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Soil Biodiversity, Functions and Ecosystem Services

General data

Course ID: WF-OB-ILIEVSOIL-ER
Erasmus code / ISCED: 07.2 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (unknown)
Course title: Soil Biodiversity, Functions and Ecosystem Services
Name in Polish: Soil Biodiversity, Functions and Ecosystem Services
Organizational unit: Center for Ecology and Ecophilosophy
Course groups: (in Polish) Przedmioty ERASMUS
(in Polish) Zajęcia w językach obcych w Instytucie Ekologii i Bioetyki
Courses at UKSW
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores): 6.00 Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles:
  • the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS;
  • the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h;
  • 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes;
  • weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS;
  • work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load.
Language: English
Learning outcome code/codes:

OB2_W09

OB2_W12

OB2_U01

OB2_U09

Short description:

The aim of the course is to turn the students attention to the soil as a complex habitat of high biological diversity, which supports the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. The course provides information about the major groups of organisms that live in the soil and their role in the natural and managed ecosystems. A strong emphasis is put on the factors influencing soil biodiversity and the services provided by soil biodiversity. The course offers also some training in sampling and assessing the density and diversity of some soil animal groups and using them as soil biological quality indices.

Full description:

Lectures

1. Diversity of soil organisms in different ecosystems (natural and managed ecosystems). Patterns of soil biodiversity. Factors influencing soil biodiversity.

2. The role of soil organisms in the processes of soil formation and organic matter transformation.

3. The importance of soil biodiversity. Ecosystem services provided by soil biota. The economic value of soil biodiversity.

4. Use of soil invertebrates in soil biodiversity assessment and as soil biological quality indices (monitoring of pollutant effects; evaluation of environmental impact of agricultural management practices; using soil invertebrates as bioindicators of urban soil quality). Parameters of soil animal communities used for soil quality evaluation.

5. Current threats to soil biodiversity. Management strategies for soil biodiversity restoration, conservation and sustainable production.

Classes

1. Standard sampling methods (frequency of sampling, number and storage of samples) used in soil ecology. Quantitative and qualitative methods for assessing the abundance of soil animals (including nematodes, springtails, mites, earthworms, snails, etc.). Biotests using soil invertebrates.

2. Methods for extraction of animals from soil, preservation of samples, microscopic preparations. Microscopy techniques, creating photographic documentation.

3. Analysis of the abundance (density) of different groups of soil fauna in selected habitats.

4. Diversity analysis of soil fauna in collected samples - species richness, ecological groups and sentinel species.

5. Summary and interpretation of obtained results - presentations. Discussion on the practical use of soil animals as bioindicators - possibilities and limitations.

Bibliography:

Bardgett R. 2005. The Biology of Soil. Oxford University Press.

Bardgett R.D. 2015. Earth Matters: How soil underlies civilization. Oxford University Press.

Bardgett R.D., Usher B., Hopkins D.W. 2005. Biological diversity and functions in soils. Cambridge University Press.

Bardgett R.D., Wardle D.A. 2010. Aboveground-belowground linkages. Biotic interactions, ecosystem processes, and global change. Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution.

Coleman D.C., Crossley D.A., Hendrix Jr. P.F. 2004. Fundamentals of Soil Ecology. Elsevier Academic press.

Edwards C.A., Bohlen P.J. 1996. Biology and Ecology of earthworms. Chapman and Hall, London.

Lavelle P., Spain A.V. 2005. Soil Ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

Paoletti M.G. 1999. Invertebrate biodiversity as bioindicators of sustainable landscapes: practical use of invertebrates to assess sustainable land use. Elsevier Academic press.

Wall D.H., Bardgett R.D., Behan-Pelletier V., Herrick J.E., Jones H., Ritz K., Six J., Strong D.R., van der Putten W.H. Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services 2013. Oxford University Press.

Efekty kształcenia i opis ECTS:

nowledge

Students discuss basic concepts about the role of soil biodiversity for the soil services and sustainabilility

Skills:

Students perform lab experiments indicating the role of soil organisms in soil processes (decomposition) and pointing out their indicator function

ECTS+ 180/30 = 6 ECTS

attendance - 30 h

learning new specialised vocabulary (30h)

preparing for the discussion on a given sunbject (30 h)

preparing for the classess (30 h)

final laboratory classes report in the form of a presentation (30 h)

preparing for the final tests (30 h)

Assessment methods and assessment criteria:

1) obligatory attendance (1 unjustified absence is allowed)

2) active participation

3) final laboratory classes report in the form of a presentation

4) final test

Classes in period "Summer semester 2021/22" (past)

Time span: 2022-02-01 - 2022-06-30
Selected timetable range:
Navigate to timetable
Type of class:
Classes, 15 hours, 4 places more information
Lectures, 15 hours, 4 places more information
Coordinators: Dominika Dzwonkowska, Krassimira Ilieva-Makulec, Agnieszka Szymańska
Group instructors: Krassimira Ilieva-Makulec
Course homepage: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3aa224e412932b47f3bd83feff646218df%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=aa754a4d-3de0-463c-8f26-948d36f427db&tenantId=12578430-c51b-4816-8163-c7281035b9b3
Students list: (inaccessible to you)
Examination: Course - graded credit
Classes - graded credit
Lectures - graded credit
(in Polish) E-Learning:

(in Polish) E-Learning (pełny kurs) z podziałem na grupy

Type of subject:

obligatory

(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych:

(in Polish) nie dotyczy

Classes in period "Summer semester 2022/23" (past)

Time span: 2023-02-01 - 2023-06-30
Selected timetable range:
Navigate to timetable
Type of class:
Classes, 15 hours, 5 places more information
Lectures, 15 hours, 5 places more information
Coordinators: Krassimira Ilieva-Makulec
Group instructors: Krassimira Ilieva-Makulec
Students list: (inaccessible to you)
Examination: Course - graded credit
Classes - graded credit
Lectures - graded credit
Type of subject:

obligatory

(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych:

(in Polish) nie dotyczy

Short description: (in Polish)

The aim of the course is to turn the students attention to the soil as a complex habitat of high biological diversity, which supports the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. The course provides information about the major groups of organisms that live in the soil and their role in the natural and managed ecosystems. A strong emphasis is put on the factors influencing soil biodiversity and the services provided by soil biodiversity. The course offers also some training in sampling and assessing the density and diversity of some soil animal groups and using them as soil biological quality indices.

The syllabus takes into account the knowledge gained from the project Wyzwania zrównoważonego rozwoju

FRSE, projekt nr EOG/21/K4/W/0028

Full description: (in Polish)

Lectures

1. What is soil? Soil forming factors. Soil as a habitat. Soil structure and soil biota. The role of soil organisms in the processes of soil formation and organic matter transformation. Comparison of the soil-forming processes in Iceland and Poland.

2. Diversity and distribution of soil organisms in Europe - in different ecosystems (natural and managed ecosystems) and different zones (e.g. temperate (Poland) and boreal (Iceland). Patterns of soil biodiversity.

3. Interactions between soil organisms and the soil itself. Epedaphic, hemiedaphic, euedaphic organisms. Geobionts, periodical geophiles, temporarily active geophiles. Adaptations to soil habitat.

4. Size classification of the soil organisms by body width. Macrofauna, meso- and microfauna and microorganisms – main groups, numbers, diversity and their role in the soil.

5. The importance of soil biodiversity. Ecosystem services (supplies, supporting, regulation) provided by soil biota: (decomposing plant and animal residues, transforming and recycling nutrients, storing and releasing water, maintenance of soil structure and fertility, provision of clean drinking water, sequestering and detoxifying organic toxicants, bioremediation of pollutants, pest and pathogen control, erosion control, mitigation of floods and droughts, regulation of atmospheric trace gases). The economic value of soil biodiversity.

6. Use of soil invertebrates in soil biodiversity assessment and as soil biological quality indices (monitoring of pollutant effects; evaluation of environmental impact of agricultural management practices; using soil invertebrates as bioindicators of urban soil quality). Parameters of soil animal communities used for soil quality evaluation.

7. Current threats to soil biodiversity: (contamination (chemicals), soil compaction and sealing, erosion, decline of organic matter, salinisation, landslides, deforestation, climate changes, agricultural practices (deep tillage, the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the removal of crop residues), desertification, acidification).

8. Current threats to soil biodiversity in Poland and Iceland – a comparison. Discussing the research of the ForHot project (Iceland) as a case study on the impact of climate change on biodiversity and soil functioning. Discussing the ongoing expansion of the invasive species (Lupinus arcticus, arctic lupine) in Iceland and its impact on soil life and quality.

9. Management strategies for soil biodiversity restoration, conservation and sustainable production. Practices which tend to promote soil health and practices which tend to reduce soil health in Poland and Iceland. Discussing the research in the WetWood project (Iceland) as a case study to demonstrate the role of afforestation to limit or mitigate GHG emissions from drained peatlands.

Classes

1. Sampling methods (frequency of sampling, number and storage of samples). Quantitative and qualitative methods for assessing the abundance of soil animals (including nematodes, springtails, mites, earthworms, snails, etc.).

2. Methods for extraction of animals from soil, preservation of samples, microscopic preparations. Microscopy techniques, creating photographic documentation.

3. Laboratory experiments performed by students aimed to study: i) The influence of different practices on soil fauna and ii) The importance of soil microorganisms and soil fauna in decomposition process

4. Analysis of the abundance (density) of different groups of soil fauna in the two laboratory experiments. Diversity analysis of soil fauna in collected samples - species richness, ecological groups and sentinel species.

5. Summary and interpretation of obtained results – reports and presentations.

6. Discussion on the practical use of soil animals as bioindicators - possibilities and limitations.

Bibliography: (in Polish)

Obligatory reading:

Bardgett R. 2005. The Biology of Soil. Oxford University Press.

Bardgett R.D. 2015. Earth Matters: How soil underlies civilization. Oxford University Press.

