有机管理对不同土地利用方式下土壤质量的影响

许多研究发现有机管理可以改善农田土壤质量,但是否不同土地利用方式下都存在此结论尚未明确。为探究有机管理对不同土地利用方式土壤质量的影响,本研究基于一个多土地利用方式的有机管理农场及其附近常规管理农田进行土壤质量调查,对比不同管理措施及大棚菜地、果园、露天菜地、农田边界、稻田田埂5种土地利用方式下农田土壤质量的差异,并对不同管理措施下农田土壤养分含量、重金属含量、动物数量共计20个指标进行方差分析和主成分分析。研究发现虽然总体上(综合5种土地利用方式的均值)有机管理的土壤pH显著高于常规农田;但针对一种土地利用方式,只有露天菜地和农田边界的土壤pH显著提高。总体上有机管理下土壤全磷、全钾、有效磷含量显著降低,但露天菜地土壤有机质和全氮含量均显著高于常规管理农田。有机管理在总体上显著降低了土壤Cr、Cu、Ni、Zn含量;但针对一种土地利用方式,只显著降低了大棚菜地土壤Cr、Ni、Zn含量,果园和稻田田埂土壤Cu含量,露天菜地和农田边界土壤Zn含量。有机管理虽然总体上均显著增加了土壤中蜘蛛目、倍足纲、步甲、蚯蚓的数量;但针对一种土地利用方式,只显著增加了露天菜地地表蜘蛛目、倍足纲、步甲,稻田田埂地表步甲、土壤蚯蚓以及果园倍足纲数量。主成分分析结果表明,不同管理方式下土壤质量差异明显,有机管理下蜘蛛目、倍足纲、步甲和蚯蚓等土壤动物较多,土壤pH较高,土壤P含量较低,重金属Cu、Pb、Zn、Cr含量较低,但并非在所有土地利用方式下都成立。由此可见,有机管理虽然总体上可以改善土壤质量,但受具体管理措施、人为投入品数量和有机种植时间等因素影响,并非在所有土地利用方式下效果都显著,且在不同土地利用方式下显著改善的指标也各不相同,因此需要针对不同土地利用方式和不同指标采取针对性的改善措施。     

Effects of grassland abandonment, restoration and management on butterflies and vascular plants

When semi-natural pastures are abandoned, specialized grassland species are lost as a consequence of succession. As a counter-measure, previously abandoned grasslands may be restored by clearing shrubs and trees and re-introducing grazing livestock. In order to examine the effects of this type of habitat restoration, we compared species richness of plants and of specialized plants thought to be dependent on continuous management and species richness and abundance of butterflies and red-listed butterflies in 12 sets of matched continuously managed, abandoned and restored grassland in southern Sweden. We found no differences in species richness or abundance between the three grassland types. There were, however, some negative effects of abandonment. The number of management-dependent plants decreased with increasing cover of trees and shrubs, and in restored sites species richness of all groups decreased with increasing cover of trees and shrubs before restoration. Also the present management significantly affected both butterflies and plants. Species richness of both groups increased with increasing vegetation height and differed between sites depending on the species of grazers, with negative effects of sheep compared to cattle or horses. Our study indicates that for grassland management to be efficient, the restoration actions should mainly be directed towards sites where the post-abandonment succession has not proceeded too far.     

Size spectra of soil nematode assemblages under different land use types

Although the slopes of size spectra (plots of abundance on organism size) have been widely used to assess aquatic and terrestrial communities, size spectra have not been used to assess soil nematode communities. Two forms of size spectra (one based on the average biomass of nematode genera and another based on the average biomass of nematode size classes were used to assess the soil nematode communities in managed forage land and cropland, and in naturally developed grass-shrubland and secondary forests in a karst peak-cluster depression area. R² values were larger for size spectra based on nematode size classes than on genera. The slopes of the size spectra for total nematodes were more negative in forage land and cropland than in grass-shrubland and secondary forests, which was consistent with disturbance of the soil nematode community by agricultural management. The results suggest that size spectra analysis is applicable to soil nematodes; they can reveal different land use types and may reveal the degree to which the soil nematodes in particular and the soil community in general have been disturbed. Size spectra may be more useful if based on nematode size classes rather than on genera.     

