EGU24: HoliSoils invites you to discover the role of soil fauna in terrestrial ecosystems

HoliSoils on November 20, 2023

Members of the HoliSoils consortium will organise a session at the General Assembly 2024 of the European Geosciences Union (EGU 2024) to discuss invertebrate biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and climate change. EGU’s primary goal is to provide a platform for scientists to showcase their work and engage in discussions with experts across various geoscience fields. The 2024 edition will take place in Vienna, Austria, from 14-19 April and can also be followed online.

Submit your abstract and participate in HoliSoils EGU’s 2024 session!

HoliSoils extends an invitation to submit your abstracts to session titled ‘The role of soil fauna in terrestrial Ecosystems on a changing world’, convened by WP5 leader Jorge Curiel Yuste (BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change) and other HoliSoils project partners.

This session aims to improve our understanding of soils and how they harbour a large proportion of terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity (e.g. myriapods, insects, arachnids and oligochaetes), as well as to deepen their functional role in terrestrial ecosystems, systematically underestimated partly because the inventory of soil invertebrate biodiversity is methodologically difficult.

Therefore, the organising members of HoliSoils invite abstracts of studies (e.g. experimental, methodological, field monitoring or modelling) that attempt to fill this knowledge gap by focusing on improving our understanding of the role of soil fauna in the functioning of soils and terrestrial ecosystems.

The Call for Abstracts for EGU24 is now open and you can submit your abstract to the session of your choice by 13:00 CET, 10 January 2024!

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The Secrets of Soil – an interactive journey in the world beneath our feet

HoliSoils on February 21, 2023

Are you looking for an innovative way to explore soil? Secrets of Soil offers an interactive experience to learn more about soil and climate change.

This interactive journey delves into the hidden world beneath our feet, exploring the many forms of life that inhabit soil and showcasing the role that it can play in tackling climate change. Secret of Soils offers an artistic experience through amazing visuals developed by Henry Driver.

Learn more about the Secrets of Soil!



Join this new European Commission open course on soil biodiversity!

HoliSoils on February 9, 2023

Beetle
Beetle

Soils host much of the biodiversity of our planet, but often the life beneath our feet is overlooked. The European Commission is now offering a free online course on soil biodiversity to raise awareness on the importance of these resources and the EU initiatives to protect our soil.

The course Soil, a burst of life: the hidden world beneath our feet is designed to offer an overview of the topic of soil biodiversity to science teachers, high school students and the general public.

What are you waiting for? Enroll now!



Discover soil biodiversity listening to the Life in the Soil podcast

HoliSoils on October 10, 2022

Life in the Soil
Life in the Soil

The podcast Life in the Soil brings you the insights and voices of some of the world’s best soil scientists. The six available episodes explore soil biodiversity, why it matters, and how we can protect it. The podcast was produced by the Rillig Lab (Freie Universität Berlin – Institut für Biologie) in collaboration with podcaster Anja Krieger, and it was funded through the BiodivERsA project Digging Deeper.

The first episode, with the contribution of soil scientist Johannes Lehmann, focuses on the role of soil in hosting biodiversity below the ground: this natural habitat is crucial to support many different ecosystems. In the second episode, insights from Katie Field, Toby Kiers, Bala Chaudhary, shed light on the fascinating word of mushrooms and fungi, and their close relations with plants. The third and fourth installments of the podcast explore the many components and organisms that constitute soil and which technological innovations can help us to understand soil better. The many threats posed to soil by human activities are investigated in the fifth episode, while the last conversation focuses on how to ensure a sustainable future for soils ecosystems, from rural areas to cities.

Listen to the full episodes on iTunes, Google Podcasts and Spotify!

Source

Matthias Rillig and Anja Krieger, Life in the Soil Audio Podcast, Rillig Lab, https://rilliglab.org/podcast/



New funding opportunities for the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’

HoliSoils on July 27, 2022

Mushroom in a forest soil
Mushroom in a forest soil

After an amendment to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022, new opportunities for funding have been published on the Commission’s funding and tender opportunities portal to contribute to the A Soil Deal for Europe Mission.

The goals of this mission include but are not limited to reducing desertification, conserving soil organic carbon stocks, enhancing soil biodiversity, and improving soil literacy in society.

Apply by 27 September 2022.

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