Overview

Soil Microbiology is a user-friendly introduction to the incredible world of soil microbiology. The microscopic life in soil influences virtually everything in our lives from the water we drink, the food we eat, to the air we breathe. Understanding something about the life in soil, appreciating the things that these life forms do, and seeing how these activities influence our world is the goal of this textbook. This is a book you can actually read and comprehend with a minimum exposure to soil science or microbiology. It's appropriate for advanced high school students and college students just embarking on the study of environmental science. The textbook describes the life in soil in numerous short chapters that explain the basic concepts of soil microbiology in simple terms. Soil Microbiology is full of pictures that illustrate each chapter's content, and it takes the reader through graphs and figures that a soil microbiologist would be interpreting every day. For almost every topic, the textbook provides a brief description of the procedures by which that information was obtained. The questions at the end of each chapter not only test the reader's general knowledge, but also stimulate them to think in broader, more abstract terms. Each chapter also has questions that help the reader use the math skills a typical soil microbiologist might use. Three large appendixes provide the reader with a glossary of common soil microbiology terms, a complete list and pronunciation guide of all the microorganisms listed in the textbook, and a time line that puts some of the events in soil microbiology into historical perspective.

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9780827384347

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INTRODUCTION TO SOIL MICROORGANISM AND MICROBIOLOGY. A Historical Perspective of Soil Microbiology. Microbial Growth and Metabolism. Soil Enzymes. THE SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITY. The Macrofauna - Ants, Earthworms, and Other Creatures. The Mesofauna - Nematodes. The Microfauna - Protozoa and Archezoa. The Chromista - Algea. Fungi. Filamentous Prokaryotes - Actinomycetes. The Rest of the Prokaryotic World. Mycoplasmas, Viruses, Viroids, and Prions - The Rest of the Microbiota. THE SOIL AS A MICROBIAL ENVIRONMENT. Soil as a Microbial Habitat. Environmental Influences - Temperature, Reduction-Oxidation, and pH. Soil Water and Microbial Activity. SOIL MICROORGANISMS AND NUTRIENT CYCLES. The Sulfur Cycle. The Phosphorus Cycle. Iron and Manganese Transformations. The Nitrogen Cycle - Nitrogen Mineralization. The Nitrogen Cycle - Nitrification. The Nitrogen Cycle - Immobilization. The Nitrogen Cycle - Denitrification and Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction. The Nitrogen Cycle - Nitrogen Fixation. The Carbon Cycle - Organic Carbon Entering Soil. The Carbon Cycle - Mineralization and Residue Decomposition. The Carbon Cycle - Soil Organic Matter and Humus. SOIL MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS. Microbial Interactions - The Community Reflects the Habitat. Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation. Inoculation and Biocontrol. Mycorrhizae. SOIL MICROORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. Composting. Bioremediation. Heavy Metals. Glossary of Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry Terms. Index.

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