In this citizen science project, we combined a standardised litter bag method (Tea Bag Index) with microbiome analysis of bacteria and fungi colonising the teabags to gain a holistic understanding of the carbon degradation dynamics in temperate European soils. Our method focuses only on the active part of the soil microbiome. The results show that about one-third of the prokaryotes and one-fifth of the fungal species (ASVs) in the soil were enriched in response to the presence of fresh OM.

Forest conversion alters both bacterial and fungal soil networks: it reduces bacterial network complexity and enhances fungal network complexity. This is because forest conversion changes the soil pH and other soil properties, which alters the bacterial composition and subsequent network structure. Our study demonstrates the impact of forest conversion on soil network structure, which has important implications for ecosystem functions and the health of soil ecosystems in tropical regions.

Straw mulching is not always combined with no-till systems during conservation tillage. We explored the effects of long-term straw mulching on soil attributes with soil depths under a no-till system. Compared to straw removal, straw mulching had various effects on soil properties at different depths, the biggest difference occurring at the topsoil depth. Overall, straw mulch is highly recommended for use under the no-till system because of its benefits to soil fertility and bacterial abundance.

Soil quality is important for functioning of the agricultural ecosystem to sustain productivity. It is combination of several physical, chemical, and biological attributes. In the present work, we developed a soil biological quality index, a sub-set of the soil quality index (SBQI) using six important biological variables. These variables were computed from long-term manurial experimental soils and transformed into a unitless 10-scaled SBQI. This will provide constraints of soil processes.

Via anthropogenic input, microplastics (MPs) today represent a part of the soil organic matter. We analyzed studies on passive translocation, active ingestion, bioaccumulation and adverse effects of MPs on multicellular soil faunal life. These studies on a wide range of soil organisms found a recurring pattern of adverse effects on motility, growth, metabolism, reproduction, mortality and gut microbiome. However, the shape and type of the experimental MP often did not match natural conditions.

Modern agriculture is dominated by monoculture crop production, having negative effects on soil biology. We used a 12-year crop rotation experiment to examine the effects of increasing crop diversity on soil microorganisms and their activity. Crop rotations increased microbial biomass by up to 112 %, and increased potential ability to supply nitrogen as much as 58 %, compared to monoculture corn. Collectively, our findings show that soil health is increased when crop diversity is increased.

Dedicated bioenergy crops are required for future energy production; however the effects of land use change from traditional crops to biofuel crops on soil microbial communities, which drive greenhouse gas production, are largely unknown. We used quantitative PCR to enumerate these microbial communities to assess the sustainability of different bioenergy crops, including miscanthus and corn. We found that miscanthus may be a suitable crop for bioenergy production in variable Ontario conditions.

Enhancing soil health is key to providing ecosystem services and food security. There are often trade-offs to using a particular practice, or it is not fully understood. This work aimed to identify practices beneficial to soil health and gaps in our knowledge. We reviewed existing research on agricultural practices and an expert panel assessed their effectiveness. The three most beneficial practices used a mix of organic or inorganic material, cover crops, or crop rotations.

This review covers the history and advances made in the area of nematode taxonomy. It highlights the success and limitations of the classical approach to nematode taxonomy and provides reader with a bit of background to the applications of protein and DNA-based methods for identification nematodes. The review also outlines the pros and cons of the use of DNA barcoding in nematology and explains how DNA metabarcoding has been applied in nematology through next-generation sequencing.

We investigated fire's effects on root decomposition and carbon (C) flow to the soil food web. We used ¹³C-labeled dead roots buried in microcosms constructed from two burn treatment soils (annual and infrequent burn). Our results showed greater root decomposition and C flow to the soil food web for the annual burn compared to infrequent burn treatment. Thus, roots are a more important C source for decomposers in annually burned areas where surface plant litter is frequently removed by fire.