main threats on soil biodiversity: pressures and …...eurosoil 2008 – soil quality workshop 3...

EUROSOIL 2008 – Soil Quality Workshop 1

Joint Research Centre (JRC)IES - Institute for Environment and SustainabilityIspra - Italy

http://ies.jrc.ec.europa.eu/http://www.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

Main threats on Soil Biodiversity:pressures and driving forces

Ciro Gardi


WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SOIL BIODIVERSITY ?

• The range of organisms present in soil

• The variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur


SOIL AS BIODIVERSITY RESERVOIR

BACTERIA FUNGI

PROTOZOA - NEMATODES

INSECTS- ARACHNIDSWORMS- MOLLUSCS

PLANTS ROOTS

100,000 100- 500 species

10,000 50-100 species

50 km filaments 500-1000 species

100,000,000,000 10,000 species

500 m 10-50 species

5,000100 - 500 species

Mammals! moles, mice…

Erik

a M

iche

li


SOIL AS BIODIVERSITY RESERVOIR

• in 1 ha of arable soil there are approximately 5 tonnes of living organisms (equivalent to 100 sheep)

• if we consider a grassland soil the quantity of living organisms will be equivalent to 2000 sheep!!!


SOIL BIODIVERSITY FUNCTIONS

• Soil organisms are responsible for supplying the environment with a number of critically important ecosystem services

• Soil formation• Decomposition of organic matter• Soil fertility and plant growth• Water infiltration and retention• Degradation of pollutants• Pollination

• However the knowledge on the function performed by soil biota is still very limited…..


ABOVE-BELOW GROUND

• … such as the knowledge on the relationships between above and below-ground biodiversity…


THE SPATIAL SCALE OF SOIL BIODIVERSITY FUNCTIONS

Farm level:• Contributes to the productive capacity of the

system by ensuring the mineralisation of nutrients from organic resources and nitrogen fixation;

• Buffers the functions of the soil and their resilience to climatic and environmental risks.

Regional/national level: • Ensure short term and long term resilience of

food security;

• Increases the aesthetic appeal of rural landscapes, assuming a positive relation between below- and above-ground diversity.

Global level:• Biogeochemical cycles (organic matter

mineralization, nitrogen fixation, etc);

• Value of future possible but as yet unknown uses or functions associated with some aspects of soil diversity.


THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF SOIL BIODIVERSITY

1,542Total

200Many pollinators may have edaphic phase in their life-cycle

Pollination

160Soil provide microhabitats for natural enemies of pest, soil biota (e.g. mycorrhizas) contribute to host plant resistance and plant pathogens control.

Biocontrol of pests

6Nearly half of the current economic benefit of biotechnology related to agriculture involving nitrogen fixing bacteria, pharmaceutical industry, etc

Biotechnology

121Maintaining biodiversity in soils and water is imperative to the continued and improved effectiveness of bioremediation and biotreatment.

Bioremediation of chemicals

90Biological nitrogen fixation by diazotrophbacteria

Nitrogen fixation

25Diverse soil biota facilitate soil formation, e.g. earthworms, termites, fungi, etc

Soil formation

760Various saprophytic and litter feeding invertebrates (detritivores), fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes and other microorganisms

Waste recycling

World economic benefits of biodiversity (x $109 / year)

Soil biodiversity involved in such activityActivity

1,542Total

200Many pollinators may have edaphic phase in their life-cycle

Pollination

160Soil provide microhabitats for natural enemies of pest, soil biota (e.g. mycorrhizas) contribute to host plant resistance and plant pathogens control.

Biocontrol of pests

6Nearly half of the current economic benefit of biotechnology related to agriculture involving nitrogen fixing bacteria, pharmaceutical industry, etc

Biotechnology

121Maintaining biodiversity in soils and water is imperative to the continued and improved effectiveness of bioremediation and biotreatment.

Bioremediation of chemicals

90Biological nitrogen fixation by diazotrophbacteria

Nitrogen fixation

25Diverse soil biota facilitate soil formation, e.g. earthworms, termites, fungi, etc

Soil formation

760Various saprophytic and litter feeding invertebrates (detritivores), fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes and other microorganisms

Waste recycling

World economic benefits of biodiversity (x $109 / year)

Soil biodiversity involved in such activityActivity

(from

Pim

ente

l et a

l., 1

997)


Crops are threatened by soil-borne disease, that can cause severe yield decrease and economic damage. Soil has the potential to limit the effect of soil-borne diseases.

THE UNKNOWN VALUE OF SOIL BIODIVERSITY

Soil represents an important source of commonly used antibiotics.

Many scientist are looking at soil biodiversity, especially in remote areas, in an attempt to find the most promising medicines for the future.


SOIL BIODIVERSITY DECLINE

• Species extinction is a natural process

• The natural rate of extinction is 12 species/year

• We are actually experiencing the 6th Mass Extinction, losing 15,000-30,000 species every year

• Soil organisms are not excluded by this process, that represent one of the main threats for the future of the Earth


SOIL BIODIVERSITY DECLINE

Why we need to protect soil biodiversity?

