Soil pH

AUS-TDG-CON-SPH General High confidence

Benchmark Value

5.3 pH
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: Point

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is Point, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Evidence & Context

"The soil was not pretreated to remove carbonates because the average soil pH at the site was 5.3 (n = 480)."

Metric Definition:

Average bulk soil pH across a large grid sampling effort in the topsoil horizon.

Benchmark Definition:

Reference-condition baseline soil pH for intact conservation reserves in box-gum grassy woodland clay-loam soils.

Justification:

Sourced from a major ecological experiment in highly intact conservation reserves, summarizing a large-scale (n = 480) sampling effort representing reference woodland soils.

Sources (1)

Preview of Mac Nally, R., McIntyre, S., & Bennett, A. F. (2014). Coarse Woody Debris Carbon Pools in Biologically Diverse Grassy Woodlands of Southeastern Australia. Journal of Environmental Quality, 43(6), 2055–2064.
Mac Nally, R., McIntyre, S., & Bennett, A. F. (2014). Coarse Woody Debris Carbon Pools in Biologically Diverse Grassy Woodlands of Southeastern Australia. Journal of Environmental Quality, 43(6), 2055–2064. Journal

Mac Nally, R., McIntyre, S., & Bennett, A. F. (2014). Coarse Woody Debris Carbon Pools in Biologically Diverse Grassy Woodlands of Southeastern Australia. Journal of Environmental Quality, 43(6), 2055–2064.

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Supporting Sources (5)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Eldridge, D. J., Benham, M., Singh, B. K., & Delgado-Baquerizo, M. (2021). Ecosystem Properties in Urban Areas Vary with Habitat Type and Settlement Age. Plant and Soil, 462, 115–128.
Eldridge, D. J., Benham, M., Singh, B. K., & Delgado-Baquerizo, M. (2021). Ecosystem Properties in Urban Areas Vary with Habitat Type and Settlement Age. Plant and Soil, 462, 115–128.
Direct Evidence Journal

Eldridge, D. J., Benham, M., Singh, B. K., & Delgado-Baquerizo, M. (2021). Ecosystem Properties in Urban Areas Vary with Habitat Type and Settlement Age. Plant and Soil, 462, 115–128.

View Source
Preview of Mallen-Cooper, M., Nakagawa, S., & Eldridge, D. J. (2019). Foraging Pits of a Reintroduced Ecosystem Engineer, the Eastern Bettong, Have Divergent Effects on Soil Chemistry in Sub-humid Temperate Woodland. PLOS ONE, 14(8), e0220953.
Mallen-Cooper, M., Nakagawa, S., & Eldridge, D. J. (2019). Foraging Pits of a Reintroduced Ecosystem Engineer, the Eastern Bettong, Have Divergent Effects on Soil Chemistry in Sub-humid Temperate Woodland. PLOS ONE, 14(8), e0220953.
Irrelevant

Mallen-Cooper, M., Nakagawa, S., & Eldridge, D. J. (2019). Foraging Pits of a Reintroduced Ecosystem Engineer, the Eastern Bettong, Have Divergent Effects on Soil Chemistry in Sub-humid Temperate Woodland. PLOS ONE, 14(8), e0220953.

View Source
Preview of Prober, S. M., & Lunt, I. D. (2009). Restoration of Themeda australis Swards Suppresses Soil Nitrate and Enhances Ecological Resistance to Invasion by Exotic Annuals. Biological Invasions, 11(2), 171–181.
Prober, S. M., & Lunt, I. D. (2009). Restoration of Themeda australis Swards Suppresses Soil Nitrate and Enhances Ecological Resistance to Invasion by Exotic Annuals. Biological Invasions, 11(2), 171–181.
Irrelevant

Prober, S. M., & Lunt, I. D. (2009). Restoration of Themeda australis Swards Suppresses Soil Nitrate and Enhances Ecological Resistance to Invasion by Exotic Annuals. Biological Invasions, 11(2), 171–181.

View Source
Preview of Soil microbial biomass, activity and community composition in adjacent native and plantation forests of subtropical Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate
Soil microbial biomass, activity and community composition in adjacent native and plantation forests of subtropical Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate
Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

Hasegawa, S., Crous, K. Y., & Macdonald, C. A. (2015). Elevated Carbon Dioxide Increases Soil Nitrogen and Phosphorus Availability in a Phosphorus-Limited Eucalyptus Woodland. Global Change Biology, 21(11), 4165–4177.

View Source
Preview of The soil of abandoned farmland, Cumberland Plain Woodland and restored vegetation - Research Profiles and Repository, accessed July 15, 2025,
The soil of abandoned farmland, Cumberland Plain Woodland and restored vegetation - Research Profiles and Repository, accessed July 15, 2025,
Direct Evidence

Fitzgerald, J. K. (2007). The Soil of Abandoned Farmland, Cumberland Plain Woodland and Restored Areas. PhD Thesis, Western Sydney University.

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands
  • Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Vegetation Woodland
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 20 Jun 2026

Notes

Collected across multiple soil types in the ACT nature reserves.