Understanding biological diversity in soil: The UK's Soil Biodiversity Research Programme

The research was focussed on a single, upland grassland site and combined both field studies and experiments in controlled laboratory conditions. We present the rationale for the study, provide information on the field site and the experimental design, and then give results of the background monitoring of both the soil chemistry and the botanical composition during the progress of the research. These changes reflect the results of the major treatments (N and Ca applied singly and in combination) in the experimental design. We briefly review the main achievements of the programme (such as understanding the outstanding diversity of the small soil organisms - bacteria, protozoa, mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes - and the speed with which processes in the soil occur) and argue that the research has made substantial advances towards our understanding of both the extent and function of the biological diversity of soil ecosystems.