land Article Soil Diversity (Pedodiversity) and Ecosystem Services Elena A. Mikhailova 1,*, Hamdi A. Zurqani 1,2 , Christopher J. Post 1, Mark A. Schlautman 3 and Gregory C. Post 4 1 Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;
[email protected] (H.A.Z.);
[email protected] (C.J.P.) 2 Department of Soil and Water Sciences, University of Tripoli, Tripoli 13538, Libya 3 Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University, Anderson, SC 29625, USA;
[email protected] 4 Economics Department, Reed College, Portland, OR 97202, USA;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Soil ecosystem services (ES) (e.g., provisioning, regulation/maintenance, and cultural) and ecosystem disservices (ED) are dependent on soil diversity/pedodiversity (variability of soils), which needs to be accounted for in the economic analysis and business decision-making. The con- cept of pedodiversity (biotic + abiotic) is highly complex and can be broadly interpreted because it is formed from the interaction of atmospheric diversity (abiotic + biotic), biodiversity (biotic), hydrodiversity (abiotic + biotic), and lithodiversity (abiotic) within ecosphere and anthroposphere. Pedodiversity is influenced by intrinsic (within the soil) and extrinsic (outside soil) factors, which are also relevant to ES/ED. Pedodiversity concepts and measures may need to be adapted to the ES frame- work and business applications. Currently, there are four main approaches to analyze pedodiversity: taxonomic (diversity of soil classes), genetic (diversity of genetic horizons), parametric (diversity of soil properties), and functional (soil behavior under different uses). The objective of this article is Citation: Mikhailova, E.A.; Zurqani, to illustrate the application of pedodiversity concepts and measures to value ES/ED with exam- H.A.; Post, C.J.; Schlautman, M.A.; ples based on the contiguous United States (U.S.), its administrative units, and the systems of soil Post, G.C.