0000000001068093

AUTHOR

Rob Griffiths

Effects of land use intensity on european soil bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities

Whilst the importance of soils and their contribution to ecosystem services provision are well recognised, there is a paucity of knowledge on how particular land-use practices affect different types of soil organisms, and subsequently whether this affects soil functioning. The seventh framework programme EcoFINDERS project (Ecological Function and Biodiversity Indicators in European Soils) aims to “Decipher the links between soil biodiversity, activities, functioning and ecosystem services”. Through this project we have examined soil microbes at a number of European locations ranging from Iberian grassland to boreal forest. At each field site a gradient of land-use intensification has been …

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Monitoring microbial diversity in European soils: ongoing projects and challenges

SPEEcolDurGenoSolCT3communication orale invitée, résumé et slides; According to the Convention of Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), biodiversity is the variation in life from genes to species, communities, ecosystems, and landscapes. Soils represent a huge reservoir of biodiversity which varies in terms of taxonomic richness, relative abundance and distribution according to soil types, climatic conditions, vegetation and land uses. The key functions supporting ecosystem services as identified in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) largely depend upon organisms that inhabit the soil. Thus, the design and implementation of a sustainable soil management strategy requires…

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