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All Outputs (28)

Arable soil nitrogen dynamics reflect organic inputs via the extended composite phenotype (2022)
Journal Article
Neal, A. L., Barrat, H. A., Bacq-Lebreuil, A., Qin, Y., Zhang, X., Takahashi, T., …Crawford, J. W. (2023). Arable soil nitrogen dynamics reflect organic inputs via the extended composite phenotype. Nature Food, 4, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00671-z

Achieving food security requires resilient agricultural systems with improved nutrient-use efficiency, optimized water and nutrient storage in soils, and reduced gaseous emissions. Success relies on understanding coupled nitrogen and carbon metabolis... Read More about Arable soil nitrogen dynamics reflect organic inputs via the extended composite phenotype.

Immediate environmental impacts of transformation of an oil palm intercropping to a monocropping system in a tropical peatland (2022)
Journal Article
Dhandapani, S., Girkin, N. T., Evers, S., Ritz, K., & Sjögersten, S. (2022). Immediate environmental impacts of transformation of an oil palm intercropping to a monocropping system in a tropical peatland. Mires and Peat, 28, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.19189/MaP.2021.GDC.StA.2290

The expansion of oil palm plantations is one of the greatest threats to carbon-rich tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia. More than half of the oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands of Peninsular Malaysia are smallholder-based, which typically f... Read More about Immediate environmental impacts of transformation of an oil palm intercropping to a monocropping system in a tropical peatland.

Soil as an extended composite phenotype of the microbial metagenome (2020)
Journal Article
Neal, A. L., Bacq-Labreuil, A., Zhang, X., Clark, I. M., Coleman, K., Mooney, S. J., …Crawford, J. W. (2020). Soil as an extended composite phenotype of the microbial metagenome. Scientific Reports, 10(1), Article 10649. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-67631-0

© 2020, The Author(s). We use a unique set of terrestrial experiments to demonstrate how soil management practises result in emergence of distinct associations between physical structure and biological functions. These associations have a significant... Read More about Soil as an extended composite phenotype of the microbial metagenome.

Potential Use of Rice Husk Biochar and Compost to Improve P Availability and Reduce GHG Emissions in Acid Sulfate Soil (2020)
Journal Article
Phuong, N. T. K., Khoi, C. M., Ritz, K., Sinh, N. V., Tarao, M., & Toyota, K. (2020). Potential Use of Rice Husk Biochar and Compost to Improve P Availability and Reduce GHG Emissions in Acid Sulfate Soil. Agronomy, 10(5), Article 685. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10050685

© 2020 by the authors. Acid sulfate soil (ASS) has major problems related to phosphorus deficiency and high potential for N2O emissions, as well as strong acidity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of rice husk biochar and compo... Read More about Potential Use of Rice Husk Biochar and Compost to Improve P Availability and Reduce GHG Emissions in Acid Sulfate Soil.

Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.) affects soil structure differently depending on soil texture (2019)
Journal Article
Bacq-Labreuil, A., Crawford, J., Mooney, S., Neal, A., & Ritz, K. (2019). Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.) affects soil structure differently depending on soil texture. Plant and Soil, 441(1-2), 543-554. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04144-4

© 2019, The Author(s). Aims: We studied the effects of Phacelia tanacetifolia, increasingly used as a cover-crop species in arable agricultural systems, upon soil structural properties in the context of two contrasting soil textures. We hypothesised... Read More about Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.) affects soil structure differently depending on soil texture.

Cover crop species have contrasting influence upon soil structural genesis and microbial community phenotype (2019)
Journal Article
Bacq-Labreuil, A., Crawford, J., Mooney, S. J., Neal, A. L., & Ritz, K. (2019). Cover crop species have contrasting influence upon soil structural genesis and microbial community phenotype. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 7473. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43937-6

Cover crops (plants grown in an agricultural rotation between cash crops) can significantly improve soil quality via sequestering carbon, retaining nutrients, decreasing soil erosion, and maintaining belowground biodiversity. However, little is know... Read More about Cover crop species have contrasting influence upon soil structural genesis and microbial community phenotype.