Effects of soil texture and structure on carbon and nitrogen mineralization in grassland soils

Summary The hypotheses that disruption of soil structure increases mineralization rates in loams and clays more than in sandy soils and that this increase can be used to estimate the fraction of physically protected organic matter were tested. C and N mineralization was measured in undisturbed, and in finely and coarsely sieved moist or dried/remoistened soil. Fine sieving caused a temporary increase in mineralization. The relative increase in mineralization was much larger in loams and clays than in sandy soils and much larger for N than for C. The combination of remoistening and sieving of the soil gave a further increase in the mineralization flush after the disturbance. Again, the extra flush was larger in loams and clays than in sandy soils, and larger for N than for C. In loams and clays, small pores constituted a higher percentage of the total pore space than in sandy soils. The fraction of small pores explained more than 50% of the variation in the N mineralization rate between soils. There was also a good correlation between the small-pore fraction and the relative increase in N mineralization with fine sieving. For C, these relations were not clear. It is suggested that a large part of the organic matter that was present in the small pores could not be reached by microorganisms, and was therefore physically protected against decomposition. Fine sieving exposed part of this fraction to decomposition. This physically protected organic matter had a lower C: N ratio than the rest of the soil organic matter. The increase in N mineralization after fine sieving can be regarded as a measure of physically protected organic matter.     

Effects of soil moisture and temperature on CO2 and CH4 soil-atmosphere exchange of various land use/cover types in a semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia, China

The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of soil moisture and temperature as well as drying/re-wetting and freezing/thawing on soil-atmosphere exchange of CO₂ and CH₄ of the four dominant land use/cover types (typical steppe, TS; sand dune, SD; mountain meadow, MM; marshland, ML) in the Xilin River catchment, China. For this purpose, intact soil cores were incubated in the laboratory under varying soil moisture and temperature levels according to field conditions in the Xilin River catchment. CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes were determined approximately daily, while soil CH₄ gas profile measurements at four soil depths (5 cm, 10 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm) were measured at least twice per week. Land use/cover generally had a substantial influence on CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes, with the order of CH₄ uptake and CO₂ emission rates of the different land use/cover types being TS ≥ MM ≥ SD > ML and MM > TS ≥ SD > ML, respectively. Significant negative soil moisture and positive temperature effects on CH₄ uptake were found for most soils, except for ML soils. As for CO₂ flux, both significant positive soil moisture and temperature effects were observed for all the soils. The combination of soil moisture and temperature could explain a large part of the variation in CO₂ (up to 87%) and CH₄ (up to 68%) fluxes for most soils. Drying/re-wetting showed a pronounced stimulation of CO₂ emissions for all the soils —with maximum fluxes of 28.4 ± 2.6, 50.0 ± 5.7, 81.9 ± 2.7 and 10.6 ± 1.2 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹ for TS, SD, MM and ML soils, respectively—but had a negligible effect on CH₄ fluxes (TS: −3.6 ± 0.2; SD: 1.0 ± 0.9; MM: −4.1 ± 1.3; ML: −5.6 ± 0.8; all fluxes in μg C m⁻² h⁻¹). Enhanced CO₂ emission and CH₄ oxidation were observed for all soils during thawing periods. In addition, a very distinct vertical gradient of soil air CH₄ concentrations was observed for all land use/cover types, with gradually decreasing CH₄ concentrations down to 30 cm soil depth. The changes in soil air CH₄ concentration gradients were in accordance with the changes of CH₄ fluxes during the entire incubation experiment for all soils.     

喀斯特坡地不同土地利用类型土壤水分差异性研究

对比分析桂西北喀斯特坡地5种土地利用类型0~20cm表层土壤含水量的差异,结果表明:喀斯特生境条件下坡地土壤含水量受降水的影响明显,雨季和旱季差异显著。各土地利用类型间,灌丛类型由于枯枝落叶层而增强了土壤的保水持水能力;生态恢复林(板栗、木豆)种植初期,土表接近于裸地,蒸发强烈,应采取一定的蓄水保墒措施;混种有匍匐类作物的复垦坡耕地,其土壤水分条件则与撂荒多年草地相似。比较土壤层间含水量的季节差异,灌丛类型土壤有明显的层间蓄水补水能力。喀斯特山地应通过建立合理的土地利用类型,改变地表覆被状况进而改善土壤水分条件,为生态重建服务。     

Effects of land use on the level, variation and spatial structure of soil enzyme activities and bacterial communities

