Soil Ecology

[Lecture No.1]

Takuya Marumoto
Ph.D.

. Soil formation
( > hundred million years )
(1) Evolution process of life (F-1)
(2) Soil formation process
(F-2)
(3) Soil texture

(F-3)

2 Effects of plants, small animals and microbe on

soil formation
(1) Formation of soil aggregate under the metabolism of organic
matter by microbe
3 Microbe in soil aggregate
(F-5)
(F-4)
4 Biota in soil
(T-1)

5 Amount of microbe in upland soil

(F-6)

Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

1 A long period of time for soil formation

Releas
e of
Oxyge
n

-4,

Fig.1
-2,

Increas
e of
Oxyge
n

-1,

(Billion
years)

Accumulatio
n
of Oxygen
in
Evolution
process
Atmosphere

-0.5

of life

Discovered the oldest

Animal, Fossil

Appear of the oldest

Algae

Generation of Eukaryote

Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

Landed on

Fungu
s

Amoe
ba

Bacter
ia

Birth of Sea,
Synthesis of Organic
Birth
of Life
matter
Generation of Anaerobic
Generation of
bacteria
Cyanobacteria

1 A long period of time for soil formation

( > hundred million years )

(Present
)

1 A long period of time for soil formation

Fig.2

Soil formation process

Aggregate
Formation
Soil Formation

Clay-Humus
Complex

Microbial Action

Several
thousand ~
million years

Several
decades ~
hundred
years

Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

Several
thousand ~
million years

Organic
matter
from Plants

Humus
Formation

Physicochemic
al
Weathering
Mineral-Flow,
Recrystallizati
on

Microbial Action

Formation of
Clay minerals

Rock Stone

( > hundred million years )

1 A long period of time for soil formation

( > hundred million years )
100%
Clay
90
10

e
Fin nd
sa

80
20
70
30

60

Heavy clay
Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

Cla

40
50
50

40
30
20
10

0%
10 n d
Sa

Fig.3

Sandy 70
clay
Sandy
clay 80
loam
Sandy
loam

90
20

80
10

Soil texture

Light
clay

Clay
loam
90 Loam
70

Fine sandy
clay
Fine clay
loam
Fine loam

60

50

Sand

40

30

1
sa 00
nd %
Fi
ne

60

(Triangle figure of soil texture by international rule)

2 Effects of plants, small animals and microbe

on soil formation

Surface soil
(Development of
aggregate)
Development of plant root
Living house of soil
Subsoil
microbe
(Single grain)

Organic
matter

Faun Aggregate
formation
a

Microbe
Hum
us
_ NH4 K
_
_

Single grain

Ca
Mg

Clay
_
_minerals _
_
H

Aggreg
ate

Degradati
on

Water
Air
Organic
matter
Clay

Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

Mycorrhiz
a

minerals
Soil
microbe
Soil fauna

Fig.4

Formation of soil aggregate under the

metabolism of organic matter by microbe

3 Microbe in soil aggregate

Macro
aggregate

Fungi

Gram
negative
bacteria
Microb
e
Protozoa

Soil particle

Fig.5

Gram
positive
Microbe in soil aggregate
bacteria

Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

Micro
aggregate

4 Biota in soil
Biota in soil
Size

Type

No./1g dry
soil
106 1010
1 106
10 1,000

Bacteria ( incl.
Microbe
1m sev.10
Actinomycetes )
m
Fungus
Algae
10 1,000
Micro fauna 4m 100 m Nematode
Protozoa(Ameba, Euglena)
Rotifer
No./1m2
Middle
100m 2 mm Tick, Earthworm, White ant, 103 105
fauna
etc.
2mm
1 10
sev.10mm
Spider, Earthworm,
Large fauna
Mollusk,
Grasshopper, Mole, etc.

Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

Tab.1

5 Amount of microbe in upland soil

Length of fungal hyphae
65106 km

Moon

Fungi 490 525Kg

Total amount of
microbe per 10a
upland soil 700Kg

Fig.6

Bacteria 140 175Kg

Soil fauna < 35Kg

Amount of microbe and fauna in 10a of upland soil

(Temperate Zone, M.Nishio 1989)

Soil Ecology - Lecture No.1 -

170times of distance
between the earth and moon