Modificaciones químicas inducidas por dos especies de lombrices geófagas en suelos de Veracruz, México.

Dos lombrices tropicales, una exótica (Pontoscolex corethrurus) y otra nativa (Glossoscolecidae sp.) de Veracruz, México, fueron cultivadas en condiciones de laboratorio para colectar sus respectivos turrículos (deyecciones) cada 48 horas, medir su tasa de producción y el efecto que ejercen sobre varios parámetros químicos en el suelo excretado. Ambas especies fueron cultivadas en un Lixisol (La Víbora) y P. corethrurus lo fue también en otros dos tipos de suelo, un Vertisol (Plan de las Hayas) y un Andosol (Los Tuxtlas). Los parámetros químicos medidos en los turrículos y en suelo testigo (control) fueron los siguientes: pH, C, N, C/N, NO3, NH4, Na, K, Ca, Mg, CIC, P-asimilable, P-Total, P-Resinas, Al, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn. Para P. corethrurus la producción de turrículos superficiales fue más alta en los suelos con menor contenido de MO. En el Lixisol, Glossoscolecidae sp. produjo menor cantidad de turrículos comparada con P. corethrurus, pero promovió una disponibilidad mayor, especialmente de K, Na Mg, Mn, Fe, K y NH4. Pontoscolex corethrurus promovió también la concentración de la mayor parte de los parámetros estudiados con respecto al suelo control, tanto en el Andosol como en el Vertisol; en el Lixisol, esta especie incrementó la concentración en la mitad de los parámetros. Pontoscolex corethrurus tiene una capacidad alta de adaptarse a diferentes suelos y de modificar sus características químicas, promoviendo la disponibilidad de diversos elementos esenciales para el crecimiento vegetal; eso es especialmente importante en los suelos más pobres como el Lixisol

Earthworm management in tropical agroecosystems

In agrosystem field experiments, earthworm inoculation did not impede depletion of soil organic stocks in most cases, in spite of increased carbon inputs through enhanced primary production. Slight evidence of soil organic matter (SOM) protection was found in poorly structured soil, such as a yam plot in Ivory Coast (soil sieved before experimentation), and a pasture plot on Martinique. Aggregation inherited from past earthworm activities probably maintains SOM protection after earthworms have disappeared ; longer term experiments are necessary to observe C dynamics after the disappearance of inherited earthworm structures. In two experiments with maize in Ivory Coast and Peru, the activity of earthworms led to a small increase in the incorporation of organic matter from surface mulch in the SOM. Most of the C incorporated into the SOM originated from root material, and earthworm activities only slightly modified this pattern. Earthworm activity had significant effects on the distribution of C among particle size fractions. The general trend was a depletion of large (greater than 50 micrometers) particles and an accumulation of small (less than 2 micrometers) particles. Nutrient depletion in low-input cropping systems was not impeded by earthworm activities ; at Yurimaguas, some signs of a better conservation of K were noted after 3 years in the traditional rotation. (Résumé d'auteur

Universal Vectorial and Ultrasensitive Nanomechanical Force Field Sensor

Miniaturization of force probes into nanomechanical oscillators enables ultrasensitive investigations of forces on dimensions smaller than their characteristic length scale. Meanwhile it also unravels the force field vectorial character and how its topology impacts the measurement. Here we expose an ultrasensitive method to image 2D vectorial force fields by optomechanically following the bidimensional Brownian motion of a singly clamped nanowire. This novel approach relies on angular and spectral tomography of its quasi frequency-degenerated transverse mechanical polarizations: immersing the nanoresonator in a vectorial force field does not only shift its eigenfrequencies but also rotate eigenmodes orientation as a nano-compass. This universal method is employed to map a tunable electrostatic force field whose spatial gradients can even take precedence over the intrinsic nanowire properties. Enabling vectorial force fields imaging with demonstrated sensitivities of attonewton variations over the nanoprobe Brownian trajectory will have strong impact on scientific exploration at the nanoscale

