Changes in soil microbial community structure influenced by agricultural management practices in a mediterranean agro-ecosystem.

Agricultural practices have proven to be unsuitable in many cases, causing considerable reductions in soil quality. Land management practices can provide solutions to this problem and contribute to get a sustainable agriculture model. The main objective of this work was to assess the effect of different agricultural management practices on soil microbial community structure (evaluated as abundance of phospholipid fatty acids, PLFA). Five different treatments were selected, based on the most common practices used by farmers in the study area (eastern Spain): residual herbicides, tillage, tillage with oats and oats straw mulching; these agricultural practices were evaluated against an abandoned land after farming and an adjacent long term wild forest coverage. The results showed a substantial level of differentiation in the microbial community structure, in terms of management practices, which was highly associated with soil organic matter content. Addition of oats straw led to a microbial community structure closer to wild forest coverage soil, associated with increases in organic carbon, microbial biomass and fungal abundances. The microbial community composition of the abandoned agricultural soil was characterised by increases in both fungal abundances and the metabolic quotient (soil respiration per unit of microbial biomass), suggesting an increase in the stability of organic carbon. The ratio of bacteria:fungi was higher in wild forest coverage and land abandoned systems, as well as in the soil treated with oat straw. The most intensively managed soils showed higher abundances of bacteria and actinobacteria. Thus, the application of organic matter, such as oats straw, appears to be a sustainable management practice that enhances organic carbon, microbial biomass and activity and fungal abundances, thereby changing the microbial community structure to one more similar to those observed in soils under wild forest coverage

General Mapping of the Environmental Performance in Climate Change Mitigation of Spanish Universities through a Standardized Carbon Footprint Calculation Tool

Higher education institutions (HEIs) can be considered role models of small cities that contribute to the fight against climate change. Therefore, assessing their own carbon footprints (CFs) and drawing conclusions gives significance to this study. In this study, 77 CFs from 14 HEIs were obtained through a tool developed by the Spanish Government. They were analyzed along with different variables and recalculated using the same standardized activity ratios. As a result, a general mapping of the environmental performance in climate change mitigation of Spanish universities has been obtained. Although there is an overall decrease in total CF (72.7%), direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Scope 1) remain stable, while the decrease is due to the reduction of emissions caused by electricity consumption (Scope 2) through the use electricity suppliers that guarantee the energy provided is generated from renewable sources. A lack of consensus in the definition of “student” and “employee”, used for the activity ratios, causes large variations in the relative CF values. For worldwide benchmarking of HEIs’ climate change performance, CF can be a valid indicator only if they: (1) include standardized Scope 1 and 2 emission sources, (2) use the same emission factors, and (3) calculate activity ratios from standardized functional units

Effects of salvage logging on soil properties and vegetation recovery in a fire-affected Mediterranean forest: A two year monitoring research

Post-firemanagement can have an additional impact on the ecosystem; in somecases, evenmore severe than the fire. Salvage logging (SL) is a common practice in most fire-affected areas. The management of burnt wood can determine microclimatic conditions and seriously affect soil properties. In some cases, the way of doing it, using heavy machinery, and the vulnerability of soils to erosion and degradation can make this management potentially aggressive to soil. Research was done in “Sierra de Mariola Natural Park” (E Spain). A forest fire (N500 ha) occurred in July 2012. In February 2013, SL treatment was applied in a part of the affected forest. Plots for monitoring this effect were installed in this area and in a similar nearby area where no treatment was done, used as control (C). Soil samplings were done immediately after treatment and every 6 months during two years. Some soil properties were analysed, including organic matter (OM) content, nitrogen (N) available phosphorous (P) basal soil respiration (BSR), microbial biomass carbon (Cmic), bulk density (BD),water repellency (WR), aggregate stability (AS) and field capacity (FC). SL treatment caused an increase in BD, a decrease of AS, FC, OMand N. In the control area, in general the soil properties remained constant across the 2 years of monitoring, and the microbial parameters (BSR and Cmic), initially affected by the fire, recovered faster in C than in the SL area. Plant recovery also showed some differences between treatments. No significant differenceswere observed in the number of plant species recorded (richness) comparing C versus SL plots, but the number of individuals of each species (evenness)was significantly higher in C plots. In conclusion, we can affirmthat for the conditions of this study case, SL had a negative effect on the soil-plant system.To the “Ministerio de Economía and Competitividad” of the Spanish Government for financing the POSTFIRE project (CGL2013- 47862-C2-1-R) and Alcoi counci

