Playa wetlands are important areas of soil organic carbon and nutrient storage in drylands. We conducted this study to assess how catchment biophysical variables control soil organic carbon and nitrogen in playas and how playas function differently than upland ecosystems. We found that playa organic carbon and nitrogen corresponded primarily with catchment vegetation cover and secondarily with ...

Total organic carbon (TOC) is the carbon (C) stored in soil organic matter (SOM). Organic carbon (OC) enters the soil through the decomposition of plant and animal residues, root exudates, living and dead microorganisms, and soil biota. SOM is the organic fraction of soil exclusive of nondecomposed plant and animal residues. Nevertheless, most analytical methods do not distinguish between decom...

residue management has a direct impact on soil physical and chemical characteristics which in turn have identical effects on sustainability of crop production in agroecosystems. the effects of wheat residual management practices (burning, plowing under and removal) on soil physical and chemical characteristics were investigated in this research. treatments were compared in a complete block desi...

earthworms are an important part of food chain in soil ecosystem. in polluted soils, heavy metals are consumed by earthworms and transferred to other organisms through food chain, resulting in many adverse health impacts. due to the benefits of earthworms for soil fertility, it is important to assess the effects of soil pollution on population, biomass and functions of earthworms. to determine ...

Developing spectral models of soil properties is an important frontier in remote sensing and soil science. Several studies have focused on modeling soil properties such as total pools of soil organic matter and carbon in bare soils. We extended this effort to model soil parameters in areas densely covered with coastal vegetation. Moreover, we investigated soil properties indicative of soil func...

Low-cost, practicable techniques are required to limit the release of volatile organic compound-containing fumigants such as 1,3-D to the atmosphere. In this study, we aimed to quantify 1,3-D diffusion and emission from laboratory soil columns maintained under realistic conditions and thereby assess the efficacy of soil irrigation as a technique for reducing emissions. In two soils (one relativ...

Organic matter removal and soil compaction are two types of soil disturbance that occur during forest harvesting activities. Both of these types of disturbance have the potential to reduce the long-term productivity of all vegetation which grows on the site. Quantifying the effects of different levels or organic matter removal and soil compaction is one of the objectives of the LongTerm Soil Pr...

For modeling the sorption of organic compounds in soils it is typically assumed that the organic carbon/water partitioning coefficient (Koc) of neutral organic chemicals can be treated as a constant property that remains unaffected by the type of soil organic matter as well as pH in the soil solution. Here the validity of these assumptions is evaluated with a large and diverse experimental data...

The extremely cold and arid Antarctic dry valleys are one of the most environmentally harsh terrestrial ecosystems supporting organisms in which the biogeochemical transformations of carbon are exclusively driven by microorganisms. The natural abundance of (13)C and (15)N in source organic materials and soils have been examined to obtain evidence for the provenance of the soil organic matter an...

OBJECTIVE To study the impacts of abundance of woodlice, termites, and mites on some functional aspects of soil in order to elucidate the specific role of soil fauna in improving soil fertility in desert. METHODS Fauna-rich sites were selected as experimental sites and adjacent areas were taken as control. Soil samples were collected from both sites. Soil respiration was measured at both site...