei Cheng, Quanxin Zeng, Kongcan Mei, Yuehmin Chen
Summary: Nutrient addition, especially nitrogen, has significant impacts on belowground microbial diversity and community structure in subtropical forests. Bacterial alpha-diversity decreased significantly in subsoil with high nitrogen addition. Soil dissolved organic carbon decreased significantly after high nitrogen addition, while available nitrogen declined significantly after low nitrogen addition. Soil dissolved organic carbon was found to be the dominant factor influencing soil bacterial community composition, while available nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen were the best predictors of soil fungal community structure dynamics. These results provide evidence of shifts in soil microbial community structure in response to increasing nitrogen deposition in acidic subtropical forests.
Article
Soil Science
D. A. Terekhova, M. A. Smirnova, A. P. Geraskina, O. V. Shopina, A. I. Kuznetsova, I. M. Bavshin, G. V. Klink, P. R. Enchilik, V. R. Khokhryakov, M. I. Gerasimova, I. N. Semenkov
Summary: Natural reforestation on abandoned arable lands triggers changes in soil organic matter and the abundance, biomass, and taxonomic structure of soil macrofauna. Understanding the dynamics of soil properties, organic matter stocks, and the role of macrofauna in this process is crucial for predicting ecosystem changes and carbon sequestration. A study in Russia's Smolensk Lakeland National Park examined the carbon stocks, soil morphological properties, and macrofauna composition in different stages of pine forest restoration. The results showed that the composition of soil macrofauna changes with the substitution of meadow communities by forest ones, and the biomass of saprophages is negatively correlated with carbon stock in forest soils.
EURASIAN SOIL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Adriano Sofo, Augusto Zanella, Jean-Francois Ponge
Summary: The paper highlights the vulnerability of soils and crops to climate change and environmental stresses, and identifies threats to soil biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural systems. It discusses various topics including the contentious nature of soil organic matter, soil biological quality/fertility, soil classification, and sustainable agricultural practices. The overall emphasis is on advocating for better stewardship of agricultural soils as a natural capital.
SOIL USE AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Miquel Ferrin, Laura Marquez, Henning Petersen, Sandrine Salmon, Jean-Francois Ponge, Miquel Arnedo, Bridget Emmett, Claus Beier, Inger K. Schmidt, Albert Tietema, Paolo Angelis, Dario Liberati, Edit Kovacs-Lang, Gyorgy Kroel-Dulay, Marc Estiarte, Mireia Bartrons, Josep Penuelas, Guille Peguero
Summary: This study investigated the adaptive evolution and community responses of springtail populations, a dominant group of soil fauna, under different climatic conditions. The results showed convergent evolution of different springtail species adapting to different soil depths, and the importance of aridity in selecting traits related to soil-dwelling lifestyles.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Biographical-Item
Soil Science
Jean-Marc Thibaud, Laurent Palka, Jean-Francois Ponge
BIOLOGY AND FERTILITY OF SOILS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
David Sebag, Eric P. Verrecchia, Thierry Adatte, Michael Aubert, Guillaume Cailleau, Thibaud Decaens, Isabelle Kowalewski, Jean Trap, Fabrice Bureau, Mickael Hedde
Summary: This study aimed to assess the stability of soil organic matter (SOM) pools by characterizing the grain size fractions from forest litters and topsoils using Rock-Eval (R) thermal analysis. The results showed that microbial activity and interactions between organic matter and mineral matrix are important factors affecting carbon storage and stability in soil.
Article
Agronomy
Qing-Wei Wang, Marta Pieriste, Titta K. Kotilainen, Estelle Forey, Matthieu Chauvat, Hiroko Kurokawa, T. Matthew Robson, Alan G. Jones
Summary: Photodegradation, especially driven by blue light, significantly contributes to litter decomposition. UV radiation has limited impact globally but is important in specific environments. Litter traits and environmental factors influence the rate of photodegradation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Manoa Raminoarison, Eric Blanchart, Tantely Razafimbelo, Laurent Thuries, Jean Trap
Summary: This study aimed to understand the characteristics of fertilization resources and their effects on carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soil. The nutrient contents and biochemical quality of fertilization resources from local farmers, laboratory institutions, and commercial producers were evaluated. The findings provide a basic understanding of the application of fertilization resources to improve soil functions and crop productivity.
