Long-term soil and ecosystem development involves predictable changes in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability and limitation, but far less is known about comparable changes in sulfur (S) despite its importance as an essential plant macronutrient and component of soil organic matter. We used a combination of elemental analysis, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, hydrolytic enzyme assays, and...

Short title for page headings: Influence of the rhizosphere on soil hydraulic properties 16 17 Short statement: Using non-destructive imaging techniques and numerical modelling we 18 quantify differences in hydraulic and structural properties of bulk and rhizosphere soil for 19 sand and clay loam soils. 20 21 22 2 1. Abstract 23 Understanding the dynamics of water distribution in soil is crucia...

Soil is much more than just dirt. Often called the “living skin of the planet Earth,” soil is a mixture of organic and mineral material, air, and water that is critical for the support of life [1]. Soil provides structure for plant roots, retains water to ensure plants have access long after it rains, and holds nutrients so they are available to organisms over time [1]. Soil is not material dev...

Immediately after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, a team of 40-50 researchers at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo began to analyze the behavior of radioactive materials in the fallout regions. The fallout has remained in situ and become strongly adsorbed within the soil over time. 137Cs was found to bind strongly to the fine clay, weat...

Global carbon budget studies are currently dominated by temperature analysis since the importance of this meteorological variable on photosynthesis processes and soil carbon dynamics. Yet, the strong coupling between the carbon and hydrological cycles is a longstanding acquisition of the biogeophysical sciences. To take the important aspect of water limitation in carbon studies into account, wa...

Throughout the world there is a strong evidence to support the link between poverty and soil conditions. In subsistence agriculture the wealth of people on low fertility sandy soils is much lower than those living on rich volcanic soils. But there are great differences between regions in the world and this talk focuses on historical developments in soil research in tropical and temperate region...

Soil porosity (ϕ) is of a great deal for environmental studies due to the fact that water infiltrates and suffers redistribution in the soil pore space. Many physical and biochemical processes related to environmental quality occur in the soil porous system. Representative determinations of ϕ are necessary due to the importance of this physical property in several fields of natural sciences. In...

Sharp, R. E and Da vies, W. J. 1985. Root growth and water uptake by maize plants in drying soil.— J. exp. Bot. 36: 1441-1456. The influence of soil drying on maize (Zea mays L.) root distribution and use of soil water was examined using plants growing in the greenhouse in soil columns. The roots of plants which were watered well throughout the 18 d experimental period penetrated the soil profi...

A b s tra c t A lthough below ground ecosystems have been studied extensively and soil biota play integral roles in biogeochem icai processes, surprisingly we have a lim ited understanding o f global patterns in below ground biom ass and com m unity structure. T o address this critical gap, we conducted a meta-analysis o f published data (> 1300 datapoints) to com pare below ground plant, m icr...