Articles | Volume 1, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-665-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-665-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Review article
| 
19 Nov 2015
Review article |
| 19 Nov 2015
Biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity as key drivers of ecosystem services provided by soils
Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Scottish Food Security Alliance-Crops and ClimateXChange, University of Aberdeen, 23 St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK
M. F. Cotrufo
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences & Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, USA
C. Rumpel
CNRS, IEES (UMR UPMC, CNRS, UPEC, INRA, IRD) and Ecosys (UMR INRA, AgroParisTech), Campus AgroParisTech, Bâtiment EGER, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
K. Paustian
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences & Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, USA
P. J. Kuikman
Alterra Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
J. A. Elliott
Environment Canada, National Hydrology Research Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 3H5, Canada
R. McDowell
AgResearch, Invermay Agricultural Centre, Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel, New Zealand
R. I. Griffiths
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK
S. Asakawa
Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
M. Bustamante
Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasília, I.B. C.P. 04457. Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro – UnB. D.F. CEP: 70919-970 Brasília, Brazil
J. I. House
Cabot Institute, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS, UK
J. Sobocká
National Agriculture and Food Centre Lužianky, Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute Bratislava, Gagarinova 10, 827 13 Bratislava, Slovakia
R. Harper
School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch WA, 6150, Australia
Institute of Resources, Environment and Ecosystem of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, China
P. C. West
Global Landscapes Initiative, Institute on the Environment (IonE), University of Minnesota, 325 Learning & Environmental Sciences, 1954 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
J. S. Gerber
Global Landscapes Initiative, Institute on the Environment (IonE), University of Minnesota, 325 Learning & Environmental Sciences, 1954 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
J. M. Clark
Soil Research Centre, Department of Geography and Environmental Science, School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6DW, UK
T. Adhya
School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar – 751024, Odisha, India
R. J. Scholes
Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute and School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
M. C. Scholes
Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute and School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Short summary
Soils play a pivotal role in major global biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nutrient, and water), while hosting the largest diversity of organisms on land. Soils deliver fundamental ecosystem services, and management to change a soil process in support of one ecosystem service can affect other services. We provide a critical review of these aspects, and conclude that, although there are knowledge gaps, enough is known improve soils globally, and we suggest actions to start this process.
Soils play a pivotal role in major global biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nutrient, and water),...
