Download - A glimpse below… The soil food web Teri C. Balser, Assistant Professor, UW-Madison [email protected]
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A glimpse below… A glimpse below… The soil food webThe soil food web
Teri C. Balser, Assistant Professor, [email protected]
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What is soil biology?
What role does it play in soil quality?
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Soil organisms are involved in nearly every aspect of soil
quality
Organic matter
Nitrate Leaching
SoilCommunity
Nutrient cycling
Structure/Aggregation
Humification
Decomposition
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In order to understand how biology affects our soils - we need to understand a little about the
organisms who live there
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
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WaterWater
Soil particlesSoil particles Plant rootsPlant roots
Soil is a habitatSoil is a habitat
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Soil is alive…Soil is alive…For example, in 1g of soil:>100,000,000 bacterial cells>100,000,000 bacterial cells>11,000 species of>11,000 species of bacteria bacteria Also fungi and larger animalsAlso fungi and larger animals
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Who’s there?
Macrofauna: Soil ‘Engineers’
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Termite
Snail
EarthwormEarthworm
Vole
Soil AnimalsSoil Animals
Centipede
Pseudoscorpion
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1. Decomposition (shredding residues)
2. Mixing soil (aeration)
Decomposition rate of blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
Soil animals are important for
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Who’s there?
Mesofauna: Soil predators, pathogens, herbivores
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Soil mesofaunaSoil mesofauna
Nematodes
MitesMites
ProtozoaProtozoaQuickTime™ and a
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Soil mesofaunaSoil mesofauna
Nematodes
MitesMites
ProtozoaProtozoaQuickTime™ and a
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Soil mesofauna are important forSoil mesofauna are important for
1.1. Residue decompositionResidue decomposition
1.1. PredationPredation
1.1. PathogenesisPathogenesis
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Microorganisms: Soil process controllers
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Soil microorganisms Soil microorganisms
Fungi
BacteriaBacteria
Fungi
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Fungi
• Filamentous growth
What are the advantages of filamentous habit?
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Fungi
• Filamentous growth• Functionally critical!
-Wood degrading -Mycorrhizal association
•myco (fungus) +
rhiza (root)
(Symbiotic structure
formed by a fungus
plus a plant)
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Source: Harrison et al 1999
Roots without mycorrhizae
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Source: Harrison et al 1999
Roots with mycorrhizae
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Bacteria
• Small, single celled ~2µm
What is the importance of small size?
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Bacteria
• Small, single celled• Abundant
Bacteria
Fungi
ConventionalConventionaltillagetillage
No-tillNo-till
PrairiePrairie
ForestForest
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Bacteria
• Small, single celled• Abundant• Diverse - taxonomically and functionally!
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Diversity in soil is important for nitrogen cycling.
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Relationship to soil quality?
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Diversity may be important in response to management
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Ecosystem Microbiology Laboratory, UW-Madison(www.ecosystem-microbiology.wisc.edu)
Teri C. [email protected]
USDA-CREES, NSF, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NASA
Lab members: Jessica Mentzer, Jenny Kao, Liang Chao, Nicole Craig, Lindsey Moritz, Meredith Schuman, Dr. David Bart, Dr. Daouda Ndaiye, Dr. Harry Read
THANK YOU!