Surface cast production by the earthworm Aporrectodea nocturna in a pre-alpine meadow in Switzerland

Field and laboratory experiments were carried out to describe the effects of Aporrectodea nocturna on soil characteristics in a pre-alpine meadow and to support the development of a model of cast production. In the prealpine meadow, increased cast production, first observed about 20 years ago around a newly planted hedge, was recorded to a distance of maximal 170 m from the hedge. Numbers of A. nocturna between 130 and 165 m from the hedge decreased from 164 to 16 individuals m^-2. In the same area cast production steadily decreased from about 1.5 kg m^-2 week^-1 to nil, the plant community structure changed and the microbial biomass decreased, but the root biomass and the moisture content did not change. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that high cast production was not a specific feature of the A. nocturna population nor of the soil in the meadow. Diapause of A. nocturna was terminated in the laboratory during September. A model of cast production potential by the earthworm A. nocturna was established using laboratory determinations of the relationships with body weight, temperature, and water potential. The model was shown to predict cast production in the field given the assumption that the water potential was 0 MPa. According to the model, 81% of surface cast production was by juveniles, and 19% by adults of A. nocturna.     

Predicting N transformations from organic inputs in soil in relation to incubation time and biochemical composition

Seventeen different added organic materials (AOM) in a sandy soil were incubated under controlled laboratory conditions (28 °C, 75% WHC), and examined for C and N mineralisation. The transformation of added organics (TAO) model has been presented in previous work for predicting C mineralisation. The two variables (very labile and stable fractions of AOM) used in TAO have been related to the biochemical characteristics of the AOM. The transformed added organic N fraction (TAONF) was estimated from the remaining C_AOM and N_AOM linked by the C-to-N ratios. TAONF was split (P_im parameter) into immobilised N (imN) and inorganic N (inorgN). When necessary, an additional N mineralisation of imN was predicted by first order kinetics (constant k_remin). The TAO version with the two parameters P_im and k_remin allowed us to predict very different dynamics of N mineralisation and N immobilisation from the AOM. In a few cases, another first order kinetic law (constant k_v) was used to predict N volatilisation from inorgN.Biochemical characteristics of AOM were used for predicting N transformations. First, at each incubation date, inorgN was approximated to inorgNa=α(N-to-C_AOM)+β by linear regression. The α, β and −β/α (C-to-N_AOM threshold for mineralisation/immobilisation) were related to time. The TAO expression (1−P_im)TAONF was then replaced by the proposed approximation inorgNa as a function of incubation time and C-to-N_AOM. Secondly, significant relationships were computed between k_remin and organic fibre content of AOM. Finally, a TAO approximation was proposed for predicting the simultaneous transformations of C and N, only using biochemical data (plus the k_v parameter in a few cases of N volatilisation). For all AOMs, the validity of the approximation and its borderline cases were examined by comparing the two TAO versions.     

Modelled and measured ratio of PAR to global radiation under cloudless skies

The ratio between photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and solar broadband irradiance depends on the spectral structure of radiation. Therefore, at the Earth surface, this ratio depends on atmospheric conditions and solar height. Specifically, for cloudless skies, and based on results from a spectral radiative transfer model, a parameterised model is presented here in order to obtain the ratio between PPFD and global irradiance from meteorological routine measurements. The two main input variables of the model are air mass and an estimation of precipitable water column. Modelled values are compared to measurements taken at Girona (NE Iberian Peninsula). A correction to measurements is developed to take into account the non-cosine response of the instruments. Agreement between measurements and model is significantly better than merely considering a constant value of the ratio between PPFD and global broadband irradiance.     

Modelling compaction of agricultural subsoils by tracked heavy construction machinery under various moisture conditions in Switzerland

In recent years, agricultural land in Switzerland has been increasingly used as temporary access ways for heavy machinery in road and pipeline construction operations. The Swiss soil protection law requires that measures are taken to prevent soil compaction in such operations, but gives no criteria to determine tolerable loads. We studied the compaction sensitivity of a loess soil (Haplic Luvisol) at different soil moisture conditions in a field traffic experiment and by a numerical model on the computer using finite element analysis. Two plots, one wetted by sprinkling and one left dry (no sprinkling), were traversed by heavy caterpillar vehicles during construction of a large overland gas pipeline. Compaction effects were determined by comparing precompression stresses of samples taken from trafficked and non-trafficked soil. A finite element model with a constitutive relation, based on the concept of critical state soil mechanics, was used to interpret the outcome of the field trials.

We found significantly higher precompression stresses in the trafficked (median 97 kPa) compared with the non-trafficked (median 41 kPa) topsoil of the wet plot. No effect was evident in the topsoil of the dry plot as well as in the subsoils of the wet and the dry plot. The observed compaction effects were in agreement with the model predictions if the soil was assumed to be partially drained, but disagreed for the wet subsoil if fully drained conditions were assumed. Agreement between model and experimental results also required that the moisture dependence of the precompression stress was taken into account.     

