ABSTRACT
Soil is a fundamental constituent for sustaining life on earth and is an integral component of agronomic and forest productivity. It also has multiple functions beyond food and fibre production. Important soil functions include providing water, nutrients and physical support to growing plants; facilitating the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2), molecular oxygen (O2) and other gases that affect soil organisms and root growth and function; providing nutrition and habitat for micro-and macro-organisms; and affecting water quantity and quality (Brady and Weil, 2017). Soil moisture and oxygen availability are important biophysical constraints on soil communities and microbial-driven soil biogeochemical processes important for soil health.
