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Soil gases (soil atmosphere [1]) are the gases found in the air space between soil components. The spaces between the solid soil particles, if they do not contain water, are filled with air. The primary soil gases are nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen. [2] Oxygen is critical because it allows for respiration of both plant roots and soil ...
Approximately 78% of Earth's atmosphere is N gas (N 2), which is an inert compound and biologically unavailable to most organisms.In order to be utilized in most biological processes, N 2 must be converted to reactive nitrogen (Nr), which includes inorganic reduced forms (NH 3 and NH 4 +), inorganic oxidized forms (NO, NO 2, HNO 3, N 2 O, and NO 3 −), and organic compounds (urea, amines, and ...
Nitrogen is present in the environment in a wide variety of chemical forms including organic nitrogen, ammonium (NH + 4), nitrite (NO − 2), nitrate (NO − 3), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), nitric oxide (NO) or inorganic nitrogen gas (N 2). Organic nitrogen may be in the form of a living organism, humus or in the intermediate products of organic ...
The total nitrogen content depends largely on the soil organic matter content, which in turn depends on texture, climate, vegetation, topography, age and soil management. [40] Soil nitrogen typically decreases by 0.2 to 0.3% for every temperature increase by 10 °C. Usually, grassland soils contain more soil nitrogen than forest soils, because ...
A typical soil is about 50% solids (45% mineral and 5% organic matter), and 50% voids (or pores) of which half is occupied by water and half by gas. [32] The percent soil mineral and organic content can be treated as a constant (in the short term), while the percent soil water and gas content is considered highly variable whereby a rise in one ...
Nitrogen directly affects soil respiration in several ways. Nitrogen must be taken in by roots to promote plant growth and life. Most available nitrogen is in the form of NO 3 −, which costs 0.4 units of CO 2 to enter the root because energy must be used to move it up a concentration gradient. Once inside the root the NO 3 − must be reduced ...
In its natural state, nitrogen exists primarily as a gas (N2) in the atmosphere, making up about 78% of the air we breathe. Nitrogen finds extensive usage across various sectors, primarily in the agriculture industry, and transportation. Its versatility stems from its ability to form numerous compounds, each with unique properties and applications.
Earthworms, for example, passively and mechanically alter the nature of soil environments. The bodies of dead worms passively contribute mineral nutrients to the soil. The worms also mechanically modify the physical structure of the soil as they crawl about (bioturbation) and digest on the molds of organic matter they pull from the soil litter.