Mountain soil biodiversity
Short description
Soils harbour at least one fourth of all terrestrial species described to date and provide a range of essential ecosystem services, including carbon storage and nutrient cycling. Mountain soils, specifically, are characterized by a particularly high diversity of rare and specialist species that are adapted to large fluctuations in environmental conditions, strong seasonal changes, or low temperatures. Yet, belowground biodiversity has historically received limited attention, especially so in mountains, where remoteness and considerable variations in soil condition over short distances render field work particularly challenging. Accordingly, numerous opportunities exist to fill data and knowledge gaps and contribute to global initiatives such as the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) or the global Soil Biodiversity Observation Network (Soil BON) with a focus on mountains. This working group aims at bringing together a community of mountain soil scientists to address these gaps.
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Objectives
The specific objectives of this working group are:
- build a mountain soil biodiversity science network, with a primary focus on alpine soils (i.e. soils located in the upper montane, lower and upper alpine, and nival zones)
- initiate comprehensive, comparable, and interdisciplinary biodiversity surveys across various soil layers and taxonomic levels (microbiota (i.e. bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, and viruses), microfauna (protozoans, tardigrades, rotifers, nematodes), mesofauna (i.e. mites, springtails, enchytraeids, etc.) and the macrofauna (i.e. earthworms, arachnids, millipedes, centipedes, insects)
- define standard sampling methods and approaches to investigate mountain soil biodiversity and enable comparative analyses across different mountain soil systems worldwide
- define indicator taxa or functional groups to evaluate the ecological status of mountain soils (e.g. along gradients of land-use and climate)
- pave the way for collaborations and joint sampling across mountain ranges, regions, nations as well as organism groups
- promote the working group in relevant international conferences
- encourage and support young researchers, also from the global South to investigate mountain soil ecosystems
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Status | Lead |
|---|---|---|
Article: Biodiversity in mountain soils above the treeline |
Michael Steinwandter & Nadine Praeg |
|
Article: Standardised methodologies to assess soil biodiversity in mountains* |
Ongoing | |
Policy brief: Sustainable soil management in mountain regions |
Published | Silvia Stanchi |
Coordinators
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
Institute for Alpine Environment - Eurac Research, Italy |
GMBA Network |
|
Institute for Alpine Environment - Eurac Research, Italy |
GMBA Network |
|
Nadine Praeg |
University of Innsbruck, Austria |
GMBA Network |
| Bettina Weber | University of Graz, Austria |
GMBA Network |
| Paul Illmer | University of Innsbruck, Austria |
GMBA Network |
University of Basel, Switzerland |
GMBA SSC |
|
University of Campinas, Brazil |
GMBA SSC |
|
Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environment, Austria |
GMBA SSC |
|
| Davnah Payne |
GMBA |
GMBA office |
Carlos Guerra |
Soil Biodiversity Observation Network, iDiv |
Partners |
Diana H. Wall |
Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative |
Partners |
| Alberto Orgiazzi | Joint Research Center, European Commission, Italy |
Partners |
Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) |
Partners |
Events
Upcoming Event
Links & Resources
- Global Soil Biodiversity Observation Network (Soil BON)
This group is working in partnership with the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) and other global and regional partners to make available the soil biological and ecosystem observations needed to ensure living soil resources are sustainably conserved and managed and can support essential human needs. - Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI)
Initiative seeking to promote expert knowledge on soil biodiversity into environmental policy and sustainable land management to protect and enhance ecosystem services. - Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN)
The aim of MIREN is to understand the effects of global change on species’ distributions and biodiversity in mountainous areas. - Ecology and trophic structure of the Alpine soil macrofauna (AlpSoil)
The project investigates the species composition and trophic structure of Alpine soil systems using an extensive and broad-viewed sampling approach and including classic and modern methods.