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Winner of The Marsh Ecology Book of the Year Award 2006
The Biology of Soil
A community and ecosystem approach
Richard Bardgett
256 pages
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numerous line drawings, halftones and tables
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234x156mm
978-0-19-852503-5
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Paperback
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02 June 2005
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- Winner of The Marsh Ecology Book of the Year Award 2005
- An up-to-date, comprehensive overview of the causes and consequences of biodiversity in soil, providing an accessible and authoritative summary of the field of soil ecology
- Provides unique combination of information on the biology of soil biota and their roles in ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales, inlcuding wider ecological issues such as biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and global change
- Global case studies illustrate the importance of biotic interactions in soil for properties of different ecosystems, placing soil ecology in the context of real world issues in terrestrial community and ecosystem ecology
- Boxes throughout the text give background information on important soil biological properties and processes, facilitating student tuition
This book is unique in providing a comprehensive, up-to-date synthesis of what is known about soil biodiversity and the factors that regulate its distribution, as well as the functional significance of below-ground biodiversity for ecosystem form and function. It describes the vast diversity of biota that live in the soil environment - the most complex habitat on Earth - and discusses the factors that act as determinants of this diversity across different spatial and temporal scales.
The Biology of Soil also considers how biotic interactions in soil influence the
important soil processes of decomposition and nutrient cycling . It demonstrates how interactions and feedbacks between diverse plant and soil communities act as important drivers of ecosystem form and function. The importance of these relationships for understanding how ecosystems respond to global change phenomena, including climate change, is discussed in depth. Much is still to be learned about the soil biota and their roles in ecosystems, and the author highlights some of the many challenges that face ecologists in the exploration of soil.
Richard Bardgett has wide experience in soil and terrestrial ecology, and his background of research in many ecosystems is reflected in this book which is the most comprehensive, up-to-date volume currently available in soil ecology. It
provides an introduction to the biology of soil, and it also discusses the most recent developments in this progressive field of ecology. The importance of soil biotic interactions for community and ecosystem ecology is illustrated through the use of numerous examples and case studies.
The Biology of Soil provides an excellent, easy to read introduction for anyone working in the field of soil ecology and related disciplines, and will be ideal for students taking undergraduate and postgraduate courses in soil ecology, plant-soil relationships, ecosystem ecology, and land management. Readership: An accessible text suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in soil ecology and
ecosystem science, as well as professional researchers in the fields of ecology and environmental biology requiring a modern overview of the topic.
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"I recommend this book to soil ecologists across a range of expertise and to soil and environmental scientists who want to increase their understanding of the role of soil biota in ecosystem processes." - European Journal of Science, 58, 1213-1220 "Our understanding of how soils function is rapidly growing and this small, easily read book will bring everyone up to date, backed up by an impressive bibliography...as an introductory text it is excellent. Peter Thomas, Bulletin of the British Ecological Society 2006, 37:2" "... this book has immense potential as a core key teaching resource for instructing ecology students about the importance of soils and aboveground-belowground feedbacks. In addition to recommending this
as a teaching text, I strongly recommend The Biology of Soil to any ecologist who does not actively work in soils and wants to learn more about their fascinating ecology." - Trends in Ecology and Evolution and Evolution
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Preface and acknowledgements
1: The soil environment
2: The diversity of life in soil
3: Organism interactions and soil processes
4: Linkages between plant and soil biological communities
5: Above-ground trophic interactions and soil biological communities
6: Soil biological properties and global change
7: Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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