Fall Semester 2008
Instructor:
Guy R. Knudsen
Soil and Land Resources Division, University of Idaho
Lab
instructor:
Dr. Tae Gwan Kim
tkim@vandals.uidaho.edu
Class
hours:
lecture: T, R
2:00-2:50 Ag
Science 323
laboratory: T
2:50-4:20
Office
hours:
Guy Knudsen: by appointment
(email, call, or see me after class)
office: Ag Science 109; email
gknudsen@uidaho.edu
Assigned Reading:
The textbook for the course is
"Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiology", by Sylvia et al.
Copies are available in the bookstore.
Additional assigned reading will be available online, at the reserve desk
in the library, or will be made available in class.
The reading must be performed prior to the appropriate class in which the
material will be discussed.
Grading:
Exams-
A
total of 3 exams will be given during the semester.
The third exam will take place during the time slot designated for the
final exam.
Quizzes and
Assignments-
Approximately 7 in-class (quiz) or out-of-class assignments, including
laboratory writeups, will be given during the semester.
You will be allowed to drop your 2 lowest grades.
Grade
distribution-
Exams (20% each)
60%
Quizzes and Assignments
40%
Internet site:
A significant amount of course material will be available on the
internet. Some course material will
probably only be available on‑line!
The class website is: http://www.agls.uidaho.edu/soil437/
Lecture
topics (subject to change):
Week 1
Introduction, goals for the course
Intro, soil microbes
Week 2
soil
microbes
The
soil habitat
Week 3
The
soil habitat, continued
The
soil habitat, continued
Soil
microbes: bacteria, Archaea
Soil
microbes: fungi
Eukaryotic algae and cyanobacteria
Protozoa, nematodes, and viruses in soil
Week 6
Soil
macrofauna
Microbial ecology
Microbial metabolism
Week 8
Microbial metabolism, continued
Molecular genetics in soil ecology
Week 9
Introduction to the carbon cycle
The
carbon cycle, continued
Week 10
Introduction to the nitrogen cycle
The
nitrogen cycle, continued
Week 11
The
nitrogen cycle, continued
Sulfur
transformations in soil
Week 12
Other
transformations in soil (P, metals)
EXAM 2 Thursday, 11/13/08, in class
------------------------------------------------
Week 13
Week 14
Xenobiotics in soil
Global
gases, soils and global warming
Week 15
Rhizosphere microbiology
Mycorrhiza
Week 16
Microbial pest control in soils
Bioremediation
Week 17
FINAL
EXAM