Overview

This volume provides a modern introduction to the soil fauna and their contributions to ecosystem function, the mechanisms that structure soil fauna assemblages from local to global scales, and the potential impacts of global change on soil fauna assemblages and through this ecosystem function. Wanting to be an accessible primer, this book is a high level overview of current knowledge rather than a detailed tome of all existing information, with emphasis being placed on key findings and general patterns. It focuses on the soil fauna but contextualizes these assemblages in relation to the microbial assemblages belowground and the vegetation aboveground. It is clear that our knowledge of soil fauna assemblages is ever increasing, but there is still a lot to discover. Key areas of research are highlighted, with particular reference to the future of soil fauna assemblages.

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9781107191488

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'The synthesis provided by this book highlights not only the need for future large-scale studies of soil fauna, but also the notion that we cannot ignore their role in ecosystem restoration and succession. Their potential use in restoration practices is undervalued because changing soil fauna assemblages inherently changes food web dynamics and therefore energy flow, nutrient dynamics, and carbon storage. The volume ends by noting how this information can be harnessed to manage the future of soil fauna assemblages that, ultimately, we rely on for human well-being.' Becky A. Ball, The Quarterly Review of Biology

Author Information

Uffe N. Nielsen is a Senior Lecturer at Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Australia. He is broadly interested in the biogeography and community ecology of soil biota and how belowground assemblages influence ecosystem functioning, particularly in the light of global changes. He has extensive experience with soil fauna assemblages across a broad range of natural and managed ecosystems exploring the diversity and distribution of soil fauna under contemporary and global change scenarios. He has a particular interest in Antarctic ecosystems and his research has brought him to various sites in continental and maritime Antarctica.

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