International Symposium on Impacts of Soil Biodiversity on Biogeochemical Processes in Ecosystems, Pedobiologia 49(6). 2005.

D.C. Coleman and W.B. Whitman, co-Editors.

 Synopsis: Recent advances in molecular techniques in systematics have provided opportunities for the study of biodiversity and biocomplexity of soil biota. Our symposium and workshop on soil biochemistry and biodiversity convened an international array of participants working in biomes on virtually every continent on the planet, ranging from polar to tropical regions. This special issue consists of 17 primary data and review papers reporting on the theoretical bases and applications of molecular and ecological methods for the measurement of soil biodiversity. Our symposium addressed the best usage of state-of-the-art methods to study soil biodiversity across multiple levels of resolution and the implementation of multiple methods targeted at structural or functional subsets. Soils are major repositories of legacies, including fine and coarse woody debris and other organic products, which have feedbacks on soil diversity. The ways in which diversity and function of microbial and faunal communities interact and their importance to ecosystem function is examined in biological and biochemical detail.