Tag

Soil Microbes

All articles tagged with #soil microbes

science23 days ago•19 min saved

Oak Forests Could Store More Carbon as CO2 Rises, Through a Soil-Microbe Nitrogen Link

Six-year CO2 enrichment around 180-year-old English oaks shows trees grew more wood by tapping additional soil nitrogen through a root-microbe partnership: elevated CO2 raised usable soil nitrogen by about 29%, trees absorbed extra nitrogen, and soil released almost what the trees used, indicating a faster but tighter nitrogen cycle and lower nitrous oxide emissions; while this hints at greater carbon storage in forests, nitrogen reserves are finite and the overall soil carbon balance remains uncertain, with results published in Science Advances.

via Earth.com|

#carbon-storage #co2 #forests

science4 months ago•6 min saved

Rain won’t smell like rain—it’s geosmin: the scent that signals water

The familiar rain aroma comes from geosmin, a pungent compound produced by soil-dwelling algae and bacteria. When water wets soil, geosmin is released into the air, creating the “petrichor” scent coined in 1964. Some researchers suggest detecting geosmin offered a survival advantage for early humans by signaling available water during droughts. Geosmin also influences beet flavor, linking soil biology to taste as well as scent.

via Boing Boing|

#geosmin #petrichor #rain-smell

environment1 year ago•4 min saved

Gophers' Remarkable Role in Reviving Mount St. Helens

After the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, scientists introduced gophers to the devastated landscape to aid in ecological recovery. The gophers' burrowing activities helped unearth beneficial microbes and fungi, significantly enhancing soil health and biodiversity. A recent study highlights the long-term positive impact of this intervention, showing increased microbial activity and plant growth in areas where gophers were introduced. This underscores the crucial role of soil microbes and fungi in ecosystem restoration.

via BBC Discover Wildlife|

#ecosystem-recovery #environment #gophers

environment2 years ago•4 min saved

"Soil Microbes and Nutrient Competition Impact Forest Growth and Climate Change"

New research reveals that increased CO2 levels lead soil microbes to retain more phosphorus, limiting its availability for tree growth, particularly in eucalypts. This challenges current climate projections that assume higher CO2 will boost forest growth and mitigate global warming, highlighting the need to consider soil nutrient dynamics in climate models.

via The Conversation Indonesia|

#co2-emissions #environment #forest-growth

environment2 years ago•5 min saved

"Microbial Warriors: How Soil Microorganisms Fight Desertification"

A new review of current research into combating desertification has identified soil microbes as critical to this mission, as they play vital roles in promoting soil health, impacting ecosystem functions, and supporting sustainable land management. The research highlights the potential of soil microbes to alleviate the stresses of desertification by improving soil fertility, encouraging carbon sequestration, stabilizing soil against erosion, and supporting biodiversity. Strategic application of soil microbes in various regions has shown measurable impacts on alleviating desertification, offering hope for more natural and sustainable management of this significant environmental challenge.

via Phys.org|

#biodiversity #climate-change #desertification

science3 years ago•4 min saved

Unexpected Role of Soil Microbes in Plant Drought Tolerance Revealed

New research challenges the conventional belief that soil microbes help plants cope with drought by responding to the plants' chemical signals. A study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that free-living soil microbes are primarily looking out for themselves. The environment selects for drought-tolerant microbes, which incidentally make plants more drought-tolerant. The study highlights the need for considering no-microbe and no-plant controls in future research to better understand plant-microbe interactions.

via Phys.org|

#drought-tolerance #environmental-stress #mutualism