The soils under our feet provide nutrients, water and support for growing plants; host an amazing variety of organisms, and even influence global climate. This course will examine aspects of soil ecology relevant to environmental studies, especially focusing on soils as functional components of agricultural ecosystems and on the role of soils in the global biogeochemical cycling of organic carbon. The course will be divided into three broad parts: the first part will introduce fundamental concepts of soil science, the second part will cover soil organisms and ecosystem ecology of soils, and in the final part we will apply our understanding of soil ecology to current environmental problems.
| Instructor: | Nick Bader |
| Office: | Hall of Science 150 |
| Office hours: | Mondays 1-2 pm, Tuesdays 10-11 am, Thursdays 11 am-12 noon |
| Lectures: | Mon 10-10:50 am Wed/Fri 11-11:50 am |