David Badía

University of Zaragoza, EPS Huesca, Spain · Department of Agricultural Sciences and the Natural Environment

Soil organic carbon and nutrient content are analysed at topsoil cm-scale in a Rendzic Phaeozem from an Aleppo pine forest in semiarid Central Ebro Basin (NE-Spain). Soil depth affected by a severe wildfire is studied immediately after burning and a year later, trying to differentiate the heat shock and the ash/charcoal deposition effects. One week...

Soil water repellency has been studied for different soil types and plant covers, but uncertainty exists regarding the representativeness of water repellency measured on unaltered soil surfaces compared to sieved samples. Two different methods are used to characterize water repellency, which provide a certain degree of different information: the pe...

We investigate the effects of bedrock and slope position on soil diversity in a semiarid, wooded, mountainous environment, and we use these results to examine differences between the current diagnostic criteria of the Soil Taxonomy System (STS) and World Reference Base (WRB) classification systems. To achieve these objectives, we characterize a tot...

The crop residues buried in semiarid soils as a carbon sink are evaluated. Both C-CO2 evolved and C sequestered from agricultural soils amended with barley straw were measured seasonally over 2 farming seasons in a semiarid environment (NE Spain). Six experimental soils with low organic matter content and contrasted properties were selected. The CO...

A macro- and micromorphologic study was done on the soils from a stepped sequence of seven dated fluvial terraces in the lower Segre river valley (Lleida, northeast Spain) under a present-day semiarid Mediterranean climate. The soils have evolved from the Holocene through the early Pleistocene, providing an excellent morphostratigraphic framework f...

Ant evolutionary success depends mainly on the coordination of colony members, who recognize nestmates based on the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile of their epicuticle. While several studies have examined variations in this crucial factor for colony identity, few have investigated the anthropic impact on CHC profiles, and none have focused on L...

Since the last half of the 20th Century, scrubs have been invading subclimatic grasslands in the montane and subalpine stages of Spain due to the decrease of the grazing activity. This shrub encroachment reduces biodiversity and the ecopastoral value of the region and leads to the accumulation of woody fuel, which represents a high fire risk. To co...

Trabajo de 1989 en el que se cartografían los suelos del término municipal de Fraga (NE-España). Incluye cuarenta perfiles analizados y clasificados (Soil Taxonomy).

Soils are characterized, classified and evaluated in two areas near Barbastro (Montesa and Torresalas), in the Somontano Protected Designation of Origin (NE-Spain). Under a xeric humidity regime, the properties and formation of the soils are closely related to their position in the relief and, especially, to their parent material. In Montesa, on Ol...

The effects of prescribed burning of bushes on the soil are evaluated in the short term, at 5 and 9 years, using glomalin fractions as indicators. This evaluation is carried out for three soil thicknesses (0-1, 1-2 and 2-3 cm) and in quadruplicate at each sampling time. The glomalin values (total, residual and labile), although higher, in absolute...

Forest fires can greatly affect soil properties and processes. In the study of the fire effects on soil, the soil thickness affected by heat depends on the characteristics of the fire and soil itself, but also on the attribute to be measured. The objective of this work is to know to what thickness (up to 1, 2 or 3 cm) various sensitive soil propert...

The Monforte de Moyuela dam, also known as Ermita de la Virgen del Pilar dam, is a Roman reservoir built on a tributary of the Aguasvivas River (Ebro basin, Spain). A multidisciplinary study has been carried out to investigate this kind of Roman water infrastructure. It is the fifth‐highest dam (16.8 m) in the Iberian Peninsula and the seventh in t...

With the objective of evaluating the effects of fire on soil of varying burning severity, experimental burnings of soil samples under different burning temperatures and times have been conducted. Burned soil monoliths have been sampled immediately after burning and five months after greenhouse conservation, separating layers of 0-1 and 1-3 cm depth...

Prescribed fire has been extensively used in recent years to control woody encroachment into mountain and other grassland–dominated landscapes. In the Aragon Pyrenees, prescribed burns have been mainly used to remove the native thorny shrub Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Rothm., whose populations are spreading to the detriment of grasslands. To stud...

Textural features are widespread in many soils, provide pedogenetic evidence, and are fundamental in soil classification systems. The presence of these features and their conservation over time require certain processes and soil forming factors. This study investigates the genesis of textural pedofeatures, especially clay coatings, and the stressfu...

In this study, two new climofunctions based on major elements are proposed from the study of 28 modern alluvial soils with pedogenic carbonate from NE Spain. The first climofunction relates a base ratio (CaO, K2O) to the mean annual temperature (MAT), and the second one the clayeness ratio (Al2O3/SiO2) to the mean annual precipitation (MAP). In bot...

