Abstract
Healthy soil ecosystem is a prerequisite for better agricultural productivity, which is governed by various local abiotic and biotic factors. Agricultural system at higher altitudes has unique characteristics and is entirely distinct from that at the lower altitude. The abiotic and biotic factors are the drivers of the soil ecosystem processes and functioning which improve plant growth and development, ultimately productivity. The key abiotic factors at higher altitudes consist of temperature, precipitation/rainfall pattern, wind profile, light intensity and duration, physiographic, etc.; and the key biotic factors are soil fauna and flora (microbes, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, etc.) influencing the soil ecosystem and agricultural productivity. These major biotic and abiotic factors interact with each other and influence the local agricultural system at higher altitude. The abiotic factors manipulate the microenvironment of soil microbial communities which eventually influence the activity of soil fauna and flora in the soil ecosystem that determines plant growth, resulting in agricultural productivity. Due to the course of these factors, decomposition pattern and rate in the ecosystem are altered, and the decomposition pattern/rate of crop residue has released the nutrients in the soil ecosystem which further are utilized by soil microbes and plants as the source of energy, resulting in increased soil productivity. In this perspective, this chapter explores the mystery of interrelationship of soil ecosystem functioning and various factors that govern the systematic agricultural productivity.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anders AM, Roe GH, Hallet B, Montgomery DR, Finnegan NJ, Putkonen, J (2006) Spatial patterns of precipitation and topography in the Himalaya. Geological Society of America special paper 398, pp. 39–53
Bignell DE (2000) Introduction to symbiosis. In: Abe T, Bignell DE, Higashi M (eds) Termites: evolution, sociality, symbioses, ecology. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 189–208
Bignell DE, Eggleton P (2000) Termites in ecosystems. In: Abe T, Bignell DE, Higashi M (eds) Termites: evolution, sociality, symbioses, ecology. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 363–387
Bookhagen B, Burbank DW (2006) Topography, relief, and TRMM-derived rainfall variations along the Himalaya. Geophys Res Lett 33:L08405
Breznak J (2000) Ecology of prokaryotic microbes in the guts of wood- and litter-feeding termites. In: Abe T, Bignell DE, Higashi M (eds) Termites: evolution, sociality, symbioses, ecology. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 209–231
Brussaard L, Aanen DK, Briones MJI, Decaens T, De Deyn GB, Fayle TM, James SW, Nobre T (2012) Biogeography and phylogenetic community structure of soil invertebrate ecosystem engineers: global to local patterns, implications for ecosystem functioning and services and global environmental change impacts. In: Wall DH, Bardgett RD, Behan-Pelletier V, Herrick JE, Jones H, Ritz K, Six J, Strong DR, van der Putten WH (eds) Soil ecology and ecosystem services. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 201–232
Calderon-Cortes N, Quesada M, Watanabe H, Cano-Camacho H, Oyama K (2012) Endogenous plant cell wall digestion: a key mechanism in insect evolution. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 43:45–71
Cobo JG, Barrios E, Kass DCL, Thomas RJ (2002) Decomposition and nutrient release by green manure in a tropical hillside agro-ecosystem. Plant Soil 240:331–342
Coleman DC, Wall DH (2015) Soil fauna: occurrence, biodiversity, and roles in ecosystem function. In: Soil microbiology, ecology, and biochemistry, pp. 111–149
Coleman DC, Gupta VV, Moore JC (2012) Soil ecology and agroecosystem studies. In: Microbial ecology in sustainable agroecosystems, pp. 1–21
Daly E, Porporato A (2005) A review of soil moisture dynamics: from rainfall infiltration to ecosystem response. Environ Eng Sci 22:9–24
Delgado-Baquerizo M, Maestre FT, Reich PB, Jeffries TC, Gaitan JJ, Encinar D, Berdugo M, Campbell CD, Singh BK (2016) Microbial diversity drives multifunctionality in terrestrial ecosystems. Nat Commun 7:10541
Dominati E, Patterson M, Mackay A (2010) A framework for classifying and quantifying the natural capital and ecosystem services of soils. Ecol Econ 69(9):1858–1868
