BS 375 Lecture Notes - Vadose Zone, Halophyte, Aspergillus

• School: University of the Sciences
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BS 375

Document Summary

Unit 2 part 2 - microbes as a. Among all the microbial environments, terrestrial environments are one of the richest and most complex. Soil constitutes the major habitat of terrestrial microorganisms and is very favorable for growth and activities of microbes. All soils contain rich diversity of active microorganisms. Various zones of soil: surface soil, unsaturated or vadose zone, saturated zone or underground aquifers. Soil texture: is determined by relative proportion of mineral particles of different sizes present in the soil. The distribution (on percentage by weight) of sand, silt, and clay with a porous medium defines its texture. Gravel and stones are excluded from the texture. Soils in nature are generally found in aggregates. Soil structure: the aggregated conditions depending upon the mode of arrangement of the groups of mineral matrix gives a definite pattern to soil. It is the second important component of solid phase of porous media.