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Land
Special Issues
Ecosystem Disturbances and Soil Properties
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Ecosystem Disturbances and Soil Properties

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil-Sediment-Water Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2024 | Viewed by 2196

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Víctor Fernández-García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut of Geography and Sustainability (IGD), Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Interests: remote sensing; soil science; vegetation science; wildfires; grazing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Ecological disturbances, such as landscape fires, grazing, logging or deforestation, play a major role in the structure, composition, functioning and dynamics of the ecosystem. Disturbances significantly influence the soil properties crucial to global biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning, which promote biodiversity and evolutionary adaptation. Fires, for instance, usually prevent the dominance of a few species and release the nutrients locked in vegetation, stimulating nutrient cycling and enhancing soil fertility over the short term. Grazing by herbivores also modifies soil properties directly or indirectly due to the effects of related changes in vegetation cover. The significant effects on ecosystem functioning are those related to the following domains; soil structure, which can influence water infiltration; soil nutrients, which determine soil fertility; soil carbon, as this is one of the major carbon sinks and thus a critical element in climate regulation; and soil microorganisms, microbiota and mesofauna, as these are key drivers of some of the aforementioned properties. Changing disturbance regimes due to factors such as climate change and land use alterations can profoundly affect the properties of soil. A deeper understanding of these interactions can guide sustainable land management practices and inform conservation strategies, ensuring the continued provisioning of vital ecosystem services. 

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) that provide insights regarding the impact of ecological disturbances (landscape fires and grazing) on soils, including their physical, chemical and biological properties. 

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Influence of landscape fires or grazing on soil structure.
  • Influence of landscape fires or grazing on soil chemical properties.
  • Influence of landscape fires or grazing on soil chemical biological properties. 

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Víctor Fernández-García
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wildfires
  • herbivory
  • soil structure
  • soil nutrients
  • soil carbon
  • soil biota

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1603 KiB  
Article
Soil and Vegetation Characteristics of Grassland Have a Greater Influence on the Abundance and Diversity of Earthworms than the Mowing Intensity in a Managed Nature Reserve
by Günther Kerschbaumer, Gerhard Karrer, Edith Gruber and Johann G. Zaller
Land 2024, 13(5), 627; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050627 - 7 May 2024
Viewed by 289
Abstract
Effects of mowing on vegetation parameters have been well studied. However, less is known about mowing effects on soil fauna and if soil properties alter this. We investigated earthworm communities in a long-term experiment 14 years after its establishment in 5 dry, fresh [...] Read more.
Effects of mowing on vegetation parameters have been well studied. However, less is known about mowing effects on soil fauna and if soil properties alter this. We investigated earthworm communities in a long-term experiment 14 years after its establishment in 5 dry, fresh and moist grassland plots located in the Natura 2000 site Lainzer Tiergarten near Vienna, Austria (238–402 m a.s.l., 48°10′ N, 16°12′ E). The grasslands were either mowed once a year or every second year, or not mowed since being established. Earthworms were assessed using the non-destructive octet electro-shocking method. Additionally, vegetation composition, soil conductivity, temperature and moisture were assessed. We found 13 earthworm species across all treatments, although their abundance was generally low with 6.1 ± 4.7 worms m−2. The total earthworm abundance and species diversity was higher in dry compared to fresh and moist grasslands but was not affected by mowing frequency. Endogeic earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa, Aporrectodea rosea) and epigeics (Lumbricus rubellus) were more tolerant to mowing than anecics (Lumbricus terrestris, Allolobophora longa). Since plant species richness was highest in annually mown grasslands and earthworm species richness was positively related to plant species numbers, we recommend regular, low-input management to promote above- and belowground biodiversity in these grasslands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Disturbances and Soil Properties)
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18 pages, 6623 KiB  
Article
Impact of Hillslope Agriculture on Soil Compaction and Seasonal Water Dynamics in a Temperate Vineyard
by Jasmina Defterdarović, Lana Filipović, Gabrijel Ondrašek, Igor Bogunović, Ivan Dugan, Vinod Phogat, Hailong He, Mehran Rezaei Rashti, Ehsan Tavakkoli, Thomas Baumgartl, Abolfazl Baghbani, Timothy I. McLaren and Vilim Filipović
Land 2024, 13(5), 588; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050588 - 28 Apr 2024
Viewed by 496
Abstract
Major losses of agricultural production and soils are caused by erosion, which is especially pronounced on hillslopes due to specific hydrological processes and heterogeneity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of agricultural management on the compaction, infiltration, and [...] Read more.
Major losses of agricultural production and soils are caused by erosion, which is especially pronounced on hillslopes due to specific hydrological processes and heterogeneity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of agricultural management on the compaction, infiltration, and seasonal water content dynamics of the hillslope. Measurements were made at the hilltop and footslope, i.e., soil water content and potential were measured using sensors, wick lysimeters were used to quantify water flux, while a mini-disk infiltrometer was used to measure the infiltration rate and calculate the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K_unsat). Soil texture showed differences between hillslope positions, i.e., at the hilltop after 50 cm depth, the soil is classified as silty clay loam, and from 75 cm onward, the soil is silty clay, while at the footslope, the soil is silt loam even at the deeper depths. The results show a higher K_unsat at the footslope as well as higher average water volumes collected in wick lysimeters compared to the hilltop. Average water volumes showed a statistically significant difference at p < 0.01 between the hilltop and the footslope. The soil water content and water potential sensors showed higher values at the footslope at all depths, i.e., 8.0% at 15 cm, 8.4% at 30 cm, and 27.3% at 45 cm. The results show that, even though the vineyard is located in a relatively small area, soil heterogeneity is present, affecting the water flow along the hillslope. This suggests the importance of observing water movement in the soil, especially today when facing extreme weather (e.g., short-term high-intensity rainfall events) in order to protect soil and water resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Disturbances and Soil Properties)
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Review

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17 pages, 1320 KiB  
Review
How Mediterranean Ecosystem Deals with Wildfire Impact on Soil Ecosystem Services and Functions: A Review
by Marcos Francos, Fernando Colino-Prieto and Carlos Sánchez-García
Land 2024, 13(4), 407; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13040407 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 956
Abstract
Wildfires are a common phenomenon in Mediterranean environments. This study seeks to synthesize the main results of existing studies from the last decade on this topic and to highlight the need for managing soil impacted by wildfires in the Mediterranean environment. Researchers have [...] Read more.
Wildfires are a common phenomenon in Mediterranean environments. This study seeks to synthesize the main results of existing studies from the last decade on this topic and to highlight the need for managing soil impacted by wildfires in the Mediterranean environment. Researchers have found that the impact of fire during a forest fire on the soil, and the subsequent consequences on soil ecosystem services and functions, is great and produces negative consequences for the soil. The physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil have been extensively analyzed, and a very high number of studies during the last ten years have been performed on different study areas with a common component: the Mediterranean ecosystem. However, the effects of these fires on the multifunctionality of the soil itself, ecosystem services, and soil functionality, which they provide to humans, have not. It is therefore essential to know the impact of fires in a fire-prone ecosystem such as the Mediterranean one on the soil and how these services and functions are affected. In this way, the decision can be taken to carry out restoration measures, especially after very severe forest fires and if the recurrence is high. This conclusion is even more important in the context of global change in which more severe and recurrent fires are expected, and therefore actions to be considered are expected to be more necessary to avoid land degradation, as many of the studies compiled here have shown. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Disturbances and Soil Properties)
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