Workshop: Anglo-U.S. Workshop on Soil Biodiversity

人们的注意力集中在热带森林和海洋环境的生物多样性上，但迄今为止，土壤环境相对被忽视。 特别是土壤生物多样性对许多重要的生态过程具有根本重要性，但土壤生物大多数都很小，数量众多，而且知之甚少。 对于许多分类群，我们对多样性程度的最佳估计是暂时的。 目前，很难说哪些生物体或群体或生物体对关键的生态过程和土壤属性（如稳定性和复原力）最为重要。 该提案要求为15名科学家提供资金，以参加在英国自然历史博物馆举行的土壤生物多样性讲习班，该讲习班将汇集英国和美国的代表性专家。 该研讨会的具体目的是：确定一个或多个土壤生物多样性清单的可行性和规模。 研讨会将通过汇集系统学家、生态学家和信息管理专家，讨论土壤生物分类群与土壤生态过程之间的关系，并考虑如何开展土壤生物多样性清单，从而形成一种多学科的土壤生物多样性方法。 总结研讨会的建议和研究性质的最终报告将在2-3个月内向科学界和资助机构发布。 该报告有望动员土壤系统学家和生态学家提出土壤生物多样性和功能的研究和培训。 从长远来看，土壤生物多样性研究的结果将为不同的用户（例如，生态系统管理者（Ecosystem Managers）

Freckman Attention has focused on biodiversity in tropical forests and marine environments, but so far the soil environment has been relatively neglected. Soil biodiversity in particular is of fundamental importance to many vital ecological processes, but the soil organisms are for the most part small, numerous, and poorly known. For many taxa, our best estimates of the extent of diversity are provisional. It is difficult, at present, to say which organisms, or groups or organisms, are most important in relation to critical ecological processes and soil attributes such as stability and resilience. This proposal requests funds for 15 scientist to attend a workshop at the British Natural History Museum on soil biodiversity that will bring together representative British and American specialists. The specific purpose of this workshop will be to: determine the feasibility and scale of one or many soil biodiversity inventories. The workshop will engender a multidisciplinary approach to soil biodiversity by bringing together systematist, ecologist and information management specialist o discuss the relationships between taxonomic groups f soil organisms and soil ecological processes and to consider how to carry out inventories of soil biodiversity. A final report summarizing the workshop's recommendations and properties for research will be released in 2-3 months to the scientific community and funding agencies. The report would hopefully mobilize the soil systematist and ecologist to propose research and training for soil biodiversity and function. Over the long term, results of soil biodiversity research would generate new knowledge and products for a diverse set of users (e.g., pharmaceutical scientist to ecosystem managers).