Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in soil
(1997) In Ambio: a Journal of the Human Environment 26(8). p.563-570- Abstract
- We review the current knowledge on biodiversity in soils, its role in ecosystem processes, its importance for human purposes, and its resilience against stress and disturbance. The number of existing species is vastly higher than the number described, even in the macroscopically visible taxa, and biogeographical syntheses are largely lacking. A major effort in taxonomy and the training of a new generation of systematists is imperative. This effort has to be focussed on the groups of soil organisms that, to the best of our knowledge, play key roles in ecosystem functioning. To identify such groups, spheres of influence (SOI) of soil biota - such as the root biota, the shredders of organic matter and the soil bioturbators - are recognized... (More)
- We review the current knowledge on biodiversity in soils, its role in ecosystem processes, its importance for human purposes, and its resilience against stress and disturbance. The number of existing species is vastly higher than the number described, even in the macroscopically visible taxa, and biogeographical syntheses are largely lacking. A major effort in taxonomy and the training of a new generation of systematists is imperative. This effort has to be focussed on the groups of soil organisms that, to the best of our knowledge, play key roles in ecosystem functioning. To identify such groups, spheres of influence (SOI) of soil biota - such as the root biota, the shredders of organic matter and the soil bioturbators - are recognized that presumably control ecosystem processes, for example, through interactions with plants. Within those SOI, functional groups of soil organisms are recognized. Research questions of the highest urgency are the assignment of species to functional groups and determining the redundancy of species within functional groups. These priorities follow from the need to address the extent of any loss of functioning in soils, associated with intensive agriculture, forest disturbance, pollution of the environment, and global environmental change. The soil biota considered at present to be most at risk are species-poor functional groups among macrofaunal shredders of organic matter, bioturbators of soil, specialized bacteria like nitrifiers and nitrogen fixers, and fungiforming mycorrhizas. An experimental approach in addressing these research priorities is needed, using longterm and large-scale field experiments and modern methods of geostatistics and geographic information systems. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/2226227
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 1997
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- bacteria, 13C, carbon flux, fungi, models, resilience, soil fauna, Sourhope
- in
- Ambio: a Journal of the Human Environment
- volume
- 26
- issue
- 8
- pages
- 563 - 570
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:0031474907
- ISSN
- 0044-7447
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 62ec5448-c46b-4db6-9ea1-c8fbc6255ec3 (old id 2226227)
- alternative location
- http://www.jstor.org/stable/4314670
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:42:03
- date last changed
- 2024-02-28 20:52:59
@article{62ec5448-c46b-4db6-9ea1-c8fbc6255ec3,
abstract = {{We review the current knowledge on biodiversity in soils, its role in ecosystem processes, its importance for human purposes, and its resilience against stress and disturbance. The number of existing species is vastly higher than the number described, even in the macroscopically visible taxa, and biogeographical syntheses are largely lacking. A major effort in taxonomy and the training of a new generation of systematists is imperative. This effort has to be focussed on the groups of soil organisms that, to the best of our knowledge, play key roles in ecosystem functioning. To identify such groups, spheres of influence (SOI) of soil biota - such as the root biota, the shredders of organic matter and the soil bioturbators - are recognized that presumably control ecosystem processes, for example, through interactions with plants. Within those SOI, functional groups of soil organisms are recognized. Research questions of the highest urgency are the assignment of species to functional groups and determining the redundancy of species within functional groups. These priorities follow from the need to address the extent of any loss of functioning in soils, associated with intensive agriculture, forest disturbance, pollution of the environment, and global environmental change. The soil biota considered at present to be most at risk are species-poor functional groups among macrofaunal shredders of organic matter, bioturbators of soil, specialized bacteria like nitrifiers and nitrogen fixers, and fungiforming mycorrhizas. An experimental approach in addressing these research priorities is needed, using longterm and large-scale field experiments and modern methods of geostatistics and geographic information systems.}},
author = {{Brussaard, Lijbert and Behan-Pelletier, Val M. and Bignell, David E. and Brown, Valerie K. and Didden, Wim and Folgarait, Patricia and Fragoso, Carlos and Freckman, Diana Wall and Gupta, Vadakattu V.S.R. and Hattori, Tsutomu and Hawksworth, David L. and Klopatek, Carole and Lavelle, Patrick and Malloch, David W. and Rusek, Josef and Söderström, Bengt and Tiedje, James M. and Virginia, Ross A.}},
issn = {{0044-7447}},
keywords = {{bacteria; 13C; carbon flux; fungi; models; resilience; soil fauna; Sourhope}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{8}},
pages = {{563--570}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Ambio: a Journal of the Human Environment}},
title = {{Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in soil}},
url = {{http://www.jstor.org/stable/4314670}},
volume = {{26}},
year = {{1997}},
}