BENA2034 Soil organisms (2 cr)

The textbook provides basic information on soils as a habitat, soil biota, its diversity and role in decomposition processes, as well as soils as part of ecosystems. The book introduces the microbial and animal groups living in soils and describes the ecology of each group of organisms. The book also describes the process of organic matter decomposition and describes the methods used to study soil animals.

After completing the course, the student will be able to

· describe soils as a habitat.

· explain the diversity of soil organisms at different scales.

· describe characteristics and biodiversity of different soil living organism groups.

· tell the role of soil organisms in decomposing of organic matter and nutrient cycling.

· explain how soil organisms are studied.

The book is written in Finnish only.

BENA2031 or the course with similar content.