Soil structure as an indicator of soil functions: A review

Rabot, Éva; Wiesmeier, Martin; Schlüter, Steffen; Vogel, Hans‐Jörg

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.11.009

Cited by 827 publications

(470 citation statements)

References 185 publications

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“…Compaction causes a reduction in the total volume of pores, and this reduction not only alters pore morphology but changes the pore size distribution (Boivin, Schäffer, Temgoua, Gratier, & Steinman, ). Therefore, the pore size and shape results obtained in this study can be useful indicators or proxies for pore connectivity and tortuosity properties, which are important for the evaluation of changes in key soil functions and services (Rabot, Wiesmeier, Schluter, & Vogel, ; Silva et al., ), such as regulation of water fluxes and soil aeration, induced by land use change and soil management practices. Although, the observation in 2D is a limitation in this instance as an assessment of pore connectivity in 3D is more appropriate for prediction of some soil functions, for example soil hydraulic behaviour.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…However, the intensive mechanization used in sugarcane fields, including soil tillage by ploughing and disking and heavy machinery traffic during mechanical harvesting degrades soil structure, affecting multiples of processes and functions in these soils (Cherubin, Karlen, Cerri, et al., ; Cherubin, Karlen, Franco, et al., ; Rabot, Wiesmeier, Schlüter, & Vogel, ). Soil structure is typically defined by the arrangement of soil particles and aggregates and the pores among the structural units, which regulates multiple processes and services such as water retention and conductivity, soil aeration, soil organic matter turnover, nutrient cycling (Six, Bossuyt, Degryze, & Denef, ), soil erodibility (Barthès & Roose, ) and plant growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil microstructure alterations induced by land use change for sugarcane expansion in Brazil

Canisares

Cherubin

Silva

et al. 2020

Soil Use and Management

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Land use change (LUC) alters soil structure and, consequently, the functions and services provided by these soils. Conversion from extensive pasture to sugarcane is one of the largest land transitions in Brazil as a result of the growth of the domestic and global demands of bioenergy. However, the impacts of sugarcane expansion on the soil structure under extensive pasture remains unclear, especially when considering changes at the microscale. We investigated whether LUC for sugarcane cultivation impacted soil microstructure quality. Undisturbed soil samples were taken from two soil layers (0–10 and 10–20 cm) under three contrasting land uses (native vegetation—NV, pasture—PA and sugarcane—SC) in three different locations in the central‐southern Brazil. Oriented thin sections (30 μm) were used for micromorphological analysis. The total area of pores decreased following the LUC in the following order: NV > PA > SC in both soil layers. The area of large complex packing pores (>0.01 mm²) also decreased with the LUC sequence: NV>PA>SC. Qualitative and semi‐quantitative micromorphological analysis confirmed porosity reduction was driven by the decrease in complex packing pores and that biological features decreased in the same LUC sequence as the quantitative parameters. Therefore, LUC for sugarcane expansion reduced microscale soil porosity, irrespectively of soil type and site‐specific conditions, indicating that the adoption of more sustainable management practices is imperative to preserve soil structure and sustain soil functions in Brazilian sugarcane fields.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil microstructure alterations induced by land use change for sugarcane expansion in Brazil

Canisares

Cherubin

Silva

et al. 2020

Soil Use and Management

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“…We found differences in the stability of M n between the soil types with low and stable M n in the sandy soil of the field site but M n increased to approximately 5% N 2 in the silt loam soil used in laboratory experiments 2 and 3. This could be attributed to soil structure, where retention of N 2 on surfaces and isolated dead‐end pores is expected to be more significant than on the sandy soil . This could lead to incomplete exchange of soil air by the pre‐flushing phase.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of the ¹⁵N gas flux method for in situ measurement of soil denitrification and its product stoichiometry

Well

Burkart

Giesemann

et al. 2019

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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Rationale Field measurement of denitrification in agricultural ecosystems using the 15N gas flux method has been limited by poor sensitivity because current isotope ratio mass spectrometry is not precise enough to detect low 15N2 fluxes in the presence of a high atmospheric N2 background. For laboratory studies, detection limits are improved by incubating soils in closed systems and under N2‐depleted atmospheres. Methods We developed a new procedure to conduct the 15N gas flux method suitable for field application using an artificially N2‐depleted atmosphere to improve the detection limit at the given precision of mass spectrometry. Laboratory experiments with and without 15N‐labelling and using different flushing strategies were conducted to develop a suitable field method. Subsequently, this method was tested in the field and results were compared with those obtained from the conventional 15N gas flux method. Results Results of the two methods were in close agreement showing that the denitrification rates determined were not biased by the flushing procedure. Best sensitivity for N2 + N2O fluxes was 10 ppb, which was 80‐fold better than that of the reference method. Further improvement can be achieved by lowering the N2 background concentration below the values established in the present study. Conclusions In view of this progress in sensitivity, the new method will be suitable to measure denitrification dynamics in the field beyond peak events.

