Aridity and geochemical drivers of soil micronutrient and contaminant availability in European drylands

Moreno‐Jiménez, Eduardo; Orgiazzi, Alberto; Jones, Arwyn; Saiz, Hugo; Aceña‐Heras, Sara; Plaza, César (2022). Aridity and geochemical drivers of soil micronutrient and contaminant availability in European drylands. European journal of soil science, 73(1) Wiley 10.1111/ejss.13163

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Dryland soils provide different societal and environmental services, such as food supply and biodiversity support. In Europe, most of the dryland areas are devoted to agriculture. In the next decades, both European and worldwide drylands are expected to suffer with increased intensity due to the expected climate change-derived rise in aridity. Many studies have focussed on aridity-induced changes in major nutrients in drylands, but little is known of the impact of environmental and biogeochemical factors on micronutrients with critical roles in life, and as inorganic contaminants with ecotoxicological implications. We analysed and explored drivers of total and available concentrations of micronutrients (Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Mn, Ni and Zn) and contaminants (As, Cd and Pb) in 148 soil samples collected from European drylands covering a wide range of aridity and of other geochemical parameters. The availability of micronutrients increased with their total content, decreased with pH and was enhanced by organic C content. Aridity decreased the availability of Fe, a key element in human diet. Our findings also highlight the scarcity of this micronutrient in European drylands, as well as of some other important micronutrients like Zn and Mo in agricultural soils. Total content was the main driver of the availability of Cd and Pb, and organic matter exerted synergistic effects on contaminant release. Our data show the need for precise management practices to be incentivised by agricultural and environmental policies in order to ensure micronutrient supply and avoid contamination, thus maintaining adequate levels of agricultural productivity and simultaneously preserving dryland ecosystems.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Biodiversity

UniBE Contributor:

Saiz Bustamante, Hugo

Subjects:

500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

1351-0754

Publisher:

Wiley

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

19 Nov 2021 15:03

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:54

Publisher DOI:

10.1111/ejss.13163

Uncontrolled Keywords:

agriculture, clay, deficiency, metals, soil organic carbon, soil pH

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/160793

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/160793

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