Grassland ecosystems cover approximately 30% of the world land surface and provide many crucial ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration. Pasture and meadow, which are the dominant forms of utilization of grasslands worldwide, may affect in a differ way soil functions, including its resilience to climate change. The main goal of the present work is to assess the impact of land use on soil-related functions in extensive mountain grasslands. To do that, ten sites (5 meadow and 5 pastures) were identified in Trentino Alto Adige, North of Italy, and, in each site, topsoil (0-15 cm) samples were collected. Soil samples were characterized for physical (e.g., texture, density) and chemical (e.g., pH, EC, organic carbon -OC-, total nitrogen -TN-, available phosphorous, major and trace elements, mineralogy) parameters, as well as for enzymatic assays, including fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (FDAH), urease, phosphomonoesterase (PME). Moreover, soil organic matter (SOM) fractionation was carried out to evaluate the influence of soil management on OC stability, as assessed by thermal analysis, and distribution between pools. All sites are characterized by a pH around 7 and by a coarse loamy texture, ranging from loamy sand to silt loam. Preliminary results showed that OC and TN contents in pasture were twice compared to those of meadow; this trend was observed both in bulk soil and in particulate (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) fractions. Enzymatic activities showed different patterns: the urease activity was greater in pastures than in meadows, whereas FDAH, which is a proxy of microbial activity, and PME showed higher values in meadows. This suggests that changes induced by grazing ultimately impact total microbial biomass and, in turn, the SOM pools. Therefore, given the importance of mountain agroecosystems, this study highlighted that the evaluation of management impact on soil ecosystem services plays a key role in grassland conservation and ecosystem health.
Influence of land use on soil ecosystems services of mountain grasslands
Danise T.;Goldoni S. E.;Dainese M.;Zaccone C.
2024-01-01
Abstract
Grassland ecosystems cover approximately 30% of the world land surface and provide many crucial ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration. Pasture and meadow, which are the dominant forms of utilization of grasslands worldwide, may affect in a differ way soil functions, including its resilience to climate change. The main goal of the present work is to assess the impact of land use on soil-related functions in extensive mountain grasslands. To do that, ten sites (5 meadow and 5 pastures) were identified in Trentino Alto Adige, North of Italy, and, in each site, topsoil (0-15 cm) samples were collected. Soil samples were characterized for physical (e.g., texture, density) and chemical (e.g., pH, EC, organic carbon -OC-, total nitrogen -TN-, available phosphorous, major and trace elements, mineralogy) parameters, as well as for enzymatic assays, including fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (FDAH), urease, phosphomonoesterase (PME). Moreover, soil organic matter (SOM) fractionation was carried out to evaluate the influence of soil management on OC stability, as assessed by thermal analysis, and distribution between pools. All sites are characterized by a pH around 7 and by a coarse loamy texture, ranging from loamy sand to silt loam. Preliminary results showed that OC and TN contents in pasture were twice compared to those of meadow; this trend was observed both in bulk soil and in particulate (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) fractions. Enzymatic activities showed different patterns: the urease activity was greater in pastures than in meadows, whereas FDAH, which is a proxy of microbial activity, and PME showed higher values in meadows. This suggests that changes induced by grazing ultimately impact total microbial biomass and, in turn, the SOM pools. Therefore, given the importance of mountain agroecosystems, this study highlighted that the evaluation of management impact on soil ecosystem services plays a key role in grassland conservation and ecosystem health.
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