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Biological Properties of Forest Soils

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Forest Soils

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Abstract

Many organisms, both macro- and micro- flora and fauna, live in the forest floor and mineral layers of the forest soil. Macrofloras include plant roots, which function in water storage, drainage, aeration, and nutrient cycling in soil by their proliferation, death, and decay. In addition, microfloras influence biological and biochemical environment of the soil by their rhizoplane and rhizosphere effects. Soil microflora includes algae, bacteria, and fungi, which act on organic matter and mineral transformations. Organic matter decomposition, humification, mineralization, nitrification, denitrification, nitrogen fixation, etc., are some of the important transformations mediated by forest soil microflora. Forest soil harbors plenty of macro-, meso-, and microfauna, including rotifers, nematodes, protozoa, acari, collembolan, protura, diplura, symphyla, enchytraedae, isoptera, opiliones, isopoda, amphipoda, chilopoda, diplopoda, megadrili, coleoptera, mollusca, earthworms, etc. Soil faunas fragment litters and mix them with the mineral soils through their burrows. They regulate the structure and composition of soil biotic communities and their functions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh

    Khan Towhid Osman

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  1. Khan Towhid Osman
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Correspondence to Khan Towhid Osman .

Study Questions

Study Questions

  1. 1.

    Mention important forest soil flora and fauna. Explain roots as living components of forest ecosystems. Describe functions of mycorrhiza.

  2. 2.

    Give a brief account of forest soil flora. Narrate functions of bacteria and fungi in a forest soil.

  3. 3.

    Classify forest soil fauna on the basis of body width. Explain functions of soil microfauna.

  4. 4.

    What are mesofaunas? Discuss mesofaunas of the forest soils and their functions.

  5. 5.

    Describe macrofaunas of different forest ecosystem and explain their functions.

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© 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Osman, K. (2013). Biological Properties of Forest Soils. In: Forest Soils. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02541-4_5

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