Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
636565 
Journal Article 
Soil invertebrates and ecosystem services 
Lavelle, P; Decaens, T; Aubert, M; Barot, S; Blouin, M; Bureau, F; Margerie, P; Mora, P; Rossi, JP 
2006 
Yes 
European Journal of Soil Biology
ISSN: 1164-5563 
42 
S3-S15 
English 
Invertebrates play significant, but largely ignored, roles in the delivery of ecosystem services by soils at plot and landscape scales. They participate actively in the interactions that develop in soil among physical, chemical and biological processes. We show that soils have all the attributes of self-organized systems as proposed by Perry (Trends Ecol. Evol. 10 (1995) 241) and detail the scales at which invertebrates operate and the different kinds of ecosystem engineering that they develop. This comprehensive analysis of invertebrate activities shows that they may be the best possible indicators of soil quality. They should also be considered as a resource that needs to be properly managed to enhance ecosystem services provided by agro-ecosystems. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. 
soil invertebrates; ecosystem engineers; self-organized systems; bioindicators; earthworm dendrobaena-octaedra; organic-matter; plant-growth; spatial-distribution; functional domains; microbial activity; metal; pollution; eastern plains; forest floor; ivory-coast 
NAAQS
• ISA-Lead (2013 Final Project Page)
     Considered
     Eco/Welfare
          Terrestrial Effects