Doran JW, Zeiss MR (2000) Soil health and sustainability: managing the biotic component of soil quality. Appl Soil Ecol 15:3–11
Ferris H, Venette RC, Van Der Meulen HR, Lau SS (1998) Nitrogen mineralization by bacterial-feeding nematodes: verification and measurement. Plant Soil 203(2):159–171
Fierer N, Jackson RB (2006) The diversity and biogeography of soil bacterial communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci 103:626–631
Fischer G, Sun L (2001) Model-based analysis of future land-use development in China. Agric Ecosyst Environ 85:163–176
Gans J, Wolinsky M, Dunbar J (2005) Computational improvements reveal great bacterial diversity and high metal toxicity in soil. Science 309(5739):1387–1390
Garcıa-Palacios P, Maestre FT, Kattge J, Wall DH (2013) Climate and litter quality differently modulate the effects of soil fauna on litter decomposition across biomes. Ecol Lett 16:1045–1053
Gilbert HJ (2010) The biochemistry and structural biology of plant cell wall decomposition. Plant Physiol 153:444–455
Giller KE, Beare MH, Lavelle P, Izac AM, Swift MJ (1997) Agricultural intensification, soil biodiversity and agroecosystem function. Appl Soil Ecol 6(1):3–16
Griffiths RI, Thomson BC, James P, Bell T, Bailey M, Whiteley AS (2011) The bacterial biogeography of British soils. Environ Microbiol 13(6):1642–1654
Istanbulluoglu E, Bras RL (2006) On the dynamics of soil moisture, vegetation, and erosion: implications of climate variability and change. Water Resour Res 42:W06418
Jeffery S, Gardi C, Jones A, Montanarella L, Marmo L, Miko L, Ritz K, Peres G, Rombke J, van der Putten WH (eds) (2010) European atlas of soil biodiversity. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 61–80
Jung M, Reichstein M, Ciais P, Seneviratne SI, Sheffield J, Goulden ML, Bonan G, Cescatti A, Chen J, de Jeu R, Dolman AJ, Eugster W, Gerten D, Gianelle D, Gobron N, Heinke J, Kimball J, Law BE, Montagnani L, Mu Q, Mueller B, Oleson K, Papale D, Richardson AD, Roupsard O, Running S, Tomelleri E, Viovy N, Weber U, Williams C, Wood E, Zaehle S, Zhang K (2010) Recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply. Nature 467(7318):951–954
Li Y, Yang X, Cai H, Xiao L, Xu X, Luo L (2014) Topographical characteristics of agricultural potential productivity during cropland transformation in China. Sustainability 7:96–110
Lupwayi NZ, Clayton GW, Odonovan JT, Harker KN, Turkington TK, Soon YK (2007) Phosphorus release during decomposition of crop residues under conventional and zero tillage. Soil Tillage Res 95:231–239
Mafongoya PL, Giller KE, Palm CA (1998) Decomposition and nitrogen release patterns of tree prunings and litter. Agrofor Syst 38:77–97
Matos ES, Mendonça ES, Lima PC, Coelho MS, Mateus RF, Cardoso IM (2008) Green manure in coffee systems in the region of Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais: characteristics and kinetics of carbon and nitrogen mineralization. Rev Bras Ciênc Solo 32:2027–2035
Mendonca ES, Stott DE (2003) Characteristics and decomposition rates of pruning residues from a shaded coffee system in southeastern Brazil. Agrofor Syst 57:117–125
Miehe G, Pendry CA, Chaudhary RP (2015) Nepal: an introduction to the natural history, ecology and human environment of the Himalayas. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
Moore JC, De Ruiter PC (2012) Soil food webs in agricultural ecosystems. In: Microbial ecology of sustainable agroecosystems, CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 63–88
Mukuralinda A, Tenywa JS, Verchot L, Obua J, Namirembe S (2009) Decomposition and phosphorus release of agroforestry shrub residues and the effect on maize yield in acidic soils of Rubona, Southern Rwanda. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 84:155–166
Neher DA (2001) Role of nematodes in soil health and their use as indicators. J Nematol 33(4):161
Ngugi DK, Brune A (2012) Nitrate reduction, nitrous oxide formation, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation to nitrite in the gut of soil-feeding termites (Cubitermes and Ophiotermes spp.). Environ Microbiol 14:860–871
Oliveira AO, Muzzi MRS, Purcino HA, Marriel IE, Sa NMH (2003) Decomposition of Arachispintoi and Hyparrheniarufa litters in monoculture and intercropped systems under lowland soil. Pesq Agropec Bras 38:1089–1095