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term influence of contrasting rural land use types on the level, plot-scale variation and horizontal spatial structure of decomposition activities and the bacterial community in soil. Experimental data were collected in the southern boreal zone from topsoil layers of adjacent spruce forest, unmanaged meadow (former field) and organically cultivated field that all shared the same soil origin. The forest soil was sampled separately for the organic and mineral layers. A geostatistical design comprising 50 sampling points per plot area of 10 × 10 m² was used. The measured microbiological characteristics included eight different hydrolytic soil enzyme activities involved in C, P and S cycles, bacterial 16S rDNA length heterogeneity profiles (LH-PCR) and total DNA yield as a relative estimate of microbial biomass.Effects of land use were pronounced on both the bacterial community structure and soil enzyme activities. Soil organic matter (SOM) content predicted well the major differences in soil enzyme activities and microbial biomass. Highest enzyme activities were generally found in the forest organic soil whereas the underlying mineral soil showed significantly lower activities with a pattern similar to those of the other mineral soils, especially the cultivated field. Bacterial LH-PCR fingerprints were distinct but at the same time remarkably similar between field and meadow soils whereas the forest organic layer differed clearly from the mineral soils. Within-plot variation of soil microbiological characteristics was best explained by the variation of SOM. Relative standard deviations of soil microbiological characteristics typically decreased in the order: forest organic layer ≈ forest mineral layer > meadow > field. However, bacterial fingerprints showed lowest variation within the meadow. Most of the microbiological variables studied showed no or only weak spatial structure at the scale sampled.     

Effects of grazing on soil physical properties and soil erodibility in semiarid grassland of the Northern Loess Plateau (China)

Grazing animals provide a livelihood for farmers, but they may also produce adverse environmental effects. We investigated whether grazing leads to deterioration of soil physical properties that subsequently increases topsoil erodibility. We sampled three sites (an ungrazed grassland, a continuously grazed grassland, and a track trampled by stock) on the northern Loess Plateau of China. The bulk density, water content, proportion of stable aggregates, infiltration rate, and resistance to scouring were determined for each soil sample. The results showed that the track had the highest soil bulk density and the lowest soil water content, proportion of stable aggregates, infiltration rate, and ability to resist scouring. The ungrazed plots had the best results for these parameters, in terms of reduced erosion. Soil bulk density and the proportion of stable aggregates differed significantly with depth beneath the track. However, the effect of depth on water content, infiltration rate, and the soil resistance to scouring was not significant at any sampling site. The ability of the soil to resist scouring was negatively correlated with the soil's bulk density and positively correlated with the soil's water content, infiltration rate, and proportion of stable aggregates. Thus, soil physical properties played an important role in determining soil erodibility. Grazing and trampling by livestock therefore appear to cause deterioration of soil physical properties and to increase soil erodibility.     

Soil loss and soil water content affected by land levelling in Penedès vineyards,NE Spain

This paper analyses the differences in soil moisture, runoff and sediment concentration resulting from land levelling works carried out before new vineyard establishment in a reference wine region of NE Spain. In low disturbed soils, low differences in soil moisture were observed, while in high disturbed soils, soil moisture and water infiltration of the surface were always lower than in the low disturbed ones, while soil sealing was higher in high disturbed than in the low disturbed soils. Differences in runoff and sediment concentrations were also observed. The most disturbed plot showed a higher sediment concentration in runoff, which together with higher runoff volumes gave higher erosion rates and soil losses than the low disturbed one. The differences within the most disturbed soils were high after high intensity rainfall events, while no significant variations were observed in the least disturbed ones.     

Soil chemical properties of an Indonesian red acid soil as affected by land use and crop management

In the middle terrace area of south Sumatra, Indonesia, where red acid soils poor in crop productivity are widely distributed, the effects of cropping pattern and cultivation techniques on physico-chemical properties of soil were investigated. Five patterns for cassava cropping, including monoculture, a rotation with annual food crops, and three intercroppings with differences in the combination with annual crops and in the planting density, were evaluated in Experiment I. In Experiment II, eight plots composed of the combinations of two tillage methods (no-tillage or conventional tillage), the presence or absence of surface mulch from crop residues, and two rates of chemical fertilizers were established for a maize–soybean–cowpea sequential cropping pattern. At the end of 3 years, there was no difference in total C and total N concentrations among the plots in Experiment I irrespective of the mulch treatment using crop residues. Soil organic matter (SOM) concentration was not affected even in the no-tillage plot where the maximum crop residues (20 t ha⁻¹) was given as surface mulch with the increased root residues due to higher rates of fertilizers (Experiment II). In Experiment I, available P concentration was highest in an intercropping with higher fertilizer rates and lowest cassava planting density. In Experiment II, an increase in available P was attained by mulching and the higher rate of fertilizers, and a minor positive effect of fertilizer was also observed in exchangeable Mg and K concentrations. Surface mulch resulted in less clay fraction compared with the non-mulch plots in both the experiments, suggesting its effect on the maintenance of soil particle distribution. An additional finding suggested no prominent influence of cassava monoculture on the level of SOM in this area based on the comparison with other major land uses, including secondary forest, rubber plantation, and mixed cultivation of fruits with crops. Nevertheless, the introduction of crop residue mulch and higher rates of fertilizers are recommended for sustaining soil quality and achieving higher crop yields.     

