Summary
In this Perspective, we look into the future and outline the crucial unresolved questions that can define broad directions in soil biology and biochemistry over the next decades. Considering that most of the grand questions of Selman A. Waksman have been answered over the last 100 years, we suggest here intriguing fundamental topics of basic research linking soil life with biochemical processes and ecosystem functions necessary for system understanding. We raise the following six question groups: Which level of understanding of microbial communities do we need? What are the emerging (microbial) properties and functions of soil? Are microbial memory and legacy important for soil functions? What defines soil health: pools, fluxes or potentials? Microbial growth and death: Can we identify the
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