The effects of human trampling on the microbiological properties of soil and vegetation in mediterranean mountain areas

Lucas‐Borja, Manuel Esteban; Bastida, Felipe; Moreno, J.L.; Nicolás, César; Andrés, María Fe; López, Fernando Rodríguez; Cerro, Antonio del

doi:10.1002/ldr.1014

Cited by 48 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In this study, organic matter, TOC, total N and total carbonates values were higher at Yeste, whereas pH and the C/N ratio were higher at Calasparra. Higher values for general soil microbial activity indicators (i.e., soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity) and extracellular enzymes (i.e., b-glucosidase and phosphatase activity) have been reported by Lucas-Borja et al (2010 in forest soil with a higher organic matter concentration. Some organic matter fractions contain readily metabolisable compounds, which can act as energy sources for microorganisms.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The Aleppo pine needles comprise a 31% content of lignin (Rovira and Vallejo, 2002;Bastida et al, 2007;Lucas-Borja et al, 2011), a material that is resistant to biodegradation, which contributes very little to the soil organic matter pool (Bastida et al, 2007). Vegetation litter with high lignin levels favours small microbial populations (Hart et al, 2005) if compared with the green, fresh material found in other studies related to herbaceous or shrubs plots (Lucas-Borja et al, 2010). For example, García et al (2005) found higher values of enzymatic activities in soils under shrubs coverage and lower values for areas without vegetation in mediterranean ecosystems, attributing these results to such enzymes induction of the rizosphere.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Brockett et al (2012) indicated that patterns in soil microbial community structure and function could be discerned across regional climates. Cover vegetation may also have an indirect effect through interactions with climate and forest cover (Lucas-Borja et al, 2010). Vegetation cover significantly impacts soil microbial processes in Mediterranean humid climates (Lucas-Borja et al, 2010) and in degraded dry Mediterranean shrublands affected by wildfires (Mayor et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cover vegetation may also have an indirect effect through interactions with climate and forest cover (Lucas-Borja et al, 2010). Vegetation cover significantly impacts soil microbial processes in Mediterranean humid climates (Lucas-Borja et al, 2010) and in degraded dry Mediterranean shrublands affected by wildfires (Mayor et al, 2009). For example, higher values of enzymatic activities and microbial biomass were found by Fterich et al (2014) under Acacia tortilis canopy cover compared to open areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Experimental site and season over-control the effect of Pinus halepensis in microbiological properties of soils under semiarid and dry conditions

Hedo

Lucas‐Borja

Wic-Baena

et al. 2015

Journal of Arid Environments

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Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Experimental site and season over-control the effect of Pinus halepensis in microbiological properties of soils under semiarid and dry conditions

Hedo

Lucas‐Borja

Wic-Baena

et al. 2015

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…This may explain the reduction in microbial biomass and DHA compared to the undisturbed habitat (Peacock, Macnaughton, & Cantu, 2001;Lucas-Borja & Bastida, 2011), and further study would be required to establish if these measures of microbial communities return to pre-disturbance conditions in the long-term. Nevertheless, the current assessment suggests that VDT is the most effective restoration method deployed at Mt Frederick.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Advanced mine restoration protocols facilitate early recovery of soil microbial biomass, activity and functional diversity

