Response of earthworm communities to soil disturbance: Fractal dimension of soil and species’ rank-abundance curves

Duhour, Andrés; Costa, Cristina Amaro da; Momo, Fernando; Falco, Liliana B; Malacalza, Leonardo

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2009.06.004

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For bulk soils, most of studies agree that sandy soils exhibit lower fractal dimension about D p ≈ 2.4 and higher clay contents increases D p close to 3 [ 49 ]. Furthermore, some studies have provided measured data on fractal dimensions of soil surfaces to describe shape and form of natural objects as habitats of soil organisms such as micro-arthropod [ 53 , 54 ], earthworms [ 55 ], protozoa and bacterial species [ 56 ]. Especially in the work of [ 53 ], the fractal dimension is measured from two-dimensional soil sections (in mm scales) by using image analysis technique.…”

Section: Methods: Modelling Microbial Growth On Hydrated Rough Surfacmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The size of patches (size of surface pores in our model) follows a power-law distribution with D ≈ 1.4. The work of [ 55 ] also measured the surface pore size distribution of the soil sections in cm scales and showed that D ranged between 1.32 and 1.70. The fractal dimension D for surface pore size distribution in RSPM is also in the range of 1 < D < 2 and it can be connected with the surface fractal dimension describing the surface roughness [ 57 ].…”

Section: Methods: Modelling Microbial Growth On Hydrated Rough Surfacmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces

Kim

2016

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microbial life in soil is perceived as one of the most interesting ecological systems, with microbial communities exhibiting remarkable adaptability to vast dynamic environmental conditions. At the same time, it is a notoriously challenging system to understand due to its complexity including physical, chemical, and biological factors in synchrony. This study presents a spatially-resolved model of microbial dynamics on idealised rough soil surfaces represented as patches with different (roughness) properties that preserve the salient hydration physics of real surfaces. Cell level microbial interactions are considered within an individual-based formulation including dispersion and various forms of trophic dependencies (competition, mutualism). The model provides new insights into mechanisms affecting microbial community dynamics and gives rise to spontaneous formation of microbial community spatial patterns. The framework is capable of representing many interacting species and provides diversity metrics reflecting surface conditions and their evolution over time. A key feature of the model is its spatial scalability that permits representation of microbial processes from cell-level (micro-metric scales) to soil representative volumes at sub-metre scales. Several illustrative examples of microbial trophic interactions and population dynamics highlight the potential of the proposed modelling framework to quantitatively study soil microbial processes. The model is highly applicable in a wide range spanning from quantifying spatial organisation of multiple species under various hydration conditions to predicting microbial diversity residing in different soils.

show abstract

Section: Methods: Modelling Microbial Growth On Hydrated Rough Surfacmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methods: Modelling Microbial Growth On Hydrated Rough Surfacmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces

Kim

2016

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our work is inspired by a natural phenomenon. Earthworms move through soil and the common assumption is that they leave channels that help to aerate and drain the soil ( [1]). The distribution of holes left by the earthworm has crucial effects for the soil ecosystem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fractal trace of earthworms

Burdzy

Hołyst²,

Pruski³

2013

Phys. Rev. E

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigate a process of random walks of a point particle on a two-dimensional square lattice of size n×n with periodic boundary conditions. A fraction p≤20% of the lattice is occupied by holes (p represents macroporosity). A site not occupied by a hole is occupied by an obstacle. Upon a random step of the walker, a number of obstacles, M, can be pushed aside. The system approaches equilibrium in (nlnn)(2) steps. We determine the distribution of M pushed in a single move at equilibrium. The distribution F(M) is given by M(γ) where γ=-1.18 for p=0.1, decreasing to γ=-1.28 for p=0.01. Irrespective of the initial distribution of holes on the lattice, the final equilibrium distribution of holes forms a fractal with fractal dimension changing from a=1.56 for p=0.20 to a=1.42 for p=0.001 (for n=4,000). The trace of a random walker forms a distribution with expected fractal dimension 2.

show abstract

“…Duhour et al [116] NA and three agricultural systems in a gradient of years of cultivation and frequency of annual crops.…”

Section: Soil Fauna In the Pampas Agroecosystems: The Current State Omentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-Scale Agricultural Management and Soil Meso- and Macrofauna Conservation in the Argentine Pampas

Bedano

Domínguez

2016

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil is the most basic resource for sustainable agricultural production; it promotes water quality, is a key component of the biogeochemical cycles and hosts a huge diversity of organisms. However, we are not paying enough attention to soil degradation produced by land use. Modern agriculture has been successful in increasing yields but has also caused extensive environmental damage, particularly soil degradation. In the Argentine Pampas, agriculturization reached a peak with the generalized use of the no-till technological package: genetically modified soybeans tolerant to glyphosate, no-till, glyphosate, and inorganic fertilizers. This phenomenon has been widely spread in the country; the no-till package has been applied in large areas and has been used by tenants in a 60%-70% of cultivated lands. Thus, those who were involved in developing management practices may not be the same as those who will face degradation issues related to those practices. Indeed, most evidence reviewed in this paper suggests that the most widely distributed practices in the Pampas region are actually producing severe soil degradation. Biological degradation is particularly important because soil biota is involved in numerous soil processes on which soil functioning relies, affecting soil fertility and productivity. For example, soil meso-and macrofauna are especially important in nutrient cycling and in soil structure formation and maintenance, and they are key components of the network that links microbial process to the scale of fields and landscapes where ecosystem services are produced. However, the knowledge of the impact of different agricultural managements on soil meso-and macrofauna in Pampas agroecosystems is far from conclusive at this stage. The reason for this lack of definite conclusions is that this area has been given less attention than in other parts of the world; the response of soil fauna to agricultural practices is complex and taxa-dependent; and there is a wide variety of practices in the main types of agricultural systems, making generalizations difficult. A review of the existing studies on soil meso-and macrofauna in agroecosystems, revealed that (a) agricultural soils, regardless of farming system, are strongly modified in biological aspects compared to the same soils without human interventions; (b) there are no conclusive results about no-till benefits compared to reduced tillage or conventional tillage; (c) agricultural managements that are alternative to the traditional conventional systems are very poorly represented in research.

show abstract

Response of earthworm communities to soil disturbance: Fractal dimension of soil and species’ rank-abundance curves

Cited by 20 publications

References 22 publications

Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces

Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces

Fractal trace of earthworms

Large-Scale Agricultural Management and Soil Meso- and Macrofauna Conservation in the Argentine Pampas

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About