As they decompose residues (Whalen and Costa 2003), they
are involved in organic matter transformation and
dynamics (Schrader and Zhang 1997) and in nutrient
cycling. In addition, they are sensitive to soil use or
changes in land use, to farming practices and forest
management techniques (Edwards and Bohlen 1996;
Suthar 2009; Pfiffner and Luka 2007).