soil biodiversity and function Flashcards
what does the soil food web reflect
the conditions of its environment
are soil organisms uniformly distributed in the soil
no, they are not
where does each group and species live
they exist where they find the appropriate energy and nutrients
where are soil organisms most abundant
at the soil surface and in the plant rhizosphere
what is the rhizosphere
the zone of soil influenced by the roots of living plants.
it is inhibited by a unique population of microorganisms influenced by the compounds released into the soil by the plant roots
there are 2 to 10 times more microbes in the rhizosphere than in the surrounding bulk soil
how is high biodiversity possible
it is possible due to the limitless variety of food and wide range of habitat conditions found in soil
what are the types of diversity
biological diversity and functional diversity
what does biological diversity refer to
the different species present, including genetic diversities. species-rich communities are considered to be biologically diverse
what does functional diversity refer to
the diversity of roles that the soil community plays in a particular ecosystem. when organisms with the same functional ability occur together, this is called functional redundancy
what is functional redundancy
it ensures that important soil functions are maintained even if a species is lost. when organisms with the same functional ability occur together.
what happens if the soil doesn’t have functional redundancy
some functions are performed by only a few species. so if these species are lost, those functions within the soil will be compromised
what organisms are responsible for decomposition and nutrient cycling
Microorganisms are the most important. bacterial and fungi mediate 90% of the energy flow in the soil system
what soil organisms are responsible for maintaining soil structure through the formation of pore networks and biostructures, aggregation, and particle transport
earth worms, termites, ants, and plant roots are most important
where do most microbes in the soil occur
in the top 15cm of soil. the population then declines with soil depth
