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This volume provides a modern introduction to the soil fauna and their contributions to ecosystem function, the mechanisms that structure soil fauna assemblages from local to global scales, and the potential impacts of global change on soil fauna assemblages and through this ecosystem function. Wanting to be an accessible primer, this book is a high level overview of current knowledge rather than a detailed tome of all existing information, with emphasis being placed on key findings and general patterns. It focuses on the soil fauna but contextualizes these assemblages in relation to the microbial assemblages belowground and the vegetation aboveground. It is clear that our knowledge of soil fauna assemblages is ever increasing, but there is still a lot to discover. Key areas of research are highlighted, with particular reference to the future of soil fauna assemblages.
List of contents
1. Soil and its fauna; 2. Functional roles of soil fauna; 3. Approaches to studying soil fauna and their functional roles; 4. Soil fauna biogeography and macroecology; 5. Soil fauna assemblages at fine scales to landscapes; 6. Anthropogenic impacts on soil fauna assemblages; 7. Climate change impacts on soil fauna; 8. Soil fauna assemblage succession and restoration; 9. The future of soil fauna assemblages.
About the author
Uffe N. Nielsen is a Senior Lecturer at Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Australia. He is broadly interested in the biogeography and community ecology of soil biota and how belowground assemblages influence ecosystem functioning, particularly in the light of global changes. He has extensive experience with soil fauna assemblages across a broad range of natural and managed ecosystems exploring the diversity and distribution of soil fauna under contemporary and global change scenarios. He has a particular interest in Antarctic ecosystems and his research has brought him to various sites in continental and maritime Antarctica.
Summary
This book equips students, early career researchers and those new to soil ecology with an introduction to the soil fauna, their contributions to ecosystem function, and the mechanisms that structure soil fauna assemblages. More experienced soil ecologists can use the book as an essential compendium on soil fauna ecology.