Effects of biochar and fertilizer management on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) feedstock and soil properties

The need for bioenergy is increasing with increase in global energy demand, and sustainable soil and fertilizer management practices for bioenergy feedstock production are gaining importance. In this greenhouse study, we evaluated the effects of biochar and fertilizer nitrogen on soil and energy crop sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. var. Giganteus). Sunflower plants were treated with three rates of biochar, control (0 Mg ha^?1), low (25 Mg ha^?1) and high (50 Mg ha^?1), and three rates of fertilizers, 0% (control), 50% (low) and 100% (high) of the recommended nitrogen dose. Plant height, quality (chlorophyll content), biomass yield, feedstock energy, ash content and tissue nutrients were measured along with soil moisture and pH. Results showed an 11% increase in mean plant height under low biochar compared to control biochar-treated plants. High nitrogen treatment produced 26% and 18% more stalk and total above-ground plant (whole plant) biomass, respectively, compared to the control nitrogen treatment. High biochar treatment resulted in higher soil moisture holding, but lower soil pH than the control biochar treatment. Plant quality, energy and ash contents were not affected by either biochar or nitrogen. The plant tissue analysis provides a complete tissue macro- and micronutrient information on sunflower cultivar Giganteus, which was not done previously.     

Landscape history and soil properties affect grassland decline and plant species richness in rural landscapes

Past semi-natural grassland extent is thought to have a major influence on contemporary species richness in rural landscapes. The loss of grasslands over the last 300 years was reconstructed for 12 rural landscapes in Sweden, ranging from open modern agricultural landscapes to more forested landscapes. Old maps and aerial photographs from 1950s and today were used to reconstruct landscape patterns in four time-steps to investigate how present plant species richness relates to past grassland extent and decline in old and new grassland habitats. The relative importance of soil properties on the timing of grassland decline was assessed. Plant species occurrence was recorded in managed and abandoned grassland habitats in each landscape.Past and present grassland distribution was a major factor in determining plant species patterns found in grasslands today. All landscapes had an average of 80% grassland 300 years ago. Since then grassland has declined by 90% across all landscapes. Proportion of clay soils influenced the timing of grassland decline, where grasslands in landscapes dominated by clay soils were conversed to crop-fields more than 100 years ago. Grasslands on coarser soils declined later, primarily to forest. Landscapes with more than 10% semi-natural grassland left today had 50% higher species richness in all grasslands, including both abandoned and new grassland. Time since major grassland decline also seems to have an effect on the landscapes’ species richness. The results show that plant species patterns in grasslands at local scales are determined by broader landscape processes which may have occurred many centuries ago.     

The effect of land cover/vegetation on soil water dynamic in the hilly area of the loess plateau,China

Severe soil and water loss has lead to widespread land degradation in China's loess plateau. During the past decades, a great deal of effort was made on vegetation restoration to reduce soil and water loss in the loess plateau. However, due to water shortage the efficiency of vegetation restoration was not as satisfactory as expected. As part of a vegetation restoration project, we conducted research aiming to understand the relationship between vegetation pattern and soil water dynamics. The goal was to find vegetation types appropriate for the loess plateau with scarce water resources. In 1986, fifteen plots of land were planted with five vegetation types: pine woodland, shrubland, sloping cropland, alfalfa and semi-natural grassland. Soil water content, runoff, soil erosion were measured for each plot. Environmental variables, such as rainfall, evaporation and temperature, were recorded simultaneously by an automated meteorological station. The relationship between land cover pattern and soil water dynamic was evaluated by using statistical models. We found that: (1) soil water loss occurred during the growing season, and it reached the maximum in the second half of July; (2) soil water was not fully replenished from rainfall during the rainy season; (3) pine woodland induced the largest water loss to surface runoff, followed by sloping cropland, alfalfa, semi-natural grassland and shrubland; the poor capability of pine woodland for water conservation may be attributed to soil compaction and poor ground coverage under the tree; (4) in most cases, soil water of the five vegetation types was low except for shrubland and semi-natural grassland where it was moderate-high during a few periods. These conditions inhibit sustainable vegetation growth in the semi-arid loess hilly area of the loess plateau, China.     