This chapter considers the characteristics of the two soil taxonomies that have made them world references: World Reference Base, WRB (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2015) and Soil Taxonomy, ST (Soil Survey Staff, 2014). Diagnostic horizons that serve to classify soils are mentioned, after recalling the genetic horizons. The first hierarchical levels of b...

High-mountain soils are rich in partially decomposed organic matter, which is highly sensitive to mineralization and fire. Prescribed burning is performed in the Pyrenees to keep subalpine grasslands open for grazing. The compositions of the ash, litter and duff layers, and the particulate organic matter (POM) of the topsoil in the 0–1, 1–2, 2–3, a...

Forests of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in the Iberian Peninsula contain some of the southernmost localities of these species and thus may display highly sensitive responses to environmental variations as a result of subjection to particular climate stresses. In this study, we investigated the effects of elevat...

A podzol has been described in the Iberian Range (Moncayo Natural Park), which may represent the southernmost example in Europe. The fact that it occurs at the podzol distribution limit makes its morphology atypical. The aim of this work is to identify the components and formation processes of the soil, and to determine if the processes are active...

The dense thicket Echinospartum horridum (Vahl, Rothm) is expanded in secondary pastures of the Central Pyrenees (NE-Spain). The control of this grassland encroachment is attempted through prescribed burnings, trying to minimize its direct effects on the soil. But the structural changes on the new soil surface, burned and bare, are unknown in the m...

The two most widely extended mountain grasslands in Europe (Nardus-mat grasslands and chalk grasslands) are distributed forming complex patterns. In the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park (Central Pyrenees, NE-Spain), they grow as secondary pastures within the treeline ecotone at the subalpine belt. This work aims to show the influence of soil...

Approximately half of the area in the Spanish Central Pyrenees is dedicated to pastures. A decrease in stocking rate coupled with changes in livestock management in recent decades have favoured the expansion of Nardus grasslands, which are considered undesirable for grazing use and for diversity conservation. The objective of this study was to anal...

The introduction of coniferous species in former deciduous forests may exert changes in soil organic matter, particularly in its molecular composition. In this work, pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to study changes in SOM quality related to the centennial afforestation of Scots pine in an area formerly covered by European be...

Prescribed burning has been recently readopted as a management practice in the Central Pyrenees (NE-Spain) to stop shrub encroachment processes and recover pasturelands. The immediate effects of prescribed burning on soil C stocks and related biological properties and their evolution in the short- to mid-term after burning were assessed. The study...

Lime-induced chlorosis (LIC) is an important abiotic constraint affecting the growth and yield of grapevines growing in calcareous soils in the Mediterranean region, and the sensory properties of the produced wine. In the work presented herein, the impact of LIC on the nutritional status and chlorophyll content was assessed for eleven varieties and...

We studied the fire record and its environmental consequences during the Holocene in the Central Ebro Basin. This region is very sensitive to environmental changes due to its semiarid conditions, lithological features and a continuous human presence during the past 6000 years. The study area is a 6 m buried sequence of polycyclic soils developed ap...

The abandonment of the traditional pastoral activities in the subalpine grasslands of the Central Pyrenees (NE-Spain) has resulted in shrub encroachment processes that are dominated by species such as the Echinospartum horridum. Therefore, prescribed burning has been recently readopted in this region as a management tool to stop the spread of shrub...

Soil organic matter, aggregation and water repellency are relevant interrelated soil properties that can be af- fected by fire. The aim of this work was to analyse the effects of shrub prescribed burning for pasture reclamation on the soil aggregate stability, organic carbon and water repellency of different soil depths and aggregate sizes in a sub...

In this work, we studied the effects of centenary Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) afforestation on topsoil properties conducted in a deforested area that was previously occupied by a natural European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest. Organic layers and topsoil Ah mineral horizons (0-10 cm) were sampled in the Scots pine and European beech forests...

In landscapes that are extremely sensitive to small environmental changes, like some Mediterranean areas, archaeological contexts could present some problems to their interpretation and evolutionary reconstruction. This is the case of Los Pedregales archaeological site, located in the Hoya de Huesca (NE of Spain), where several stone mounds of unkn...

The replacement of native European beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) afforestation may exert changes in soil properties, particularly with respect to soil organic matter (SOM). Stable isotope composition of light elements (δ13C, δ15N) in soils are known proxies for the characterisation of SOM genesis and dynamics. I...

Abstract Environmental fluctuations during the Holocene caused important landscape changes in the Central Ebro Basin, which is a very sensitive region due to its semiarid climate, lithology, and continuous human presence. Severe erosion processes hinder palaeoenvironmental and archaeological record preservation. Infills of ephemeral stream valleys...

