Viticulture is a cornerstone of California’s agricultural economy, producing some of the world’s most recognized wines. However, modern vineyard management often depends on intensive pesticide use and mechanized practices that can contribute to soil erosion, pollution, reduced carbon storage, and biodiversity loss. These environmental challenges threaten not only ecosystem health but also the long-term sustainability and productivity of viticultural systems. Our research seeks to understand how vineyard soils protect and sustain soil biodiversity in the face of chemical and metal contamination recognizing the importance of soil as a living ecosystem. We collected soil samples from twenty-one vineyards across California, representing a management spectrum from conventional to certified organic systems. We aim to determine whether biodiversity-rich, organic-rich soils act as natural defenses against pesticides and heavy metals.

We extracted and identified microarthropods, particularly mites and springtails, which serve as sensitive indicators of soil health and ecological function to evaluate soil biodiversity. We assessed their density and diversity in each vineyard, combining these measures to generate an overall habitat quality score. Soils with higher biodiversity metrics were classified as higher-quality habitats. 

We are conducting laboratory toxicity assays using the standard oribatid mite species, Oppia nitens. In these experiments to further explore how habitat quality influences soil resilience to contaminants.  The mites are exposed to varying concentrations of cadmium (a heavy metal) and λ-cyhalothrin (a commonly used insecticide) following the ISO 23266 test guideline. The fieldwork and laboratory tests have already been completed, and we are currently in the process of data collection. 

This research will provide valuable insights into how vineyard soils buffer the effects of contaminants through two key pathways: toxicokinetic mechanisms (uptake and elimination of chemicals) and toxicodynamic mechanisms (biological sensitivity of organisms). The study will clarify why some soils offer better protection to soil organisms than others by examining how soil habitat quality shapes these responses.

Our work will guide farmers in adopting management practices that enhance soil biodiversity, improve ecological resilience, and reduce environmental risks by generating scientific evidence on the benefits of healthy soils. Ultimately, these findings will support the development of sustainable soil management strategies that protect soil life and maintain the long-term productivity of California’s vineyards.