红壤坡地利用方式对土壤细菌群落结构的影响

利用中国科学院桃源农业生态试验站坡地不同利用方式长期定位观测试验场农田、自然恢复和茶园土壤为研究对象,直接从土壤中抽提总DNA,应用T-RFLP和RT-PCR技术研究红壤坡地利用方式对土壤细菌群落结构的影响。结果表明,红壤坡地三种土地利用方式土壤细菌多样性指数农田>茶园>自然恢复(p<0.05),但土壤细菌数量茶园>自然恢复>农田(p<0.05),茶园土壤细菌数量是农田的8.76倍。基于T-RFLP图谱的样品间相似性指数和主要限制性片段(T-RFs)定性分析均表明,农田与茶园和自然恢复土壤均存在显著的差异(p<0.05),而茶园和自然恢复土壤细菌群落比较相似。不同土地利用方式土壤有机质、有效磷和速效钾均对土壤细菌群落结构产生显著影响(p<0.05)。综合考虑经济效益和保持红壤坡地的可持续利用,茶园将成为中国南方红壤丘陵坡地可持续利用的一种有效方式。     

Effects of initial site management on the Coleoptera assemblages colonising newly established chalk grassland on ex-arable land

Large areas of chalk grassland in north-western Europe have been lost as a result of changes in land use, and the remaining areas have become increasingly fragmented. Consequently, one of the major constraints on chalk grassland restoration is the availability of sources of potential colonists in the landscape. This paper describes a study of the impact of different restoration management techniques on the colonization of new chalk grasslands by Coleoptera. Plots sown with seed mixtures of different diversity were compared with plots undergoing natural plant colonization. A second treatment involved the use of small-scale turf and soil translocation as a means of overcoming dispersal limitation. Significant differences in the Coleoptera assemblages were found in response to the experimental treatments. However, these significant differences were the result of differences in the abundance of a small number of common eurytopic grassland species. Four years after the initiation of the restoration management, the experimental plots supported very different assemblages in comparison with those found on two established chalk grassland sites in the immediate vicinity of the experimental site.     

采伐干扰对华北落叶松林下土壤水分、pH和全氮空间变异的影响

以关帝山华北落叶松林下土壤为研究对象,选择采伐干扰样地A(人工间伐)和未采伐干扰样地B,采用地统计学小支撑、多样点的布点采样设计;用根钻法(直径Φ=7.0 cm)分别采取0~10、10~20、20~30 cm三层土壤样品。分析测定了土壤含水量、pH和全氮含量,采用传统统计和地统计学变异函数相结合的方法进行数据分析。结果表明:(1)采伐干扰样地A,土壤含水量降低,土壤含水量的变异减小。0~10 cm土层,未采伐干扰样地B,土壤含水量呈现强的异质性(C0+C=12.12),空间变异特征较复杂(分维数D=1.944);采伐干扰样地A异质性程度降低(C0+C=10.39),在较小尺度(0.5~12.9 m)上表现出空间自相关变异。(2)未采伐干扰样地B土壤pH为6.69,采伐干扰样地A土壤pH升高(6.86);采伐后土壤pH空间自相关变异减少,随机性变异增强。(3)未采伐干扰样地B土壤全氮含量(0~30 cm)均值为0.106 g kg-1,采伐干扰样地A(0.022 g kg-1)土壤全氮含量显著降低。未采伐干扰样地B土壤全氮的空间异质性特征明显,主要呈现较小尺度的空间自相关变异;采伐干扰样地A土壤全氮异质性强度明显降低,而空间变异尺度加大。土壤含水量、pH和全氮含量空间异质性的垂直分异均表现为随土层深度的增加而减小。     

