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Microbiological and Biochemical Indicators for Assessing Soil Quality in Drylands from Patagonia

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Biology and Biotechnology of Patagonian Microorganisms

Abstract

Soil monitoring programs aimed to diagnose the state of the soils and to prevent their deterioration are needed to make use of this resource in a sustainable manner. The development of such programs requires the identification of indicators that can be used to detect changes in soil quality. Although several chemical, physical, and biological parameters serve this purpose, microbiological properties have the advantages of being highly sensitive and responding quickly to changes in soil quality. In Argentina, the information of soil quality indicators is fragmented and mainly directed toward the analysis of physicochemical parameters in agricultural lands. In this chapter, we review microbiological/biochemical indicators of soil quality measured in water-limited natural ecosystems of Patagonia. This baseline information contributes to the future design of site-specific monitoring programs devoted to prevent the deterioration of lands in Patagonia.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge support from ANPCyT (PICT 2013-1505), Argentina .

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Patagonian Institute for the Study of Continental Ecosystems (IPEEC-CENPAT), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Argentina

    Magalí S. Marcos & Nelda Lila Olivera

Authors
  1. Magalí S. Marcos
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  2. Nelda Lila Olivera
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Correspondence to Magalí S. Marcos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Patagonian Institute for the Study of Continental Ecosystems (IPEEC-CENPAT), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Argentina

    Nelda Lila Olivera

  2. Andean-Patagonian Institute for Biological and Geoenvironmental Technologies (IPATEC) CONICET, National University of Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina

    Diego Libkind

  3. Industrial Fermentation Research and Development Center (CINDEFI), CONICET-UNLP, School of Science National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina

    Edgardo Donati

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Marcos, M.S., Olivera, N.L. (2016). Microbiological and Biochemical Indicators for Assessing Soil Quality in Drylands from Patagonia. In: Olivera, N., Libkind, D., Donati, E. (eds) Biology and Biotechnology of Patagonian Microorganisms. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42801-7_6

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