This reviewshows that more research is needed on the influence
of soil engineers on soil structure dynamic, and this is obviously
more the case for social insects than for earthworms. The definition
of ecosystemengineering relies onthe ability of organismstomodify
theirphysical environment, and then thehabitat for other organisms
(Jones et al., 1994, 1997). An abundance of literature is available on
the influence of soil engineers on soil microbial communities and
activity, SOM dynamic and nutrient cycling, or plant growth.
However, this influence mainly results from the impact of soil
engineers on soil structure and it is surprising to realize that this
latter aspect has been clearly neglected. We assume that the
determinationof (i) the quantity of biopores andbiogenic aggregates
that soil engineers are able to produce, (ii) the distribution of these
structures at the plot and landscape scales, (iii) and the lifetime of
these structures are some of the major questions which need to be
answered to develop a more complete understanding of the
influence of soil engineers on soil structure dynamic. We assume
that these questions can be answered only if soil ecologists work in
collaboration with soil physicists. In this context, the development