Biodiversity and ecosystem function in soil

摘要: Summary 1. Soils are one of the last great frontiers for biodiversity research and home to an extraordinary range microbial animal groups. Biological activities in soils drive many key ecosystem processes that govern global system, especially cycling elements such as carbon, nitrogen phosphorus. 2. We cannot currently make firm statements about scale soils, or roles played by soil organisms transformations organic materials underlie those cycles. The recent UK Soil Biodiversity Programme (SBP) has brought a unique concentration researchers bear on single Scotland, generated large amount data concerning biodiversity, carbon flux resilience ecosystem. 3. One discoveries SBP was extreme diversity small organisms: programme identified over 100 species bacteria, 350 protozoa, 140 nematodes 24 distinct types arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Statistical analysis these results suggests much greater ‘hidden diversity’. In contrast, there no unusual richness other organisms, higher fungi, mites, collembola annelids. 4. Stable-isotope ( 13 C) technology used measure fluxes map path through food web. A novel finding rapidity with which moves biota, revealing extraordinarily dynamic 5. combination taxonomic rapid makes highly resistant perturbation either changing structure removing selected groups organisms.