This book is the first laboratory manual to bring together basic procedures for measurement of stable and radioactive isotopes of nitrogen, with specific applications to plant, soil, and aquatic biology. This bench-top reference gives practical coverage of mass and emission spectrometry, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and identification, organic nitrogen, and the radioactive isotope ^13N. Methods are described so that researchers can adapt them, without the aid of outside references, to virtually any task they may encounter in investigations of nitrogen transformation processes....

The presence - or absence - of soil organic matter (SOM) has important implications for agricultural productivity. It could also have significant implications for global climate due to its role as a source/sink of carbon. Therefore, it is important to understand the issues related to the accumulation or loss of SOM, to use what we have learned from experiments to make sound decisions about soil and crop management, and to test models and future concepts concerning SOM management. A database is included with the book, presenting tabular data for 34 sites in North America.
Soil Organic...