Microbial functional diversity in four soils sampled in the vicinity of Wanda Glacier, Antarctic Peninsula, was determined using Biolog EcoPlates at 5°C and 25°C. Comparisons of the patterns of substrate utilization and the diversity index showed differences in community composition, reflecting the heterogeneous distribution of microorganisms in this environment. Differences in microbial divers...

This study evaluates the spatial heterogeneity of the soil chemical properties of surface soils across a 1 ha old-growth subtropical karst forest in southwest China.

Cultivation of legume plants is well known to improve soil N level and net primary productivity; besides, it may deliver other ecosystem benefits such as increasing soil carbon sequestration and soil food web complexity. However, little is known about whether legumes can improve the resistance of soils to ecosystem disturbances. In the present study, we compared the resistance of soils to an ec...

this paper deals with the suitability of agricultural and municipal organic wastes as growing media components for ornamental plants. nine growing media prepared by mixing the main components of peat (p), hazelnut husk (h) and maize straw (m) with the fertilizer sources of municipal solid waste compost (c), bio-solid (b) and poultry manure (pm) were compared against soil-based (c1) and peat-bas...

Factors governing the turnover of organic matter (OM) added to soils, including substrate quality, climate, environment and biology, are well known, but their relative importance has been difficult to ascertain due to the interconnected nature of the soil system. This has made their inclusion in mechanistic models of OM turnover or nutrient cycling difficult despite the potential power of these...

guar gum and whey proteins concentrate (wpc-35) were used as functional additives to improve the functional characteristics (hardness and meltability) of the na-caseinate-based imitation cheese. also, the alterations in the composition, sensory acceptance, color, and texture caused by these ingredients were evaluated. imitation cheeses were formulated with three levels each of wpc (0, 1.5, and ...

this study was performed in order to investigate the changes in vegetation and soil properties in compartment no.317 (managed forest) and no.318 (control forest) of jamand district of golband forest in mazandaran (noshahr). for this purpose, random-systematic sampling method with regular grid of 100×200 m was used to locate samples. the plot size was 400 m2 considering to tree and shrub species...