• Economical/utilitarian reasons

• Ecological reasons

• Ethical reasons


SOIL BIODIVERSITY DECLINE• loss of biological diversity• reduction of soil organisms quantity

DPSIR Framework and Soil Biodiversity

• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT•Environmental policy

•Soil protection

• CHANGE OF THE ECOLOGICAL STRUCTURE

• Change of ecosystem functions

• Loss of ecosystem goods and servicesClimate change

Land use changeHabitat disruptionSoil organic matter declineSoil erosionSoil compactionSoil sealingSoil pollutionHuman intensive exploitationGMO pollutionInvasive speciesHabitat fragmentation

DrivingForces

Pressures

Responses

Impact

State

•Increase of human population•Change of life styleEnergy consumptionLand use changeLand use intensityAgricultural intensityDissipative use of chemicalsGMO use, trade and releaseGlobalizationMobility infrastructures


INVASIVE SPECIES

Pressure Driving forceClimate change Energy consumption

Land use intensityAgricultural intensity

Ecosystem/habitat disruption Land use changeLand use intensity

Soil erosion Land use intensityEnergy consumption (via climate change)

Soil compaction Agricultural intensity

Chemical pollution Agricultural intensityDissipative use of chemicals

Soil organic matter decline Agricultural intensityEnergy consumption (via climate change)

Human exploitation Land use changeLand use intensityAgriculture and animal husbandry intensity

GMO pollution GMO production, trade and release

Invasive species Globalization

Habitat fragmentation Land use changeMobility infrastructures


CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy consumptionLand use change/intensity

Agricultural intensity Climate Change

Driving forces Pressures

• Climate change, by the mean of temperature and precipitation variations in time and space, will play a major role among soil biodiversity threats• There is a need to predict the alteration of soil biodiversity patterns due to global climate change• Researches in the extreme environment can provide important information on the effect of climate change on soil biodiversity and ecosystem function• Experimental results from extreme environment demonstrated that the temperature rise determine an increase in bacteria, fungi and nematode density, but a reduction of biodiversity (Ruess et al., 1999)


• Land use change and the consequent habitat and ecosystem disruption, is probably the main threat on biodiversity • Among soil biota the greatest effects will be seen more quickly on soil macro and mesofauna (Wall et al., 2001)

Land use changeLand use intensity

Ecosystemdisruption


ECOSYSTEM/HABITAT DISRUPTION


SOIL EROSION

Land use change/intensityAgricultural intensity

Energy consumption (via CC) Soil Erosion


• Soil erosion affects managed and natural ecosystem, and the consequences of this process on soil biodiversity will be both direct and indirect• The direct effect of soil erosion consists in the removal of soil biota and its habitat• The indirect effects are played through the vegetation regulation


SOIL COMPACTION

Agricultural intensity Soil compaction


• The use of heavy load machinery in agriculture and the reduction in soil organic carbon content can determine soil compaction• High soil bulk densities affect root penetration, soil pore volume, water infiltration and air permeability, and thus, finally the pore space habitable for soil organisms and the soil environmental conditions• The effects of soil compaction are not the same among the different groups of soil organism (Bouwman and Arts, 2000), but in general the process led to a reduction or a modification of soil biodiversity• It also can move the soil toward anaerobic conditions, which change the types and distribution of soil organisms in the food web


SOIL BIODIVERSITY: THE WIDER CONTEXT

NATURE CONSERVATION

Birds DirectiveHabitat Directive

Natura 2000

EU BIODIVERSITY POLICY

1998 – EU Biodiversity Startegy2001 – V Action Plan2006 – Com. alting Biodiv. Loss 2010

1992 – Global Biodiversity (CBD)International Initiative on soil biodiversity (FAO)

UNCCD


SOIL BIODIVERSITY AND SOIL FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE


CONCLUSIONS

• Inventory and monitoring are the necessary tools for the achievement of an adequate level of knowledge on soil biodiversity status and for the detection of hot spots as well as areas subject to decline.

• This is the first step for the implementation of policies finalized to biodiversity protection.


JRC ACTIVITIES


Thank You


CHEMICAL POLLUTION




•Climate change, by the mean of temperature and precipitation variations in time and space, will play a major role among soil biodiversity threats• There is a need to predict the alteration of soil biodiversity patterns due to global climate change• Researches in the extreme environment can provide important information on the effect of climate change on soil biodiversity and ecosystem function• Experimental results from extreme environment demonstrated that the temperature rise determine an increase in bacteria, fungi and nematode density, but a reduction of biodiversity (Ruess et al., 1999)


SOIL ORGANIC CARBON DECLINE






HUMAN EXPLOITATION






GMO POLLUTION






HABITAT FRAGMENTATION






INVASIVE SPECIES





main threats on soil biodiversity: pressures and …...eurosoil 2008 – soil quality workshop 3...

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