Verifying molecular sequencing data with morphological data in soil biota to uncover contributions to ecosystem functioning

Defining the links between DNA-derived taxonomic outputs and morphological identifications is an important step in determining the contributions to ecological functioning by soil biotic asslemblages. Here, I present findings from work linking sequence outputs of soil faunal assemblages ( nematodes and springtails) with their inherent ecological and functional traits. These are then linked to experimental manipulations and restoration gradients that can help to unpack these relationships to can provide greater insight into the influence of ecosystem services  towards community assemblages. These aspects can greatly accelerate classification of functional traits on seqeuences alone, advancing our understanding of soil communities and their importance to ecosystem functioning.