Better understanding of the connection between aboveground plant communities and belowground soil organisms and processes has led to an explosion in recent research on the applications of this link to the field of ecological restoration. Research is only beginning to have the capacity to link soil organisms and specific ecosystem functions. Establishing general ecological principles of the role microbial communities have during ecological restoration is also still in its infancy. As such, the literature is at a critical point to generate a Special Feature that brings together novel approaches of linking soil and restoration to promote more regular inclusion and consideration of soil organisms and soil‐based processes in ecological restoration. In this special feature, we bring together nine research articles from different ecosystems that study the relationship between restoration activities, soil microbial communities, and soil properties. From these research articles, we describe two primary themes: (1) research on the impacts of ecosystem‐specific restoration activities on soil organisms and processes and (2) research testing methods of soil manipulation to improve restoration outcomes. We hope to inspire readers and restoration practitioners to consider soil microbes and soil processes in their research, restoration projects, and world views.

Up to half of the world's drylands have degraded, dysfunctional soils that lower success rates of restoration efforts to reestablish lost vegetation. Because soil amendments of organic matter have the potential to improve multiple ecosystem functions and overall soil health, we added a mulch of whole mesquite (Prosopis velutina) branches—both alone and in combination with 3 and 6 cm of compost—to a degraded semiarid rangeland. We then measured effects of these organic amendments on a suite of soil health indicators as well as plant cover and abundance. We found that surface applications of these amendments improved several indicators of soil health after two summer growing seasons. Soil temperature decreased and soil moisture increased in all treatments with organic amendments. However, during drier times of the year and in response to smaller rain events, mulch alone increased soil moisture more so than when combined with compost. As expected, total soil nitrogen was greatest with compost addition. Soil organic carbon, water‐stable aggregate size, and microbial abundance did not respond significantly to any treatment. Mesquite mulch increased native plant cover and abundance when applied without compost and increased plant cover when combined with 3 cm of compost, but it did not increase plant abundance or cover when combined with 6 cm of compost. Collectively, these results suggest that a thin layer of compost—but particularly woody branches used as mulch—can improve success rates of revegetation in dryland ecosystems by moderating the soil microclimate.