In this study, the effects of different stocking rates were quantified in three study areas in a Mediterranean forest (Cuenca, Spain) by applying a multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) developed from undisturbed forest soils (>40 years). The main objective was to advance the development and application of multiparametric indices that allow for soil condition assessment. To fulfill this objective, the effectiveness of the developed multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) was analyzed as an indicator of livestock impacts on soil in the Mediterranean forest. The control areas without livestock activity were forest stands of different ages (a thicket forest stand of <30 years; a high-polewood forest stand of 30–60 years; and an old-growth forest stand of >60 years), which were compared with areas subjected to various grazing intensities (areas with permanent livestock passage: a sheepfold that had been inactive for 2–3 years and an active sheepfold; areas with intermittent livestock passage: a bare-soil area, a pine stand and a scrubland). The applied multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) was sensitive to changes in forest ecosystems depending on the stocking rates. However, to obtain greater precision in the assessment of the effects of stocking rates, the multiparametric index was recalibrated to create a new index, the Soil Status Index by Livestock (SSIL). The correlation between the quality ranges obtained with both indices in different study areas suggests that the SSIL can be considered a livestock impact reference indicator in Mediterranean forest soils.

中文翻译：

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应用土壤多参数指数评估地中海森林放牧的影响

在这项研究中，通过应用从未受干扰的森林土壤（> 40 年）开发的多参数土壤质量指数（SQI），量化了地中海森林（西班牙昆卡）三个研究区域中不同放养率的影响。主要目标是推进可进行土壤状况评估的多参数指数的开发和应用。为了实现这一目标，对开发的多参数土壤质量指数（SQI）的有效性进行了分析，作为牲畜对地中海森林土壤影响的指标。无畜牧活动对照区为不同林龄的林分（<30年的灌丛林；30-60年的高杆木林；>60年的古老林分），进行比较不同放牧强度的区域（有永久性牲畜通行的区域：已闲置 2-3 年的羊圈和活跃的羊圈；有间歇性牲畜通行的区域：裸土区域、松林和灌木丛）。所应用的多参数土壤质量指数（SQI）对森林生态系统的变化敏感，具体取决于放养率。然而，为了更准确地评估载畜率的影响，对多参数指数进行了重新校准，创建了一个新指数，即牲畜土壤状况指数 (SSIL)。在不同研究区域使用这两个指数获得的质量范围之间的相关性表明，SSIL 可以被视为地中海森林土壤中牲畜影响的参考指标。