The dark side of biodiversity: Spatial application of the biological soil quality indicator (BSQ)

Abstract We conducted a comprehensive assessment of soil quality in South Tyrol, Italy by combining spatial land use and land cover data with field surveys studying soil microarthropods. The biological soil-quality index (BSQ) proposed by Parisi et al. (2005) is based on the assumption that higher soil quality is associated with the occurrence of more microarthropod groups that are well-adapted to soil habitats. We used the BSQ concept in the context of a state-wide sustainability assessment on a municipality level. Many soil animals fulfil key ecosystem functions that are the basis for significant and broadly used ecosystem services. These functions and services are essential for any sustainable agriculture type. To determine if and how BSQ values are influenced by land use characteristics, we analysed field data from 243 sampling sites comprising eleven different land cover or land use types. An ordinary least square regression (OLS) was used to assess the influence of land use types, altitude, aspect, slope and geology as independent variables on BSQ values ( R 2  = 0.60; p