Soil biology

An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they were in the order of Opisthopora since the male pores opened posterior to the female pores, although the internal male segments are anterior to the female. Theoretical cladistic studies have placed them in the suborder Lumbricina of the order Haplotaxida, but this may change. Other slang names for earthworms include "dew-worm", "rainworm", "nightcrawler", and

biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere

thumb|Introductory video animation providing some basic information about mycorrhizas.

biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into various chemical forms

process which converts nitrogen from the air into compounds such as ammonia

thumb|upright=1.7| (A) Root system architecture is concerned with structural features of the root and responds to with environmental stimuli. (B) The rhizosphere produces photosynthetically fixed carbon that exudes into the soil and influences soil physicochemical gradients. (C) Free-living or [[parasitic nematodes interact with the rhizosphere via signaling interactions. (D) Mycorrhizal fungi create intimate relationships with the roots and engage in nutrient exchange. (E) Bacterial composition is distinct upon different parts, age, type of the roots.]]

thumb|Earthworms are soil-dwelling detritivores. Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants that eat detritus or carry out coprophagy. By doing so, all these detritivores contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles. Detritivores should be distinguished from other decomposers, such as many species of bacteria, fungi and protists, which are unable to ingest discr

right|thumb|300px|Nitrogen cycle

Glomeromycota (often referred to as glomeromycetes, as they include only one class, Glomeromycetes) are one of eight currently recognized divisions within the kingdom Fungi,

biogeochemical movement

biogeochemical cycle of sulfur

part of a plant. any of the hollow hairlike outgrowths of the outer cells of a root, just behind the tip, that absorb water and salts from the soil

species of fungus

chemolithotrophic organism(s)

Lithotrophs are a diverse group of organisms using an inorganic substrate (usually of mineral origin) to obtain reducing equivalents for use in biosynthesis (e.g., carbon dioxide fixation) or energy conservation (i.e., ATP production) via aerobic or anaerobic respiration. While lithotrophs in the broader sense include photolithotrophs like plants, chemolithotrophs are exclusively microorganisms; no known macrofauna possesses the ability to use inorganic compounds as electron sources. Macrofauna and lithotrophs can form symbiotic relationships, in which case the lithotrophs are called "prokaryo

Nitrosomonas is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the class Betaproteobacteria. It is one of the five genera of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and, as an obligate chemolithoautotroph, uses ammonia (NH3) as an energy source and carbon dioxide (CO2) as a carbon source in the presence of oxygen.

collective term for organisms living in soil or at the soil–litter interface

study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil

thumb|right|Root nodules, each containing billions of Rhizobiaceae bacteria

thumbnail|Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis, showing root tips with fungal mycelium from the genus [[Amanita]]

endomycorrhiza in which the symbiont fungus penetrates the cortical cells of the roots of a vascular plant forming arbuscules

Scientific book about earthworms by Charles Darwin, 1881

microbiology of soils

type of branching plant root system

soil horizon

network of inward growing hyphae

study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment

Brevibacterium is a genus of bacteria of the order Micrococcales. They are Gram-positive soil organisms.

environmental impact of agricultural and industrial nitrogen

Malacidins are a class of chemicals made by bacteria found in soil that can kill Gram-positive bacteria. Their activity appears to be dependent on calcium. The discovery of malacidins was published in 2018.

Glomalin is a hypothetical glycoprotein produced abundantly on hyphae and spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in soil and in roots. Glomalin was proposed in 1996 by Sara F. Wright, a scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, but it was not isolated and described yet. The name comes from Glomerales, an order of fungi. Most AM fungi are of the division Glomeromycota. An elusive substance, it is mostly assumed to have a glue-like effect on soil, but it has not been isolated yet.

bacteria using nitrate and nitrite as a terminal electron acceptor

plants hosting N-fixing Frankia symbioants in nodules

chemical process produced by soil and the organisms within it

agricultural amendment

Micromonosporaceae is a family of bacteria of the class Actinomycetia. They are gram-positive, spore-forming soil organisms that form a true mycelium.

thumb|right|250px|Fungi are the primary decomposers in most environments, illustrated here [[Mycena interrupta.]] Saprophages are organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming decomposing dead plant or animal biomass. They are distinguished from detritivores in that saprophages are sessile consumers while detritivores are mobile. Typical saprophagic animals include sedentary polychaetes such as amphitrites (worms of the family Terebellidae) and other terebellids.

genus of bacteria

Microbacteriaceae is a family of bacteria of the order Actinomycetales. They are Gram-positive soil organisms.

species of fungus

Cytophaga is a genus of Gram-negative, gliding, rod-shaped bacteria. This bacterium is commonly found in soil, and rapidly digests crystalline cellulose. C. hutchinsonii is able to use its gliding motility to move quickly over surfaces. Although the mechanism for this is not known, there is a belief that the flagellum is not used.

species of bacterium

complex living system in the soil

fauna living in soil

Intrasporangiaceae is an actinomycete family. The family is named after the type genus Intrasporangium. The type species of Intrasporangium (I. calvum) was originally thought to form endospores; however, the mycelium of this strain may bear intercalary vesicles that were originally identified as spores. No members of Intrasporangiaceae are known to form spores.

thumb|right|300px|Cross section though a soybean (Glycine max 'Essex') root nodule: The rhizobacteria, Bradyrhizobium|Bradyrhizobium japonicum, colonizes the roots and establishes a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. This high-magnification image shows part of a cell with single bacteroids within their host plant. In this image, endoplasmic reticulum, dictysome, and cell wall can be seen.

Thermomonosporaceae is a family of bacteria that share similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. The family Thermomonosporaceae includes aerobic, Gram-positive, non-acid-fast, chemo-organotrophic Actinomycetota. They produce a branched substrate mycelium bearing aerial hyphae that undergo differentiation into single or short chains of arthrospores. All species of Thermomonosporaceae share the same cell wall type (type III; meso-diaminopimelic acid), a similar menaquinone profile in which MK-9(H6)is predominant, and fatty acid profile type 3a. The presence of the diagnostic sugar maduro

group of nematodes

study of animals that live in soil

symbiotic relationship between orchids and some fungi

species of fungus

The Hyphomicrobiales (synonym Rhizobiales) are an order of Gram-negative Alphaproteobacteria.

Beutenbergiaceae is an Actinomycete family.