Impact of Agricultural Practices on Biodiversity of Soil Invertebrates

Dear Colleagues,

Soil fauna plays a key role in many soil functions, such as organic matter decomposition, humus formation, and nutrient element cycling, modifying soil structure and improving its fertility. In particular, invertebrates are considered a fundamental part in determining the suitability of soils for the sustainable production of healthy farming systems. These invertebrates include an enormous diversity of arthropods, nematodes, and earthworms. This fauna is subjected to agricultural activities with significant implications on it. Some management techniques may create crucial habitat changes that cause significant shifts in biodiversity, especially under the general tendency of achieving a high production, through high levels of intensification of agrotechniques.

It has been observed that the loss in ecosystem services related to soil invertebrates in the last few decades is as a result of the reduction in both the abundance and taxonomic diversity of soil faunal communities. Thus, the concerns about the sensibility of soil biota to the agricultural practices make it urgent to develop more sustainable farming strategies, like reducing agricultural intensification and the synthetic chemical inputs.

Prof. Stefano Bocchi
Dr. Francesca Orlando
Guest Editors

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