The Rhizosphere

Below the soil surface, the rhizosphere is the dynamic interface among plant roots, soil microbes and fauna, and the soil itself, where biological as well as physico-chemical properties differ radically from those of bulk soil. The Rhizosphere is the first ecologically-focused book that explicitly establishes the links from extraordinarily small-scale processes in the rhizosphere to larger-scale belowground patterns and processes. This volume develops cross-scale links, including chapters focusing at mechanistic small scales as well as chapters exploring implications of rhizosphere biology for soil community structure and function, for responses of ecosystems to global change, and for agro-ecosystem management. * First cross-scale ecologically-focused integration of information at the frontier of root, microbial, and soil faunal biology * Establishes the links from extraordinarily small-scale processes in the rhizosphere to larger-scale belowground patterns and processes * Chapters written by a variety of experts, including soil scientists, microbial and soil faunal ecologists, and plant biologists