Three-Dimensional Microorganization of the Soil: Root–Microbe System

Title
Three-Dimensional Microorganization of the Soil: Root–Microbe System
Publication Date
2006
Author(s)
Feeney, Debbie S
Crawford, John W
Daniell, Tim J
Hallett, Paul D
Nunan, Naoise
Ritz, Karl
Rivers, Mark
Young, Iain
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Springer New York LLC
Place of publication
United States of America
DOI
10.1007/s00248-006-9062-8
UNE publication id
une:5682
Abstract
Soils contain the greatest reservoir of biodiversity on Earth, and the functionality of the soil ecosystem sustains the rest of the terrestrial biosphere. This functionality results from complex interactions between biological and physical processes that are strongly modulated by the soil physical structure. Using a novel combination of biochemical and biophysical indicators and synchrotron microtomography, we have discovered that soil microbes and plant roots microengineer their habitats by changing the porosity and clustering properties (i.e., spatial correlation) of the soil pores. Our results indicate that biota act to significantly alter their habitat toward a more porous, ordered, and aggregated structure that has important consequences for functional properties, including transport processes. These observation s support the hypothesis that the soil-plant-microbe complex is self-organized.
Link
Citation
Microbial Ecology, 52(1), p. 151-158
ISSN
1432-184X
0095-3628
Start page
151
End page
158

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