Article
Soil Science
Apolline Auclerc, Lea Beaumelle, Sandra Barantal, Matthieu Chauvat, Jerome Corte, Tania De Almeida, Anne-Maimiti Dulaurentg, Thierry Dutoit, Sophie Joimel, Geoffroy Sere, Olivier Blight
Summary: Ecological engineering in degraded ecosystems often manipulates plants and soil biota for restoration. However, soil invertebrates have been underused in restoration efforts, despite their important role in soil ecological processes and plant-soil feedback. This review highlights the potential of using soil invertebrate functional traits for ecosystem restoration, focusing on traits related to nutrient and carbon cycling, pollutant detoxification, soil structure arrangement, and biological control. The paper proposes guidelines for integrating soil organism traits into ecological engineering and identifies knowledge gaps and limitations.
Article
Soil Science
Margot Brondani, Claude Plassard, Estelle Ramstein, Arthur Cousson, Mickael Hedde, Laetitia Bernard, Jean Trap
Summary: This study determined the effects of bacterial-feeding nematodes on soil bacterial communities and Pinus pinaster growth and nutrition. Traits were found to explain soil and plant function better than species identity or life strategy groups.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Estelle Forey, Sherri Y. F. Lodhar, Stephen D. Galvin, John H. Lowry, Sunil Gopaul, Geon Hanson, Marta Carboni, Matthieu Chauvat, Hans Juergen Boehmer
Summary: Biological invasions have detrimental effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical islands. This study focused on the non-native palm species, Pinanga coronata, and examined its impact on the taxonomic and functional assemblages of understory plant species in a Fijian rainforest. The results showed that an increase in P. coronata density led to a significant decrease in taxonomic diversity and functional richness of the plant communities. Moreover, the resident species adapted to the competition by converging towards more competitive strategies. This study highlights the strong filtering effect of P. coronata on species loss and functional changes in the ecosystem.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ella Z. Daly, Olivier Chabrerie, Francois Massol, Benoit Facon, Manon C. M. Hess, Aurelie Tasiemski, Frederic Grandjean, Matthieu Chauvat, Frederique Viard, Estelle Forey, Laurent Folcher, Elise Buisson, Thomas Boivin, Sylvie Baltora-Rosset, Romain Ulmer, Patricia Gibert, Gabrielle Thiebaut, Jelena H. Pantel, Tina Heger, David M. Richardson, David Renault
Summary: With the increasing level of biological invasions in the Anthropocene, there is still significant debate and lack of clarity on the determinants of success, impact, and sustaining mechanisms of introduced species. Empirical studies show divergent impacts and effects of biotic and abiotic factors, hindering the creation of a unified theory. The proposed synthesis categorizes invasion hypotheses along a timeline, providing a framework to navigate the theories and select appropriate concepts based on the stage of invasion.
Article
Ecology
F. Molleman, N. Rossignol, J. F. Ponge, G. Peres, D. Cluzeau, N. Ruiz-Camacho, J. Cortet, C. Pernin, C. Villenave, A. Prinzing
Summary: Phylogenetically closely related plant species often share similar trait states, but local assembly may favor dissimilar relatives and thereby decouple the diversity of a trait from the diversity of phylogenetic lineages. Associated fauna might either benefit from or suffer from plant trait diversity. We hypothesize that the decoupling of trait and phylogenetic diversity weakens the relationship between plant-trait diversity and the abundance and diversity of associated fauna.
Article
Agronomy
Feng Sun, Sekou F. M. Coulibaly, Nathalie Cheviron, Christian Mougin, Mickael Hedde, Pierre-Alain Maron, Sylvie Recous, Jean Trap, Cecile Villenave, Matthieu Chauvat
Summary: Agroecology practices can induce positive changes in soil properties and influence soil biodiversity and functioning. However, more research is needed to understand the effects of agroecology practices on soil biology and to what extent they benefit soil functioning and ecosystem services. Understanding soil biological activities under different agroecology practices is important for predicting carbon cycling in agroecosystems.
