Abstract
The experimental approach for the study of soil biota in ecosystems has evolved rapidly with the increase in our knowledge. From the mid 1960s to mid 1990s, the influence of soil biota on ecosystem processes in natural settings was determined primarily by manipulations with selected biocides. These were used to exclude specific groups of soil biota. More recently (mid-1990s to present), soil ecologists have assessed those experiments and found sufficient evidence to suggest that other experimental approaches are more appropriate for evaluating the relation between soil community structure and ecosystem processes. However, laboratory microcosms continue to be an additional experimental means for relating soil biota to ecosystem processes. Because of the constraints of the soil habitat and the complexity of biotic interactions, the approaches used for analyzing soil biota and ecosystem processes differ somewhat from the biotic manipulations in aquatic and aboveground ecosystems.
Published Version
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