Table of Contents

I. FUNDAMENTALS. 1. Introduction and Historical Perspective. 2. The Soil Habitat. 3. Microbial Metabolism. 4. Microbial Genetics. II. ORGANISMS AND INTERACTIONS. 5. Bacteria and Archaea. 6. Fungi. 7. Cyanobacteria and Algae in Soils. 8. The Soil Fauna. 9. Viruses. 10. Microbial Ecology. 11. The Rhizosphere. 12. Mycorrhizal Symbioses. III. CYCLES IN SOIL. 13. Carbon Transformations and Soil Organic Matter Formation. 14. Transformations of Nitrogen. 15. Biological Dinitrogen Fixation: Introduction and Nonsymbiotic. 16. Biological Dinitrogen Fixation: Symbiotic. 17. Transformation of Sulfur. 18. Phosphorus and Other Elements. IV. ENVIRONMENTAL AND AGRICULTURAL PERSPECTIVES. 19. Global Gases. 20. Microbiology and Biochemistry of Xenobiotic Compound Degradation. 21. Bioremediation of Contaminated Soils. 22. Biological Control of Soilborne Plant Pathogens and Nematodes. 23. Composting of Organic Wastes . Glossary of Terms/Index.