• Soil biology is relatively new discipline but is one of the

fastest growing in terms of research.

• In simple terms it discusses the range of soil organisms,

from small to large and see how they interact with soil and
plants.

• Of great importance is their role in mineralizing OM and

providing nutrients for crops.

• Therefore overall fertility of the soils depends not only on

the chemical and physical behaviour of the soil but also on
its biological activity.
 Involves dealing with the behaviour and properties of soil
microbes and their soil environments.

 There is also need to understand influences of soil

chemistry and physics on organism interactions and
mediated processes.

 Also deals with understanding soil management practices

that influence composition and diversity of microbial
populations.

 This also relate community composition to soil function.

 • Simple properties that can be used to group soil organisms are:
1. Size- microscopic- <0.2 mm (bacteria, fungi, algae), meso-organisms-
0.2-10 mm (nematodes, arthropods), macroscopic fauna- > 10 mm (soil
animals).
2. Modes of nutrition- heterotrophs (require C in an organic form for
growth energy and therefore use pre- synthesized compounds), autotrophs
(obtain growth energy from inorganic sources, and carbon from carbon
dioxide).
3. Oxygen requirements- aerobes (require oxygen for respiration),
facultative anaerobes (normally require oxygen but are able to adapt to
oxygen free conditions by using nitrates or other inorganic compounds in
respiration), obligate anaerobes (only grow in the absence of oxygen as it
is toxic to them).
4. Evolutionary development- Prokaryotes (genomes are not contained in a
nucleus), Eukaryotes (membrane bound nucleus which the genomes are
stored as chromosomes).
1. Mineralization of organic matter

2. Ammonification

3. Nitrification

4. Nitrogen fixation

5. Denitrification

6. Volatilization

7. Mycorrhizae
 Mineralization:
◦ organic N ➔ inorganic N
◦ (many forms) (ammonium, NH4+)
 Immobilization:
◦ inorganic N ➔ Organic N
◦ (ammonium, NH4+) (many forms)
◦ (nitrate NO3-)
 Nitrification:
◦ ammonium ➔ nitrite ➔ nitrate
 Denitrification:
◦ nitrate ➔ gaseous forms - nitrogen oxides and N2 gas
 Ammonia volatilization:
◦ ammonium, NH4+ ➔ ammonia gas NH3
 N2 - Fixation:
◦ Conversion of N2 gas into organic forms of N
Microbes rule!!!!!!