Soil and sediment biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

The subsurface domains of soils and sediments have typically been conceived as dark and lifeless. Yet these subsurface domains are predicted to contain higher species diversity than the above-surface world. Soils and sediments are connected by similarities in biota, biogeochemistry and ecosystem processes, Living organisms in soils and sediments contribute and maintain a range of valued ecosystem services, including clean water, food supply (agricultural crops, fisheries), substrate fertility, bioremediation of pollutants, and breakdown of organic matter. The connections between these domains facilitate the transfer of nutrients, particles and energy within the biosphere and may be critical for the Earth's sustainability, and yet these domains are typically only studied in isolation. The integrated landscape approach presented by the SCOPE subcommittee on Soil and Sediment Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning can offer new scientific findings that may yield important benefits far the economy and the environment.