Soil Biology and Monitoring
Environmental Change
Matthew Shepherd
Senior Specialist, Soil Biodiversity, Natural England
Soil Biology and Monitoring Environmental Change
“ Generations have trod, have trod, have trod
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent...”
Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1877
Soil Biology and Monitoring Environmental Change
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A new long-term monitoring programme
Assessing soils and soil biology
Baseline results
Implications for soil monitoring and function
Soil biodiversity – an end in itself?
Long-term Monitoring
Programme
26
15
L
M
14
Cairngorms
I
Glensaugh
17
K
F
J
13
16
Sourhope
21
18
20
P
3
12
19
N
22
O
1
Hillsborough
Moor House - Upper
Teesdale
G
E
2
D
Y Wyddfa
(Snowdon)
6
H
9
10
C
7
Drayton
Rothamsted
Wytham
5
23
24
Alice Holt
25
North Wyke
Porton
4
8
11
B
A
• Builds on ECN
• What are long-term
effects on biodiversity
and ecosystem function
of:
climate change
air pollution
land management
• Environmental Change
Biodiversity Network
proposed
• Develop cost effective,
integrated monitoring
to 2050 and beyond.
Long-term Monitoring
Programme
• 40 or more core monitoring
sites in England by end 2014.
• Built on existing monitoring
• 20 current core sites – all
SSSI, mostly NNRs and SACs.
• Data will be managed by CEH
Long-term Monitoring Programme
• Climate and air quality
• Automatic weather station
• NH3 diffusion tubes
• Precipitation and chemistry
• Biodiversity
• Butterflies (BMS)
• Birds (BBS)
• Vegetation - 50 quadrats,
spp. cover, height, etc.
Assessing soils and soil biology
• How to integrate soils?
• ECN - soil physico-chemical
properties
• Make compatible and follow
advice:
• SQuID project - biological
indicators of soil quality
• Countryside survey – soil
monitoring
• UK SIC – environmental
interactions
• New soil methodology trialled at
9 sites 2011-2012
Assessing soils and soil biology
• Five 20m square
plots marked out
in homogeneous
vegetation
• Each divided into
100 2m square
subplots
• Assessments
made in field
• Samples taken
for lab analysis
• Most samples
bulked from 4
sub-plots
Assessing soils and soil biology
• Field observations
• Photograph
• Main plant spp.
cover to 5%
• Biogenic
structures
• Soil pit – photo,
horizons, visual
assessment.
Assessing soils and soil biology
• Cores taken, bulked and
analysed for
• Bulk density
• %C, %N
• Loss On Ignition
• pH
• CEC and cations
• Olsen and Total P
Assessing soils and soil biology
• On unbulked cores
• Soil function and biology
• NO3 and NH4
mineralisation
• PLFAs
• tRFLP – bacterial
genetic diversity.
• Nematodes
• Mesofauna.
Assessing soils and soil biology
• Project delivered by Helaina
Black, Andrew Cuthbert, Jason
Owen, Roy Neilson et al at the
James Hutton Institute
• Fieldwork in collaboration
with SAC
• Intended for Sept –delays
meant Dec – Jan fieldwork
• Weather, flood, disease!
• Mesofauna and nematodes
will be ID’ed during coming
year
• NE staff and volunteers
trained at new FSC course
Baseline results – physico-chemical
• Sig. betweensite differences
for almost all
parameters
• Physicochemical results
not too
surprising!
Baseline results – physico-chemical
Baseline results – physico-chemical
Baseline results – physico-chemical
Baseline results – soil function: N mineralisation
Baseline results – soil function: N mineralisation
Baseline results – soil function: C storage
Baseline results – soil biology: PLFA’s
Baseline results – soil biology : PLFA’s
Baseline results – soil biology: tRFLP
Baseline results – interactions
Implications for soil monitoring and soil function
• What size of changes can we detect?
– pH – ~0.4 pH units
– ~20% change in bulk density
– Over 100% change in NH4 mineralised!
– tRFLP - 7% change in evenness, 12% change in richness
– PLFA – 35-50% changes - better than soil cations!
• Soil physico-chemical properties change slowly
– detect change of habitats? Easier ways...
• Soil biological properties may be more sensitive
Implications for soil monitoring and soil function
• Soil function – little evidence so far
• Future - link above and below-ground changes
• Recent NE review – what practices and systems could provide
benefits to soil biota and agriculture?
– Organic matter management
– Reduced or no-till
– Diversification of cropping
• Much evidence from disparate and non-UK sources
• Coordinated UK research/demonstrations needed
Soil biodiversity – an end in itself?
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Soil biology a sensitive indicator...
Different habitats have distinct soil communities
Soil biodiversity is now better understood than ever
Expertise is waning – can new technologies be used?
Some groups are simply neglected – traditional conservation?
Others (eg. microbes) may require new genetic approaches
Workshop on Conservation of Soil Organisms,
July 12th, Natural History Museum, London.
Thank you!
Helaina Black, Andrew Cuthbert, Jason Owen, Roy Neilson
Andy Nisbet, Sarah Escott, Christine Innes
David Harding, Peter Shaw