Thanks to a close cooperation between the field team of the biodiversity monitoring of Switzerland BDM and the staff of Swiss Soil Monitoring Network NABO an extensive soil sampling campaign could be carried out. Between 2011 and 2015 topsoil samples at levels down to 20 cm at approximately 1200 locations evenly spread over Switzerland were taken during the field campaign of the BDM indicator «species diversity in habitats» (Z9). For the first time, a nationwide harmonised soil data set that includes all main land use types is now available for a comprehensive evaluation. Preliminary results of the measured pH levels reveal the expected differences according to geology. The comparison of vascular plants, mosses and mollusks of the biodiversity monitoring with measured soil parameters allow the identification of soil properties which have a substantial impact on the species diversity in the various habitats of Switzerland. A first comparison between topsoil pH and the reaction value R of plants reveals its applicability as a proxy variable for soil acidity.
Meuli, R. G., Wächter, D., Schwab, P., & Zimmermann, R. (2017). Connecting biodiversity monitoring with soil inventory information-A Swiss case study. BGS Bulletin 38 (2017):65-69. Link to PDF.