Linking biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of soils and sediments

• Published in: Ambio Vol. 26; no. 8; pp. 556 - 562
• Main Authors: Wall Freckman, D. (Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA). Natural Resources Ecology Lab.), Blackburn, T.H, Brussaard, L, Hutchings, P.A, Palmer, M.A, Snelgrove, P.V.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 01-12-1997
• Subjects: BENTHOS; BENTOS; BIODIVERSIDAD; BIODIVERSITE; BIODIVERSITY; Bodembiologie; Forest soils; HABITAT; HABITATS; Marine ecosystems; MICROORGANISME DU SOL; MICROORGANISMOS DEL SUELO; Organic soils; PE&RC; Scope Articles; SEDIMENT; Sedimentary soils; SEDIMENTO; Sediments; Soil Biology; Soil ecology; SOIL MICROORGANISMS; Soil organic matter; Soil pollution; Soil water
• ISSN: 0044-7447; 1654-7209

Soils, freshwater sediments and marine sediments offer a new frontier of vast, poorly known ecosystems that are critical to life on earth. They are connected by similarities in biota, ecosystem processes, biogeochemistry, and, the types of processes carried out by the diversity of biota. We know a lot about the ecosystem processes in these domains through studies of functional groups of organisms, but we know much less about keystone species, or biodiversity across habitats and thus we cannot, with certainty, answer questions such as, "will a change in diversity in an agricultural soil affect the flow of energy, water and chemicals across the interconnected domains?" Linkages of knowledge across the three domains would increase our understanding of how human-driven changes affect subsurface biodiversity and functioning, and, in turn, how these impacts influence aboveground ecosystem functioning. Approaches utilizing this knowledge will identify the long term strategies needed to attain sustainable soils, freshwaters and marine systems. Syntheses of available data for comparisons of biodiversity and processes across soils and sediments are priorities.