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Decalp

Titre du projet
Decalp
Description
DecAlp refers to the abbreviated title of the proposed project dealing with the effects of climate on coarse woody debris Decay dynamics and incorporation into the soils of forested Alpine areas. The investigation area is located in Val di Rabbi in the south Alpine belt in northern Italy (Trentino).

Work package 1 (WP1) is carried out by the Laboratory of Soil and Vegetation at the University of Neuchâtel (CH), headed by Prof. Jean-Michel Gobat, in collaboration with the Institute for Applied Soil Biology (IFAB GmbH) in Hamburg, Germany.

WP1 is focusing on the interrelationship between vegetation cover, soil fauna and humus formation as a function of climate. Earthworms and microannelids as proxies of the macro- and the mesofauna will be quantitatively sampled at sites along selected climosequences and analysed with respect to abundance, species composition, vertical distribution and functional traits of species. The resulting patterns of soil fauna will be compared with the formation of humus horizons in the sampled profiles aiming to discriminate among biologically different humus forms. The overall aim is to model the effect of climate (altitude vs. exposure) on the diversity of soil biota and the dynamics of humus forming processes. Moreover, a special focus will be given on humus forms strongly influenced by woody material (lignoforms). A description method of the horizons (here called xylons) forming these lignoforms will be developed. Thus, numerous characteristics of these xylons will be investigated (specific components, coloration, macromorphological aspects, among others). The most relevant characteristics for a new taxonomy of these specific horizons will then be determined by statistical analyses, leading to a more accurate classification of lignoforms and providing a better understanding of their diversity and dynamics. New knowledge about relationships between soil/vegetation level (macro-scale), ligno-humus forms level (meso-scale, main crossroads of the ecosystem) and microbiological activity level (micro-scale) under different climatic conditions will be provided by crossing the results of WP1 with other WPs
Chercheur principal
Statut
Completed
Date de début
1 Août 2012
Date de fin
31 Décembre 2016
Organisations
Site web du projet
Identifiant interne
37619
identifiant
https://libra.unine.ch/handle/123456789/2085
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What does "lignoform" really mean?

2018-9-6, Tatti, Dylan, Fatton, Vincent, Sartori, Luna, Gobat, Jean-Michel, Le Bayon, Renée-Claire

Among the many studies devoted to deadwood, very few have considered it in a broader ecosystemic context, especially in relation to the underlying humiferous topsoil. In order to fill this gap, we detail here the concept of lignoforms, humus forms strongly linked to deadwood and mostly ignored by humus forms specialists. After presenting the main characteristics of deadwood, the main actors involved in its life cycle and its important and varied roles in many ecosystems, we explain how to describe and study lignoforms. We also propose new diagnostic horizons for these particular humus forms, as well as a classification system, including an identification key (see Appendix A Identification key for lignoforms). Finally, we discuss some important issues pertinent to continuing to improve knowledge of these common but little studied humus forms.

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TerrHum: An iOS Application for Classifying Terrestrial Humipedons and Some Considerations about Soil Classification

2019-6-13, Zanella, Augusto, Katzensteiner, Klaus, Ponge, J.-F, Jabiol, B, Sartori, G, Kolb, Eckart, Le Bayon, Renée-Claire, Aubert, Mickael, Ascher-Jenull, Judith, Englisch, M, Hager, Herbert

The name TerrHum is an abbreviation of the words “Terrestrial” (not hydromorphic, not submerged) and “Humipedon” (organic and organic-mineral humus horizons). With this application, it is possible to describe and classify terrestrial forest and grassland topsoils in a system published as a Special Issue entitled “Humusica 1– Terrestrial Natural Humipedons” in the journal Applied Soil Ecology. The iOS application TerrHum allows the storage of the main content of humusica 1 on a cellular phone. Images, diagrams and simplified tables of classification may be recalled with a few touches on the screen. Humus forms, representing five humus systems, are classified based on the vertical arrangement of diagnostic horizons and their attributes. TerrHum allows accessing specific figures that are stored in a virtual cloud and can be downloaded the first time the user recalls them. Once all figures have been opened in the device, the application is ready to use, without any further internet connection. The application is in continuous evolution.

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