ABSTRACT
Soil is a complex, living, changing, and dynamic component of the agroecosystem. It is subject to alteration, and can either be degraded or wisely managed. A thorough understanding of the ecology of the soil ecosystem is a key part of designing and managing agroecosystems in which the long-term fertility and productive capacity of the soil is maintained, or even improved. This understanding begins with knowledge of how the soil is formed in a given ecological region and includes integration of all the components that contribute to the structure and function of the entire soil ecosystem (Chapter 8, pp. 99-107).
