RESUMO
The overexploitation of natural resources, resulting in an increased need for arable lands by local populations, causes a serious dysfunction in the soil's biological functioning (mineral deficiency, salt stress, etc.). This dysfunction, worsened by the climatic conditions (drought), requires the implementation of ecological engineering strategies allowing the rehabilitation of degraded areas through the restoration of essential ecological services. The first symptoms of weathering processes of soil quality in tropical and Mediterranean environments result in an alteration of the plant cover structure with, in particular, the pauperization of plant species diversity and abundance. This degradation is accompanied by a weakening of soils and an increase of the impact of erosion on the surface layer resulting in reduced fertility of soils in terms of their physicochemical characteristics as well as their biological ones (e.g., soil microbes). Among the microbial components particularly sensitive to erosion, symbiotic microorganisms (rhizobia, Frankia, mycorrhizal fungi) are known to be key components in the main terrestrial biogeochemical cycles (C, N and P). Many studies have shown the importance of the management of these symbiotic microorganisms in rehabilitation and revegetation strategies of degraded environments, but also in improving the productivity of agrosystems. In particular, the selection of symbionts and their inoculation into the soil were strongly encouraged in recent decades. These inoculants were selected not only for their impact on the plant, but also for their ability to persist in the soil at the expense of the residual native microflora. The performance of this technique was thus evaluated on the plant cover, but its impact on soil microbial characteristics was totally ignored. The role of microbial diversity on productivity and stability (resistance, resilience, etc.) of eco- and agrosystems has been identified relatively recently and has led to a questioning of the conceptual bases of controlled inoculation in sustainable land management. It has been suggested that the environmental characteristics of the area to rehabilitate should be taken into account, and more particularly its degradation level in relation to the threshold of ecological resilience. This consideration should lead to the optimization of the cultural practices to either (i) restore the original properties of an ecosystem in case of slightly degraded environments or (ii) transform an ecosystem in case of highly degraded soils (e.g., mine soils). In this chapter, we discuss, through various examples of experiments conducted in tropical and Mediterranean areas, the performance of different strategies to manage the microbial potential in soils (inoculation of exotic vs. native species, inoculation or controlled management potential microbial stratum via aboveground vegetation, etc.) based on the level of environmental degradation.
