Spatial soil ecology

Abstract

Although spatial variability in distributions of soil organisms is generally regarded as random noise, this variability often has a predictable spatial structure. Recent studies have provided evidence that a spatially explicit approach to soil ecology can enable identification of factors that drive the spatial heterogeneity of populations and activities of soil organisms, at scales ranging from millimeters to hundreds of meters. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that spatial soil ecology can yield new insights with regard to understanding the factors that maintain and regulate soil biodiversity, as well as to how the spatial distributions of soil organisms influence both plant growth and plant community structure.