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Soils and Ecosystem Services

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Ecosystem Services and Carbon Sequestration in the Biosphere

Abstract

Soil’s ecosystem services (ESs), provisions of tangible goods and intangible environments and processes, are governed by its capital endowment (inherent characteristics such as clay content) and capacity to transform managerial inputs into productivity. Thus, soil quality refers to its capacity to provide and sustain a range of ESs and functions of interest to human and for maintenance of ecosystem health. Provisions of these services and functions also depend on land use (e.g., arable, pastoral, silvicultural, urban, recreational, spiritual). Because of strong interactivity, management to enhance some ESs can jeopardize others or lead to some adverse degradation processes (e.g., accelerated erosion, water pollution, decline of biodiversity). Similarly, production of biofuels can exacerbate competition with food production for land, water, energy, and nutrients. The abrupt climate change (ACC), as an example of human footprint caused by the use of natural resources, also impacts ESs and the underlying processes. Developing mechanisms and identifying/implementing policies for payments to land managers for enhancing ESs such as carbon (C) sequestration can promote adoption of best management practices (BMPs) and facilitate restoration of degraded soils and ecosystems. Recarbonization of the biosphere and sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC) are important strategies to enhancing and sustaining ESs and functions of natural and managed ecosystems.

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Abbreviations

ACC:

Abrupt climate change

BMPs:

Best Management Practices

BNF:

Biological nitrogen fixation

ESs:

Ecosystem services

GHGV:

Greenhouse Gas Value

GHGs:

Greenhouse gases

INM:

Integrated Nutrient Management

IPM:

Integrated Pest Management

MRT:

Mean residence time

NT:

No-till

NUE:

Nutrient use efficiency

OM:

Organic matter

PES:

Payments for Ecosystem Services

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

SQI:

Soil Quality Index

SLM:

Sustainable land management

WUE:

Water use efficiency

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. FAES/OARDC, School of Natural Resources, Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Rd., Columbus, OH, 43201-1085, USA

    Rattan Lal

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Ohio State University, Coffey Road Kottman Hall 422B 2021, Columbus, 43210, Ohio, USA

    Rattan Lal

  2. , Global Soil Forum, IASS Inst. for Adv. Sust. Studies, Berliner Str. 130, Potsdam, 14467, Brandenburg, Germany

    Klaus Lorenz

  3. , Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany

    Reinhard F. Hüttl

  4. , Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg 309G, Potsdam, 14473, Brandenburg, Germany

    Bernd Uwe Schneider

  5. Universität Bonn, Walter-Flex-Str. 3, Bonn, 53113, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Joachim von Braun

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Lal, R. (2013). Soils and Ecosystem Services. In: Lal, R., Lorenz, K., Hüttl, R., Schneider, B., von Braun, J. (eds) Ecosystem Services and Carbon Sequestration in the Biosphere. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6455-2_2

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