Relationships between soil water repellency and microbial community composition under different plant species in a Mediterranean semiarid forest

Soil water repellency (SWR) can influence many hydrological soil properties, including water infiltration, uneven moisture distribution or water retention. In the current study we investigated how variable SWR persistence in the field is related to the soil microbial community under different plant species (P. halepensis, Q. rotundifolia, C. albidus and R. officinalis) in a Mediterranean forest. The soil microbial community was determined through phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). The relationships between microbiological community structure and the soil properties pH, Glomalin Related Soil Protein (GRSP) and soil organic matter (SOM) content were also studied. Different statistical analyses were used: Principal Component Analysis (PCA), ANOVA, Redundancy Analysis and Pearson correlations. The highest concentrations of PLFA were found in the most water repellent samples. PCA showed that microorganism composition was more dependent of the severity of SWR than the type of plant species. In the Redundancy Analysis, SWR was the only significant factor (p<0.05) to explain PLFA distributions. The only PLFA biomarkers directly related to SWR were associated with Actinobacteria (10Me16:0, 10Me17:0 and 10Me18:0). All the results suggest that a strong dependence between SWR and microbial community composition.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CGL2010-21670-C02-0

Temporal characterisation of soil-plant natural recovery related to fire severity in burned Pinus halepensis Mill. forests

Despite Mediterranean ecosystems' high resilience to fire, both climate and land use change, and alterations in fire regimes increase their vulnerability to fire by affecting the long-term natural recovery of ecosystem services. The objective of this work is to study the effects of fire severity on biochemical soil indicators, such as chemical composition or enzymatic activity, related to time after fire and natural vegetation recovery (soil-plant interphase). Soil samples from three wildfires occurring 3, 15 and 21 years ago were taken in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula (semiarid climate). Sampling included three fire severity levels in naturally regenerated (and changing to shrublands) Pinus halepensis Mill. forests. In the short-term post-fire period, phosphorus concentration, electrical conductivity and urease activity were positively linked to fire severity, and also influenced β-glucosidade activity in a negative relationship. During the 15–21-year post-fire period, the effects related to medium-high fire severity were negligible and soil quality indicators were linked to natural regeneration success. The results showed that most soil properties recovered in the long term after fire (21 years). These outcomes will help managers and stakeholders to implement management tools to stabilise soils and to restore burned ecosystems affected by medium-high fire severity. Such knowledge can be considered in adaptive forest management to reduce the negative effects of wildfires and desertification, and to improve the resilience of vulnerable ecosystems in a global change scenario.This study was supported by a grant for research initiation provided by the Excma. Diputación Albacete (DIPU4-AB2015) and by the funds provided by University Castilla-La Mancha to the Forest Ecology Research Group.The authors with to thank the Spanish Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA) for the funding awarded through National Research Projects GEPRIF (RTA2014-00011-C06)

Sustainability and social responsibility strategies at spanish universities: an assessment tool

