microbes in soil, decomposition of organic materials in soil, composition of soil, actinomyces, geosmin, microbe requirements in soil

1. Microbe Population in Soil b.stev

2. The process of the degradation of organic material in the soil and the microbes that perform these processes DISCUSSION:

3. 85% dead matter 10% roots of living plants 5% microbes soil & animals SOIL organisms that degrade materials: microbes/ ants/ worms Ants/ beetles/ microarthropods Composition of SOIL is:

4. 1. Structures easy to decompose ie:sugars/starch/protein 2 . 10 weeks - leaves decompose cellulose (insoluble carbohydrate of plants) 30 weeks: stem material thinner lignan (complex structure of wood)‏ 3 . 10 years – waxes/ phenols/ lignan 4. HUMUS - result of compounds that resist decomposition and have accumulated in soil (Soil Health, 2008)

5. DEGRADATION is a series of steps that: break the molecular structure of the organic matter into smaller & smaller components . THEN: mineral nutrients are released to the soil

6. 1. chemical alteration occurs 2. physical fragmentation 3. release of mineral nutrients 3 steps in degradation of organic matter (Soil Health, 2008)

8. THESE minerals in soil aid the microbes metabolism ; by enabling the transfer of electrons within the reactions that occur (Soil Health, 2008)

9. Type & amount of organic matter Their ability to ADAPT depends upon: POROSITY NUTRIENTS pH 6.0-8.0 TEMPERATURE 15-30 o C contaminants AVAILABLE O 2 (Texas A and M University, 2008)

10. Other common Microbes in soil: Bacillus (genus) SUBTILIS Actinomycete (genus) STREPTOMYCES Clostridium (genus) PERFRINGENS

12. Bibliography Soil Health. (2008). Soil organic matter . Retrieved September 21, 2008, from http//:www. soil health.com/ organic - Texas A and M University. (2008). Welcome to soil and crop sciences at Texas A and M University. Retrieved September 20, 2008, from http//: www.organiclifestyles.tamu.edu/ soil / microbe index.html - 32k - Wikipedia. (2008). Soil life . Soil life – wikipedia, the free encylopedia. Retrieved September 24, 2008, from http//:en.wikipedia.org/wiki / Soil _life - 35k -