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Transcript
Teaching soil ecology in one lab session Becky Ball Arizona State University West Campus Pre-lab lecture: • Review basics of soil formation, profile, and components. • Talk about variation among ecosystems, as well as within ecosystems. • Have students generate hypotheses about how soils might differ within their campus ecosystem (based on plant cover, management, etc.) Before measuring texture: • Discuss how soil water holding capacity and aeration influence biology. Using the tactile method of making a ribbon from a wet ball of soil Before measuring pH: • Discuss role of base cations and cation exchange Using a soil test kit. Methods from the accompanying instructions are posted on the board. Before measuring N: • Review the importance of nutrients in productivity. • Discuss why N is frequently limiting in ecosystems. Use a soil test kit. Methods from the accompanying instructions are posted on the board. Before counting microarthropods: • Review the soil food web • Introduce the various taxa they are likely to encounter • Emphasize that these biota are responsible for key processes (and that, essentially, they run the world). • Emphasize the vast amount of biodiversity in the soil. Using pre-extracted microarthropod samples that I collect before the lab. Method is discussed in lab.