ABSTRACT
Concerns about sustaining soil fertility in agricultural land, in which a variety of toxicants are used for crop protection; risks of chemicals leaching into drinking water; contamination of soil; and detrimental effects of contaminants on the nontarget living environment have grown. This is also evidenced by the realization that endocrine-disrupting effects of some toxicants can have severe implications for ecosystems as well as human health. This has also resulted in a strong and growing awareness of the importance of soil biodiversity and its role in providing ecosystem services (Bengtsson 1997; Daily 1997). Environmental scientists and legislators are today more aware of the need to protect the structure and functioning of soil ecosystems in which the decomposer community performs especially vital functions. Many toxic materials accumulate through food webs, and the detritivore-decomposer levels are often the first to be affected. Organic matter, which serves as a valuable resource for the soil biota, and the soil itself are the ultimate sinks for most contaminants. Legislation in many countries has focused the attention of scientists on the need for sensitive organisms from the soil environment for use in research, in environmental monitoring, as 300indicators of contamination, and for regulatory toxicity testing, similar to developments in the aquatic field.
