Archaea have long been recognized as the microorganisms of extreme environments. With the rapid development of molecular biological techniques and their applications to the archaeal community studies, non\|thermophilic Crenarchaeota are found widely distributing in moderate environments, such as marine, lakes and soils. Based on the analysis of archaeal 16S rRNA genes, the broad distribution and rich abundance of the non\|thermophilic Crenarchaeota may contribute to the carbon and nitrogen cycles, indicating their potential roles in the global energy cycles. This paper reviewed the distribution and abundance of the non\|thermophilic Crenarchaeota in soil ecosystems, introduced their ecological functions in soil carbon and nitrogen cycles, and foresaw the perspectives in the research field.