Article
Agronomy
Anne-Maimiti Dulaurent, David Houben, Nicolas Honvault, Michel-Pierre Faucon, Matthieu Chauvat
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of conservation agriculture on soil mesofauna and macrofauna communities. The results showed that conservation agriculture systems had significant effects on soil mesofauna and macrofauna communities compared to conventional systems. Conservation agriculture systems could improve the abundance of earthworms and Collembola, providing an innovative opportunity for sustainable crop production through the preservation of soil fauna.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anton M. Potapov, Carlos A. Guerra, Johan van den Hoogen, Anatoly Babenko, Bruno C. Bellini, Matty P. Berg, Steven L. Chown, Louis Deharveng, Lubomir Kovac, Natalia A. Kuznetsova, Jean-Francois Ponge, Mikhail B. Potapov, David J. Russell, Douglas Alexandre, Juha M. Alatalo, Javier I. Arbea, Ipsa Bandyopadhyaya, Veronica Bernava, Stef Bokhorst, Thomas Bolger, Gabriela Castano-Meneses, Matthieu Chauvat, Ting-Wen Chen, Mathilde Chomel, Aimee T. Classen, Jerome Cortet, Peter Cuchta, Ana Manuela de la Pedrosa, Susana S. D. Ferreira, Cristina Fiera, Juliane Filser, Oscar Franken, Saori Fujii, Essivi Gagnon Koudji, Meixiang Gao, Benoit Gendreau-Berthiaume, Diego F. Gomez-Pamies, Michelle Greve, I. Tanya Handa, Charlene Heiniger, Martin Holmstrup, Pablo Homet, Mari Ivask, Charlene Janion-Scheepers, Malte Jochum, Sophie Joimel, Bruna Claudia S. Jorge, Edite Jucevica, Olga Ferlian, Luis Carlos Iunes de Oliveira Filho, Osmar Klauberg-Filho, Dilmar Baretta, Eveline J. Krab, Annely Kuu, Estevam C. A. de Lima, Dunmei Lin, Zoe Lindo, Amy Liu, Jing-Zhong Lu, Maria Jose Lucianez, Michael T. Marx, Matthew A. McCary, Maria A. Minor, Taizo Nakamori, Ilaria Negri, Raul Ochoa-Hueso, Jose G. Palacios-Vargas, Melanie M. Pollierer, Pascal Querner, Natalia Raschmanova, Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid, Laura J. Raymond-Leonard, Laurent Rousseau, Ruslan A. Saifutdinov, Sandrine Salmon, Emma J. Sayer, Nicole Scheunemann, Cornelia Scholz, Julia Seeber, Yulia B. Shveenkova, Sophya K. Stebaeva, Maria Sterzynska, Xin Sun, Winda I. Susanti, Anastasia A. Taskaeva, Madhav P. Thakur, Maria A. Tsiafouli, Matthew S. Turnbull, Mthokozisi N. Twala, Alexei V. Uvarov, Lisa A. Venier, Lina A. Widenfalk, Bruna R. Winck, Daniel Winkler, Donghui Wu, Zhijing Xie, Rui Yin, Douglas Zeppelini, Thomas W. Crowther, Nico Eisenhauer, Stefan Scheu
Summary: Soil life plays a crucial role in maintaining the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Among soil arthropods, springtails are highly abundant and they regulate soil fertility and energy flow in above- and belowground food webs. However, we currently have limited knowledge about the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, as well as their relationship with energy fluxes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Soil Science
Augusto Zanella, Jean-Francois Ponge, Bernard Jabiol, Bas Van Delft, Rein De Waal, Klaus Katzensteiner, Eckart Kolb, Nicolas Bernier, Giacomo Mei, Manuel Blouin, Jerome Juilleret, Noemie Pousse, Silvia Stanchi, Fernando Cesario, Renee-Claire Le Bayon, Dylan Tatti, Silvia Chersich, Luca Carollo, Michael Englisch, Anna Schroetter, Judith Schaufler, Eleonora Bonifacio, Ines Fritz, Adriano Sofo, Stephane Bazot, Jean-Christophe Lata, Jean-Francois Iffly, Carlos E. Wetzel, Christophe Hissler, Ginevra Fabiani, Michael Aubert, Andrea Vacca, Gianluca Serra, Cristina Menta, Francesca Visentin, Nathalie Cools, Cristian Bolzonella, Lorenzo Frizzera, Roberto Zampedri, Mauro Tomasi, Paola Galvan, Przemyslaw Charzynski, Elina Zakharchenko, Seyed Mohammad Waez-Mousavi, Jean-Jacques Brun, Roberto Menardi, Fausto Fontanella, Nicola Zaminato, Silvio Carollo, Alessio Brandolese, Michele Bertelle, Gaetan Zanella, Thomas Bronner, Ulfert Graefe, Herbert Hager
Summary: This article emphasizes the importance of a standardized classification of humipedons and provides a morpho-functional taxonomy for better understanding and management of soil ecosystems. By measuring and recognizing diagnostic horizons, different humus systems and forms can be identified.
