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The influence of soil fauna on soil structural attributes under a limed and untreated upland grassland
Author(s) -
Davidson D. A.,
Grieve I. C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.745
Subject(s) - dominance (genetics) , soil water , biodiversity , environmental science , ecosystem , grassland , ecology , soil biodiversity , soil biology , range (aeronautics) , soil functions , fauna , soil retrogression and degradation , agroforestry , soil organic matter , soil science , biology , biochemistry , materials science , gene , composite material
A Natural Environment Research Council research programme in the United Kingdom on biodiversity and ecosystem function in soil provided the opportunity to assess the extent to which soil fauna influence soils in a cool temperate grassland environment. There is much current debate about the sustainable use and degradation of such soils. Over a two‐year period limed and control plots were investigated, the aim of liming being to perturb the ecosystem and alter soil biodiversity. Soils were studied for micromorphology and water‐stable aggregation. Results demonstrate that the soils were dominated by excremental material from a limited range of species and that the size distribution of water‐stable aggregates was similar to that of the major excremental forms. Despite the presence of a wide range of species in the experimental plots, the importance of a limited range of species is highlighted through the dominance of soil aggregates formed as a result of excretion by enchytraeids and earthworms. It is concluded that the studied soil ecosystem is highly resistant to change and that only a few species have key or strong ecological functions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.