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Red list of a black box

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 1, Article number: 0103 (2017) Cite this article

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The lack of available soil biodiversity data results in under-representation in many biodiversity databases and synthesis analyses4,5. Existing databases often (1) have few data on soil organisms (for example, the PREDICTS database contains just under 1% of all described annelids6, whereas BioTIME4 contains no soil invertebrate time-series data); (2) are not global7; or (3) concentrate on a small subset of soil taxa8. We strongly advocate for data-mobilization initiatives focused on soil biodiversity, in order to address large-scale questions9. Such synthetic analyses can be useful in answering key questions as to how soil biodiversity might respond to anthropogenic impacts2,3, and if the response differs from those seen in above-ground biodiversity10. Given the importance of local biodiversity for ecosystem services and function, determining whether local biodiversity is declining (a hotly debated topic11), both above- and below-ground2, is crucial in sustaining human well-being12.

Mobilizing the necessary information and data on the ‘black box’ of soil biodiversity will require large collaborative initiatives. In addition, increasing the representation of the hidden biota on national and global red lists will help raise the awareness of policymakers as well as the general public, ideally resulting in increased funding for assessments and research in order to better understand changes in this underexplored biodiversity that is so critical for human well-being.

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Figure 1: Proportion of described species (green) and estimated undescribed species (black) for six above-ground taxa (top two rows; estimates from ref. 12) and three below-ground taxa (bottom row; estimates from ref. 13).

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Arnhold for initiating the discussion on soil invertebrates in red lists and acknowledge support by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig (funded by the German Research Foundation, FZT 118), the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 677232, ECOWORM), and the Academy of Finland (285882).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany

    Helen R. P. Phillips, Olga Ferlian, Manfred Türke, Marten Winter & Nico Eisenhauer

  2. Department of Biosciences, Metapopulation Research Centre, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki, 00014, Finland

    Erin K. Cameron

  3. Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate Change, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, København, DK-2100, Denmark

    Erin K. Cameron

  4. Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, 04103, Germany

    Olga Ferlian, Manfred Türke & Nico Eisenhauer

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  1. Helen R. P. Phillips
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  2. Erin K. Cameron
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Correspondence to Helen R. P. Phillips.

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Phillips, H., Cameron, E., Ferlian, O. et al. Red list of a black box. Nat Ecol Evol 1, 0103 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0103

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