scholarly journals Abundance and diversity of soil arthropods and fungi in shelterbelts integrated with pastures in the central tablelands of New South Wales, Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 560-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.W. Mbuthia ◽  
J.H. Shariff ◽  
A. Raman ◽  
D.S. Hodgkins ◽  
H.I. Nicol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Soil Arthropods ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
The Relationship

Shelterbelts are important for the sustainability of agriculture because they provide a variety of benefits to farmers and the society. Several published papers demonstrate that integration of shelterbelts with agroecosystems offers positive outcomes, such as better yield, more congenial microclimate, and greater organic matter levels. Nonetheless, soil biological diversity, the driver of greater organic matter levels, has not been convincingly tested and verified yet. In addressing this gap, we measured abundance and diversity of populations of arthropods and fungi in three<br />11-year old shelterbelts integrated with pasture to determine whether a correlation exists between the abundance of and diversity in populations of arthropods and fungi in two seasons: late autumn-early winter (May&ndash;June 2011) and late winter-early spring (August&ndash;September 2011). Litter from the soil surface and soil from two depths were sampled at increasing distance from the midpoint of shelterbelts for the extraction of arthropods and isolation culturing of fungi. The relationship among distance, depth and biodiversity of different groups of arthropods and fungi was analysed using linear regression. We found that over both seasons arthropod abundance in the litter and soil declined with increasing distance from the midpoint of the shelterbelts, and with soil depth. However, fungi abundance in either season was not affected by proximity to the shelterbelt but increased with greater soil depth. Distance from the shelterbelt midpoints did not bear an impact on the diversity richness of both arthropods and fungi.

Seasonal activity and estivation of lumbricid earthworms in the midlands of Tasmania

Soil Research ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
RB Garnsey
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Lumbricus Rubellus ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Cocoon Production ◽  
Density And Biomass ◽  
Earthworm Activity

Earthworms have the ability to alleviate many soil degradational problems in Australia. An attempt to optimize this resource requires fundamental understanding of earthworm ecology. This study reports the seasonal changes in earthworm populations in the Midlands of Tasmania (<600 mm rainfall p.a.), and examines, for the first time in Australia, the behaviour and survival rates of aestivating earthworms. Earthworms were sampled from 14 permanent pastures in the Midlands from May 1992 to February 1994. Earthworm activity was significantly correlated with soil moisture; maximum earthworm activity in the surface soil was evident during the wetter months of winter and early spring, followed by aestivation in the surface and subsoils during the drier summer months. The two most abundant earthworm species found in the Midlands were Aporrectodea caliginosa (maximum of 174.8 m-2 or 55.06 g m-2) and A. trapezoides (86 m-2 or 52.03 g m-2), with low numbers of Octolasion cyaneum, Lumbricus rubellus and A. rosea. The phenology of A. caliginosa relating to rainfall contrasted with that of A. trapezoides in this study. A caliginosa was particularly dependent upon rainfall in the Midlands: population density, cocoon production and adult development of A. caliginosa were reduced as rainfall reduced from 600 to 425 mm p.a. In contrast, the density and biomass of A. trapezoides were unaffected by rainfall over the same range: cocoon production and adult development continued regardless of rainfall. The depth of earthworm aestivation during the summers of 1992-94 was similar in each year. Most individuals were in aestivation at a depth of 150-200 mm, regardless of species, soil moisture or texture. Smaller aestivating individuals were located nearer the soil surface, as was shown by an increase in mean mass of aestivating individuals with depth. There was a high mortality associated with summer aestivation of up to 60% for juvenile, and 63% for adult earthworms in 1993 in the Midlands. Cocoons did not survive during the summers of 1992 or 1994, but were recovered in 1993, possibly due to the influence of rainfall during late winter and early spring.

scholarly journals Relationship between the mass of organic matter and carbon in soil

2008 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silmara R. Bianchi ◽  
Mario Miyazawa ◽  
Edson L. de Oliveira ◽  
Marcos Antonio Pavan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Loss On Ignition ◽  
Oxidation Degree ◽  
Wide Range

The quantity of soil organic matter (SOM) was estimated through the determination of soil organic carbon (SOC) times a factor, which assumes that 58% of the SOM was formed by carbon. A number of soil samples with wide range of SOC content collected in the state of Paraná, Brazil were evaluated in the laboratory. SOC was measured by Walkley-Black method and the total SOM by loss on ignition. The SOC was positively correlated with SOM. The SOM/SOC ratio varied from 1.91 to 5.08 for the soils. It shows that Brazilian SOM has greater oxidation degree. Although, the SOM and SOC decreased with soil depth the SOM/SOC ratio increased. It showed that SOM in the subsoil contained more oxygen but less carbon than the SOM in the upper soil surface. The CEC/SOC also increased with depth indicating that the functional groups of the SOM increased per unity of carbon.

