Dr Vanessa Pino Villavicencio
Biodiversity
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Vanessa has held a Postdoctoral position as Research Associate in Soil Spatial Ecology at The University of Sydney since 2017. From her position, she is responsible for helping faculty and students to improve the understanding of soil ecosystems towards a sustainable use by emphasising the important role of soil biodiversity. She received a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences at The University of Chile in 2007 and was appointed as a CONICYT Bicentennial Becas-Chile Scholarship fellow in 2009.
Her research explores the closest interactions between microbial life and soil physicochemical attributes on which an outstanding finding has been to verify the co-spatial association that exists between soil biodiversity and pedodiversity besides other environmental variables. A better insight into this biodiversity-pedodiversity relationship will provide new knowledge and impact our society since there are still endless improvements to make on human activities to secure soils around the world – our primary source for world's food production and C storage still largely unknown.
Vanessa's research on soil microbial biogeography has a pedological perspective and extends from Australian agroecosystems to global scales. She has carried out extensive sampling campaign interacting with farmers all across New South Wales with a particular track along the Wheatbelt Region. Vanessa has witnessed and contributed to turning into a new era the study of the soil bio-physicochemical components by pioneering a combination of both pedometrics approaches (used for digital soil global mapping) and soil biomolecular information from high-throughput sequencing technology. In both areas, she has been involved with worldwide experts emerging global scientific efforts in the recognition of soil biodiversity as a critical component for soil ecosystems services.
Other interests include:
- Soil microbiomes related to earth processes and soil diversity
- Soil biogeographical patterns and modelling
- Strategies for soil biological management and pedodiversity conservation
- Soil-Water-Plant microbiomes interactions
- Soil organic matter and nutrients cycling
- Hidden Hunger in relation with soil micronutrients deficiencies
- Soil, human and planetary health
Experience on the supervision of honours, interships and PhD students.
(Universidad de la Amazonia) Understanding soil microbial diversity and distribution under different natural forest and agroforestry ecosystems including combined cropping management of sugarcane, rubber and cocoa. |
Publications
Journals
- Pino, V., Fajardo Pedraza, M., McBratney, A., Minasny, B., Wilson, N., Baldock, C. (2023). Australian soil microbiome: A first sightseeing regional prediction driven by cycles of soil temperature and pedogenic variations. Molecular Ecology. [More Information]
- Xue, P., Minasny, B., McBratney, A., Pino, V., Fajardo Pedraza, M., Luo, Y. (2023). Distribution of soil bacteria involved in C cycling across extensive environmental and pedogenic gradients. European Journal of Soil Science, 74(1). [More Information]
- Qadir, G., Pino, V., Brambilla, A., Alonso-Marroquin, F. (2023). Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes. Sustainability, 15(7). [More Information]
Conferences
- Pino, V. (2018). ADN del suelo revela como el tipo de suelo controla la distribucion espacial de la diversidad microbiana. Seminario Internacional en medio ambiente, biodiversidad y desarrollo: VI SIMABID, Colombia: Universidad de la Amazonia.
- Pino, V., McBratney, A., Minasny, B., Fajardo Pedraza, M. (2018). Exploring co-spatial patterns between soil biodiversity and pedodiversity across New South Wales. 21st World Congress of Soil Science RIO18, Brazil: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciencia do Solo.
- Pino, V., Fajardo Pedraza, M., McBratney, A. (2018). USYD on digital soil assessment via soil spatial ecology: Global assessment on soil biodiversity and soil organic matter. Soil Science Symposium Chile - Australia 2018, Chile: Soil Science Australia.
2023
- Pino, V., Fajardo Pedraza, M., McBratney, A., Minasny, B., Wilson, N., Baldock, C. (2023). Australian soil microbiome: A first sightseeing regional prediction driven by cycles of soil temperature and pedogenic variations. Molecular Ecology. [More Information]
- Xue, P., Minasny, B., McBratney, A., Pino, V., Fajardo Pedraza, M., Luo, Y. (2023). Distribution of soil bacteria involved in C cycling across extensive environmental and pedogenic gradients. European Journal of Soil Science, 74(1). [More Information]
- Qadir, G., Pino, V., Brambilla, A., Alonso-Marroquin, F. (2023). Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes. Sustainability, 15(7). [More Information]
2022
- Pino, V., McBratney, A., O'Brien, E., Singh, K., Pozza, L. (2022). Citizen science & soil connectivity: Where are we? Soil Security, 9. [More Information]
- Xue, P., McBratney, A., Minasny, B., O’Donnell, T., Pino, V., Fajardo Pedraza, M., Ng, W., Wilson, N., Deaker, R. (2022). Soil bacterial depth distribution controlled by soil orders and soil forms. Soil Ecology Letters, 4(1), 57-68. [More Information]
2021
- Pino, V., McBratney, A., O'Brien, E., Ng, W. (2021). Boosting soil citizen-science using Tea Bag Index method towards soil security in Australia. Soil Security, 5. [More Information]
- Jones, E., Filippi, P., Wittig, R., Fajardo Pedraza, M., Pino, V., McBratney, A. (2021). Mapping soil slaking index and assessing the impact of management in a mixed agricultural landscape. Soil, 7(1), 33-46. [More Information]
- Fajardo Pedraza, M., Nájera, F., Pino, V., Minasny, B., McBratney, A. (2021). Spectral information related to soil slaking: An example from Australia. Geoderma Regional, 25, e00386. [More Information]
2019
- Pino, V., McBratney, A., Fajardo, M., Wilson, N., Deaker, R. (2019). Understanding soil biodiversity using two orthogonal 1000km transects across New South Wales, Australia. Geoderma, 354, 1-14. [More Information]
2018
- Pino, V. (2018). ADN del suelo revela como el tipo de suelo controla la distribucion espacial de la diversidad microbiana. Seminario Internacional en medio ambiente, biodiversidad y desarrollo: VI SIMABID, Colombia: Universidad de la Amazonia.
- Pino, V., McBratney, A., Minasny, B., Fajardo Pedraza, M. (2018). Exploring co-spatial patterns between soil biodiversity and pedodiversity across New South Wales. 21st World Congress of Soil Science RIO18, Brazil: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciencia do Solo.
- Xue, P., Carrillo, Y., Pino, V., Minasny, B., McBratney, A. (2018). Soil Properties Drive Microbial Community Structure in a Large Scale Transect in South Eastern Australia. Scientific Reports, 8, 1-11. [More Information]
2017
- Pino, V. (2017). Soil microbial diversity across different agro-ecological zones in New South Wales (NSW). 2nd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference, China: Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative.
- Pino, V., McBratney, A., Wilson, N., Fajardo Pedraza, M. (2017). Soil Microbial Diversity Across Different Agroecological Zones in New South Wales (NSW). Pedometrics 2017, Netherlands: Pedometrics Commission.
2016
- Pino, V. (2016). Soil Microbial Diversity Across Different Agroecological Zones in New South Wales. Sydney Digital Theses, 2016, 1-324.
2013
- Martinez, E., Fuentes, J., Pino, V., Silva, P., Acevedo, E. (2013). Chemical and biological properties as affected by no-tillage and conventional tillage systems in an irrigated Haploxeroll of Central Chile. Soil and Tillage Research, 126, 238-245. [More Information]