Alister Spain

Biodiversity: Conserving Biodiversity in Agroecosystems

Soils host very abundant and diverse communities of microbes and invertebrates mostly unidentified so far, especially microbes and submicroscopic animals. Microorganisms and invertebrates have developed complementary functions to digest low quality food resources, move in this very compact environment and adapt to unstable moisture conditions. Microbes digest complex substrates while invertebrates create habitats by digging and mixing the soil and fragmenting plant litter. Tillage, bare soils, and pesticides severely impact soil while organic inputs and a minimum diversity of plant communities at plot and landscape scales help maintaining life in soils and soil ecosystem services that they provide.