Abstract
Soil aggregate stability has been asserted as an indicator of soil quality. Earthworms are essential for the stability of soil aggregates due to their activities, including burrowing and organic matter decomposition. In this study, we focused on how differences in plant litter quality influences earthworm abundance and composition and, subsequently, macroaggregate stability in an agroforestry ecosystem. Litter from two dominant plant species (Quercus suber L. and Agrostis pourretii Willd.) were collected in an eco-intensively managed agroforestry ecosystem (eco-intensive farm) and in a neighbor conventionally managed agroforest (conventional farm). Then, a field experiment was implemented in the eco-intensive farm, composed of 6 litter treatments (control with no litter; Q. suber senescent leaves from the eco-intensive farm; A. pourretii tussocks from the eco-intensive farm; a mixture of the previous two; Q. suber senescent leaves from the conventional farm; A. pourretii tussocks from the conventional farm), replicated across 3 areas of the farm, with two blocks per area (a total of 6 replicates per treatment). Litter decomposition rates for the different treatments were quantified over 15 months. At the end of the experiment, soil from each treatment was sampled to measure macroaggregate stability and other soil parameters (i.e., moisture, organic matter, pH, TC, TOC, P, N, NO3−, NH4+, humic and fulvic acids, water repellence), as well as earthworms. Earthworm abundance had a positive effect on macroaggregate stability (as expressed by the ratio between stable macroaggregates and the total amount of soil), irrespective of litter quality, while litter quality had no direct effect on macroaggregate stability. According to our study's findings, earthworms have a significant intervenient role in the stabilization of soil aggregates in Mediterranean agroforests. This emphasizes the necessity for soil management practices that maintain earthworm communities and their beneficial contributions to soil health.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 105903 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Applied Soil Ecology |
| Volume | 206 |
| Early online date | 24 Jan 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Funding
This work was funded by the ECO-SERVE project through the 2013\u20132014 BiodivERsA/FACCE-JPI joint call for research proposals, with the national funders ANR, NWO, FCT (BiodivERsA/001/2014), MINECO, FORMAS, and SNSF. Financial support by FCT, within the POCH - Human Capital Operating Programme, to FR (fellowship reference SFRH/BD/133182/2017) and PMS (SFRH/BPD/109511/2015), which was co-funded by the European Social Fund and MCTES national funds, is also gratefully acknowledged. EN was supported by CNPq \u2013 Brazil (CNPq Fellowship Holder \u2013 Brazil). The authors would like to thank Daniela Alves, Patrik Breitenbach, Jo\u00E3o Raimundo, Let\u00EDcia Scopel, and Ana Maccari for helping in the fieldwork. This work would not be possible without the support from the owner of Herdade do Freixo do Meio, Alfredo Cunhal Sendim, to whom we are very thankful.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Agence Nationale de la Recherche | |
| Alfredo Cunhal Sendim | |
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | |
| Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas | |
| MCTES | |
| Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | |
| Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico | |
| European Social Fund Plus | |
| Herdade do Freixo do Meio | |
| Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | BiodivERsA/001/2014 |
| Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung | SFRH/BD/133182/2017 |
| PMS | SFRH/BPD/109511/2015 |
Keywords
- Agroforestry
- Earthworms
- Plant litter
- Soil aggregate stability