Soil organisms provide crucial ecosystem services that support human life. However, little is known about their diversity, distribution, and the threats affecting them. Here, we compiled a global dataset of 60 sampled earthworm communities from over 7000 sites in 56 countries to predict patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass. We identify the environmental drivers shaping these patterns. Local species richness and abundance typically peaked at higher latitudes, while biomass peaked in the tropics, patterns opposite to those observed in aboveground organisms. Similar to many aboveground taxa, climate variables were more important in shaping earthworm communities than soil properties or habitat 65 cover. These findings highlight that, while the environmental drivers are similar, conservation strategies to conserve aboveground biodiversity might not be appropriate for earthworm diversity, especially in a changing climate.

max. 125 words) 53 Soil organisms are crucial for ecosystem services that support human life. However, little is 54 known about the distribution, diversity and threats facing them. Here, we compiled a global 55 dataset of sampled earthworm communities from over 7000 sites in 56 countries to predict 56 patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass. Further, we identify the 57 environmental drivers shaping these patterns. Local species richness and abundance typically 58 peaked at higher latitudes, while biomass peaked in the tropics, patterns opposite to that 59 observed in many aboveground taxa. But similar to many aboveground taxa, climate variables 60 were more important in shaping earthworm communities than variables relating to soil or habitat 61 cover. These findings highlight that, while the environmental drivers are similar, conservation 62 strategies to conserve aboveground biodiversity might not be appropriate for earthworm 63 diversity. 64

Soil is one of the most biodiverse terrestrial habitats. Yet, we lack an integrative conceptual framework for understanding the patterns and mechanisms driving soil biodiversity. One of the underlying reasons for our poor understanding of soil biodiversity patterns relates to whether key biodiversity theories (historically developed for aboveground and aquatic organisms) are applicable to patterns of soil biodiversity. Here, we present a systematic literature review to investigate whether and how key biodiversity theories (species–energy relationship, theory of island biogeography, metacommunity theory, niche theory and neutral theory) can explain observed patterns of soil biodiversity. We then discuss two spatial compartments nested within soil at which biodiversity theories can be applied to acknowledge the scale‐dependent nature of soil biodiversity.

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resuMo o uso do solo pode alterar processos como decomposição da matéria orgânica, ciclagem de nutrientes e agregação das partículas e, com isso, influenciar a ocorrência da macrofauna. objetivou-se com este estudo relacionar os sistemas de uso do solo e os efeitos deles sobre a distribuição de grupos da macrofauna do solo, bem como a relação desses com os atributos físicos e químicos do solo. Os sistemas de uso do solo avaliados foram: floresta nativa, reflorestamento de eucalipto, pastagem, integração lavoura-pecuária e lavoura com sistema plantio direto. as amostras foram coletadas em uma grade de amostragem de 3 × 3, totalizando nove pontos, distanciados entre si em 30 m, no inverno e verão, em três municípios do Planalto sul-catarinense, considerados réplicas verdadeiras. as avaliações foram de atributos físicos e químicos do solo e da abundância e diversidade da macrofauna, coletada pelo método Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (tsBf). os organismos do solo são pertencentes a 16 grupos taxonômicos, com 4.702 indivíduos m -2 no inverno e 7.438 indivíduos m -2 no verão. Houve interação entre época e sistemas de uso do solo, com flutuação populacional dos organismos dependente do uso e com relação aos atributos físicos e químicos do solo, evidenciada pela análise de redundância, que apresentou alta correlação entre variáveis ambientais e fauna do solo. As mudanças na composição da macrofauna do solo foram observadas nos seus sistemas de uso, que tiveram maior intervenção antrópica. Floresta nativa, reflorestamento de eucalipto e pastagem são mais estáveis em termos de Recebido para publicação em 21 de janeiro de 2015 e aprovado em 3 de setembro de 2015.

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