Chapter 7 Balance and stability in vital soils

Soil vitality is the ability of soil ecosystems to stay in balance internally in a changing world. The author develops a characterization concept based on the concept of ideal soil fertility, in relation to soil quality management. The soil community is inextricably related to soil processes such as the decomposition of organic matter and the mineralization of nutrients. This implies that balanced process rates depend on balanced population and balanced community dynamics. These balances are indicated by trophic biomass pyramids that generate stabilising patterns of trophic interaction strength. The levels at which balances are maintained will vary among the different kinds of land use. Stability is needed, since it implies that the organic matter and nutrient equilibria are maintained during environmental change or disturbance. Diagrams of below ground food webs serve as representative examples. The species are aggregated into functional groups, based on food choice and life-history groups. Material flow calculations and stability analyses need data on materials, energy, nutrients, growth and decay rates in soil organisms and biodiversity, soil community structure and ecological soil processes and community food webs. For the biotic part it implies determining species into groups that share the same prey and predators, quantifying the biomass of the functional groups and quantifying the feeding rates among the functional rates. In principle the knowledge needed to adequately measure and monitor soil vitality, restricted to nutrients, organic matter and trophic pyramids such as food web communities is available. The approach ‘learning by doing’ is recommended.