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All Outputs (29)

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.

On the origin of carbon dioxide released from rewetted soils (2016)
Journal Article
Fraser, F., Corstanje, R., Deeks, L., Harris, J., Pawlett, M., Todman, L., …Ritz, K. (in press). On the origin of carbon dioxide released from rewetted soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 101, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.06.032

When dry soils are rewetted a pulse of CO2 is invariably released, and whilst this phenomenon has been studied for decades, the precise origins of this CO2 remain obscure. We postulate that it could be of chemical (i.e. via abiotic pathways), biochem... Read More about On the origin of carbon dioxide released from rewetted soils.

Defining and quantifying the resilience of responses to disturbance: a conceptual and modelling approach from soil science (2016)
Journal Article
Todman, L., Fraser, F., Corstanje, R., Deeks, L., Harris, J., Pawlett, M., …Whitmore, A. (2016). Defining and quantifying the resilience of responses to disturbance: a conceptual and modelling approach from soil science. Scientific Reports, 6(1), Article 28426. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28426

There are several conceptual definitions of resilience pertaining to environmental systems and, even if resilience is clearly defined in a particular context, it is challenging to quantify. We identify four characteristics of the response of a system... Read More about Defining and quantifying the resilience of responses to disturbance: a conceptual and modelling approach from soil science.

The holistic rhizosphere: integrating zones, processes, and semantics in the soil influenced by roots (2016)
Journal Article
York, L. M., Carminati, A., Mooney, S. J., Ritz, K., & Bennett, M. J. (2016). The holistic rhizosphere: integrating zones, processes, and semantics in the soil influenced by roots. Journal of Experimental Botany, 67(12), 3629-3643. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erw108

Despite often being conceptualized as a thin layer of soil around roots, the rhizosphere is actually a dynamic system of interacting processes. Hiltner originally defined the rhizosphere as the soil influenced by plant roots. However, soil physicists... Read More about The holistic rhizosphere: integrating zones, processes, and semantics in the soil influenced by roots.

Nanoparticles within WWTP sludges have minimal impact on leachate quality and soil microbial community structure and function (2016)
Journal Article
Durenkamp, M., Pawlett, M., Ritz, K., Harris, J. A., Neal, A. L., & McGrath, S. P. (2016). Nanoparticles within WWTP sludges have minimal impact on leachate quality and soil microbial community structure and function. Environmental Pollution, 211, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2015.12.063

One of the main pathways by which engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) enter the environment is through land application of waste water treatment plant (WWTP) sewage sludges. WWTP sludges, enriched with Ag and ZnO ENPs or their corresponding soluble metal... Read More about Nanoparticles within WWTP sludges have minimal impact on leachate quality and soil microbial community structure and function.

A review of the impacts of degradation threats on soil properties in the UK (2015)
Journal Article
Gregory, A., Ritz, K., McGrath, S., Quinton, J., Goulding, K., Jones, R., …Whitmore, A. (in press). A review of the impacts of degradation threats on soil properties in the UK. Soil Use and Management, 31(S1), https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12212

National governments are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of their soil resources and are shaping strategies accordingly. Implicit in any such strategy is that degradation threats and their potential effect on important soil properties a... Read More about A review of the impacts of degradation threats on soil properties in the UK.