Version 1
: Received: 16 February 2024 / Approved: 19 February 2024 / Online: 19 February 2024 (11:48:58 CET)
How to cite:
Meneses Quelal, O.; Yánez Yánez, A.W. Bioindicators for Assessing Soil Quality in the Jun Jun Micro-watershed. Preprints2024, 2024020982. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0982.v1
Meneses Quelal, O.; Yánez Yánez, A.W. Bioindicators for Assessing Soil Quality in the Jun Jun Micro-watershed. Preprints 2024, 2024020982. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0982.v1
Meneses Quelal, O.; Yánez Yánez, A.W. Bioindicators for Assessing Soil Quality in the Jun Jun Micro-watershed. Preprints2024, 2024020982. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0982.v1
APA Style
Meneses Quelal, O., & Yánez Yánez, A.W. (2024). Bioindicators for Assessing Soil Quality in the Jun Jun Micro-watershed. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0982.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Meneses Quelal, O. and Angel Wilfrido Yánez Yánez. 2024 "Bioindicators for Assessing Soil Quality in the Jun Jun Micro-watershed" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0982.v1
Abstract
Evaluating soil quality across various altitudinal gradients, both with and without vegetative cover, is crucial for the proper functioning of soil and optimal crop growth, thereby contributing to the sustainability of agroecosystems. Although the altitudinal gradient significantly influences soil quality, the ability to predict this quality, expressed through an index, in soils with and without vegetative cover, is still insufficiently explored. This study aimed to assess soil quality in the Jun Jun micro-watershed, located in the Tungurahua region, Ecuador. To achieve this objective, three categories of altitudinal gradients were selected: less than 2800 meters above sea level (masl), between 2800 and 2900 masl, and greater than 2900 masl. A total of 24 soil samples were collected in the mentioned gradients, considering both areas with and without vegetative cover. The indicators used included chemical and biological parameters such as soil organic carbon (OC), earthworm density (WD), earthworm biomass (WB), organic matter (OM), pH, total nitrogen (TN), and organic carbon (OC). The results revealed that in areas with altitudinal gradients below 2800 masl, soil quality index values were higher compared to other altitudes. In vegetated areas, a decrease in index values was observed as the altitudinal gradient increased, indicating a deterioration in soil quality with altitude. These findings are significant in providing a quantitative assessment of the effects of altitudinal gradient and vegetative cover influence on soil quality.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
