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SOIL BIOTIC CONSTITUENTS PROVIDING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Dr. Daniela Raducu, Dr. Sorina Dumitru, Dr. Petru Ignat, Dr. Alina Eftene, Dr. Alexandrina Manea

Abstract

Along the whole history, the human civilizations were depended mainly on the soil fertility and further on the ecosystem well function and its appropriate characteristics. These functions (as natural processes occurring in ecosystems) depend on its structure (on biotic and abiotic constituents respectively) and provide ecosystem services. The paper emphasized the way that one of the ecosystem services, essential to our health and well being, as the пїЅregulation of the nutrients and their uptake? arises from the interface of the soil biotic and abiotic constituents. The studied area is located in Bihor County, Romania, where the mean annual temperature is 6-8пїЅC and the mean annual precipitations is 680 mm. The researches were performed on three Dystric Cambisols formed from acid rocks (conglomerates and sandstones). The analytical data showed that pH values range from 4.75 to 5.36. The studied soils are oligobazic accordingly to the degree of base saturation (24 - 34%), which is an important diagnostic characteristic for Dystric Cambisols. The total nitrogen content is low to medium (with the values ranging from 0.032 пїЅ 0.224 %), while the available phosphorus content is very low to low (2.60 пїЅ 19.60 ppm), as well as the available potassium content (88 пїЅ 116 ppm). The micromorphological study on the thin sections pointed out that many rock fragments are highly weathered, being covered with films of alteration products. The presence of these amorphous products favor the development of microorganisms, thus, black fungi mantle partially covered the rock weathered areas. In the studied Dystric Cambisols, the soil mesofauna explored and consumed the soil matrix around the rock fragments and deposited small coprolites on the surfaces and in the fractures of the rocks initiating the weathering process. The mesofauna coprolites further stimulated their colonization by the microorganisms and intensify mineral weathering. This highlights that not only microorganisms and plant roots influenced the weathering (by their exudates), but also soil mesofauna (by their coprolites). The secondary products of weathering arise from the interface between the soil biotic (micro- and mesofauna) and abiotic (rock fragments) constituents, and provide the пїЅregulation of the nutrients and their uptake?, the main component of soil fertility, one of the most important ecosystem functions.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2017/32/s13.064

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