This book reviews soil biodiversity and related ecological processes in one of the key biodiversity hotspots of the world, the Amazon, and nearby regions of Brazil. It covers both the tropical savannah and rainforests. Chapters describe the biology, ecology, taxonomy, geographic distribution and sampling methods for the most important soil functional groups. The book is based on a project "Conservation and Sustainable Management of Below-Ground Biodiversity", executed by TSBF-CIAT with co-financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implementation support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Contents Soil Organisms in Tropical Ecosystems: A Key Role for Brazil in the Global Quest for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, F M S Moreira, J O Siqueira, and L Brussaard Soil and Land Use in the Brazilian Amazon, M L Mendon#a-Santos, H G dos Santos, M R Coelho, A C C Bernardi, P L O A Machado, C V Manzatto and E C C Fidalgo, EMBRAPA Soja, Brazil Soil Macrofauna Communities in Brazilian Amazonia, E Barros, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas de Amazonia - Agronomia, Brazil, J Mathieu, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, France, S Tapia-Coral, A R L Nascimento Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas de Amazonia - Agronomia, Brazil, and P Lavelle, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, France Earthworm Ecology and Diversity in Brazil, S W James, Kansas University, USA and G G Brown, EMBRAPA Soja, Brazil Termite Diversity in Brazil (Insecta: Isoptera), R Constantino, University of Brasilia and A N S Acioli, 2 PPG Entomologia - INPA, Brazil Patterns of Diversity and Responses to Forest Disturbance by Ground-Dwelling Ants in Amazonia, H L Vasconcelos, Federal University of Uberlandia, Brazil Soil Mesofauna in the Central Amazon, E Franklin and J W de Morais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas de Amazonia - Agronomia, Brazil Nematode Communities in Soils under Different Land-use Systems in Brazilian Amazon and Savannah Vegetation, S P Huang and J E Cares, Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil Diversity of Microfungi in Tropical Soils, L H Pfenning and L M de Abreu, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Brazil Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Brazilian Ecosystems, S L Sturmer, Universidade Regional de Blumenau, Brazil and J O Siqueira Nitrogen-fixing Leguminosae Nodulating Bacteria, F M S Moreira