B
Siobgy IntemationalNo33 (July 1996)
Diversity of Soil Fauna and
Ecosystem Function
By P.
Lavelle
(Laboratoire dEcologiedesSois Tropicaux,Universite PansVVORSTOM,
32Avenue Henri Varagnat, 93143 BoMy Cedex, France
&q
Introduction
Soils are natural resources...
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B
Siobgy IntemationalNo33 (July 1996)
Diversity of Soil Fauna and
Ecosystem Function
By P.
Lavelle
(Laboratoire dEcologiedesSois Tropicaux,Universite PansVVORSTOM,
32Avenue Henri Varagnat, 93143 BoMy Cedex, France
&q
Introduction
Soils are natural resources of utmost.
importance for a number of ecosystem and
biosphere processes such as plant production, cycling of organic matter and nutrients,
storage of C and water, and release of nitrous oxides, CO2 and methane.
Soil
degradation, through various processes, is a matter of great concern, since their
integrity is absolutely critical to increasing food production (FAO, 1995), and
regulating atmosphericfluxesof greenhousegases (Jenkinson, 1991;Wallace, 1994).
In this context, the present concern for the loss of biodiversity in soils is more closely
linked to the possible rote of species in the protection of the productive potential rather
than to ethical, aesthetic,or economic considerations(Solbrig; 1991; Freckman, 1994).
Except for
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