Modelling the response of terrestrial ecosystems to acidification and desiccation scenarios

Changes in vegetation are often caused by changes in abiotic site factors, such as pH, nitrogen availability and soil moisture. It has been recognized that abiotic site factors are affected by atmospheric deposition and groundwater-table changes. In order to evaluate the effects of eutrophication, acidification and desiccation on site factors, the model SMART2 has been developed. For the Netherlands combinations of two acidification and two seepage scenarios (1990–2050) were evaluated with SMART2. The results are focused on pH, nitrogen availability and base saturation. Calculations were made for combinations of five vegetation structures on seven soil types and the five groundwater-table classes, using a 1 km² grid. Results showed that deposition reductions lead to a relatively fast improvement of the site factors, increase in pH and base saturation and decrease in N availability. Whereas a reduction in groundwater abstractions of 25% has little or no effect on the pH and N availability.     

A model of lineage-1 and lineage-2 rinderpest virus transmission in pastoral areas of East Africa

The development of a stochastic, state-transition model of rinderpest transmission dynamics is described using parameter estimates obtained from both laboratory and participatory research. Using serological data, the basic reproduction numbers for lineage-1 rinderpest virus in southern Sudan and for lineage-2 rinderpest virus in Somali livestock were estimated as 4.4 and between 1.2 and 1.9, respectively. The model predictions for the inter-epidemic period in Sudan and Somalia (1.2 and 4.2 years, respectively) were in agreement with analysis of livestock-owner reports (1–2 years and 5 years, respectively).     

Predicting the spread of the American grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Europe: A call for a co-ordinated European approach

The introduction of the American eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Europe is causing a dramatic decline of the native European red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), due to competition. We used spatially explicit population dynamics models to illustrate the potential expansion of the grey squirrel from Italy, the only continental country with the species, into neighbouring countries. Simulations started with the known grey squirrel distributions in 1996 and modelled the spread for the next 100 years in two different scenarios. One “best case” in which a random seed crop pattern of poor, good and mast seed crops was simulated with concomitant effects on squirrel fecundity and mortality and one “worst case” scenario in which poor years were not included. In the best case scenario, it will take 30-40 years for grey squirrels to start invading the Alps and about 70-75 years to cross the border between Italy and France. First populations in Switzerland are predicted in 2051-2066. In the worst case scenario, the spread will be significantly faster: the species is predicted to reach France in 2026-2031 and Switzerland in 2031-2041. Removing two of the three populations of grey squirrel will likely postpone the invasion of Switzerland but not of France. Large areas of Europe contain potentially good habitat for grey squirrels, and expansion from Italy, to France, Switzerland and belong to most of Eurasia is simply a matter of time. This will represent a serious risk for the conservation of the native red squirrel and will have implications for national forest operations. However, a European policy towards introduced species is still lacking. There is therefore a need for a co-ordinated European approach to the management of the grey squirrel and other introduced species.     

Using rainfall simulation and site measurements to predict annual interrill erodibility and phosphorus generation rates from unsealed forest roads: Validation against in-situ erosion measurements

The measurement of soil erosion rates under natural rainfall conditions is costly and time consuming. Data provided by rainfall simulation and static site measurements can be used to predict erosion rates under natural conditions, however the accuracy of this method is largely untested. This is especially true for erosion rates from unsealed forest roads. In this study, the values for a range of erodibility indices calculated from rainfall simulation experiments are compared to observed erodibility index values from 1 year of detailed in-situ erosion monitoring of seven different forest road types. The prediction of phosphorus generation rates from rainfall simulation and/or soil sampling was also evaluated. The results showed that a series of commonly used erodibility indices such as sediment per unit rainfall, sediment per unit runoff, sediment per unit EI₃₀, and sediment per unit rainfall energy were poorly predicted from the rainfall simulation experiments. Five of the six indices tested substantially overpredicted the observed erodibility at one site, a gravel road subjected to minimal traffic. For the other six road sites predictions were poor and highly variable, the coefficient of efficiency ranging from − 13.32 to 0.17 for these erodibility indices. A modified index, the ratio of sediment per unit rainfall energy to the mean rate of rainfall energy input, was able to predict annual erosion rates from six different road surfaces using rainfall simulation data with a coefficient of efficiency of 0.9. The results indicate that existing erodibility indices are not suitable for predicting observed erosion rates on forest roads using rainfall simulation data as collected in this study. It is argued that the modified index is more suited to sites (such as compacted roads) where interrill processes dominate, and erosion rates are less sensitive to peak flows. With respect to nutrient generation rates, rainfall simulation was able to accurately predict the observed proportion by mass of total phosphorus (TP) in runoff with a coefficient of efficiency of 0.96. Direct soil sampling of the road surface could also be used to predict the proportion by mass of TP in runoff. Concentrations of total nitrogen in forest road materials were found to be at the lower detection limit of the laboratory instruments.