Bardgett R.D., Usher B., Hopkins D.W. 2005. Biological diversity and functions in soils. Cambridge University Press.

Bardgett R.D., Wardle D.A. 2010. Aboveground-belowground linkages. Biotic interactions, ecosystem processes, and global change. Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution.

Coleman D.C., Crossley D.A., Hendrix Jr. P.F. 2004. Fundamentals of Soil Ecology. Elsevier Academic press.

Jeffery S. , Gardi C., Jones A., Montanarella L., Marmo L., Miko L., Ritz K., Peres G., Römbke J. and van der Putten W. H. (eds.), 2010, European Atlas of Soil Biodiversity. European Commission, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.

Lavelle P., Spain A.V. 2005. Soil Ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

Lavelle P.,. Decaëns T., Aubert M., Barot S., Blouin M., Bureau F., Margerie P., Mora P., Rossi J.-P. 2006. Soil invertebrates and ecosystem services European Journal of Soil Biology 42, S3–S15.

Orgiazzi, A., Bardgett, R.D., Barrios, E., Behan-Pelletier, V., Briones, M.J.I., Chotte, J-L., De Deyn, G.B., Eggleton, P., Fierer, N., Fraser, T., Hedlund, K., Jeffery, S., Johnson, N.C., Jones, A., Kandeler, E., Kaneko, N., Lavelle, P., Lemanceau, P., Miko, L., Montanarella, L., Moreira, F.M.S., Ramirez, K.S., Scheu, S., Singh, B.K., Six, J., van der Putten, W.H., Wall, D.H. (Eds.), 2016, Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas. European Commission, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 176 pp.

Paoletti M.G. 1999. Invertebrate biodiversity as bioindicators of sustainable landscapes: practical use of invertebrates to assess sustainable land use. Elsevier Academic press.

Wall D.H., Bardgett R.D., Behan-Pelletier V., Herrick J.E., Jones H., Ritz K., Six J., Strong D.R., van der Putten W.H. Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services 2013. Oxford University Press.

Optional reading:

Bjarnadottir B., Sungur G.A., Sigurdsson B.D., Kjartansson B.T., Oskarsson H., Oddsdottir E.S., Gunnarsdottir G.E., Black A., 2021. Carbon and water balance of an afforested shallow drained peatland in Iceland, Forest Ecology and Management, 482, 2021, 118861, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118861.

Decaëns T., Jiménez J.J., Gioia C., Measey G.J., Lavelleb P. 2006. The values of soil animals for conservation biology. European Journal of Soil Biology 42 S23–S38

European Commission 2010. The factory of life. Why soil biodiversity is so important, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, doi 10.2779/17050

Ilieva-Makulec K., Bjarnadottir B., Sigurdsson B.D. 2015. Soil nematode communities on Surtsey, 50 years after the formation of the volcanic island. Icelandic Agricultural Sciences, 28, 1, 43-58.

Ilieva-Makulec, K.; Tyburski, J.; Makulec, G. 2016. Soil nematodes in organic and conventional farming system: A comparison of the taxonomic and functional diversity, Polish Journal of Ecology, DOI: 10.3161/15052249PJE2016.64.4.010

Sigurdsson, B.D.; Leblans, N.I.W.; Dauwe, S.; Gudmundsdóttir, E.; Gundersen, P.; Gunnarsdóttir, G.E.; Holmstrup, M.; Ilieva-Makulec, K.; Kätterer, T.; Marteinsdóttir, B. et al. 2016. Geothermal ecosystems as natural climate change experiments: The ForHot research site in Iceland as a case study. Icelandic Agricultural Sciences, DOI: 10.16886/IAS.2016.05

Swift M.J., Izac A.-M.N., van Noordwijk M. Biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes—are we asking the right questions? Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 104 (2004) 113–134

Turbé A., De Toni A., Benito P., Lavelle P., Lavelle P., Ruiz N., Van der Putten W. H., Labouze E., Mudgal S. 2010. Soil biodiversity: functions, threats and tools for policy makers. Bio Intelligence Service, IRD, and NIOO, Report for European Commission (DG Environment).

Walker T.W.N., Janssens I.A., Weedon J.T.,Sigurdsson B.D., Richter A.,Peñuelas J., Leblans N.I.W., Bahn M., Bartrons M., De Jonge C., Fuchslueger L., Gargallo-Garriga A., Gunnarsdóttir G.E., Marañón-Jiménez S., Oddsdóttir E.S., Ostonen I., Poeplau Ch., Prommer J., Radujković D., Sardans J., Sigurðsson P., Soong J.L., Vicca S., Wallander H., Ilieva-Makulec K., Verbruggen E., 2020. A systemic overreaction to years versus decades of warming in a subarctic grassland ecosystem. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4: 101-108.

Web site

https://www.skogur.is/static/files/radstefnur/car-es-2021/dagur2/talk-04-_-brynhildur-_-car_es_2021.pdf

Wymagania wstępne: (in Polish)

basic knowledge on biology and ecology

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