Soil biology, soil health and ecosystem services: an overview

Publication date: 08/08/2025
Extent: 52 pages

Contributions by: C. Vazquez, T. Mulder, L. Chavez Rodriguez, F. David, D. P. Di Lonardo, A. Garsia, R. E. Creamer, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands; E.K. Bünemann, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland; H. Soinne, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Finland; P. Cheval, Université de Lorraine, INRAE, LSE, F-54000 Nancy, France; A. Basile, Institute for Mediterranean Agricultural and Forestry Systems, National Research Council of Italy, Italy; A. Bacq-labreuil, Greenback SAS (commercial name: Genesis Soil Health), France; J. Nordén, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Norway; L. Cunha, University of Coimbra, Portugal; C. Imbert, Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Germany; C. Boix-Fayos, Soil and Water Conservation Research Group, CEBAS-CSIC, Spain

Chapter synopsis:

This chapter provides an overview of soil biology, health and ecosystem services. The authors present an update on previous work by integrating the chemical and physical components of soil health with that of the biologically mediated processes and further define how environmental conditions may contribute. To achieve this, four soil function cognitive models have been developed: (1) Carbon and Climate Regulation, 2) Nutrient Cycling, 3) Water Regulation and Filtration and 4) Habitat Provision for Biodiversity. The four cognitive models offer a structured way to integrate biodiversity into soil health assessments, alongside chemical, physical and environmental parameters, ensuring that biological indicators are given appropriate weight in evaluation frameworks.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2025.0159.01