← Elaine Ingham · Research and publications
The soil food web as a map of nitrogen flows
A grassland model examines the contributions of different feeding groups.
Study published:
From organisms to flows
The researchers combined population, feeding and physiological information to calculate nitrogen transfers through a grassland food web. [1]
The contribution of microbial grazers
In the model, bacterial-feeding amoebae and nematodes together accounted for over 83% of nitrogen mineralization by soil fauna. The percentage concerns the fauna in that particular model. [1]
A question for our Center
We want our microscopy archive to help reveal relationships among organisms. In training, each observation can connect with questions about food, consumers and plant nutrition. This is our own approach to using the paper as educational material.
The context of the numbers
This presentation draws on the published abstract. The numbers are calculated estimates for the ecosystem studied, subject to the model’s assumptions.
Sources and references
- Hunt, H. W. et al., including E. R. Ingham (1987). Biology and Fertility of Soils, 3, 57–68. DOI: 10.1007/BF00260580 Original publication and study record