Soils and Biogeochemistry

More than half of Earth’s species live in the soil, study finds Study estimates soil is home to 90% of world’s fungi, 85% of plants and more than 50% of bacteria, making it the world’s most species-rich habitat

Lichens and the Meaning of Life “We are lichens on a grand scale.”

Climate-stressed trees get a boost from new microbial partnerships Climate change is subjecting plants to rapid shifts in temperature and precipitation, pushing them into new ranges and stressing them in old ones.

Increased droughts are disrupting carbon-capturing soil microbes, concerning ecologists Soil stores more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined, and soil microbes are largely responsible for putting it there. However, the increasing frequency and severity of drought, such as those that have been impacting California, could disrupt this delicate ecosystem.

Archaea in a warming climate become less diverse, more predictable Led by Jizhong Zhou, Ph.D., the director of the Institute for Environmental Genomics at the University of Oklahoma, an international research team conducted a long term experiment that found that climate warming reduced the diversity of and significantly altered the community structure of soil archa...

Scientists advocate for the inclusion of soil microbiomes in the One Health holistic approach The One Health approach considers a close link between the health of all living organisms and aims to bring them into a sustainable balance. However, the smallest organisms living in the soil, the so-called soil microbiome, have been largely ignored in this approach so far. Researchers aim to change...

First soil map of terrestrial and blue carbon highlights need for conservation New Curtin University research has identified the most carbon-rich soils in Australia are in areas that are most threatened by human activities and climate change, including Eucalypt and mangrove forests, and woodland and grassland areas that cover large parts of the country's interior.

The materials used by humans now weigh more than all life on Earth The extent of humanity's influence on the planet has become increasingly clear in recent years. From the alarming accumulation of plastic waste in our oceans to the sprawling growth of urban areas, the size of our impact is undeniable.

Team uncovers plant remediation effects on petroleum contamination Initial choices about fertilization and grass seeding could have a long-lasting effect on how plants and their associated microbes break down pollution in petroleum-contaminated soils, a research team led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor recently reported.

Happy ; respect and love for the commonly overlooked below-ground. Without soil's immense biodiversity, our world would come to a grinding halt. (photo Mara Johnson)

Cosmo Sheldrake - Tardigrade Song My music, shows/tour dates, merch, socials and more can be found here https://linktr.ee/cosmosheldrakeMixed by alalal (aka Al O'Connell) and mastered by The ...

Extreme wildfires are turning the world's largest forest ecosystem from carbon sink into net-emitter The vast boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere stretch from Scandinavia through Siberia, Alaska and Canada. They cover a tenth of the world's land but hold one-third of the land's carbon, stored mainly in organic-rich soils and in trees. Now, a new study in the journal Science provides further e...

Humans are leaving behind a 'frozen signature' of microbes on Mount Everest Almost 5 miles above sea level in the Himalayan mountains, the rocky dip between Mount Everest and its sister peak, Lhotse, lies windswept, free of snow. It is here at the South Col where hundreds of adventurers pitch their final camp each year before attempting to scale the world's tallest peak fro...

New mycorrhizal dominance mechanism drives scale-dependent biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships The ecological impact of biodiversity ecosystem functioning (BEF) is currently one of the most vibrant research areas in ecology. In forest ecosystems, however, BEF relationships tend to be spatially scale dependent. These scale-dependent BEF relationships challenge prevailing BEF theories, and the....

New predictive models developed for bacterial diversity of soils A new set of quantitative models that incorporates pH into the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) has been developed by an international team that includes Penn State assistant professor of plant science Francisco Dini-Andreote.

Astrobiologist suggests we look for signs of life from elsewhere in the galaxy by studying space dust Tomonori Totani, an astrobiologist with the University of Tokyo is proposing that the search for life beyond Earth be expanded to the study of space dust. In his paper published in the journal International Journal of Astrobiology, he suggests that space dust could be harboring signs of life blasted...

Microbes may play a key role in unleashing 'forever chemicals' from recycled-waste fertilizer "Forever chemicals" are everywhere—water, soil, crops, animals, the blood of 97% of Americans—researchers from Drexel University's College of Engineering are trying to figure out how they got there. Their recent findings suggest that the microbes that help break down biodegradable materials and ...

'Forever chemicals' have made their way to farms, says researcher They stop your food from sticking to the pan. They prevent stains in clothes and carpets. They help firefighting foam to extinguish fires. But the very thing that makes "forever chemicals" so useful also makes them dangerous.

Global comparison shows that soil transplantation boosts nature restoration A new study comparing 46 field experiments in 17 countries across four continents clearly spells it out: Areas in need of nature restoration benefit from soil transplantation. The global results were collected by an international research team coordinated by Jasper Wubs from the Netherlands Institut...

New study settles long-standing debate: Does agricultural erosion create a carbon sink or source? Over the last decade, researchers have sounded the alarm on soil erosion being the biggest threat to global food security. As world governments moved to implement soil conservation practices, a new debate began: does agricultural soil erosion create a net organic carbon (OC) sink or source? The ques...

Do trees really stay in touch via a 'wood-wide web'? Here's what the evidence says Trees in a forest might look solitary but they are connected underground by a complex network of thread-like strands of fungi, some of which may only be visible to us as mushrooms on the surface. Through these connections in the soil, trees are widely believed to share food, water and even informati...

Soil restoration may be the key to better health and well-being in urban areas From China's mega-cities to Australia's sprawling suburbs, scientists are calling for grassroots action to raise awareness about the role of soil biodiversity to promote better human health and well-being.

Adding fungi to rosemary makes it more tasty Research from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Vitacress Herbs and Royal Holloway has shown that the addition of mycorrhizal fungi to soil leads to increased production of essential oils in rosemary, making the plants more aromatic and flavorsome.

Creatures That Don’t Conform – Lucy Jones In the woods near her home, Lucy Jones discovers the magic of slime molds and becomes entangled in their fluid, nonbinary way of being.

Soil tainted by air pollution expels carbon New UC Riverside research suggests nitrogen released by gas-powered machines causes dry soil to let go of carbon and release it back into the atmosphere, where it can contribute to climate change.

It's in the rules to play dirty in this new soil-themed board game Avoid fertilizer catastrophes and enrich the soil in a free-to-play, cooperative board game where dirt is the star.

New method unearths improved understanding of soil microbial interactions Linking the identity of wild microbes with their physiological traits and environmental functions is a key aim for environmental microbiologists. Of the techniques that strive for this goal, Stable Isotope Probing—SIP—is considered the most effective for studying active microorganisms in natural...

Nitrous oxide emissions higher from soils lacking organic matter Emissions from soil of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide can be drastically reduced just by adding carbon-rich manure, new research from Rothamsted Research and the University of Bristol shows.

It isn't the picky eaters that drive soil microbial metabolism Interactions among microorganisms in soil lead to the release of nutrients derived from complex organic matter in that soil. This community metabolism creates food for both microbes and plants. However, scientists don't fully understand the specific nature of many of these interactions. For example,...