Role of Soil Fauna: En Route to Ecosystem Services and Its Effect on Soil Health

Abstract

Soils have an amazingly assorted network of soil fauna that contrast in their versatile procedures, and consequently, in the capacities, they satisfy in soils. Soil fauna works as an extremely proficient means, which aids microorganisms in inhabiting and broadening their venture furthermore into the soil skylines. Lives of soil fauna as soil settlers, indicators, and architects have been underlined, but recent research and worldwide natural concerns are urging the scientific community to look further into the controls of soil fauna for sustainable management of soils in these turbulent times. Molecular data alone is insufficient for many investigations about soil fauna, and hence there is a need for sincere efforts in increasing expertise in the classical taxonomy of soil fauna. This specialization, along with data on the soil fauna’s biogeography, their relationship to over-the-ground problem areas, and land management schemes, will be acute for accepting how soil fauna will communicate and react to numerous worldwide alterations. This chapter discusses the soil fauna on the soil grounds as well as below grounds, tight associations of abiotic factors with the soil biodiversity, their roles in ecosystem events and functions, and, finally, the arrangement of ecosystem benefits for human prosperity. A proper and researched thought about soil faunal species, their identities, geographic extents, and an understanding of their roles in soil and land management will help in giving balanced forecasts for the working of future biological communities that are under siege due to inevitable environmental climate change.