The dynamics of Trifolium repens in a permanent pasture I. The population dynamics of leaves and nodes per shoot axis

1989 ◽  
Vol 237 (1287) ◽  
pp. 133-173 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuations ◽  
Permanent Pasture ◽  
One Year

The framework is developed for a formal quantitative analysis of the vegetative dynamics of Trifolium repens , based on partitioning the components of its growth. The method is used to describe the vegetative dynamics of T. repens in one pasture during the course of one year. Seasonal and spatial variation were analysed by regression on several environmental variables. The present paper includes only a partial analysis, covering the dynamics of leaves and nodes per shoot axis. The remainder of the analysis will be presented in subsequent papers. The production of modules per shoot axis, and the subsequent mortality of leaves, and burial and mortality of nodes, showed different patterns of spatial and seasonal variability, and different types of response to the environment. There was much seasonal and little spatial variation in rates of birth, burial and death of leaves and nodes. In contrast, there was relatively little seasonal and much spatial variation in the numbers of leaves and nodes, even though these numbers are determined by present and past births and deaths. The rate of production of leaves by individual apices varied from 0.01 per day to 0.19 per day. It appeared to be determined largely by temperature, probably of the apex, but also to some extent by genotype. Leaves survived for 1-21 weeks. The risk of leaf mortality varied with the age of the leaf, the number of sheep in the field, and the season. Leaves born in November tended to live longest, and those born in summer with many sheep shortest. At least 56% of leaves were utilized by sheep, the remainder dying from other causes. Seasonal fluctuations in death rate of leaves tended to lag three weeks behind fluctuations in birth rate, but with additional fluctuations caused by changes in grazing. The lag caused there to be a minimum of 1-5 leaves per axis in January, and a maximum of 3-12 in August, although at all times the number of leaves was increasing on some axes and decreasing on others. Axes were progressively buried by worm casts and leaf litter within 0-39 weeks of birth. The rate of burial appeared to be determined largely by earthworm activity and by treading by sheep. In autumn and early spring, nodes and internodes were buried faster than new ones were born. As a result, as few as three internodes were exposed on average in March, compared with a maximum mean of 20 in August. By late winter, some axes were entirely buried and started to grow vertically upwards towards the soil surface. Nodes survived for 14-85 weeks, the mean longevity being 51 weeks. On average, each axis bore 25 nodes, with a range of 10-49 nodes. Seasonal fluctuations in death rate lagged some 4-8 weeks behind those in birth rate. Survivial of nodes and internodes was dependent on the establishment and survival of roots. When the oldest rooted node on an axis died, all of the axis between it and the next rooted node also died. The development of pseudo-taproots increased the longevity of nodes by 100 days. Leaves had much shorter lives than their nodes. The ‘average’ shoot axis bore 3.5 nodes with leaves, 4.2 nodes still visible but without leaves, and 17.6 nodes buried beneath worm casts and litter.

Sequestration of Organic Carbon Influenced by the Application of Straw Residue and Farmyard Manure in Two Different Soils

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Mahmoodabadi ◽  
Elina Heydarpour
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Surface Layer ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Farmyard Manure ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Uncultivated Soil

Abstract Soil organic carbon is one of the most important soil components, which acts as a sink for atmospheric CO2. This study focuses on the effect of different methods of organic matter application on the soil organic carbon sequestration in a 4-month experiment under controlled greenhouse conditions. Three rates of straw residue and farmyard manure were added to uncultivated and cropland soils. Two treatments of straw residue and farmyard manure incorporation were used into: a soil surface layer and 0-20 cm soil depth. The result showed that the application of organic matter, especially the farmyard manure incorporation led to a significant increase in the final soil organic carbon content. Higher amounts of soil organic carbon were stored in the cropland soil than in the uncultivated soil. On average, the soil surface layer treatment caused a higher sequestration of soil organic carbon compared to the whole soil depth treatment. If higher rates of organic matter were added to the soils, lower carbon sequestration was observed and vice versa. The result indicated that the carbon sequestration ranged farmyardmanure > strawresidue and cropland soil > uncultivated soil. The findings of this research revealed the necessity of paying more attention to the role of organic residue management in carbon sequestration and prevention of increasing global warming.

scholarly journals Settling particle fluxes across the continental margin of the Gulf of Lion: the role of dense shelf water cascading

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 7897-7931 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pasqual ◽  
A. Sanchez-Vidal ◽  
D. Zúñiga ◽  
A. Calafat ◽  
M. Canals ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Continental Slope ◽  
Sediment Traps ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Shelf Water ◽  
Physical Forcing ◽  
Settling Particles ◽  
Mass Fluxes

