Assessing plant-soil ecosystem reactions to climate variability is mandatory for developing more sustainable management approaches aiming to enable both climate change adaptation and mitigation, especially in mountain areas. The main goal of the present work is to assess the impacts of both climate change and land use on the plant-soil system in extensive grasslands in terms of biodiversity and soil-related functions (e.g., carbon sequestration). To simulate climate change, ten sites (5 meadow and 5 pastures) were identified along an elevational gradient in Trentino Alto Adige, North of Italy, and, in each site, both topsoil (0-15 cm) and plant samples were collected. Soil samples were characterized for physical (e.g., texture, density) and chemical (e.g., pH, EC, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, major and trace elements, mineralogy) parameters, as well as for biological activities (by enzymatic assays, including FDAH, urease, phosphomonoesterase). Moreover, the functional traits of the 10 most abundant plant species (i.e., 70% of total cover) were measured, including different functional traits, which together describe plant physiology and leaf structure (e.g., specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content). Preliminary results show higher concentration of organic carbon, total nitrogen and enzymatic activities in pasture compared to meadow, thus suggesting a much higher influence of soil management than climate, while plant physiology and leaf structure showed intra- and inter-specific differences with respect to both soil management and climate/altitude. Thus, the present study underlines how the resilience of extensive mountain grasslands needs to be investigated considering the soil-plant system as a whole. This study was carried out within the PNRR research activities of the consortium iNEST (Interconnected North-Est Innovation Ecosystem) funded by the European Union Next-GenerationEU (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) – Missione 4 Componente 2, Investimento 1.5 – D.D. 1058 23/06/2022, ECS_00000043). This abstract reflects only the Authors’ views and opinions, neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be considered responsible for them.
Influence of extensive mountain grassland management in a climate change scenario
Danise T.
;Goldoni S. E.;Dainese M.;Zaccone C
2024-01-01
Abstract
Assessing plant-soil ecosystem reactions to climate variability is mandatory for developing more sustainable management approaches aiming to enable both climate change adaptation and mitigation, especially in mountain areas. The main goal of the present work is to assess the impacts of both climate change and land use on the plant-soil system in extensive grasslands in terms of biodiversity and soil-related functions (e.g., carbon sequestration). To simulate climate change, ten sites (5 meadow and 5 pastures) were identified along an elevational gradient in Trentino Alto Adige, North of Italy, and, in each site, both topsoil (0-15 cm) and plant samples were collected. Soil samples were characterized for physical (e.g., texture, density) and chemical (e.g., pH, EC, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, major and trace elements, mineralogy) parameters, as well as for biological activities (by enzymatic assays, including FDAH, urease, phosphomonoesterase). Moreover, the functional traits of the 10 most abundant plant species (i.e., 70% of total cover) were measured, including different functional traits, which together describe plant physiology and leaf structure (e.g., specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content). Preliminary results show higher concentration of organic carbon, total nitrogen and enzymatic activities in pasture compared to meadow, thus suggesting a much higher influence of soil management than climate, while plant physiology and leaf structure showed intra- and inter-specific differences with respect to both soil management and climate/altitude. Thus, the present study underlines how the resilience of extensive mountain grasslands needs to be investigated considering the soil-plant system as a whole. This study was carried out within the PNRR research activities of the consortium iNEST (Interconnected North-Est Innovation Ecosystem) funded by the European Union Next-GenerationEU (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) – Missione 4 Componente 2, Investimento 1.5 – D.D. 1058 23/06/2022, ECS_00000043). This abstract reflects only the Authors’ views and opinions, neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be considered responsible for them.
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