The National Soils Assessment: Biodiversity of forest and rangeland Soils

The National Forest Service has recently headed an effort to produce a general technical report focused on U.S. soils. Included in this report is a chapter on the current state of knowledge concerning soil biodiversity. Resulting from this effort and summarized within this talk is the role of biodiversity in shaping ecosystems, the soil microbial community's response to disturbances, and recommendations for future research and management efforts to better understand and maintain soil biodiversity. This synthesis makes clear the necessity for coordinated efforts cataloguing and comparing soil organisms.