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Additionally, soil microbes contribute to the formation of stable soil organic matter through the synthesis of extracellular polymers, enzymes, and other biochemical compounds. [35] These substances help bind together soil particles, [36] forming aggregates that protect organic carbon from microbial decomposition and physical erosion. Over time ...
Soil health testing is pursued as an assessment of this status [1] but tends to be confined largely to agronomic objectives. Soil health depends on soil biodiversity (with a robust soil biota), and it can be improved via soil management, especially by care to keep protective living covers on the soil and by natural (carbon-containing) soil ...
Soil fertility and plant production: Use of enzyme activity as indicator of soil quality [71] [72] Composting. Impacts of composting municipal solid waste on soil microbial activity [10] Soil organic matter stability: Impact of temperature and soil respiration on enzymatic activity and its effect on soil fertility [73] Climate change indicators
They are the most abundant microorganisms in the soil, and serve many important purposes, including nitrogen fixation. [9] Some bacteria can colonize minerals in the soil and help influence weathering and the breaking down of these minerals. The overall composition of the soil can determine the amount of bacteria growing in the soil.
Soil microbial communities are characterized in many different ways. The activity of microbes can be measured by their respiration and carbon dioxide release. The cellular components of microbes can be extracted from soil and genetically profiled, or microbial biomass can be calculated by weighing the soil before and after fumigation.
The soil microbial population releases exoenzymes (1), which depolymerize the dead organic matter (2). The microbial decomposers assimilate the monomers (3) and either mineralize these into inorganic compounds like carbon dioxide or ammonium (4) or use the monomers for their biosynthetic needs.
Microbial metabolism is the means by which a microbe obtains the energy and nutrients (e.g. carbon) it needs to live and reproduce. Microbes use many different types of metabolic strategies and species can often be differentiated from each other based on metabolic characteristics.
Soil microbial communities experience shifts in the diversity and composition during dehydration and rehydration cycles. [5] Soil moisture affects carbon cycling a phenomenon known as Birch effect. [6] [7] Temperature variations in soil are influenced by factors such as seasonality, environmental conditions, vegetation, and soil composition.