Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems
The QBS-ar, based on the study of microarthropod community structure, is well known as a quick and low-cost indicator to monitor soil biological quality at the farm scale. Temperature fluctuations and other climate factors in European countries may indirectly influence soil microarthropod communitie...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Filippo Gallese Laura Gismero-Rodriguez Anton Govednik Laura Giagnoni Erica Lumini Marjetka Suhadolc Francesco Primo Vaccari Anita Maienza |
| author_facet | Filippo Gallese Laura Gismero-Rodriguez Anton Govednik Laura Giagnoni Erica Lumini Marjetka Suhadolc Francesco Primo Vaccari Anita Maienza |
| author_sort | Filippo Gallese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The QBS-ar, based on the study of microarthropod community structure, is well known as a quick and low-cost indicator to monitor soil biological quality at the farm scale. Temperature fluctuations and other climate factors in European countries may indirectly influence soil microarthropod communities by altering resource availability and microhabitat conditions. In the context of the climate crisis, along with drought and erosion threats, especially in southern Europe, it is essential to define the limits and advantages of the QBS-ar index. We applied the QBS-ar index along a warm temperature gradient at three long-term experimental sites. Our results underlined that the QBS-ar is very sensitive for detecting soil quality and treatment effects. The results suggest that the choice of sampling season is a particularly vulnerable phase, especially for southern Mediterranean sites. Air temperature and cumulative precipitation, even in the months prior to sampling, are critical factors to consider when applying the QBS-ar index in European countries. Drought periods can negatively influence the results for soil microarthropod relative abundance; however, the presence of biological forms seems to provide useful information about the effects of treatments on soil quality. This paper lays the groundwork for scaled-up QBS-ar applications considering soils and several environmental characteristics of agroecosystems in Europe. The work can contribute to the development of applications of the index, facilitating and improving the monitoring of soil biology at the field scale. Furthermore, this study can open future perspectives for the application of QBS-ar on a larger scale thanks to the implementation and updating of an open-source database. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-503a0728ebf84bfbb670bf08c7025d3f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-503a0728ebf84bfbb670bf08c7025d3f2025-01-10T13:13:39ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722025-01-011518910.3390/agriculture15010089Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European AgroecosystemsFilippo Gallese0Laura Gismero-Rodriguez1Anton Govednik2Laura Giagnoni3Erica Lumini4Marjetka Suhadolc5Francesco Primo Vaccari6Anita Maienza7National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, ItalyInstituto de la Grasa (IG-CSIC), 41013 Sevilla, SpainBiotechnical Faculty (BF), University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaDepartment of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics (DICATAM), University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, ItalyNational Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, ItalyBiotechnical Faculty (BF), University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaNational Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, ItalyNational Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, ItalyThe QBS-ar, based on the study of microarthropod community structure, is well known as a quick and low-cost indicator to monitor soil biological quality at the farm scale. Temperature fluctuations and other climate factors in European countries may indirectly influence soil microarthropod communities by altering resource availability and microhabitat conditions. In the context of the climate crisis, along with drought and erosion threats, especially in southern Europe, it is essential to define the limits and advantages of the QBS-ar index. We applied the QBS-ar index along a warm temperature gradient at three long-term experimental sites. Our results underlined that the QBS-ar is very sensitive for detecting soil quality and treatment effects. The results suggest that the choice of sampling season is a particularly vulnerable phase, especially for southern Mediterranean sites. Air temperature and cumulative precipitation, even in the months prior to sampling, are critical factors to consider when applying the QBS-ar index in European countries. Drought periods can negatively influence the results for soil microarthropod relative abundance; however, the presence of biological forms seems to provide useful information about the effects of treatments on soil quality. This paper lays the groundwork for scaled-up QBS-ar applications considering soils and several environmental characteristics of agroecosystems in Europe. The work can contribute to the development of applications of the index, facilitating and improving the monitoring of soil biology at the field scale. Furthermore, this study can open future perspectives for the application of QBS-ar on a larger scale thanks to the implementation and updating of an open-source database.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/1/89soilbiological indicatorsconservative agricultureclimate |
| spellingShingle | Filippo Gallese Laura Gismero-Rodriguez Anton Govednik Laura Giagnoni Erica Lumini Marjetka Suhadolc Francesco Primo Vaccari Anita Maienza Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems Agriculture soil biological indicators conservative agriculture climate |
| title | Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems |
| title_full | Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems |
| title_short | Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems |
| title_sort | soil microarthropods as tools for monitoring soil quality the qbs ar index in three european agroecosystems |
| topic | soil biological indicators conservative agriculture climate |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/1/89 |
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