El grupo de Evaluación de la sostenibilidad universitaria de la Comisión Sectorial de Calidad Ambiental, Desarrollo Sostenible y Prevención de Riesgos (CADEP) de la CRUE viene trabajando desde 2007 en el estudio sistemático de las iniciativas de sostenibilidad en las universidades españolas. Entre 2010 y 2011 ha desarrollado el estudio “Evaluación de las políticas universitarias de sostenibilidad como facilitadoras para el desarrollo de los campus de excelencia internacional (CEI)” en el que se han definido ámbitos e indicadores con los que medir la contribución de las universidades españolas a la sostenibilidad. Estos indicadores constituyen un marco evaluativo del grado de avance de las políticas de sostenibilidad, haciendo los progresos más visibles para la comunidad universitaria y la sociedad. Para probar esta herramienta se consultaron 31 universidades que rellenaron el cuestionario y fueron visitadas para recoger sus dudas y sugerencias y, además, realizar un acercamiento a los programas de sostenibilidad en el sistema universitario español. También se entrevistaron a los responsables institucionales y técnicos de estos programas. En general, las universidades estudiadas presentan un mayor avance en actuaciones relacionadas con la sensibilización ambiental, los residuos y la docencia. En menor medida han implementado medidas sobre responsabilidad social, evaluación del impacto ambiental, agua y compra verde.Since 2007 the group on Sustainability Assessment of the Spanish Rectors’ Conference is working on the definition of a framework for the assessment and benchmarking of environmental and sustainable activities and strategies at Spanish Universities. During 2010 and 2011 it has carried out a study called “Evaluation of sustainability policies and their relation to the International Campus of Excellence program”. The main results from this study have led to the identification of a system of indicators to measure the progress of Spanish Universities in their contribution to sustainability and social responsibility. 31 universities have participated in the study by filling in the initial questionnaire. Moreover, they have all been interviewed by the research team. We can say that, in general, these universities present a good level of environmental awareness, curricular greening programs, and operational actions, mainly related to waste management.Grupo FORCE (HUM-386). Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar de la Universidad de Granada

Changes in soil microbial activity and physicochemical properties in agricultural soils in Eastern Spain

