@article{fdi:010068192,
  title = {{U}sing near infrared spectroscopy ({NIRS}) to identify the contribution of earthworms to soil macroaggregation in field conditions},
  author = {{Z}angerle, {A}. and {H}issler, {C}. and {M}c{K}ey, {D}. and {L}avelle, {P}atrick},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{S}oil aggregates, the basic unit of structure in soils, regulate fundamental soil properties. {H}owever, a major obstacle to describing and modelling aggregate dynamics and associated processes is an almost complete ignorance of the origin of the different types of aggregates found in soils and their distribution in the soil matrix. {W}e tested the utility of near infrared spectroscopy ({NIRS}) as a new tool to overcome this obstacle. {F}or the first time, we studied the ability of {NIRS} to detect specific chemical and physical footprints left by different earthworms during the production of casts, and thereby to identify the origins of different casts in the same soil matrix in the field, in terms of the earthworm species that produced them. {C}asts collected in the field were identified by comparing their {NIR} spectral signatures to the signatures of macroaggregates produced by the same earthworm species living in the same soil in laboratory conditions. {W}e showed clearly that casts of each earthworm species were characterized by a specific {NIR} spectral signature, resulting from quantitative and qualitative differences of {OM} in casts among species. {T}he method allows evaluation of the contribution of each soil engineer to the macroaggregate composition of the soil matrix. {PLS}-{DA} models conducted on {NIR} spectral data showed that best discrimination among casts produced by different species was obtained when only young casts were taken into consideration. {H}eterogeneity of non-aggregated soils in field sites appears to be a principal limitation of the method.},
  keywords = {{S}oil macroaggregation ; {N}ear infrared spectroscopy ; {S}pecific spectral fingerprint ; {C}asts ; {F}ield experiment ; {S}oil matrix ; {LUXEMBOURG}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}pplied {S}oil {E}cology},
  volume = {104},
  numero = {},
  pages = {138--147},
  ISSN = {0929-1393},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.apsoil.2015.09.014},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010068192},
}