The Rhizosphere
An Ecological Perspective

This book presents a better understanding of belowground function - essential for anyone working with current environmental challenges.

Zoe G. Cardon (Edited by), Julie Lynn Whitbeck (Edited by)

9780120887750, Elsevier Science

Hardback, published 20 April 2007

232 pages, Illustrated
22.9 x 15.1 x 2.1 cm, 0.48 kg

"...we enjoyed this book, which is a valuable addition to the literature on the rhizosphere and rhizosphere ecology. The book offers an integral view of the rhizosphere processes, from the soil volumes surrounding the root and to comprehensive examination of rhizosphere effects on the whole soil and the surrounding community. Most chapters are supported by excellent reviews of the relevant literature. The editing is excellent." --Jorge M. Vivanco, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA, in ECOLOGY

"Zoe Cardon and Julie Whitbeck must be congratulated because they have persuaded a strong group of leading lights and rising stars to contribute and all have provided a good spread of hard information and intelligent speculation...Appropriately, the possible impacts of climate change on soil–plant–microbe interactions are discussed in many places. Most chapters also look into the crystal ball and give pointers to further research. The frequently ignored microfauna are given their due in Chapter 3 and an even greater complexity in the plant–soil organism relationship emerges. This prepares the reader nicely for a subsequent chapter on food webs that takes a quantitative approach that is easily accessible to the average reader...This is a neatly produced volume, carefully written and edited...a valuable summary of our early 21st century knowledge of the root-soil interface and erects many signposts that suggest that this is only the beginning. The book will appeal to both research students and established practitioners and I recommend it strongly." --Richard G. Burns, School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences, The Univ. of Queensland, Brisbane, in the SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL

Below the soil surface, the rhizosphere is the dynamic interface among plant roots, soil microbes and fauna, and the soil itself, where biological as well as physico-chemical properties differ radically from those of bulk soil. The Rhizosphere is the first ecologically-focused book that explicitly establishes the links from extraordinarily small-scale processes in the rhizosphere to larger-scale belowground patterns and processes. This book includes chapters that emphasize the effects of rhizosphere biology on long-term soil development, agro-ecosystem management and responses of ecosystems to global change. Overall, the volume seeks to spur development of cross-scale links for understanding belowground function in varied natural and managed ecosystems.

Chapter 1: Root Interactions with Soil Microbial Communities and Processes

Subject Areas: Agronomy & crop production [TVK], Agriculture & farming [TV], Communications engineering / telecommunications [TJK], Applied ecology [RNC], Soil science, sedimentology [RBGB], Plant physiology [PSTD], Botany & plant sciences [PST], Mycology, fungi [non-medical PSQ], Forestry & related industries [KNAL]