抛荒对冷浸稻田土壤团聚体及有机碳稳定性的影响

冷浸稻田是长江流域重要的低产稻田类型之一,近年来抛荒严重,而抛荒对冷浸稻田土壤团聚体的影响并不清楚。本研究以连年种植的冷浸稻田(CWC)、抛荒3年的冷浸稻田(CWA3)和抛荒6年的冷浸稻田(CWA6)为对象,分析抛荒后冷浸稻田土壤团聚体特征以及有机碳稳定性,以期为准确评估抛荒对长期淹水土壤的结构和有机碳的影响提供数据支持。结果表明,不论是0~25 cm土层还是25~50 cm土层,冷浸稻田土壤53μm粒级团聚体占总团聚体比例均超过40%;0~25 cm土层土壤250μm团聚体比例超过35%;53~250μm粒级团聚体比例低于20%。抛荒使0~25 cm土层53μm粒级团聚体占总团聚体比例显著增加,53~250μm粒级比例显著降低。在0~25 cm土层,抛荒使有机碳活性指数Ⅰ(LIc-Ⅰ)在53μm粒级和250μm粒级上升高,有机碳活性指数Ⅱ(LIc-Ⅱ)在53~250μm和250μm粒级上降低;而有机碳难降解指数(RIc)在53μm和53~250μm粒级上降低。土壤总有机碳随抛荒时间延长而增加。     

氟 对玉米产量品质及土壤性质的影响

适量氟对动物和人类健康有益, 而过量氟对动物和人类健康有害。为研究氟对玉米产量品质及土壤性质的影响, 采用盆栽试验研究了添加0、100 mg·kg^-1、200 mg·kg^-1、500 mg·kg^-1、1 000 mg·kg^-1 和1 500 mg·kg^-1 氟(NaF)对玉米产量、粗蛋白和淀粉含量及土壤pH、水溶性钙和微生物数量的影响。结果表明: 随氟处理浓度的增加玉米产量显著降低, 减产9.9%~85.4%; 玉米籽粒蛋白质含量显著增加, 从91.8 g·kg^-1 增加到108.8 g·kg^-1。加入氟100 mg·kg^-1 和200 mg·kg^-1 时, 淀粉含量表现为下降趋势,而当加入氟500 mg·kg^-1、1 000 mg·kg^-1 和1 500 mg·kg^-1 时, 淀粉含量表现为上升趋势。玉米不同部位氟含量基本上随氟浓度的增加而增加, 玉米根部和籽粒含氟量与氟添加量的相关性达极显著水平, 相关系数分别为r_根=0.998^**和r_粒=0.915^**; 叶含氟量与氟添加量的相关性达显著水平, r_叶=0.852^*; 玉米不同部位氟含量的大小顺序为根>叶>叶鞘>茎>籽粒。氟浓度在200 mg·kg^-1 时, 籽粒含氟量已超过无公害农产品标准1.0 mg·kg^-1。石灰性土壤添加氟后, 可使土壤pH 增加,从8.05 增加到8.70; 水溶性钙含量显著下降, 由2.71 g·kg^-1 下降到1.02 g·kg^-1。随氟浓度的增加土壤放线菌数量显著降低, 与对照相比, 降低0.92%~65.22%; 低浓度的氟可以促进土壤细菌、真菌的生长, 而高浓度的氟可以抑制细菌、真菌的生长。     

Linking species richness, biodiversity and ecosystem function in soil systems

Soils are the central organizing entities in terrestrial ecosystems and possess extremely diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic biota. They are physically and chemically complex, with micro- and macro-aggregates embedded within a solid, liquid and gaseous matrix that is continually changing in response to natural and human-induced perturbations. Recent advances in molecular techniques in systematics have provided opportunities for the study of biodiversity and biocomplexity of soil biota. A symposium and workshop on soil biogeochemistry and biodiversity International Symposium on Impacts of Soil Biodiversity on Biogeochemical Processes in Ecosystems, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Taipei, Taiwan April 18-24, 2004. Convened an international array of participants working in biomes on virtually every continent on the planet (ranging from polar to tropical regions). This special issue reports on the theoretical bases and applications of molecular methods for the measurement of soil biodiversity.

Themes addressed include a melding of classical taxonomic investigations with biochemical fingerprinting and molecular probing of organism identities. Several papers highlight new advances in identifications of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Examples include new developments in “fingerprinting” of microbes active in “mycorrhizospheres” using immunocapture and other innovative techniques. Developments in the study of impacts of invasive plant and animal species on ecosystem function and subsequent microbial community composition and function have been very great in the last 2-3 years. Soils are major repositories of legacies, including fine and coarse woody debris and other organic products, which have feedbacks on soil diversity. The ways in which species diversity and function of microbial and faunal communities interact and their importance to ecosystem function are examined in biological and biochemical detail. This paper provides an overview of soil biodiversity and its feedbacks on soil biogeochemical processes in ecosystems.