Biological processes, community dynamics, and trophic interactions are critical to the soil environment. Yet, terrestrial carbon cycle models used at ecosystem to global scales still omit soil biological processes, treating soil organic matter cycling as a simplified, chemically-driven process. Adding explicit biology and ecology to carbon cycle models introduces new uncertainties and challenges, so is it worth the cost? This talk will highlight specific areas where incorporating ecological dynamics can improve model projections of soil carbon and nutrient cycling, and identify emerging techniques and datasets to constrain model uncertainties.
