Soil biologySoil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil. Soil life, soil biota, soil fauna, or edaphon is a collective term that encompasses all organisms that spend a significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile, or at the soil-litter interface.
MineralIn geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form. The geological definition of mineral normally excludes compounds that occur only in living organisms. However, some minerals are often biogenic (such as calcite) or chemically organic compounds (such as mellite).
Organic matterOrganic matter, organic material or natural organic matter (NOM) is the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have come from the feces and remains of organisms such as plants and animals. Organic molecules can also be made by chemical reactions that do not involve life.
Soil matrixThe soil matrix is the solid phase of soils, and comprise the solid particles that make up soils. Soil particles can be classified by their chemical composition (mineralogy) as well as their size. The particle-size distribution of a soil, its texture, determines many of the properties of that soil, in particular hydraulic conductivity and water potential, but the mineralogy of those particles can strongly modify those properties.
PlantPlants are the eukaryotic organisms that constitute the kingdom Plantae (/'plænteɪ/). They are predominantly photosynthetic or came from photosynthetic ancestors, meaning that they obtain their energy from sunlight by using the green pigment chlorophyll in their chloroplasts to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water. Over the course of time, some plants have evolved to be parasitic, meaning they take energy from other organisms.
WaterNames Preferred IUPAC nameWaterSystematic IUPAC nameOxidane (not in common use)Other names Hydrogen oxideHydrogen hydroxide (H2O or HOH)Hydroxylic acidDihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) (parody name)Dihydrogen oxideHydric acidHydrohydroxic acidHydroxic acidHydroxoic acidHydrolμ-Oxidodihydrogenκ-Hydroxylhydrogen(0)AquaNeutral liquidOxygen dihydride (may be considered incorrect)Identifiers CAS Number7732-18-53D model (JSmol)Interactive imageBeilstein Reference3587155 ChEBICHEBI:15377ChEMBLChEMBL1098659ChemSpider937DrugBankDB09145ECHA InfoCard100.028.902EC Number231-791-2Gmelin Reference117 KEGGC00001PubChemCID962RTECS numberZC0110000UNII059QF0KO0RCompTox Dashboard(EPA)DTXSID6026296InChIInChI=1S/H2O/h1H2Key: XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-NSMILESOProperties Chemical formulaH2OMolar mass18.015 g·mol Appearance Almost colorless or white crystalline solid, almost colorless liquid, with a hint of blue, colorless gas OdorOdorless DensityLiquid (1 atm, VSMOW):0.99984283(84) g/mL at 0 °C0.99997495(84) g/mL at 3.983035(670) °C (temperature of maximum density, often 4 °C)0.99704702(83) g/mL at 25 °C0.96188791(96) g/mL at 95 °CSolid:0.9167 g/mL at 0 °CMelting point0.00 °C (32.00 °F; 273.15 K) Boiling point99.98 °C (211.96 °F; 373.13 K) SolubilityPoorly soluble in haloalkanes, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers.
LifeMatter with biological processesLife is the capacity in matter, formed of one or more units called cells, for processes such as cell signalling, homeostasis, metabolism, cell growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction. All life eventually reaches a state of death. Many philosophical definitions of living systems have been proposed, such as self-organising systems.
OrganismAn organism is any living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Several criteria, few of which are widely accepted, have been proposed to define what constitutes an organism. Among the most common is that an organism has autonomous reproduction, growth, and metabolism. This would exclude viruses, even though they evolve like organisms.
DirtDirt is any matter considered unclean, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remainsDust: a general powder of organic or mineral matter: foul matter such as excrement: a black, ingrained dust such as sootSoil: the mix of clay, sand, and humus which lies on top of bedrock.
GasSuspended particulates indicate the movement of the surrounding gas.Gas is a state of matter with neither fixed volume nor fixed shape. It is a compressible form of fluid, in contrast to a liquid. A pure gas consists of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), or molecules (e.g. oxygen (O2) or carbon dioxide). Pure gases can also be mixed together such as in the air. What distinguishes gases from liquids and solids is the vast separation of the individual gas particles.
MixtureIn chemistry, a mixture is a material made up of two or more different chemical substances which can be separated by physical method. It is an impure substance made up of two or more elements or compounds mechanically mixed together in any proportion. A mixture is the physical combination of two or more substances in which the identities are retained and are mixed in the form of solutions, suspensions or colloids.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.