Soil complexity

This seventh volume of the "EQA - Environmental quality" series assembles the scientific communications presented during the "Soil complexity" International Congress held at Ravenna and Imola (Italy) on 7th and 9th of June 2011. To date ecological theories have been based on the study of aboveground ecosystems. Despite the fact that the soil play a fundamental role in important ecological services such as sequestration of carbon, mitigation of the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions, water and energy flow regulation, nutrient supplying. In the last two decades the interest about soil complexity and ecosystem functioning has however become more and more important in research and innovation in order to provide options for integrating efficiency and sustainability of the ecosystems. The soil complexity influences the life of the ecosystems which live on the Earth. This complexity governs biodiversity, giving birth to macro-ecosystems and micro- diversifications inside each different system. If the complexity of one or more parts of the system decreases, natural biodiversity may be irrevocably damaged, causing the disappearance of some plant and animal species. The soil complexity has been discussed in three sessions that the thematic followings have faced: the soil quality and resilience; the soil protection, conservation and restoration; the soil evolution in space and time.