Article
Soil Science
C. Beraud, F. Piola, J. Gervaix, G. Meiffren, C. Creuze des Chatelliers, A. Delort, C. Boisselet, S. Poussineau, E. Lacroix, A. A. M. Cantarel
Summary: This study investigated the soil factors influencing the development of biological denitrification inhibition (BDI) and found that initial soil moisture, ammonium concentration, and the initial abundance of certain microbial genes play significant roles in BDI development. Additionally, the research highlighted the relevance of biotic factors in explaining BDI and proposed the use of procyanidin concentration from plant belowground system as a new proxy for measuring BDI intensity.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Yizhu Qiao, Tingting Wang, Qiwei Huang, Hanyue Guo, He Zhang, Qicheng Xu, Qirong Shen, Ning Ling
Summary: Soil microbial community coalescence, the mixing and interaction of microbial communities, has been found to enhance the stability and complexity of rhizobacterial networks, leading to improved plant health and biomass. This study investigated the effects of different degrees of bacterial community coalescence on plant disease resistance by mixing soils from healthy and diseased habitats for watermelon planting. The results showed that mixing in more healthy soil reduced the plant disease index and increased biomass by improving the stability and complexity of the rhizobacterial network. Core taxa Nitrospirillum and Singulisphaera were enriched in the rhizosphere from healthy soils and played important roles in disease suppression and regulating the positive cohesion and modularity of the networks. Overall, these findings provide insights into the potential mechanism of microbial community coalescence for improving plant microbial community function and suggest new tools for enhancing plant fitness via soil microbiota mixing.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Mengqiu He, Shending Chen, Lei Meng, Xiaoqian Dan, Wenjie Wang, Qinying Zhu, Zucong Cai, Jinbo Zhang, Pierfrancesco Nardi, Christoph Mueller
Summary: Maize genotypes directly affect gene expression and nitrogen uptake capacity. The feedback between maize genotypes and soil nitrogen transformations, as well as their regulations on nitrogen uptake capacity, have been studied. The findings suggest that maize genotypes play a central role in regulating these feedbacks, which are important for maize breeding and enhancing maize production.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Ke Shi, Jiahui Liao, Xiaoming Zou, Han Y. H. Chen, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Zhengming Yan, Tingting Ren, Honghua Ruan
Summary: Through rewilding, microbial extracellular and cellular residues can continuously accumulate in soils and significantly contribute to soil organic carbon sequestration. Extracellular residues are mainly driven by fine root biomass, while cellular residues are mainly driven by soil nitrogen and organic carbon content.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Sensen Chen, Ying Teng, Yongming Luo, Eiko Kuramae, Wenjie Ren
Summary: This study comprehensively assesses the effects of NMs on the soil microbiome through a global meta-analysis. The results reveal significant negative impacts of NMs on soil microbial diversity, biomass, activity, and function. Metal NMs, especially Ag NMs, have the most pronounced negative effects on various soil microbial community metrics.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Shareen K. D. Sanders, Gerard Martinez-De Leon, Ludovico Formenti, Madhav P. Thakur
Summary: Collembolans, the diverse group of soil invertebrates, are affected by anthropogenic climate warming, which alters their diversity and density. In addition to abiotic stressors, changes in food availability, specifically the abundance of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi, influence Collembola responses to climate warming. Collembolans prefer saprotrophic fungi but rely on mycorrhizal fungi when food sources are scarce. Understanding the mechanisms behind these dietary shifts in warm-dry and warm-wet soil conditions is crucial for predicting the impact of climate change on Collembola-fungal interactions.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Wimonsiri Pingthaisong, Sergey Blagodatsky, Patma Vityakon, Georg Cadisch
Summary: A study found that mixing high-C/N ratio rice straw with low-C/N ratio groundnut stover can improve the chemical composition of the input, stimulate microbial growth, decrease the loss of residue-derived carbon in the soil, and reduce native soil carbon and nitrogen consumption.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Jiachen Wang, Jie Zhao, Rong Yang, Xin Liu, Xuyuan Zhang, Wei Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan, Kelin Wang
Summary: Nitrogen is vital for ecosystem productivity, restoration, and succession processes. This study found that legume intercropping was more effective than chemical nitrogen fertilizers in promoting the complexity and stability of the soil micro-food web, as it increased microbial and nematode communities and enhanced energy flow patterns.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)