METHODS FOR THE STUDY OF INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MICROORGANISMS AND SOIL STRUCTURE

Common methods of assessing soil structure that could be used by microbiologists are reviewed and involve size fractionation of soil aggregates, water release characteristics, intrusion porosimetry, gas adsorption and microscopic methods with image analysis. These methods could also be used for studying aspects of the interactions between soil structure and larger fauna or plant roots. Some recent refinements of these methods are described and the use of artificial soil aggregates in microbial studies is discussed.