Defining soil quality in Mediterranean forest systems: Microbial biomass activity

In natural, undisturbed ecosystems the meaning of soil quality should expre ss the features of each system in its own pedoclimatic conditions, without referring quality to an universal standard of "healthy" soil. Forest soil q uality may be therefore defined as "the soil ability to match the natural s uccession of the biocoenosis". This study was conducted to test soil qualit y indicators based on microbial biomass activity nn Mediterranean forest so ils. The influence of different plant communities and management practice o n soil characteristics were investigated in eight sites on the Tyrrhenic co ast near Rome. Metabolic quotient, C-CO2 production, microbial C to organic C ratio, C/N ratio, Cl estimate and qmC turned out powerful tools to depic t both ecosystem dynamics and properties.