RS 478 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Restoration Ecology, Inoculation, Topsoil

• School: CSU
• Department: Rangeland Ecosystem Science
• Course: RS 478
• Professor: Mark Paschke

Document Summary

Outline: nutrient cycling, soil biology, nutrient cycling, soil microbial community of restoration sites versus desired reference, restoration site may lack vegetation, restoration site may have low soil. Om relative to reference, soil temp and moisture may differ, soil ph may differ, restoration site may have high trace elements. In general, the soil community is resistant to disturbances relative to plant communities. The soil environment to stable relative to above- ground. The soil environment is heterogeneous (lots of hiding places for soil critters): when disturbed, soil communities are often resilient. The roots of the plant essentially act as the digestive system, which trigger microbiota activity and nutrient release. Without soil organisms the plant cannot grow and without the nutrient release from the plants the microbiota would not be able to survive. The plants and microbiota have a mutualistic relationship so restorationists need to ensure healthy soil to have a healthy ecosystem.