Earthworm management in tropical agroecosystems

Ecological and demographic parameters of 26 species of native and exotic earthworms species common in tropical agroecosystems, with large environmental tolerance and/or extended distribution were investigated. Principal component analysis (PCA) isolated four groups : (i) large native endogeic and anecic species (16-32 g individual fresh wt) with long generation time (2-4 years), low fecundity (0.5-3.1 cocoons/year/adult) and one hatchling per cocoon ; (ii) medium size species (1.2-6 g) endogeic mesohumic, with intermediate fecundity (1.3-45 cocoons/year/adult) ; (iii) small species (0.17-1.25 g f.w.) mainly endogeic polyhumic, with short generation time (3-7 months), intermediate fecundity (10-68 cocoons/year/adult) and one hatchling per cocoon ; and (iv) generally small (80-150 mg f.w.) species mainly exotic and epigeic, with short generation time (1-3 months), very high fecundity (50-350 cocoons/year/adult) and up to three hatchlings per cocoon. Casts may be either large globular or small granular. The selective investigations of large organic particles and small mineral particles (clays) concentrates total organic matter in the casts. There is an intense mineralization rate of nitrogen in the casts (6-29% of organic N), exotic worms seeming to be less efficient than natives at mineralizing N. The mineral phosphorus content of casts is always at least 30% higher than in the non-ingested soil. All these worms ingest daily, on average, three times their own weight of soil at the adult stage (1-9) and much more when juvenile ; up to 1000 Mg dry soil/ha may transit yearly through earthworm guts. (Résumé d'auteur

Steering self-organisation through confinement

Self-organisation is the spontaneous emergence of spatio-temporal structures and patterns from the interaction of smaller individual units. Examples are found across many scales in very different systems and scientific disciplines, from physics, materials science and robotics to biology, geophysics and astronomy. Recent research has highlighted how self-organisation can be both mediated and controlled by confinement. Confinement is an action over a system that limits its units’ translational and rotational degrees of freedom, thus also influencing the system's phase space probability density; it can function as either a catalyst or inhibitor of self-organisation. Confinement can then become a means to actively steer the emergence or suppression of collective phenomena in space and time. Here, to provide a common framework and perspective for future research, we examine the role of confinement in the self-organisation of soft-matter systems and identify overarching scientific challenges that need to be addressed to harness its full scientific and technological potential in soft matter and related fields. By drawing analogies with other disciplines, this framework will accelerate a common deeper understanding of self-organisation and trigger the development of innovative strategies to steer it using confinement, with impact on, e.g., the design of smarter materials, tissue engineering for biomedicine and in guiding active matter

Regulation of soil organic matter dynamics and microbial activity in the drilosphere and the role of interactions with other edaphic functional domains

The moment the soil enters into contact with an earthworm, both superficially and internally, physicochemical and biological changes take place. The drilosphere represents the whole soil volume under earthworm influence. Thus it includes the body surfaces, the gut and all the internal features of the worm that are in contact with the ingested soil, as well as the external structures (casts, burrows, middens) created by earthworm activities. The extent of the drilosphere and its particular characteristics depend on the species and ecological categories of the earthworm community present as well as the spatial and temporal scale of interest. Spatially, the drilosphere can interact with other soil functional domains and lead to significant changes in the litter system or detritusphere (generally decreasing litter stocks) and the rhizosphere (affecting both root biomass and density), the two main sources of organic matter (OM) additions to the soil, as well as in the aggregatusphere and the porosphere. Drilosphere effects on microbial activity and OM decomposition can be completely different (and opposite) depending on the spatio-temporal scale of observation. At the level of the gut, microbial activity is dramatically stimulated in a matter of a few hours via a mutualistic observation. At the level of the gut, microbial activity is dramatically stimulated in a matter of a few hours via a mutualistic digestion system. In this process, water and soluble-C in the form of intestinal mucus (the Kiss) produced by the earthworm (Prince Charming) awakens the dormant microflora (Sleeping Beauties), thereby increasing decomposition of the stable forms of soil OM ingested. During gut passage populations of other organisms (e.g. protozoa, nematodes, fungi) may decline with digestion, although these organisms probably form a minor component of the earthworm's energy needs... (D'après résumé d'auteur

Andosol-forming process linked with soil fauna under the perennial grass Mulhembergia macroura

On the Cofre de Perote volcano, Mexico, at an elevation of 3000 m, vegetation is dominated by pine trees and #Mulhembergia macroura$ grass. The grass undergoes a specific decomposition process whereby dead leaves and roots at different stages of decomposition accumulate below the plant, making a mat and forming a hummock of soil. Soil thin sections were prepared from the plant necromass and underlying soil to examine biological features by optical microscopy. Small organic fragments and soil aggregates were observed under a scanning electron microscope, coupled with a microprobe. C and N contents were measured, soil samples were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy and preliminary quantitative sampling of meso and macrofauna was executed in the plant residues and the underlying soil strata. Observations and analyses showed that soil microaggregates were faecal pellets from fauna, mainly Enchytraeids and Acari, living in the rooted soil below the grass. These biological aggregates exhibited a concentric internal structure and a silicon-rich coating which presumably protects them against microbial decomposition. Organic matter showed a predominance of aliphatic components upon aromatic components and appeared to be stable within the whole soil profile. As a consequence of plant die-off and mesofaunal activity, organic products accumulate and soil thickness and carbon storage increase with time. (Résumé d'auteur