Rawat DS, Kharwal AD (2016) Folk knowledge on indigenous practices in North-West Himalaya with special reference to Himachal Pradesh (H.P.), India. Int J Adv Sci Res 8:6–12
Rillig MC, Mummey DL (2006) Mycorrhizas and soil structure. New Phytol 171(1):41–53
Robertson FA, Morgan WC (1996) Effects of management history and legume green manure on soil microrganisms under organic vegetable production. Aust J Soil Res 34:427–440
Roe GH, Montgomery DR, Hallet B (2003) Orographic precipitation and the relief of mountain ranges. J Geophys Res 108:2315
Roesch LF, Fulthorpe RR, Riva A, Casella G, Hadwin AK, Kent AD, Daroub SH, Camargo FA, Farmerie WG, Triplett EW (2007) Pyrosequencing enumerates and contrasts soil microbial diversity. ISME J 1(4):283–290
Scharroba A, Dibbern D, Hunninghaus M, Kramer S, Moll J, Butenschoen O, Bonkowski M, Buscot F, Kandeler E, Koller R, Kruge D, Lueders T, Scheu S, Ruess L (2012) Effects of resource availability and quality on the structure of the micro-food web of an arable soil across depth. Soil Biol Biochem 50:1–11
Sharma PD (2004) Managing natural resources in Indian Himalayas. J Indian Soc Soil Sci 52(4):314–331
Singh BK, Bardgett RD, Smith P, Reay DS (2010) Microorganisms and climate change: terrestrial feedbacks and mitigation options. Nat Rev Microbiol 8(11):779
Singh D, Tsiang M, Rajaratnam B, Diffenbaugh NS (2014) Observed changes in extreme wet and dry spells during the South Asian summer monsoon season. Nat Clim Change 4(6):456–461
Singh SP, Singh R, Gumber S, Bhatt S (2017) Two principal precipitation regimes in Himalayas and their influence on tree distribution. Trop Ecol 58:679–691
Stenburg M, Shoshny M (2001) Influence of slope aspect on Mediterranean woody formations: comparison of a semiarid and an arid site in Israel. Ecol Res 16(2):335–345
Středová H, Spáčilová B, Podhrázská J, Chuchma F (2015) A universal meteorological method to identify potential risk of wind erosion on heavy-textured soils. Mor Geog Rep 23:56–62
Sylvia DM, Fuhrmann JJ, Hartel PG, Zuberer DA (1998) Principles and applications of soil microbiology. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, p 550
Thonnissen C, Midmore DJ, Ladha JK, Olk DC, Schmidhalter U (2000) Legume decomposition and nitrogen release when applied as green manures to tropical vegetable production systems. Agron J 92:253–260
Tsui CC, Chen ZS, Hsieh CF (2004) Relationships between soil properties and slope position in a lowland rain forest of southern Taiwan. Geoderma 123:131–142
Van Pelt RS, Zobeck TM, Baddock MC, Cox JJ (2010) Design, construction, and calibration of a portable boundary layer wind tunnel for field use. Am Soc Agric Biol Eng 53:1413–1422
Wang C, Zhao CY, Xu ZL, Wang Y, Peng HH (2013) Effect of vegetation on soil water retention and storage in a semi-arid alpine forest catchment. J Arid Land 5(2):207–219
Wang J, Cao P, Hu H, Li J, Han L (2014) Altitudinal distribution patterns of soil bacterial and archaeal communities along Mt. Shegylaon the Tibetan Plateau. Microb Ecol 69:135–145
Williams CJ, Mcnamara JP, Chandler DG (2009) Controls on the temporal and spatial variability of soil moisture in a mountainous landscape: the signature of snow and complex terrain. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 13(7):1325–1336
Yan P, Shen C, Fan L, Li X, Zhang L, Zhang L, Han W (2018) Tea planting affects soil acidification and nitrogen and phosphorus distribution in soil. Agric Ecosyst Environ 254:20–25
Zaharah AR, Bah AR (1999) Patterns of decomposition and nutrient release by fresh Gliciridia (Gliciridiasepium) leaves in an Ultisol. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 55:269–277
Zhu JJ, Liu ZG, Li XF, Takeshi M, Yutaka G (2004) Review: effects of wind on trees. J For Res 15:153–160
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kumar, N., Kumar, A., Jeena, N., Singh, R., Singh, H. (2020). Factors Influencing Soil Ecosystem and Agricultural Productivity at Higher Altitudes. In: Goel, R., Soni, R., Suyal, D. (eds) Microbiological Advancements for Higher Altitude Agro-Ecosystems & Sustainability. Rhizosphere Biology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1902-4_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1902-4_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-1901-7
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-1902-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)