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Soil Quality

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Impacts of Point Polluters on Terrestrial Biota

Part of the book series: Environmental Pollution ((EPOL,volume 15))

Abstract

Soil, like air and water, is an integral component of our environment. The value of soil is difficult to overestimate. One definition of soil especially stresses that this naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering of broken rock particles and decaying organic matter on the surface of the Earth is capable of supporting life (Voroney 2006).

Soil, together with water, constitutes the most important natural resource, and therefore soil quality has been discussed widely within soil science and agronomy. Soil quality was recently defined as ‘the fitness… to function within its capacity and within natural and managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain air and water quality and support human health and habitation’ (Karlen et al. 1997). Doran (2002) defines soil health similarly, but speaks of the capacity of a living soil to function.

Many studies have been conducted concerning soil quality, but there is still no well-defined universal methodology to characterise soil quality by means of a set of clear indicators (Bouma 2002). Different researchers have listed six to 12 physical, chemical and biological indicators to characterise soil quality in agro-ecosystems (Doran & Jones 1996; Gomez et al. 1996; Arshad & Martin 2002). Several of these indicators, such as pH, concentrations of pollutants, total and extractable nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and magnesium, are frequently measured in studies addressing the impact of industrial polluters on soils. Some others, such as topsoil depth, infiltration, and electrical conductivity, are reported only occasionally, probably because ecologists generally consider soil as an environment for plant roots and animals, and not as a study object (Kaigorodova & Vorobeichik 1996; Pankhurst et al. 1997).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Mikhail V. Kozlov, Elena L. Zvereva & Vitali E. Zverev

Authors
  1. Mikhail V. Kozlov
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  2. Elena L. Zvereva
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  3. Vitali E. Zverev
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Correspondence to Mikhail V. Kozlov .

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Kozlov, M.V., Zvereva, E.L., Zverev, V.E. (2009). Soil Quality. In: Impacts of Point Polluters on Terrestrial Biota. Environmental Pollution, vol 15. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2467-1_3

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