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ABSTRACT Evidence is mounting that the immense diversity of microorganisms and animals that live belowground contributes significantly to shaping aboveground biodiversity and the functioning

of terrestrial ecosystems. Our understanding of how this belowground biodiversity is distributed, and how it regulates the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, is rapidly

growing. Evidence also points to soil biodiversity as having a key role in determining the ecological and evolutionary responses of terrestrial ecosystems to current and future environmental

change. Here we review recent progress and propose avenues for further research in this field. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content,

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OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS CONTRASTING RESPONSES OF ABOVE- AND BELOWGROUND

DIVERSITY TO MULTIPLE COMPONENTS OF LAND-USE INTENSITY Article Open access 24 June 2021 DECOUPLED RESPONSES OF PLANTS AND SOIL BIOTA TO GLOBAL CHANGE ACROSS THE WORLD’S LAND ECOSYSTEMS

Article Open access 29 November 2024 SOIL COMMUNITY HISTORY STRENGTHENS BELOWGROUND MULTITROPHIC FUNCTIONING ACROSS PLANT DIVERSITY LEVELS IN A GRASSLAND EXPERIMENT Article Open access 19

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Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was conceived as part of a symposium on Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning at INTECOL, London 2013, which was supported by

the British Ecological Society. The work was supported by the European Commission through the project Ecological Function and Biodiversity Indicators in European Soils (EcoFINDERS)

(FP7-264465) and an ERC-ADV grant to W.H.v.d.P. We are grateful to P. Brinkman for logistical support, and A. Jones from the Joint Research Centre, Ispra, for providing photographs, and A.

Bardgett for compiling Fig. 1. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Faculty of Life Sciences, Michael Smith Building, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United

Kingdom, Richard D. Bardgett * Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands, Wim H. van der Putten *

Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, PO Box 8123, 6700 ES Wageningen, The Netherlands, Wim H. van der Putten Authors * Richard D. Bardgett View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Wim H. van der Putten View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS R.D.B and W.H.v.d.P

contributed equally to the planning and writing of the manuscript. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Richard D. Bardgett. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no

competing financial interests. POWERPOINT SLIDES POWERPOINT SLIDE FOR FIG. 1 POWERPOINT SLIDE FOR FIG. 2 RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE

Bardgett, R., van der Putten, W. Belowground biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. _Nature_ 515, 505–511 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13855 Download citation * Received: 29 July

2014 * Accepted: 09 September 2014 * Published: 26 November 2014 * Issue Date: 27 November 2014 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13855 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following

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