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Poster session 1 qbs-ar: an index for the evaluation of human impact on the soil microarthropod community in forests of central italy.
| Content Provider | CiteSeerX |
|---|---|
| Author | Blasi, Silvia Balducci, Lorena Menta, Cristina Leoni, Alan |
| Abstract | Forests are impacted by human activities both directly, as in the case of logging and grazing, and indirectly, i.e. in conjunction with pollution of air, water and soil. Forest naturalness, biodiversity and productivity can be heavily affected by these anthropic activities. Monitoring ecosystem components can play a key role for gathering the scientific information necessary in conservation and sylvicultural management. Considering the importance of soil in setting forest structure and functioning (Schoenholtz et al., 2000), a new approach (called QBS-ar index) based on soil microarthropod species and their morphological adaptation to the soil environment, is applied in this study. The QBS-ar method (Soil Biological Quality Index; Parisi, 2001; Parisi et al., 2005) was applied to soils of Central Italy in forests dominated by different species (beech, oak, chestnut, pine), growing at different elevation (from the coast to mountains) and interested by various impacts (forest cutting, grazing, trampling). The more developed forest communities (Monte Cimino beechwood, chestnut stored coppice stands and mature mixed coppice stands of Canale Monterano and Tolfa) were characterized by higher soil quality. However, in these sites a clear loss of soil microarthropod taxa is observed in relation to soil trampling due to forest practices (tractor passage near to forest trips). The Pinus pinea coastal forests, stands established through afforestation, had the lowest values of QBS-ar. The impoverishment of the soil community in the pine forest is mainly due to tourists and wild animals trampling. The eu-edaphic forms (well adapted to soil life), as symphyla, pauropoda, protura and diplura, were scarcely represented in heavily impacted sites. |
| File Format | |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Poster Session Mature Mixed Coppice Stand Wild Animal Human Activity Forest Structure Different Specie Monte Cimino Beechwood Central Italy Tractor Passage Qbs-ar Index Coppice Stand Eu-edaphic Form Key Role Qbs-ar Method Anthropic Activity Pine Forest Scientific Information Canale Monterano Forest Naturalness Soil Biological Quality Index Different Elevation Soil Quality Soil Microarthropod Taxon Clear Loss Developed Forest Community Ecosystem Component Soil Community Various Impact Soil Microarthropod Specie Morphological Adaptation Pinus Pinea Coastal Forest New Approach Soil Environment Sylvicultural Management |
| Content Type | Text |
