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Soil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil. Soil life , soil biota , soil fauna , or edaphon is a collective term that encompasses all organisms that spend a significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile, or at the soil- litter interface.
Soil bulk density, when determined at standardized moisture conditions, is an estimate of soil compaction. [60] Soil porosity consists of the void part of the soil volume and is occupied by gases or water. Soil consistency is the ability of soil materials to stick together. Soil temperature and colour are self-defining.
A soil scientist examining horizons within a soil profile. Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.
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.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1969 and published by Elsevier. It focuses on research papers that explain biological processes in soil. It focuses on research papers that explain biological processes in soil.
The history of edaphology is not simple, as the two main alternative terms for soil science—pedology and edaphology—were initially poorly distinguished. [10] Friedrich Albert Fallou originally conceived pedology in the 19th century as a fundamental science separate from the applied science of agrology, [11] a predecessor term for edaphology, [12] a distinction retained in the current ...
American soil scientist Hans Jenny published in 1941 [128] a state equation for the factors influencing soil formation: S = f(cl, o, r, p, t, ...) S soil formation; cl (sometimes c) climate; o organisms (soil microbiology, soil mesofauna, soil biology) r relief; p parent material; t time; This is often remembered with the mnemonic Clorpt.
Humus allows soil organisms to feed and reproduce and is often described as the "life-force" of the soil. [53] [54] The process that converts soil organic matter into humus feeds the population of microorganisms and other creatures in the soil, and thus maintains high and healthy levels of soil life. [53] [54]