Abstract. Settling particles were collected using sediment traps deployed along three transects in the Lacaze-Duthiers and Cap de Creus canyons and the adjacent southern open slope from October 2005 to October 2006. The settling material was analysed to obtain total mass fluxes and main constituent contents (organic matter, opal, calcium carbonate, and siliciclastics). Cascades of dense shelf water from the continental shelf edge to the lower continental slope occurred from January to March 2006. They were traced through strong negative near-bottom temperature anomalies and increased current speeds, and generated two intense pulses of mass fluxes in January and March 2006. This oceanographic phenomenon appeared as the major physical forcing of settling particles at almost all stations, and caused both high seasonal variability in mass fluxes and important qualitative changes in settling material. Fluxes during the dense shelf water cascading (DSWC) event ranged from 90.1 g m−2 d−1 at the 1000 m depth station in the Cap de Creus canyon to 3.2 g m−2 d−1 at the canyon mouth at 1900 m. Fractions of organic matter, opal and calcium carbonate components increased seaward, thus diminishing the siliciclastic fraction. Temporal variability of the major components was larger in the canyon mouth and open slope sites, due to the mixed impact of dense shelf water cascading processes and the pelagic biological production. Results indicate that the cascading event remobilized and homogenized large amounts of material down canyon and southwardly along the continental slope contributing to a better understanding of the internal dynamics of DSWC events. While the late winter/early spring bloom signature was diluted when DSWC occurred, the primary production dynamics were observable at all stations during the rest of the year and highlighted the biological community succession in surface waters.

scholarly journals KLASSIFIKASI BAHAN ORGANIK TANAH BUKIT PINANG-PINANG KAWASAN HUTAN HUJAN TROPIK GUNUNG GADUT PADANG

Jurnal Solum ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Yulnafatmawita Yulnafatmawita ◽  
Asmar Asmar ◽  
Mimien Harianti ◽  
Suci Betrianingrum
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Heavy Fraction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Mineral Particles ◽  
Very High

A research about soil organic matter (SOM) classification based on the density was conducted for soil in Bukik Pinang-Pinang region.  The objective of this research was to identify whether the SOM in Pinang-Pinang area, having very high annual rainfall, was mostly particulate or had been associated with mineral particles.  Soils were sampled at three different land use, forest, bush, and mixed wood land on 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm soil depth.  Soil organic matter was classified into 2 classes, < 1.0 g cm-3 and ≥ 1.0 g cm-3 by using pure aquadest.  Total and fractionated SOM samples were analyzed by using Walkley and Black method in soil laboratory, Agriclculture College, Andalas University.  The result showed that, among the three land use surveyed, mixed wood land use gave the highest SOM, then followed by bush land.  Soil OM content in forest ecosystem was much lower than the other two land use for the whole depth.  Based on the density, SOM particulate was higher on the soil surface and decrease by depth in each land use.  Among the ecosystem, SOM under forest was less associated with soil particles than that under bush and mixed wood land. Key Words:  SOM-light fraction, SOM-heavy fraction, land use

scholarly journals Case study of microarthropod communities to assess soil quality in different managed vineyards

SOIL ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 527-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Gagnarli ◽  
D. Goggioli ◽  
F. Tarchi ◽  
S. Guidi ◽  
R. Nannelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Arthropods ◽  
Taxa Richness ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
High Level ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Land use influences the abundance and diversity of soil arthropods. The evaluation of the impact of different management strategies on soil quality is increasingly sought, and the determination of community structures of edaphic fauna can represent an efficient tool. In the area of Langhe (Piedmont, Italy), eight vineyards characterized for physical and chemical properties (soil texture, soil pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, calcium carbonate) were selected. We evaluated the effect of two types of crop management, organic and integrated pest management (IPM), on abundance and biodiversity of microarthropods living at the soil surface. Soil sampling was carried out in winter 2011 and spring 2012. All specimens were counted and determined up to the order level. The biodiversity analysis was performed using ecological indexes (taxa richness, dominance, Shannon–Wiener, Buzas and Gibson's evenness, Margalef, equitability, Berger–Parker), and the biological soil quality was assessed with the BSQ-ar index. The mesofauna abundance was affected by both the type of management and sampling time. On the whole, a higher abundance was in organic vineyards (N = 1981) than in IPM ones (N = 1062). The analysis performed by ecological indexes showed quite a high level of biodiversity in this environment, particularly in May 2012. Furthermore, the BSQ-ar values registered were similar to those obtained in preserved soils.

