Prevailing concepts relating to the non-enzymatic gaseous
loss of nitrite from soil are thought to be inadequate as regards
to the mechanisms involved. The conventional explanation for
nitric oxide formation i.e., the acid decomposition of nitrite,
is held to be insufficient in substrates of only mild or slight
acidity. A...
The mycorrhizal rootlets of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco.) and red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) were extensively investigated. A jet-black mycorrhiza was found to be dominant on Douglas-fir rootlets. The fungal symbiont was identified as Cenococcum graniforme (Sow.) Ferd. and Winge. Two forms of mycorrhizae predominated on root systems of...
Comparatively little work has been done to determine the ecology
of Clostridium botulinum type E since its initial isolation in the
nineteen-thirties. This spore forming, anaerobic microorganism is
relatively heat labile and has been missed in ecological surveys in
which heat was used to selectively screen for spore formers. Use...
Denitrification is classically defined as the microbial reduction
of nitrate and nitrite with the liberation of molecular nitrogen
and, in some instances, nitrous oxide. The sequence of reactions
in which nitrogen is evolved as an end-product is essentially a
respiratory mechanism in which nitrate and/or nitrite replaces
molecular oxygen. The...
Humus is one of the important factors controlling the soil
formation process. The nutrients released from it during the decomposition
process also affect the growth and reproduction of the
forest. The type of humus formed is influenced by the nature of the
forest litter and the environment in which it...