BodenBiodiv

In Austria, several biodiversity monitoring and inventories are currently being carried out for various species and ecosystems. In recent years, vascular plants, grasshoppers, butterflies and wild bees have been systematically recorded as part of the BINATS (Biodiversity-Nature-Safety) and ÖBM (Austrian Biodiversity Monitoring of the Cultural Landscape) projects. Despite these surveys, there is still no systematic monitoring of soil organisms and their threat assessment in Austria. This is surprising, as soils are among the most species-rich habitats. In addition, they play an outstanding role in buffering extreme climate events such as heavy rainfall or drought, as well as in carbon storage. 

The present project, BodenBiodiv, pursues three objectives in order to close this glaring data gap for Austria and to investigate the causes of different soil biodiversity. Objective 1 is the establishment of a systematic monitoring of the earthworm fauna and soil microorganisms in the open cultural landscape on the 200 plots of the biodiversity monitoring projects BINATS and ÖBM throughout Austria. Lists of the earthworm species present, their abundances and biomasses, and a distribution map for Austria will be compiled. In addition, a manual for monitoring soil biodiversity will be compiled using harmonized terminology. Objective 2 deals with the analysis of factors that are decisive for the occurrence of earthworms. For this purpose, site characteristics (land use, altitude) and soil properties (pH, nutrients, moisture, carbon content, soil microorganism activity) are recorded and correlated with the earthworm parameters recorded. Objective 3 deals with the compilation of a provisional Red List for earthworms in Austria, based on the model of the Red List of earthworms in Germany. 

To this end, several expert workshops with national and international experts are being held to produce a draft based on current and historical findings and threat assessments in accordance with IUCN guidelines. BodenBiodiv processes indicators on the status of species and biotope types and genetic diversity and provides data for the first compilation of the Red List of earthworms in Austria. By compiling a very comprehensive data set, BodenBiodiv also allows an assessment of the consequences of climate change from the perspective of soil organisms. Last but not least, the surveys of this project allow a differentiated analysis of the interaction between below-ground and above-ground biodiversity from other surveys on the study areas. SoilBiodiv is therefore also of great importance in the European context in terms of nature conservation and science.