And a bit of what he's talking about. I live under a rock with isopods for the most part. I stopped watching the news on TV years ago, and have really reduced the effort I put into keeping up with world events because of how discouraging it is, and how much I've come to realize said narratives are primarily competing propaganda narratives.
It's insanely hard to find a modicum of truth in the sea of shit out there, and journalistic integrity has largely fallen by the wayside.
Wow, I didn't realize this war was still ongoing, and 13 years old. I remember when this war broke out, and not only does it seem that long ago, but I thought it was pretty much wrapped up and the government won out.
Goes to show how much the media controls our knowledge on current affairs.
First and foremost, I'm not trying to nitpick - I just really like dirt. It's embarrassing kinda.
Secondly, being a good soil scientist doesn't necessarily mean you have a good understanding of plant requirements. Plants are their own can of worms, and their needs vary by species.
Third, the soil carbon and fertility cycle is a terrifying place. There are so many facets of organic matter in the soil it will make your head spin. In some cases OM can be physically protected by other, more recalcitrant OM.
Building up OM can yield more humus and more cation exchange capacity, which does play a role in fertility for secondary and micronutrients.
I really don't know much about fungi holding onto minerals, but in general, the organic nutrients (like P tied up in ATP) only get released when organisms die, so in that capacity fungi and other biota play a buffering role
Yes, but again, it don't think it's evolutionary strategy, rather than the content of the needles is what is needed, and the acidification is just a knock on effect. Pines in particular are disturbance specialists - they take off after fire, and drop relatively few needles during establishment when competition from grasses and other plants is at the highest. When they get larger they don't have to worry (,as it were) because you can choke out anything below you just by being big
Not bunk, but not an evolutionary strategy, I imagine. Leaves are dropped because they are too hard to maintain, rather than the benefit the trees get from mulching out competition.
Point of clarification: organic matter doesn't really retain the nutrients but acts as the slowly mineralized pool of nutrients associated with soil quality.
The way you describe it is similar to how a sponge works rather than a storehouse.
You are right, though, in that you don't need to fertilize trees for the most part. Forest soils are hilariously low in nutrients: TOC is around 1% and N is next to non existent (N is highly labile), while P and K are moderate to high. As a result, forests veg is most competitive in nutrient poor conditions. If you fertilize a disturbed area, you get a pile of weeds and grass that can set back your revegetation timeline because your desirable woody spp now have to out-compete them. This process still happens if you don't fertilize, but it's generally less pronounced and allows some woody plants to gain the foothold they need
This.
And a bit of what he's talking about. I live under a rock with isopods for the most part. I stopped watching the news on TV years ago, and have really reduced the effort I put into keeping up with world events because of how discouraging it is, and how much I've come to realize said narratives are primarily competing propaganda narratives.
It's insanely hard to find a modicum of truth in the sea of shit out there, and journalistic integrity has largely fallen by the wayside.