Publicação
Effects of protected areas on soil functional biodiversity in the north of Portugal
| Resumo: | Soils hold the larger part of the biomass on Earth, being one of the largest reservoirs of biological diversity, and providing a variety of ecosystem services crucial for the integrity of above-ground biodiversity and human well-being. However, nature conservation policy is only concerned with aboveground terrestrial species and soil biodiversity has been largely ignored, resulting in a lack of information about the conservation status of most soil organisms and about the effects that nature conservation policies have on soil systems. Forests in Northern Portugal are characterized by a remarkable diversity of ecosystems, both natural and semi-natural, as well as anthropogenic, and provide habitat for an enormous diversity of living organisms, including some of the rarest and most valuable elements of regional and national biological diversity. This study aims to investigate whether and to what extent protected areas increase soil biodiversity and function in forest ecosystems. Specifically, this aims i) to assess differences in soil biodiversity and function between protected and non-protected areas, across forests dominated by native or exotic species, on a regional scale; and ii) to infer on how protected areas deal with pressures and drivers of soil biodiversity and function. The study area, the North of Portugal, comprises a vast range of edaphoclimatic conditions and environmental pressures, that have been well-characterised by the SoilReCon Project (PTDC/BIA-CBI/2340/2020) through a wide sampling campaign. To ascertain levels of soil biodiversity, quality, and functioning, we employed nematode community analyses, that have been widely used for their bioindicator value. With this study we showed that native forest areas had a more nutrient-enriched soil system and a more complex community structure with a tendency for lower disturbances and, because of that, are better suited to sustain soil biodiversity and functions and should have a greater importance in nature conservation measures. Protected areas tented to positively affect soil biodiversity and function, but this effect was not significant. Among the assessed environmental variables, those that mostly influenced soil functional biodiversity were soil organic carbon, soil apparent density, soil moisture, deciduous forest cover, and pH. It then follows that conservation efforts targeted at the protection of native forests need to better consider effects on soil biodiversity and function, to provide an integrated protection of both aboveground and belowground components. |
|---|---|
| Autores principais: | Duarte, Ana Carolina Pinto |
| Assunto: | Forest areas Functions Nematodes North of Portugal Protected areas Áreas florestais Áreas protegidas Funções Nematodes Norte de Portugal |
| Ano: | 2023 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade do Minho |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho |
| Resumo: | Soils hold the larger part of the biomass on Earth, being one of the largest reservoirs of biological diversity, and providing a variety of ecosystem services crucial for the integrity of above-ground biodiversity and human well-being. However, nature conservation policy is only concerned with aboveground terrestrial species and soil biodiversity has been largely ignored, resulting in a lack of information about the conservation status of most soil organisms and about the effects that nature conservation policies have on soil systems. Forests in Northern Portugal are characterized by a remarkable diversity of ecosystems, both natural and semi-natural, as well as anthropogenic, and provide habitat for an enormous diversity of living organisms, including some of the rarest and most valuable elements of regional and national biological diversity. This study aims to investigate whether and to what extent protected areas increase soil biodiversity and function in forest ecosystems. Specifically, this aims i) to assess differences in soil biodiversity and function between protected and non-protected areas, across forests dominated by native or exotic species, on a regional scale; and ii) to infer on how protected areas deal with pressures and drivers of soil biodiversity and function. The study area, the North of Portugal, comprises a vast range of edaphoclimatic conditions and environmental pressures, that have been well-characterised by the SoilReCon Project (PTDC/BIA-CBI/2340/2020) through a wide sampling campaign. To ascertain levels of soil biodiversity, quality, and functioning, we employed nematode community analyses, that have been widely used for their bioindicator value. With this study we showed that native forest areas had a more nutrient-enriched soil system and a more complex community structure with a tendency for lower disturbances and, because of that, are better suited to sustain soil biodiversity and functions and should have a greater importance in nature conservation measures. Protected areas tented to positively affect soil biodiversity and function, but this effect was not significant. Among the assessed environmental variables, those that mostly influenced soil functional biodiversity were soil organic carbon, soil apparent density, soil moisture, deciduous forest cover, and pH. It then follows that conservation efforts targeted at the protection of native forests need to better consider effects on soil biodiversity and function, to provide an integrated protection of both aboveground and belowground components. |
|---|