| Abstract: | SUMMARY The Earth is undergoing rapid environmental changes due to human activities. Three components of the ongoing global change, elevated atmospheric CO2, N deposition, and global warming, may significantly impact soil biota directly through modifying the physical and chemical environment, and indirectly through altering aboveground plant growth and community composition. The biomass, community structure, and activities of microbes and animals in soil as well as their interactions will likely be affected, leading to changes in ecological processes and functions. Biological processes that may be modified by global change include organic matter decomposition, N mineralization, food web interaction, and biotic N fixation. Lack of the complexity in agroecosystems may amplify the effects of global change on many biological processes in agricultural soils. However, minimizing human disturbance and thus increasing the complexity of agroecosystems may enhance the potential of C sequestration in agricultural soils and the stability of belowground systems, thereby contributing to ecological sustainability. |
