Effects of Acidity on Microorganisms and Microbial Processes in Soil

Abstract

Microbiologists have long been interested in the effects of acidity on the residents and activities of terrestrial ecosystems. For decades, scientists in many countries have explored the changes brought about by the acidification of soils associated with the use of fertilizers and have examined the relative rates of several transformations as influenced by pH of the habitat. An enormous literature was developed in the early phases of soil microbiology. However, such investigations fell into disfavor, and much of the research therefore terminated. Only recently has it become fashionable to work in this area once again, as it became evident that similar stresses were induced owing to acid precipitation, and once again there is renewed interest. It is now evident, moreover, that large gaps in our knowledge exist, and though the information base is large, many information deficiencies remain so that it is not frequently possible to assess the impact of acidity on the residents or the activities they catalyze.