Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. Ecological approaches in soil ecotoxicology; N.M. van Straalen, H. Lokke. Part One: Extrapolation from experiments. 2. Scientific basis for extrapolating results from soil ecotoxicity tests to field conditions and the use of bioassays; C.A.M. van Gestel. 3. Is it possible to develop microbial test systems to evaluate pollution effects on soil nutrient cycling? J. Dighton. Part Two: Populations in soil. 4. Ecotoxicology, biodiversity and the species concept with special reference to springtails (Insecta: Collembola); S.P. Hopkin. 5. Effects of toxicants on population and community parameters in field conditions, and their potential use in the validation of risk assessment methods; L. Posthuma. Part Three: The soil as an ecosystem. 6. Linking structure and function in marine sedimentary and terrestrial soil ecosystems: implications for extrapolation from the laboratory to the field; T.L. Forbes, L.K. Kure. 7. A food-web approach to assess the effects of disturbance on ecosystem structure, function and stability; J.C. Moore, P.C. de Ruiter. Part Four: The spatial component of soil communities. 8. Scale dependency in the ecological risks posed by pollutants: is there a role for ecological theory in risk assessment? P.C. Jepson. 9. Dispersal, heterogeneity, and resistance challenging soil quality assessment; G. Bengtsson. Part Five: The role of ecological modelling. 10. The use of models in ecological risk assessment; J. van Wensem. 11. A physiologically driven mathematical simulation model as a tool for extension of results from laboratory tests to ecosystem effects; J.Aagaard Axelsen. Part Six: Ecological approaches: case studies. 12. Extrapolation of laboratory toxicity results to the field: a case study using the OECD artificial soil earthworm toxicity test; D.J. Spurgeon. 13. Life table study with the springtail Folsomia candida (Willem) exposed to cadmium, chlorpyrifos and triphenyltin hydroxide; T. Crommentuijn, C.J.A.M. Doodeman, A. Doornekamp, C.A.M. van Gestel. 14. Reaction norms for life-history traits as the basis for the evaluation of critical effect levels of toxicants; J.E. Kammenga, G.W. Korthals, T. Bongers, J. Bakker. 15. Estimating fitness costs of pollution in iteroparous invertebrates; R. Laskowski. Part Seven: Recommendations. 16. Soil ecotoxicology: still new ways to explore or just paving the road? H. Eijsackers. Index.