A modified high-throughput analysis of PLFAs in soil (2018)
Journal Article
Ellis, S., & Ritz, K. (2018). A modified high-throughput analysis of PLFAs in soil. MethodsX, 5, 1491-1497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2018.10.022

Microbial community profiling via phospholipid fatty-acid (PLFA) analysis is an insightful technique which elucidates the phenotypic structure of microbial assemblages within soil. Previous iterations of PLFA analysis have used large quantities of ch... Read More about A modified high-throughput analysis of PLFAs in soil.

Soil compaction effects on litter decomposition in an arable field: implications for management of crop residues and headlands (2018)
Journal Article
Carlesso, L., Beadle, A., Cook, S. M., Evans, J., Hartwell, G., Ritz, K., …Murray, P. J. (2019). Soil compaction effects on litter decomposition in an arable field: implications for management of crop residues and headlands. Applied Soil Ecology, 134, 31-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.10.004

Soil compaction is a major threat to agricultural soils. Heavy machinery is responsible for damaging soil chemical, physical and biological properties. Among these, organic matter decomposition, which is predominantly mediated by the soil biota, is a... Read More about Soil compaction effects on litter decomposition in an arable field: implications for management of crop residues and headlands.

Evidence for functional state transitions in intensively-managed soil ecosystems (2018)
Journal Article
Todman, L., Fraser, F., Corstanje, R., Harris, J., Pawlett, M., Ritz, K., & Whitmore, A. (2018). Evidence for functional state transitions in intensively-managed soil ecosystems. Scientific Reports, 8, Article 11522. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29925-2

Soils are fundamental to terrestrial ecosystem functioning and food security, thus their resilience to disturbances is critical. Furthermore, they provide effective models of complex natural systems to explore resilience concepts over experimentally-... Read More about Evidence for functional state transitions in intensively-managed soil ecosystems.

Effects of cropping systems upon the three-dimensional architecture of soil systems are modulated by texture (2018)
Journal Article
Bacq-Labreuil, A., Crawford, J., Mooney, S. J., Neal, A. L., Akkari, E., McAuliffe, C., …Ritz, K. (2018). Effects of cropping systems upon the three-dimensional architecture of soil systems are modulated by texture. Geoderma, 332, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.07.002

Soil delivers fundamental ecosystem functions via interactions between physical and biological processes mediated by soil structure. The structure of soil is also dynamic and modified by natural factors and management intervention. The aim of this st... Read More about Effects of cropping systems upon the three-dimensional architecture of soil systems are modulated by texture.

TopCap: a tool to quantify soil surface topology and subsurface structure (2018)
Journal Article
Garbout, A., Sturrock, C. J., Armenise, E., Ahn, S., Simmons, R. W., Doerr, S., …Mooney, S. J. (2018). TopCap: a tool to quantify soil surface topology and subsurface structure. Vadose Zone Journal, 17(1), https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.05.0091

The surface of a material such as soil, as characterised by its topology and roughness, typically has a profound effect on its functional behaviour. Whilst non-destructive imaging techniques such as X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) have been extensivel... Read More about TopCap: a tool to quantify soil surface topology and subsurface structure.

Facilitating ecosystem assembly: plant-soil interactions as a restoration tool (2018)
Journal Article
van der Bij, A., Weijters, M., Robbink, R., Harris, J., Pawlett, M., Ritz, K., …van Diggelen, R. (2018). Facilitating ecosystem assembly: plant-soil interactions as a restoration tool. Biological Conservation, 220, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.02.010

Although plant-soil interactions are increasingly recognized as an important factor in ecosystem restoration, their effects on community assembly during de novo ecosystem establishment are largely unknown. In a heathland restoration trial after topso... Read More about Facilitating ecosystem assembly: plant-soil interactions as a restoration tool.

Proportion of sewage sludge to soil influences the survival of Salmonella Dublin, and Escherichia coli (2018)
Journal Article
Ellis, S., Tyrrel, S., O'Leary, E., Richards, K., Griffiths, B., & Ritz, K. (2018). Proportion of sewage sludge to soil influences the survival of Salmonella Dublin, and Escherichia coli. CLEAN - Soil, Air, Water, 46(4), https://doi.org/10.1002/clen.201800042

The survival of enteric pathogens in sewage sludge could lead to their transferral into the soil environment and subsequent contamination of crops and water courses. This, in turn, could increase the potential spread of gastrointestinal disease. This... Read More about Proportion of sewage sludge to soil influences the survival of Salmonella Dublin, and Escherichia coli.

