Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between
biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. It is particularly concerned
with the cycling of nutrients, formation and stabilisation of the pore
structure, the spread and vitality of pathogens, and the biodiversity of this
rich biological community. This book emphasizes the inter-relations among
plants, animals, and microbes, by establishing the fundamental physical and
chemical properties of the soil habitat and then functionally characterising the
major components of the soil biota and some of their most important
interactions. The fundamental principles underpinning soil ecology are
established and this then enables an integrated approach to explore