The Biology of Soil

A community and ecosystem approach

Richard Bardgett - Collection Biology of Habitats

242 pages, parution le 06/06/2005

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Résumé

This book is unique in providing a comprehensive, up-to-date synthesis of what is known about soil biodiversity and the factors that regulate its distribution, as well as the functional significance of below-ground biodiversity for ecosystem form and function. It describes the vast diversity of biota that live in the soil environment-the most complex habitat on Earth-and discusses the factors that act as determinants of this diversity across different spatial and temporal scales.

The Biology of Soil also considers how biotic interactions in soil influence the important soil processes of decomposition and nutrient cycling. It demonstrates how interactions and feedbacks between diverse plant and soil communities act as important drivers of ecosystem form and function. The importance of these relationships for understanding how ecosystems respond to global change phenomena, including climate change, is discussed in depth. Much is still to be learned about the soil biota and their roles in ecosystems, and the author highlights some of the many challenges that face ecologists in the exploration of soil.

The Biology of Soil provides an excellent, easy to read introduction for anyone working in the field of soil ecology and related disciplines, and will be ideal for students taking undergraduate and postgraduate courses in soil ecology, plant-soil relationships, ecosystem ecology, and land management.

L'auteur - Richard Bardgett

Richard Bardgett is Professor of Ecology in the Institute of Environmental and Natural Sciences at Lancaster University, UK.

Sommaire

The soil environment
The diversity of life in soil
Organism interactions and soil processes
Linkages between plant and soil biological communities
Above-ground trophic interactions and soil biological communities
Soil biological properties and global change
Conclusions
Bibliography
Index

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Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Oxford University Press
Auteur(s)	Richard Bardgett
Collection	Biology of Habitats
Parution	06/06/2005
Nb. de pages	242
Format	15,5 x 23
Couverture	Broché
Poids	463g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780198525035
ISBN13	978-0-19-852503-5