Soil seal development under simulated rainfall: structural, physical and hydrological dynamics (2017)
Journal Article
Armenise, E., Simmons, R. W., Ahn, S., Garbout, A., Doen, S. H., Mooney, S. J., …Ritz, K. (2018). Soil seal development under simulated rainfall: structural, physical and hydrological dynamics. Journal of Hydrology, 556, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.10.073

This study delivers new insights into rainfall-induced seal formation through a novel approach in the use of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT). Up to now seal and crust thickness have been directly quantified mainly through visual examination of sealed/... Read More about Soil seal development under simulated rainfall: structural, physical and hydrological dynamics.

Shaping 3D root system architecture (2017)
Journal Article
Morris, E. C., Griffiths, M., Golebiowska, A., Mairhofer, S., Burr-Hersey, J., Goh, T., …Bennett, M. J. (2017). Shaping 3D root system architecture. Current Biology, 27(17), R919-R930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.043

Plants are sessile organisms rooted in one place. The soil resources that plants require are often distributed in a highly heterogeneous pattern. To aid foraging, plants have evolved roots whose growth and development are highly responsive to soil si... Read More about Shaping 3D root system architecture.

Developmental morphology of cover crop species exhibit contrasting behaviour to changes in soil bulk density, revealed by X-ray computed tomography (2017)
Journal Article
Burr-Hersey, J. E., Mooney, S. J., Bengough, A. G., Mairhofer, S., & Ritz, K. (2017). Developmental morphology of cover crop species exhibit contrasting behaviour to changes in soil bulk density, revealed by X-ray computed tomography. PLoS ONE, 12(7), Article e0181872. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181872

Plant roots growing through soil typically encounter considerable structural heterogeneity, and local variations in soil dry bulk density. The way the in situ architecture of root systems of different species respond to such heterogeneity is poorly u... Read More about Developmental morphology of cover crop species exhibit contrasting behaviour to changes in soil bulk density, revealed by X-ray computed tomography.

Effects of soil type and composition of rhizodeposits on rhizosphere priming phenomena (2016)
Journal Article
Lloyd, D. A., Ritz, K., Paterson, E., & Kirk, G. J. (2016). Effects of soil type and composition of rhizodeposits on rhizosphere priming phenomena. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 103, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.10.002

Inputs of fresh plant-derived C may stimulate microbially-mediated turnover of soil organic matter (SOM) in the rhizosphere. But studies of such ‘priming’ effects in artificial systems often produce conflicting results, depending on such variables as... Read More about Effects of soil type and composition of rhizodeposits on rhizosphere priming phenomena.

Distinct respiratory responses of soils to complex organic substrate are governed predominantly by soil architecture and its microbial community (2016)
Journal Article
Fraser, F., Todman, L., Corstanje, R., Deeks, L., Harris, J., Pawlett, M., …Ritz, K. (in press). Distinct respiratory responses of soils to complex organic substrate are governed predominantly by soil architecture and its microbial community. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 103, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.09.015

Factors governing the turnover of organic matter (OM) added to soils, including substrate quality, climate, environment and biology, are well known, but their relative importance has been difficult to ascertain due to the interconnected nature of the... Read More about Distinct respiratory responses of soils to complex organic substrate are governed predominantly by soil architecture and its microbial community.

Soil microbial community assembly precedes vegetation development after drastic techniques to mitigate effects of nitrogen deposition (2016)
Journal Article
van der Bij, A., Pawlett, M., Harris, J., Ritz, K., & van Diggelen, R. (2017). Soil microbial community assembly precedes vegetation development after drastic techniques to mitigate effects of nitrogen deposition. Biological Conservation, 212(B), 476-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.008

Oligotrophic semi-natural systems are threatened by high levels of nitrogen deposition. To mitigate these effects, drastic techniques such as sod-cutting and topsoil removal are applied to reduce nitrogen loads in existing systems and expand their ar... Read More about Soil microbial community assembly precedes vegetation development after drastic techniques to mitigate effects of nitrogen deposition.