Agricultural land management greatly affects soil properties. Microbial soil communities are the most sensitive and rapid indicators of perturbations in land use and soil enzyme activities are sensitive biological indicators of the effects of soil management practices. Citrus orchards frequently have degraded soils and this paper evaluates how land management in citrus orchards can improve soil quality. A field experiment was performed in an orchard of orange trees (Citrus Sinensis) in the Alcoleja Experimental Station (Eastern Spain) with clay-loam agricultural soils to assess the long-term effects of herbicides with inorganic fertilizers (H), intensive ploughing and inorganic fertilizers (P) and organic farming (O) on the soil microbial properties, and to study the relationship between them. Nine soil samples were taken from each agricultural management plot. In all the samples physicochemical parameters, basal soil respiration, soil microbial biomass carbon, microbial indexes (BSR/C, Cmic/C and BSR/Cmic) and enzymatic activities (urease, dehydrogenase, ß-glucosidase and acid phosphatase) were determined. The results showed significant differences between the different agricultural management practices for the microbial properties and soil microbial indexes, since these were strongly associated with the soil organic matter content. Unlike herbicide use and intensive ploughing  - management practices that both showed similar microbial soil properties -  the organic management practices contributed to an increase in the soil biology quality, aggregate stability and organic matter content.As práticas de gestão agrícola afetam intensamente as propriedades do solo. As comunidades microbianas, são os indicadores mais rápidos e sensíveis face a perturbações no uso do solo enquanto as atividades enzimáticas funcionam como excelentes indicadores biológicos da qualidade do solo face aos efeitos dessas práticas de gestão. A cultura de citrinos é frequentemente responsável pela degradação dos solos, pelo que este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar como as práticas de gestão agrícola num pomar de citrinos podem contribuir para melhorar a qualidade do solo e as propriedades microbiológicas do mesmo. O ensaio foi realizado num pomar de laranjeiras (Citrus Sinensis) situado na Estação Experimental de Alcoleja (Valencia, Espanha), em solos agrícolas argilo-limosos, onde de instalaram três talhões submetidos a três práticas agrícolas distintas. O primeiro talhão (H) recebeu fertilização mineral e foram aplicados herbicidas; o segundo talhão (P) foi submetido a uma lavoura contínua e a fertilização mineral; e, por último, o talhão (O) foi submetido a agricultura de produção orgânica. De cada talhão foram colhidas nove amostras de solo, para determinação de: parámetros fisicoquímicos, respiração basal, carbono da biomassa microbiana, índices microbianos (BSR/C, Cmic/C y BSR/Cmic) e atividades enzimáticas (urease, deshidrogenase, ß-glucosidase e fosfatase ácida). Os resultados revelaram diferenças significativas entre os diferentes tipos de práticas agrícolas para os índices microbianos e propriedades microbiológicas, já que estes estão altamente relacionados com o teor de materia orgánica do solo. Por otro lado, os talhões H e P apresentaram resultados similares para as ditas propriedades, enquanto que o talhão com agricultura de produção orgânica apresentou os valores mais altos para o conteúdo em matéria orgánica, agregação e atividade biológica do solo.El manejo agrícola afecta a las propiedades del suelo así como a las comunidades microbianas, ya que son altamente sensibles frente a cambios en el uso del suelo y pueden utilizarse como indicadores de calidad frente a las perturbaciones en ese uso como, por ejemplo, las actividades enzimáticas. El cultivo del naranjo puede degradar los suelos, por lo que este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar cómo el manejo agrícola en un cultivo de naranjo puede mejorar la calidad del suelo y las propiedades microbiológicas del mismo. El experimento se llevó a cabo en una finca de naranjos (Citrus Sinensis) situada en Alcoleja (comarca de la Costera, Valencia, España), donde se instalaron tres parcelas con tres manejos agrícolas distintos. La primera parcela (H) se encuentra fertilizada inorgánicamente y se aplican herbicidas; la segunda parcela (P) está sometida a un labrado continuo donde además se fertiliza inorgánicamente; y, por último, en la parcela (O) se aplica agricultura de producción ecológica. De cada parcela de estudio se tomaron nueve muestras de suelo, en las que se determinaron: parámetros fisicoquímicos, respiración edáfica basal, carbono de la biomasa microbiana, índices microbianos (BSR/C, Cmic/C y BSR/Cmic) y actividades enzimáticas (ureasa, deshidrogenasa, ß-glucosidasa y fosfatasa ácida). Los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas entre los distintos manejos agrícolas para los índices microbianos y las propiedades microbiológicas, ya que éstos están altamente relacionados con el contenido de materia orgánica del suelo. Por otro lado, las parcelas H y P obtuvieron resultados similares para dichas propiedades, mientras que la parcela con agricultura ecológica obtuvo los valores más altos para el contenido en materia orgánica, agregación y actividad biológica del suelo

Changes in soil microbial community structure influenced by agricultural management practices in a mediterranean agro-ecosystem.

Agricultural practices have proven to be unsuitable in many cases, causing considerable reductions in soil quality. Land management practices can provide solutions to this problem and contribute to get a sustainable agriculture model. The main objective of this work was to assess the effect of different agricultural management practices on soil microbial community structure (evaluated as abundance of phospholipid fatty acids, PLFA). Five different treatments were selected, based on the most common practices used by farmers in the study area (eastern Spain): residual herbicides, tillage, tillage with oats and oats straw mulching; these agricultural practices were evaluated against an abandoned land after farming and an adjacent long term wild forest coverage. The results showed a substantial level of differentiation in the microbial community structure, in terms of management practices, which was highly associated with soil organic matter content. Addition of oats straw led to a microbial community structure closer to wild forest coverage soil, associated with increases in organic carbon, microbial biomass and fungal abundances. The microbial community composition of the abandoned agricultural soil was characterised by increases in both fungal abundances and the metabolic quotient (soil respiration per unit of microbial biomass), suggesting an increase in the stability of organic carbon. The ratio of bacteria:fungi was higher in wild forest coverage and land abandoned systems, as well as in the soil treated with oat straw. The most intensively managed soils showed higher abundances of bacteria and actinobacteria. Thus, the application of organic matter, such as oats straw, appears to be a sustainable management practice that enhances organic carbon, microbial biomass and activity and fungal abundances, thereby changing the microbial community structure to one more similar to those observed in soils under wild forest coverage