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SoilMan
Ecosystem services driven by the diversity of soil biota – understanding and management in agriculture
It is recognized that soil biota diversity and biota interactions are pivotal for driving soil functions such as water and nutrient cycling, soil formation, carbon sequestration and control of pest organisms. In agricultural systems these functions support and regulate ecosystem services directed to agricultural production and agricultural sustainability.
A main goal of future cropping systems will be to maintain or raise agricultural productivity while keeping production sustainable in spite of increasing food demands and ongoing soil degradation caused by inappropriate soil management practices. In order to reach these two goals, we need to better understand and valuate the relationships between soil biodiversity, soil functions and ecosystem services in agriculture contexts.