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“…For many decades, the vast majority of the research on the topic has viewed soil structure as intimately linked with the fact that it is possible to fragment soils into distinct aggregates upon the application of mechanical stress (Rabot et al, 2018). Undoubtedly this perspective has its roots in the soil surveyors’ traditional poking of exposed soil profiles with knives, leading to the detachment of chunks of soils, called “aggregates,” whose size and shape is used to diagnose the types of pedogenetic processes that might have taken place at that location, to classify soils, and to evaluate their agronomic potential.…”

Section: Progress On the Physical Frontmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reiterating these same messages, Young et al (2001) argue that “an investigation of discrete aggregates or distributions of aggregates does not offer any spatial information. Functional traits of soil structure, at all scales, rely on the connectivity, tortuosity, and heterogeneity of pore space in 3D.” The same message is echoed in the recent thorough review of the literature by Rabot et al (2018), who conclude that “although appealing, the aggregate perspective does not seem to be the most appropriate to link soil structure with soil functions and processes.” Because of the historically close connection between “soil structure” and aggregates, Young et al (2001) propose to drop the expression of “soil structure” in favor of that, less history-laden, of “soil architecture.” This terminology has been routinely adopted since (e.g., Baveye, 2006; Lin et al, 2010; de Jonge et al, 2012; Lin, 2012; Bouckaert et al, 2013a,b; Cazelles et al, 2013; Helliwell et al, 2013; Kravchenko and Guber, 2017; San José Martínez et al, 2017) and will be used consistently in the following.…”

Section: Progress On the Physical Frontmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent Properties of Microbial Activity in Heterogeneous Soil Microenvironments: Different Research Approaches Are Slowly Converging, Yet Major Challenges Remain

et al. 2018

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Over the last 60 years, soil microbiologists have accumulated a wealth of experimental data showing that the bulk, macroscopic parameters (e.g., granulometry, pH, soil organic matter, and biomass contents) commonly used to characterize soils provide insufficient information to describe quantitatively the activity of soil microorganisms and some of its outcomes, like the emission of greenhouse gasses. Clearly, new, more appropriate macroscopic parameters are needed, which reflect better the spatial heterogeneity of soils at the microscale (i.e., the pore scale) that is commensurate with the habitat of many microorganisms. For a long time, spectroscopic and microscopic tools were lacking to quantify processes at that scale, but major technological advances over the last 15 years have made suitable equipment available to researchers. In this context, the objective of the present article is to review progress achieved to date in the significant research program that has ensued. This program can be rationalized as a sequence of steps, namely the quantification and modeling of the physical-, (bio)chemical-, and microbiological properties of soils, the integration of these different perspectives into a unified theory, its upscaling to the macroscopic scale, and, eventually, the development of new approaches to measure macroscopic soil characteristics. At this stage, significant progress has been achieved on the physical front, and to a lesser extent on the (bio)chemical one as well, both in terms of experiments and modeling. With regard to the microbial aspects, although a lot of work has been devoted to the modeling of bacterial and fungal activity in soils at the pore scale, the appropriateness of model assumptions cannot be readily assessed because of the scarcity of relevant experimental data. For significant progress to be made, it is crucial to make sure that research on the microbial components of soil systems does not keep lagging behind the work on the physical and (bio)chemical characteristics. Concerning the subsequent steps in the program, very little integration of the various disciplinary perspectives has occurred so far, and, as a result, researchers have not yet been able to tackle the scaling up to the macroscopic level. Many challenges, some of them daunting, remain on the path ahead. Fortunately, a number of these challenges may be resolved by brand new measuring equipment that will become commercially available in the very near future.

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Soil structure as an indicator of soil functions: A review

Cited by 827 publications

References 185 publications

Soil microstructure alterations induced by land use change for sugarcane expansion in Brazil

Soil microstructure alterations induced by land use change for sugarcane expansion in Brazil

Improvement of the ¹⁵N gas flux method for in situ measurement of soil denitrification and its product stoichiometry

Emergent Properties of Microbial Activity in Heterogeneous Soil Microenvironments: Different Research Approaches Are Slowly Converging, Yet Major Challenges Remain

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Soil structure as an indicator of soil functions: A review

Cited by 827 publications

References 185 publications

Soil microstructure alterations induced by land use change for sugarcane expansion in Brazil

Soil microstructure alterations induced by land use change for sugarcane expansion in Brazil

Improvement of the 15N gas flux method for in situ measurement of soil denitrification and its product stoichiometry

Emergent Properties of Microbial Activity in Heterogeneous Soil Microenvironments: Different Research Approaches Are Slowly Converging, Yet Major Challenges Remain

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Improvement of the ¹⁵N gas flux method for in situ measurement of soil denitrification and its product stoichiometry