3542.08 - Soil biology

3542.08

Soil biology

7.5

To train the students to understand soil and its biological compounds

Soils and structures • Nutrient cycles • Symbiosis • Ecosystems These include soil structures, geological and chemical composition, soil nutrients and their cycles, as well as the interactions between soil and plant roots, and between plant roots and microbes, especially bacteria and fungi. Special emphasis will be on the beneficial symbiosis between plant roots and microbes, for example, nitrogen-fixating bacteria and mycorrhiza, but some pathogenic microbes will also be discussed, for example, the fungi causing potato blight. The impact of herbivory, moisture and temperature on the underground ecosystem will be discussed, also in a climate-change context. Finally the great underground biodiversity and its impact on the biodiversity aboveground will be discussed.

Lectures and problem solving

A short (1 hour) multiple-choice test without auxiliary material (counts for 40%) and an essay discussing issues from the laboratory exercises (counts for 60%). The existing grade scale will be used..

Anna Maria Fosaa