Soil formation and hydrological evolution of Navazo del Toro small-lake ecosystem, Doñana National Park, Andalusia, Spain

Research reveals that the Navazo del Toro (NVT) wetland, one of Doñana National Park's largest temporary small-lakes, has undergone significant hydrological and pedological evolution since at least 4,255 years ago. The study identifies key processes shaping this ecosystem, including the translocation of silt and clay from dune slopes, sediment accumulation in the depression, and the development of tirsificated and vertic Luvisols. Hydromorphic conditions, marked by gleyic and stagnic features, have also incorporated organic materials like diatoms and sponge spicules, initiating incipient podzolization. The research employs a geopedological catena analysis along 230 meters with five soil profiles to unravel these processes, providing critical insights into the Middle-Upper Holocene hydrological dynamics of this unique wetland system.

Recio, J. M., Díaz-delOlmo, F., Borja, C., Cámara, R., & Borja, F. (2023). Soil formation and hydrological evolution of Navazo del Toro small-lake ecosystem, Doñana National Park, Andalusia, Spain. Ecology and Noospherology, 34(1), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.15421/032301