Concepts

CO2 efflux from soils to atmosphere representing combination of autotrophic respiration (root respiration) and heterotrophic respiration (microbial decomposition)

The cycling of chemical elements between living organisms and the physical environment, particularly carbon and nitrogen cycles

Limitations on activity imposed by temperature and radiation conditions

The decomposition and fragmentation of dead organic matter by organisms, particularly the conversion of coarse to fine particulate organic matter

Mechanisms by which organic carbon is protected from decomposition in soils through physical, chemical, and biological processes

The microbiome's ability to extract energy from dietary sources

Movement of seeds away from parent plants through various mechanisms including wind, animals, and gravity

Ecosystem responses to climate change that exert positive or negative feedbacks on climate, mediated by slow-moving factors such as shifts in vegetation community composition

The movement of water from the soil to the plant's stomata which is then released into the atmosphere, serving as an indicator of plant water status

Experimental removal of the most abundant plant species to test effects of species loss on community structure and function

The interplay of belowground, microsite-scale biological, physical, and chemical processes that intersect to drive whole-ecosystem functioning

The constraint of microbial activity and carbon respiration by water availability in soil systems

Enhanced plant growth due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations