Summary
This comprehensive review synthesises two decades of research on soil consumer feeding habits using molecular, biochemical and isotopic tools to construct a unified functional classification framework. The authors demonstrate that many soil organisms commonly classified into distinct functional groups are in fact omnivorous and feed on multiple resource types, revealing previously hidden complexity in soil food webs that challenges traditional models based on discrete energy channels.
UK applicability
The functional framework and evidence on omnivory and multichannel feeding in soil fauna are directly applicable to UK soil ecology and food-web modelling, improving understanding of how soil organisms drive nutrient cycling and ecosystem services in British agricultural and natural soils. The findings suggest that more nuanced, trait-based approaches are needed when assessing soil functional diversity in UK farming systems.
Key measures
Functional trait classifications including food resource preferences, body mass ranges, microhabitat specialisation, protection and hunting mechanisms; trophic relationships revealed through stable isotope analysis, fatty acid analysis, and DNA gut content analysis
Outcomes reported
The study synthesised existing knowledge and novel molecular, biochemical and isotopic evidence on feeding habits of soil consumers from protists to vertebrates. It compiled a comprehensive functional classification framework integrating food resource preferences, body masses, microhabitat specialisation, and hunting mechanisms across soil-associated taxa.
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