Though it might seem inanimate, the soil under our feet is very much alive. It's filled with countless microorganisms actively breaking down organic matter, like fallen leaves and plants, and performing a host of other functions ...
Ecology
Jun 4, 2021
1
904
Nearly a third of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere annually can be traced back to bacteria living in the soil, where they break down plant and animal matter for energy.
Environment
Nov 24, 2017
3
322
Farmers add calcium to their soil for many reasons related to increasing crop yields—including regulating pH and improving soil structure.
Ecology
Nov 20, 2023
1
97
Plants eat the darndest things. Scientists have discovered a small flowering plant living in the sandy soils of Brazil that traps nematodes, or roundworms, with sticky underground leaves -- and gobbles them up.
Plants & Animals
Jan 9, 2012
3
0
The tannins that help make good red wine and bright fall colors also may help make good soil and healthy livestock, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers.
Environment
Nov 18, 2010
0
0
As the planet has warmed, scientists have long been concerned about the potential for harmful greenhouse gases to seep out of thawing Arctic permafrost. Recent estimates suggest that by 2100 the amount of carbon dioxide and ...
Ecology
May 28, 2024
1
86
Kate Scow, a professor of soil science and soil microbial ecology at UC Davis, keeps plastic bags filled with soil on her desk.
Environment
Mar 3, 2017
1
619
Permafrost underlies nearly 85 percent of Alaska and nearly a quarter of the landmass in the northern hemisphere. This perennially frozen soil contains twice as much carbon as is found in the Earth's atmosphere. Since the ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 1, 2019
8
188
While domestication of plants has yielded bigger crops, the process has often had a negative effect on plant microbiomes, making domesticated plants more dependent on fertilizer and other soil amendments than their wild relatives.
Ecology
Mar 10, 2020
0
668
Scientists have known that microbes living in the ground can play a major role in producing atmospheric carbon that can accelerate climate change, but now researchers from The University of Texas at Austin have discovered ...
Environment
May 29, 2017
0
354