Waterhouse

Adair

Boyer

et al. 2014

Basic and Applied Ecology

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Many ecosystem restoration programmes can take over 15 years to achieve ecosystem functioning comparable to that of an unmodified ecosystem, therefore a reliable shorter-term method of assessing and monitoring ecosystem recovery is needed to ensure that recovery is following an appropriate trajectory. Soil microbes respond to environmental change relatively quickly, and shifts in microbial communities can reflect the current status of their environment. As well as potentially acting as 'indicator communities', microbes play an integral role in restoring ecosystem functions. On an active opencast mine on New Zealand's West Coast, three main restoration methods are used, differing in cost and restoration effort. They range from most expensive (1) vegetation direct transfer (VDT), to (2) biosolids-amended stockpiles that are spread and replanted, and (3) untreated stockpiles that are spread and replanted. We assessed the impacts of these methods on soil microbial communities by measuring microbial biomass, dehydrogenase activity, community level physiological profile (CLPP) and functional diversity as measured by carbon substrate utilisation, where restored sites were 5 years old or less. These measures were compared to an unmodified reference ecosystem in the same location. Microbial activity and biomass were highest in pristine habitats, followed by VDT and biosolidsamended soils, then untreated stockpile soil. When compared to all other treatments untreated stockpiled soils had significantly different CLPPs and significantly reduced microbial biomass and activity; microbial biomass was an order of magnitude lower than in pristine soils. Functional diversity and richness did not differ between pristine, VDT and biosolids-amended soils, but were higher than in untreated stockpiled soils. CLPPs did not differ between pristine habitat soil and VDT soil but biosolidsamended and untreated stockpiled soils were significantly different to pristine soil. This study has shown that soil microbial communities are a valuable tool to assess restoration progress, and that ecosystem restoration can begin in a relatively short time following investment in appropriate restoration strategy, ultimately benefiting recolonisation by plants and animals. ZusammenfassungViele Ökosystem-Renaturierungsprogramme können mehr als 15 Jahre benötigen, bevor eine Ökosystemfunktion, die mit der eines nicht modifizierten Ökosystems vergleichbar ist, erreicht wird. Darum wird eine verlässliche, früher einsetzbare Methode zur Bewertung und Überwachung der Regeneration des Ökosystems benötigt, um sicherzustellen, dass die Regeneration einen geeigneten Verlauf nimmt. Bodenmikroorganismen reagieren relativ schnell auf Umweltänderungen, und Änderungen der Mikroben-Gemeinschaften können den aktuellen Status ihrer Umwelt widerspiegeln. So wie sie potentiell B.R. Waterhouse et al. / Basic and Applied Ecology 15 (2014) 599-606 als "Indikator-Gemeinschaften" fungieren, spielen Mikroben auch eine zentrale Rolle bei der Wiederherstellung von Ökosystemfunktione...

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Using photogrammetry to create virtual permanent plots in rare and threatened plant communities

Tirrell,

Putnam,

Cianchette

et al. 2023

Appl Plant Sci

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PremiseMany plant communities across the world are undergoing changes due to climate change, human disturbance, and other threats. These community‐level changes are often tracked with the use of permanent vegetative plots, but this approach is not always feasible. As an alternative, we propose using photogrammetry, specifically photograph‐based digital surface models (DSMs) developed using structure‐from‐motion, to establish virtual permanent plots in plant communities where the use of permanent structures may not be possible.MethodsIn 2021 and 2022, we took iPhone photographs to record species presence in 1‐m2 plots distributed across alpine communities in the northeastern United States. We then compared field estimates of percent coverage with coverage estimated using DSMs.ResultsDigital surface models can provide effective, minimally invasive, and permanent records of plant species presence and percent coverage, while also allowing managers to mark survey locations virtually for long‐term monitoring. We found that percent coverage estimated from DSMs did not differ from field estimates for most species and substrates.DiscussionIn order to continue surveying efforts in areas where permanent structures or other surveying methods are not feasible, photogrammetry and structure‐from‐motion methods can provide a low‐cost approach that allows agencies to accurately survey and record sensitive plant communities through time.

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The effects of human trampling on the microbiological properties of soil and vegetation in mediterranean mountain areas

Cited by 48 publications

References 40 publications

Experimental site and season over-control the effect of Pinus halepensis in microbiological properties of soils under semiarid and dry conditions

Experimental site and season over-control the effect of Pinus halepensis in microbiological properties of soils under semiarid and dry conditions

Advanced mine restoration protocols facilitate early recovery of soil microbial biomass, activity and functional diversity

Using photogrammetry to create virtual permanent plots in rare and threatened plant communities

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