A major challenge in soil science is to monitor and understand the state and change of soils at a national scale to inform decision making and policy. To address this, there is a need to identify key parameters for soil health and function and determine how they relate to other parameters, including traditional soil surveys. Here we present a national-scale dataset of topsoil sampled as part of a wider agri-environment monitoring scheme in Wales, UK. Over 1,350 topsoils (0–15 cm) were sampled across a very wide range of habitats and a range of physical, chemical and biological soil quality indicators were measured. We show consistent differences in soil physicochemical properties across habitat types, with carbon decreasing and pH increasing across the habitat productivity gradient from bogs through woodlands and grasslands to arable systems. The soils within our dataset are largely within the limits identified as important for supporting habitat function, with the exception of excessive phosphate levels in mesotrophic grassland. Cluster detection methods identified four soil functional classes based on measured topsoil properties, which were more related to habitat type than the genesis-based soil classification from soil maps. These soil functional classes can be interpreted as phenoforms within the soil genoforms found by traditional soil classification. This shows the importance of land-use management in determining the soil health and functional capacity of soils. Our work provides an account of the current state of soil health in Wales, its relationship to soil function and a baseline for future monitoring to track changes against agri-environment and other policy targets.

中文翻译：

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基于国家土壤指标监测的土壤健康聚类分析

土壤科学的一个主要挑战是在全国范围内监测和了解土壤的状态和变化，为决策和政策提供信息。为了解决这个问题，需要确定土壤健康和功能的关键参数，并确定它们与其他参数（包括传统土壤调查）的关系。在这里，我们展示了一个全国范围的表土采样数据集，作为英国威尔士更广泛的农业环境监测计划的一部分。在非常广泛的栖息地对 1,350 多个表土（0-15 厘米）进行了采样，并测量了一系列物理、化学和生物土壤质量指标。我们展示了不同栖息地类型土壤理化特性的一致差异，从沼泽到林地和草地再到耕地系统，在整个栖息地生产力梯度中碳减少和 pH 值增加。我们数据集中的土壤大部分都在被认为对支持栖息地功能很重要的范围内，但中营养草原中磷酸盐含量过高的情况除外。聚类检测方法根据测量的表土特性确定了四种土壤功能类别，与土壤地图中基于成因的土壤分类相比，它们与栖息地类型的相关性更大。这些土壤功能类别可以解释为通过传统土壤分类发现的土壤基因型中的表型。这表明土地利用管理在确定土壤健康和土壤功能能力方面的重要性。我们的工作提供了威尔士土壤健康的现状、其与土壤功能的关系以及未来监测的基线，以跟踪农业环境和其他政策目标的变化。