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

Human-induced nitrogen input that has doubled biologically-available nitrogen on Earth

Major form of organic carbon across aquatic ecosystems, fueling stream metabolism and mediating key biogeochemical processes

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

Removal of nitrate from porewater through denitrification and other biogeochemical processes

Measure of soil acidity/alkalinity that may influence plant phenotype expression

Accounting framework that tracks carbon inputs, transformations, and outputs in environmental systems to quantify net carbon fluxes

Organic carbon derived from sedimentary rocks that is often poorly quantified and influences soil organic carbon composition, age, and stability

Modeling approach that couples transport processes with geochemical reactions to understand subsurface flow and chemical interactions

Spatial variability in biogeochemical processes and solute sources within watersheds, particularly between shallow soil zones and deeper groundwater zones

Oxidative dissolution of pyrite mineral producing sulfuric acid and iron oxides under oxic conditions

Microbial process where methane is oxidized under anoxic conditions, often coupled to reduction of alternative electron acceptors

Constraint on growth or reproduction due to insufficient availability of essential nutrients

The contribution of animals to ecosystem nutrient fluxes through excretion, with supply determined by animal biomass, excretion rates, and time spent in the ecosystem

The oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite, linking nitrogenous organic matter remineralization to nitrogen loss processes in the microbial N-cycle

Chemical and physical breakdown of sedimentary shale rocks through interactions with water, atmospheric gases, and biological processes

Areas of disproportionately high biogeochemical activity or export relative to surrounding landscape

Spatial organization of aerobic and anaerobic zones based on dissolved oxygen availability that controls biogeochemical reactions

Biogeochemically active zones in riparian floodplains where enhanced nitrogen transformations occur due to groundwater-surface water interactions

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

Microbial reduction of sulfate coupled to organic matter oxidation in anoxic environments resulting in formation of low solubility sulfide minerals