Tag

Soil Biodiversity

All articles tagged with #soil biodiversity

science1 month ago•34 min saved

Nematodes thrive in the Atacama Desert, reshaping ideas about life in extreme dryness

A University of Cologne–led study published in Nature Communications finds a diverse nematode community in soils across six sites in the Atacama Desert, the world's driest non-polar desert, with 21 families and 36 genera; higher precipitation correlates with greater biodiversity, and asexual reproduction appears to aid survival in high-altitude areas, though some regions show simplified food webs, offering insights into life’s resilience in extreme aridity amid climate-change context.

via Yahoo|

#atacama-desert #climate-change #nature-communications

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Hidden Nematodes: a thriving soil web discovered in the Atacama

A Nature Communications study finds diverse nematode communities in the Atacama Desert’s soils across six sites (dunes, altiplano, saline lakes, river valleys, fog oases), with 21 families and 36 genera. Genus richness correlates with moisture, elevation, and climate gradients, and reproduction modes shift with altitude (asexual at higher altitudes, sexual at lower). The work shows stable soil life even in hyper-arid cores and underscores implications for predicting soil resilience as global aridity increases and climate change progresses.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#arid-environments #atacama-desert #climate-resilience

science2 months ago•5 min saved

Tiny Nematodes Defy Desolation Beneath the Atacama Desert

Scientists studying the Atacama Desert discovered thriving nematode communities beneath the surface, showing how multicellular soil life adapts to extreme dryness and salinity, contributing to nutrient cycling and offering insight into biodiversity and climate-change impacts in arid ecosystems.

via Indian Defence Review|

#atacama-desert #climate-change #extreme-environments

science2 months ago•7 min saved

Nematodes Survive and Adapt in the Atacama’s Ultra-Dry Soils

An international study across six Atacama sites finds diverse nematode communities persisting in ultra-dry soils; higher elevations favor parthenogenetic (asexually reproducing) species, while more water boosts biodiversity. The findings reveal resilient soil ecosystems in extreme deserts and warn that simplified food webs in some regions may be more vulnerable to climate change.

via SciTechDaily|

#atacama-desert #climate-change #nematodes

environment2 years ago•3 min saved

"Hidden Biodiversity: Soil Holds Over Half of Earth's Species, Study Reveals"

A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that more than half of all species on Earth reside in the soil, making it the most species-rich habitat. Soil is home to 90% of fungi, 85% of plants, and over 50% of bacteria. Mammals, at 3%, are the group least associated with soils. The study highlights the importance of soil biodiversity for climate change feedbacks, global food security, and human health. However, soil remains understudied, and the actual figure of species living in soil could be even higher. The degradation of soil due to intensive farming, pollution, deforestation, and global heating poses a threat to soil biodiversity, but adopting less intensive agricultural practices and increasing habitat conservation can help restore and protect soil ecosystems.

via The Guardian|

#climate-change #ecosystems #environment