Soil Microbiology Flashcards
ecosystem
the sum of all organisms and abiotic factors in a particular environment. Complex of plants, animals, abiotic, and microbial communities which interact as a *functional unit
habitat
portion of an ecosystem where a community could reside. An ecosystem contains many different habitats.
population
group of microorganisms of the same species residing in the same space
community
group of populations
species richness
total number of different species present
species abundance
the proportion of each species in an ecosystem (amount of individuals in each species)
guild
metabolically related microbial populations.
niche
habitat shared by a guild. It supplies nutrients and conditions for growth
microenvironment
- the immediate environmental surroundings of a microbial cell or group of cells.
- soil particles contain many microenvironments
competition and cooperation
occur between microbes in natural systems and between microbes and higher organisms.
parasitism, mutualism, commensalism
many microbes establish relationships with other organisms
biogeochemistry
the study of biologically mediated chemical transformations
-biogeochemical cycles
mineral soils
derived from rock weathering and other inorganic materials.
organic soils
derived from sedimentation in bogs and marshes
composition of soil
- air and water
- inorganic mineral matter
- organic matter
- living organsims