Soil organic matter quality as indicator of ecosystem services.

Soil organic matter (SOM), although a minor component in most soils, is primarily responsible for structure, function and sustainability of the ecosystems. Regarding the effects of soil degradation, those associated to SOM have importance and complexity, since changes in the quantity and quality of SOM may occur as a function of agricultural management practices. Ecosystem services (ES) are the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems and so is necessary to develop methodologies capable to assess the potential of agroecosystems to provide ES; to subsidize public policies that encourage the adoption of conservationist agricultural practices and; consequently, the payment of ecosystem services (PES). For this, is necessary to identify parameters that can act as indicators of such services