Stemflow from Japanese red cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) enters forest soil at a low pH. We evaluated the responses of the root system of Japanese red cedar saplings to acidic conditions, used to simulate this situation, in two different growth media, a brown forest soil (BS) and a Yahagi sand (YS). Soils were acidified by the addition of solutions at pH 2.0, 3.0 and 5.5 (control). Root morpholo...

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The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of elemental sulfur (S) addition on soil pH and availability of macroand micronutrients during the sugarcane growing season. Sulfur application did not significantly reduce soil pH when applied at 0 to 448 kg S ha−1 due to the high soil buffering capacity. Water extractable phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) for soils receiving the highest S rat...

This course will explain the fundamental concepts of topology for smooth manifolds. After developing the fundamental tool of transversality theory (we prove Sard’s theorem) we will prove the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem, the Brouwer No Retraction Theorem, and the Whitney Embedding Theorem, and the “27 lines on a cubic surface” using this tool. Then we cover Morse Theory and use it to classify 2-...

Objectives/Goals Genetically modified plants usually contain a gene of interest as well as an antibiotic marker gene, which can be transferred to soil bacteria, causing a myriad of problems. The objective of this project is to determine a soil pH that would reduce genetic transformation while being conducive to plant growth. Methods/Materials E. coli was grown in an LB broth culture, then made ...

Soil pH, soil acidity, and their effects on plants The pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, is used to indicate acidity and alkalinity. pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (symbol = H) in the water contained in the soil. A pH of 7.0 is neutral, values below 7 are acidic, and those above 7 are alkaline (basic). The lower the pH, the more acid the soil. Each unit pH drop indicates te...

The effects of environmental factors such as pH and nutrient content on the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in soil has been extensively studied using experimental fields. However, how these environmental factors intricately influence the community structure of AOB and AOA in soil from farmers' fields is unclear. In the present study, the abundance and diversity of...

The elevational patterns of diversity for plants and animals have been well established over the past century. However, it is unclear whether there is a general elevational distribution pattern for microbes. Changbai Mountain is one of few well conserved natural ecosystems, where the vertical distribution of vegetation is known to mirror the vegetation horizontal zonation from temperate to frig...

It has been observed that there are sustained electrical potential difference and current between a tree trunk and its surrounding soil, which have bright application prospects for powering wireless sensor networks in forests. But the mechanism of the bioelectricity has remained controversial. In order to provide more comprehensive data for further researches and to analyze the relationship bet...

The subarctic region is highly responsive and vulnerable to climate change. Understanding the structure of subarctic soil microbial communities is essential for predicting the response of the subarctic soil environment to climate change. To determine the composition of the bacterial community and its relationship with soil properties, we investigated the bacterial community structure and proper...