Muldkesksete maakasutuspõhimõtete rakendamisest põllu-, rohumaa- ja metsaökosüsteemide majandamisel

Terrestrial ecosystems (forests and natural grasslands) composition, functioning and productivity level (organic carbon phytomass Mg ha-1yr-1) are largely determined by the properties of the soil cover. Therefore, much greater attention should be paid to the role of the soil cover, as an essential component of terrestrial ecosystems, in determining the functioning of the whole ecosystem. The soil cover plays a leading role not only in the formation and development of natural ecosystems; soils influence not only plant cover productivity but also the composition of the soil edaphon and the cycling of chemical elements in soil–plant systems of cultivated agroecosystems. Accordingly, the management of agricultural and forest ecosystems should apply pedocentric land-use principles to a much greater extent than has previously been the case. Our discussion of the pedocentric approach is conducted at the level of soil species (and in some cases soil varieties) according to the Estonian Soil Classification, enfolding the morphology and essential properties of both the soil cover and its humus horizons. The functional characteristics of different soil species are analysed under various land-use types (forest, arable land, and grassland). Particular attention is given to the characterization of the ecological services of soil cover and to its role within overall ecosystem services.