OOS 31

Soil's Role in Providing and Restoring Ecosystem Services

Soils play a critical role in: determining the structure and function of ecosystems, providing ecosystem services critical for human well-being, and in regulating the resilience of these systems to environmental variations as well as human accelerated environmental changes. This symposium will highlight the theoretical advances that have occurred due to the integration of ecology and soil science, the practical applications of these advances in diverse management scenarios (e.g. urban, agriculture, conservation of natural systems), and the necessity of further advancing our understanding of soils in order to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. By focusing on ecosystem services, the symposium will highlight the importance of soil ecology to human well-being, and highlight the critical scientific principles that need to be integrated into policy and management. This symposium has been developed by the Soil Science Society of America, ESA’s Soil Ecology Section, and ESA’s Science Committee, to celebrate the ESA Centennial, and the United Nation’s 2015 International Year of Soils. Some of the speakers will be sponsored by the Soil Science Society, providing the opportunity to hear perspectives from non-ecologists.