We determined the short and medium‐term effects of prescribed burns on soil organic matter content and biological activity in grazing areas invaded by the shrub Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Rothm. in the Pyrenees of Huesca (Spain). Soil samples were collected at 0‐1, 1‐2 and 2‐3 cm depths in triplicate just before the burn, immediately after the b...

Prescribed burning has been readopted in the last decade in the Central Pyrenees to stop the regression of subalpine grasslands in favour of shrublands, dominated among others by Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Rothm. Nevertheless, the effect of this practice on soil properties is uncertain. The aim of this work was to analyse the effects of these bu...

The following document presents the CARBOSOL Database that gathers data of physical and chemical properties of 6,609 georeferenced soil profiles in Spain associated to a related analytical dataset of 22,100 horizons compiled from 635 soil studies. The CARBOSOL Database provides a wealth of information on soil organic matter content, its distributio...

The aim of this work is to investigate the topsoil thickness affected by burning under contrasting soil moisture content (field capacity versus air-dried conditions). A mollic horizon of an Aleppo pine forest was sampled and burned in the laboratory, recording the temperature continuously at the topsoil surface and at soil depths of 1, 2, and 3cm....

Wildfires and prescribed fires can directly modify soil properties leading to negative effects on several ecosystem services. The direct effects, typically confined to the upper topsoil, can derived concomitantly by heat and ash deposition, making it difficult to separate them. In the field, soil temperature reached and heat duration can vary even...

Because of its rapid temporal variation, humus characterization is one of the most useful approaches when studying the influence of multiple variables on soil. The aim of this study is to describe the elevation effect on terrestrial humus formed under Scots pine stands that developed on homogeneous parent material in the Moncayo Massif (NE Spain)....

CARBOSOL is a collaborative network of 8 research teams from Spanish Universities and Research Centres focused on the study of soil organic matter and the Global Carbon Cycle. Our aim is to perform an accurate quantitation of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stocks in Spain for different land uses, soil types and depths, and assess the environmental drive...

This study presents a joint analysis of the information from 195 field infiltration experiments, using double ring devices. The experiments were carried out in 20 contrasting types of land use, distributed across three geographic contexts (coast of NE Catalonia, low mountains in the central Ebro Valley and mid-height mountains from the southern ran...

Data published in: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717324695

Soil aggregation, organic matter and water repellency are relevant interrelated soil properties that can be affected by fires. The aim of this work is to analyse the effects of prescribed burning of evergreen thorny cushion shrubs on aggregate stability, organic carbon and water repellency in a humid environment at different depths and aggregate si...

Soil aggregation, organic matter and water repellency are relevant interrelated soil properties that can be affected by fires. The aim of this work is to analyse the effects of prescribed burning of evergreen thorny cushion shrubs on aggregate stability, organic carbon and water repellency in a humid environment at different depths and aggregate si...

Paleosols formed under past environmental conditions are an important proxy for ancient landscape reconstruction. Central Ebro Basin (NE Spain) is a semiarid region with a Miocene sedimentary units build up by easily erodible rocks (from bottom to top: lutites, gypsum, calcilutites and limestone). As a consequence of these two factors, it is a regi...

1. Fire had no effects on the MWD. 2. OC content was only significantly affected by burning in the finer fractions (<0.25 and 0.25-0.5 mm) at 0-2 cm depth. No changes were observed 6 months after the fire. 3. Burning increased the AS of the 0.25-0.5 mm aggregates by a 12 % in the first cm. 4. Unburned samples showed natural SWR at 0-2 cm depth and...

This chapter describes the main soil types and their geographical distribution based on the soil map of the Atlas of Spain's National Geographic Institute, at a scale of 1:1,000,000. It was written according to the guidelines of the Soil Survey Manual and the methodology of Soil Taxonomy. Spanish soils are developed under a wide range of temperatur...

Prescribed burning is the deliberate application of fire under selected conditions to accomplish predetermined management objectives. It is generally accepted that controlled use of fire has neutral or even positive effects on soils due to its lower temperature, intensity and severity compared to wildfires. However, very few studies have examined t...

Wildfires represent one of the main factors of land degradation in Mediterranean environments having negative effects to several ecosystem services. In this work, the fire-induced changes associated with depth (O horizon and Ah at 0–1, 1–2 and 2–3 cm depths) were studied in a gypseous soil under Aleppo pine forest. Topsoil monoliths were burned in...

Understanding the effects of elevation and related factors (climate, vegetation) on the physical and chemical soil properties can help to predict changes in response to future climate or afforestation forcings. This work aims to contribute to the knowledge of soil evolution and the classification of forest soils in relation to elevation in the mont...

