Environmental considerations are playing an increasingly important role in determining management strategies for soil and land. Many important environmental issues involve aspects of the biology of soil, and these issues cannot be considered satisfactorily in isolation from a general understanding of soil biology as a whole. This is the second edition of a book first published in 1989 and now thoroughly rewritten to focus on soil ecology and environmental issues. The first part of the book provides an introduction to soils, its inhabitants, and their activities. The second part covers the...

There is currently great interest in the biology of soil, stimulated by an increased concern to conserve natural resources, not only in agriculture but also in natural ecosystems. Recent developments in molecular biology have increased the possibilities of manipulating soil organisms and the processes they carry out, to improve food production and the quality of the environment. But important environmental questions associated with the application ofthis new biotechnology to soils are still to be resolved. Issues such as the desirability of using genetically-engineered microorganisms in soil...