Tidal marshes store large amounts of organic carbon in their soils. Field data quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks provide an important resource for researchers, natural resource managers, and policy-makers working towards the protection, restoration, and valuation of these ecosystems. We collated a global dataset of tidal marsh soil organic carbon (MarSOC) from 99 studies that includes location, soil depth, site name, dry bulk density, SOC, and/or soil organic matter (SOM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe bioavailability of trace metals in soils poses a major threat to the environment, especially with massive mineral fertilizers added to increase plant yield. A plot experiment was conducted for the effectiveness evaluation of compost and vermicompost, recycled from agro-industrial wastes, in immobilizing chromium, cadmium, and lead added to calcareous soil (artificially contaminated). Moreover, immobilization efficiency was compared to the natural occurrence of these metals in the soil without metal addition (uncontaminated soil).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies of litter decomposition in salt marshes have been mainly focused on the measurement of decomposition rates, being litter quality, the type of microbial decomposers and their extracellular enzyme activity, rarely considered. Moreover, most of these studies have been conducted in Poaceae and Cyperaceae species, being scarce the literature on Chenopodiaceae species, which are abundant in Mediterranean salt marshes. Here we analyse the litter decomposition process of two Chenopodiaceae (Sarcocornia fruticosa and Halimione portulacoides) and one Poaceae (Elytrigia atherica) species, belonging S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbandonment of terraced soils and increased brushland cover has increased wildfire occurrence to almost an annual rate in the Cap de Creus Peninsula, NE Pyrenees Range, Province of Girona, Spain. A wildfire occurred in August 2000 and affected an area of 6760 ha of shrubs and cork trees, whereas still cultivated plots were only slightly affected. Five stations of erosion measurements, corresponding to five different environments (from present cultivation to late abandonment) were destroyed by the passage of fire, and were promptly replaced to allow to monitoring post-fire effects on soil erosion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the influence of agricultural management and various plant covers related to the period of abandonment on soil properties, erosion and nutrient depletion in a typical Mediterranean area with sandy loam shallow soils. Cultivated soils (CS) with insufficient management, 5 year abandoned soils covered with meadow (A5), 25 year abandoned soils covered with dense scrubs (A25), 50 year abandoned soils covered with cork trees (A50) and soils in a 50 year pine reforested area (P50) were studied over a period of 6 months (May-October 1999). The soils were classified as Lithic Xerorthents.
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