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Biochar Properties
Microbes & Climate
Research report in professional journal Biogeochemistry
Centre for Environmental Research, Switzerland
Hyphomicrobium Helmholtz
bacteria (yellow)
grow on solid surfaces & Technical
grains. University of Dresden, Germany
University of Stockholm, Sweden
When bacteria cells
die,
Max
Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Germany
they deform or fragment Leibniz University, Hanover, Germany
until only
cell envelopes
remain.remnants to soil fertility are underestimated
Contributions
of bacteria
Most plant debris in fertile soil is rapidly processed by microbes (bacteria)
Small
fragment
shells
It was
assumed
Soil
Organic
Matter
is thus,
mostly
decomposed
plant matter
leading
to(red)
more
bacteria
and
more
cell fragments.
form This
micro-particle
matrix
in
soils.
which
converts
to humic
substances
results
in directly
more Soil
Organic
Matter.
Lab experiments and field tests refute this.
Although most organic carbon is produced mainly by plants,
Easily degradable plant matter is converted to microbe biomass,
a large part is residues of bacteria and fungi.
which then provides source material to Soil Organic Matter
This underscores the importance of bacteria in all types of soil.
40% of microbe biomass is converted to Soil Organic Matter
Further, of
microbes
are important
global
Remains
dead bacteria
are far for
greater
in climate:
soils than previously assumed.
Decay of organic matter results in mineralization + CO2 + H2O
CO2Organic
escapingMatter
annually
to the
atmosphere
from
decaying
Organic Matter
Soil
is the
largest
fraction of
carbon
in theSoil
biosphere,
is inplays
the same
range
as and
annual
greenhouse
gas emissions.
and
key roles
in of
soilscale
fertility
agricultural
yields.
Microbes also a key factor to control CO2 concentration in the
atmosphere.
PHOTO:
Burkhard Schmidt-Brücken
Thus,
progress
in
climate
protection
isn’t
achievable
without
first
protecting
soil.
Material Science/TU
Dresden
Climatic change can be slowed or accelerated, according Institute
to soilofmanagement
COLOR: Christian Schurig/ UFZ
Biochar Properties
Bacteria & Biochar
Spores of
G. Margarita
germination higher than on soil
Dr. Makato Ogawa
1991
biochar provides preferred habitat for soil microbes
residential refuges for micro-orgamisms
PHOTO: Makato Ogawa, Japan, 1991
Biochar Properties
Bacteria & Biochar
3-fold
increase
Bacteria populations
show sharp increase
after charcoal addition
Beijerinckia & Ogawa
1992
Biochar Properties
Bacteria & Nitrogen Cycle
Molybdenum
nitrogenase enzyme
• Rhizobia (symbiotic)
• Frankia (symbiotic)
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
• Azotobacters (free-living)
• Azospirilim (free-living)
Amino Acid synthesis
Amino Acid conversion
Protein digestion: proteolase
Reduction
Oxidation
Cation+/Anion−
Conversion
Biochar Properties
Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria
effect on soybean root growth & nodules
PHOTO: M. Ogawa, Kansai Environmental, Japan
Biochar Properties
Microbial Colonization
Diversity Down Below
Andrew M. Sugden
Ecology: Ecol. Monogr. 84, 3 (2014)
Despite a surge of research recently, challenges to soil biologists remain daunting.
Even basic biodiversity below ground—species diversity and distribution
—remains far more obscure than for life above the soil surface.
Soil fungi are a case in point: key component of soil ecosystems,
its global species diversity has been estimated by various methods.
Fungi communities are highly structured, based on pH, soil horizon, species,
and other conditions of the understory plant community.
Fungi study in Alaskan boreal forest soils suggests previous estimates of diversity
at .5 to 1.5 million species need to be revised upward.
DNA data from fungal samples found over 1000 discrete fungal taxa—
many more than estimated from non-molecular data.
A fungus:plant ratio of 17:1 extrapolates to at least 6 million fungal species globally.
This suggests 98% of fungi have yet to be discovered.