Different soils, different communities

Agricultural soils: biodiversity shaped by management

Agricultural soils are ecosystems strongly influenced by human decisions. The crops grown, the amount of organic matter returned to the soil, and practices such as tillage or reduced soil disturbance all shape soil communities.

A field managed with diverse crops, cover plants and organic inputs can provide many resources for soil organisms. In contrast, simplified systems with frequent disturbance may offer fewer habitats and resources for some groups of organisms.

Agricultural soils are therefore not necessarily poor in biodiversity – their biological communities depend strongly on how the soil is managed.

© Cat in hairy vetch cover crop field by Dwight Sipler, CC BY 2.0, no changes were made to the original photo.