Soils of the two driest areas of peninsular Spain are studied: the Middle Ebro Valley (in northeastern Spain), and from Tabernas-Sorbas to Alicante (in the southeast), both of which are tertiary sedimentary basins, where the lack of rainfall is combined with the frequent arrival of drying winds. The northeast basin has a mean annual temperature (MA...

Prescribed burning, i.e. the deliberate use of fire under specific conditions, is a management tool for recovering pasturelands affected by shrub encroachment. The objective of this work is to determine the immediate effects of prescribed burning on topsoil properties related to C cycle in soils covered with dense scrubs (Echinospartum horridum) in...

Fire is a natural factor of landscape evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems. Due to social and economical changes, wildfires have caused hydrological and geomorphological changes to be more pronounced, resulting in enhanced soil erosion. The study area is located in the Zuera Mountains, near the city of Zaragoza (Spain) in the Middle Ebro Valley. T...

Data published in: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0341816218300687

The replacement of native beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) afforestation may exert changes in soil properties, particularly in soil organic matter (SOM) [1]. It is known that the products generated by Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) pyrolysis of organic matter are related to their origin [2...

There is a growing need to develop, teach, and apply successful problem-solving and interdisciplinary approaches on environmental sciences education. Some of most effective learning activities are fieldwork, although sites to be visited have to be carefully selected to reduce time and expenses as well as to take account of safety concerns. That is...

Fire is a natural factor of landscape evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems. The middle Ebro Valley has extreme aridity, which results in a low plant cover and high soil erodibility, especially on gypseous substrates. The aim of this research is to analyze the effects of moderate heating on physical and chemical soil properties, mineralogical compo...

Slope deposits in semiarid regions are known to be very sensitive environments, especially those that occurred during the minor fluctuations of the late Holocene. In this paper we analyse Holocene colluvium genesis, composition, and paleoenvironmental meaning through the study of slope deposits in NE Spain. Two cumulative slope stages are described...

There is a growing need to develop, teach, and apply successful problem-solving and interdisciplinary approaches on environmental sciences education. Some of most effective learning activities are fieldwork, although sites to be visited have to be carefully selected to reduce time and expenses as well as to take account of safety concerns. That is...

Rainfall simulation experiments are being used by soil scientists, geomorphologists, and hydrologist to study runoff generation and erosion processes. The use of different apparatus with different rainfall intensities and size of the wetted area contribute to determine the most vulnerable soils and land uses (Cerdá, 1998; Cerdà et al., 2009; Nadal-...

Wildfires represent one of the main factors of land degradation in Mediterranean environments having negative effects to several ecosystem services. In this work, the fire-induced changes associated with depth (O horizon and Ah at 0–1, 1–2 and 2–3 cm depths) were studied in a gypseous soil under Aleppo pine forest. Topsoil monoliths were burned in...

Physical and chemical soil properties determine local plant conditions and resources, affecting plants’ ability to respond to disturbances. In alpine grasslands, wild boar disturbances occur at different intensities, what may affect differently their soil properties. Alpine soils from five contrasted plant communities were explored within and outsi...

After a wildfire the soil is covered by ash. Ash properties depend on vegetation type, amount of fuel and fire intensity. The ash layer controls the post-fire soil hydrologic response, but little is known about the effect of ash thickness and ash type on infiltration, which is relevant for post-fire runoff and soil losses and for ecosystems rehabil...

Fire is a natural factor of landscape evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems. Middle Ebro Valley has extreme aridity, which determines a low plant cover and high soil erodibility of the soils, especially on gypseous substrates. The aim of this research is to analyze the effects of a moderate heating, on physical and chemical soil properties, mineral...

Mediterranean ecosystems have been severely affected by fires in the last decades. Due to social and economical changes, wildfires have caused hydrological and geomorphologic changes to be more pronounced, resulting in enhanced soil erosion. Soil heating caused by fires affects soil aggregate stability, water infiltration and may generate hydrophob...

Implicaciones paleoclimáticas de los rasgos micromorfológicos de un suelo policíclico en el Desierto de Monegros (NE-España) Implicações paleoclimáticas das características micromorfológicas de um solo policíclico no Deserto de Monegros (NE-Espanha) ABSTRACT Pedofeatures can be repositories of information about soil forming factors such as climate....

Gypsisols, mainly distributed in arid lands, support a key economic activity and have attracted a lot of scientific interest due to their particular physical and chemical properties. For example, Gypsisols show a high erodibility, low fertility and a variable water holding capacity that can be attributed to different gypsum particle sizes. This stu...

Soil Science is a discipline concerned with a material that has unique features and behaviours (Churchman, 2010). Thus, teachers of Soil Science need to be experienced with Soil Science practices and must appreciate the complexities and relationships inherent within the discipline (Field et al, 2011). But when soil science had to be taught not by s...