Phosphorus in Action Biological Processes in Soil Phosphorus Cycling

About this book

Phosphorus (P) is a finite resource which is essential for life. It is a limiting nutrient in many ecosystems but also a pollutant which can affect biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems and change the ecology of water bodies. This book collects the latest information on biological processes in soil P cycling, which to date have remained much less understood than physico-chemical processes. The methods section presents spectroscopic techniques and the characterization of microbial P forms, as well as the use of tracers, molecular approaches and modeling of soil-plant systems.

The section on processes deals with mycorrhizal symbioses, microbial P solubilization, soil macrofauna, phosphatase enzymes and rhizosphere processes. On the system level, P cycling is examined for grasslands, arctic and alpine soils, forest plantations, tropical forests, and dryland regions. Further, P management with respect to animal production and cropping, and the interactions between global change and P cycling, are treated.

Contents

Part 1: Methods
- Soil organic phosphorus speciation by spectroscopic techniques
- Characterization of phosphorus forms in soil microorganisms
- The use of tracers to investigate phosphate cycling in soil/plant systems
- Molecular approaches to study biological phosphorus cycling
- Modelling phosphorus dynamics in the soil-plant system

Part 2: Processes
- Role of mycorrhizal symbioses in phosphorus cycling
- Solubilization of phosphorus by soil microorganisms
- Role of soil macrofauna in phosphorus cycling
- Role of phosphatase enzymes in soil
- Phosphorus nutrition: Rhizosphere processes, plant response and adaptations

Part 3: Ecosystems and Management
- Biological phosphorus cycling in grasslands: Interactions with Nitrogen
- Biological phosphorus cycling in arctic and alpine soils
- Phosphorus nutrition of forest plantations: the role of inorganic and organic phosphorus
- Phosphorus cycling in tropical forests growing on highly weathered soils
- Biological Phosphorus cycling in dryland regions
- Effects of manure management on phosphorus biotransformations and losses during animal production
- Management impacts on biological phosphorus cycling in cropped soils
- Phosphorus and global change

Appendix - General Conclusions
Index

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