A long road to soil health restoration: earthworms and soil structure show partial recovery in 18-year-old forest skid trails

IF 10.3 1区农林科学 Q1 SOIL SCIENCE

Soil Biology & Biochemistry Pub Date : 2025-08-20 DOI:10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109953

Maximilian Behringer , John Koestel , Bart Muys , Karin Wriessnig , Markus Bieringer , Matthias Schlögl , Klaus Katzensteiner

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Compaction may impair soil health for decades. In a controlled experiment on clayey temperate forest soils, we assessed the effects of ground-based timber harvesting on earthworm abundance and soil structure. We compared freshly trafficked skid trails with those created 18 years ago at the same site. Earthworms were sampled in the ruts of the skid trails and in adjacent undisturbed plots. In addition, we collected undisturbed soil cores at 5 and 15 cm depths for X-ray imaging to assess soil structure.

We identified five earthworm species: Aporrectodea rosea, Dendrobaena depressa, Dendrodrilus rubidus, Lumbricus rubellus, and Octolasion lacteum. Earthworm abundance was highest on 18-year-old skid trails, particularly of endogeic and juvenile anecic individuals. The abundance of adult anecics remained reduced.

The X-ray data showed that imaged porosity declined sharply after trafficking (from 14.4 ± 5.0 % to 3.5 ± 1.6 % at 5 cm; and from 13.5 ± 4.9 % to 2.0 ± 1.1 % at 15 cm) but recovered at 5 cm within 18 years (12.2 ± 4.3 %), with only partial recovery at 15 cm (7.1 ± 2.5 %). Other structural parameters including biopores, pore anisotropy and Γ-connectivity (connectivity probability; dimensionless local connectivity measure, confined to the range [0,1]) and bulk density followed similar trends. However, the anisotropy of rock fragments did not recover. Pressure and shear forces during harvesting aligned the rock fragments horizontally.

Our data show that earthworms can recolonize compacted forest soils, but recovery of soil structure is depth-dependent and remains incomplete at 15 cm depth after 18 years, resulting in a highly biological active layer sitting on top of a hard pan.

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漫长的土壤健康恢复之路：蚯蚓和土壤结构在18年的森林滑径显示部分恢复

压实可能损害土壤健康长达数十年。在温带黏性森林土壤的对照试验中，我们评估了地面采伐对蚯蚓数量和土壤结构的影响。我们比较了18年前在同一地点新建的人行道。蚯蚓在滑径的车辙和相邻未受干扰的地块中取样。此外，我们收集了5和15 cm深度未受干扰的土壤岩心进行x射线成像以评估土壤结构。我们鉴定了5种蚯蚓：玫瑰Aporrectodea rosea， Dendrobaena depressa, Dendrodrilus rubidus， Lumbricus rubellus和Octolasion lacteum。蚯蚓的丰度在18年的滑径上最高，尤其是内源和幼虫个体。成人轶事的数量仍然减少。x线资料显示，充填后成像孔隙度急剧下降（从5 cm处的14.4±5.0%降至3.5±1.6%，从15 cm处的13.5±4.9%降至2.0±1.1%），但18年内在5 cm处恢复（12.2±4.3%），仅在15 cm处部分恢复（7.1±2.5%）。其他结构参数包括生物孔隙、孔隙各向异性和Γ-connectivity（连通性概率；无因次局部连通性度量，限制在[0,1]范围内）和体积密度也遵循类似的趋势。然而，岩屑的各向异性并没有恢复。收获过程中的压力和剪切力使岩石碎片水平排列。我们的数据表明，蚯蚓可以在密实的森林土壤中重新定植，但土壤结构的恢复与深度有关，并且在18年后在15 cm深度仍不完全恢复，导致坚硬的锅上有一个高度生物活性的层。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Soil Biology & Biochemistry 农林科学-土壤科学

CiteScore

16.90

自引率

9.30%

发文量

312

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： Soil Biology & Biochemistry publishes original research articles of international significance focusing on biological processes in soil and their applications to soil and environmental quality. Major topics include the ecology and biochemical processes of soil organisms, their effects on the environment, and interactions with plants. The journal also welcomes state-of-the-art reviews and discussions on contemporary research in soil biology and biochemistry.