Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 13
SOIL ENZYME ACTIVITIES,
MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES,
AND CARBON AND NITROGEN
AVAILABILITY IN ORGANIC
AGROECOSYSTEMS ACROSS
AN INTENSIVELY-MANAGED
AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE
TIMOTHY M. BOWLES, VERONICA ACOSTA-MARTÍNEZ,
FRANCISCO CALDER
Ó
N,
AND
LOUISE E. JACKSON
13.1 INTRODUCTION
Agricultural landscapes exhibit a high degree of spatial variability, includ-
ing variation in soil physicochemical characteristics and agroecosystem
management (Drinkwater et al., 1995 and Vasseur et al., 2013), which can
affect the activity and composition of the soil biota (Acosta-Martínez et
al., 2008 and Schipanski and Drinkwater, 2012). Soil microbes mediate the
biochemical transformations of organic matter that underpin essential eco-
system functions, including decomposition, mineralization of plant avail-
able nutrients, and nutrient retention. Organic production relies on these
Reprinted from
Soil Biology and Biochemistry
, Vol 68, Bowles TM, Acosta-Martínez V, Calderón F,
and Jackson LE, Soil Enzyme Activities, Microbial Communities, and Carbon and Nitrogen Avail-
ability in Organic Agroecosystems Across an Intensively-Managed Agricultural Landscape. Pages
252-262, Copyright 2014, with permission from Elsevier.