Limnological studies of waterfowl habitat in south-western New South Wales. II. Aquatic macrophyte productivity

1985 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 707 ◽  
Author(s):  
SV Briggs ◽  
MT Maher
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Aquatic Macrophyte ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Waterfowl Habitat ◽  
Dry Out ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Wetland Flooding

Aquatic macrophyte productivity and soil organic matter were measured in two impermanent wetlands in south-western New South Wales. Macrophyte biomasses (≤463 g dry wt m-2) were similar to or higher than those in submerged communities elsewhere. Macrophyte productivities in both wetlands were greatest in the year following reflooding. But even in that year, macrophyte productivity in Lake Merrimajeel (the only wetland for which data are available) was considerably less than soil organic reserves before reflooding. It is suggested that these soil organic reserves directly contribute to the relationship between wetland flooding and waterfowl breeding, while macrophytes contribute indirectly by providing detritus for invertebrates. It is recommended that wetlands managed for waterfowl breeding should periodically dry out and reflood.

scholarly journals Depth-dependent molecular composition and photo-reactivity of dissolved organic matter in a boreal lake under winter and summer conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 6945-6956 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gonsior ◽  
P. Schmitt-Kopplin ◽  
D. Bastviken
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dissolved Organic Matter ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Molecular Composition ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Photochemical Degradation ◽  
Photo Degradation ◽  
Boreal Lake

Abstract. Transformations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in boreal lakes lead to large greenhouse gas emissions as well as substantial carbon storage in sediments. Using novel molecular characterization approaches and photochemical degradation experiments we studied how seasonal patterns in water column stratification affected the DOM in a Swedish lake under early spring and summer conditions. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were consistently higher above the sediment when compared to surface waters throughout the sampling periods. Photobleaching alone could not explain this difference in DOC because the lake was covered by 40 cm-thick ice during late winter sampling and still showed the same DOC trend. The differences in the molecular diversity between surface DOM in winter and summer were consistent with ongoing photobleaching/decarboxylation and a possible bacterial consumption of photo-products. Additional photo-degradation experiments using simulated sunlight showed a production of highly oxidized organic molecules and low molecular weight compounds in all late winter samples and also in the deep water sample in summer. In the surface summer DOM sample, few such molecules were produced during the photo-degradation experiments, confirming that DOM was already photobleached prior to the experiments. This study suggests that photobleaching, and therefore also the ice cover during winter, plays a central role in surface DOM transformation, with important differences in the molecular composition of DOM between surface and deep boreal lake waters. The release of DOC from boreal lake sediments also contribute to this pattern. Photochemical degradation of DOM may be more extensive following ice-out and water column turnover when non-light exposed and thereby photosensitive DOM is photo-mineralized. Hence, the yearly DOM photo-mineralization may be greater than inferred from studies of recently light-exposed DOM.

scholarly journals Post-weaning growth of cattle in northern New South Wales. 2. Growth pathways of steers

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 971 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Dicker ◽  
J. F. Ayres ◽  
M. J. McPhee ◽  
D. L. Robinson ◽  
A. D. Turner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bos Taurus ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Bos Indicus ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Supplementary Feeding ◽  
Export Market ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
South Wales

This paper describes the post-weaning growth of Bos taurus and Bos taurus x Bos indicus-derived steers grazing temperate perennial pasture in northern New South Wales. These cattle were either autumn weaners from spring-calving herds in summer rainfall environments, or summer weaners from autumn-calving herds in winter rainfall environments. Autumn weaners were grown out on 3 pasture systems: (i) pasture only (P1), (ii) pasture supplemented in late winter–early spring with formulated pellets of high protein content (P2), or (iii) pasture supplemented with a nitrogen-fertilised forage crop (P3) to provide different growth pathways towards entry to the finishing phase. Over the 3-year study, seasonal liveweight gain on P1 varied between –0.21 and 1.05 kg/head.day; liveweight gain was generally low (about 0.5 kg/head.day) in winter and high (about 0.8 kg/head.day) in spring. Bos taurus autumn weaners achieved feedlot entry specifications for the domestic market (300 kg liveweight) in 6–8 weeks by the end of winter, and feedlot entry specifications for the export market (400 kg liveweight) in 17–27 weeks by the end of summer. For B. taurus x B. indicus-derived autumn weaners, the period to feedlot entry was 19 and 33 weeks for domestic and export feedlot entry specifications, respectively. Supplementary feeding generally increased post-weaning growth in late winter–early spring and reduced the period to feedlot entry for export steers. Summer weaners were grown out on pasture in P1, P2 or P3 pasture systems, met domestic feedlot entry specifications on arrival, but did not reach export feedlot entry specifications before the onset of winter imposed liveweight stasis. The most effective grow-out system was based on Bos taurus autumn weaners with supplementary feeding in winter–spring to overcome the limitations of the winter feed gap.

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