title: Testate amoebae and nutrient cycling: peering into the black box of soil ecology.
abstract: In some areas of ecology and evolution, such as the behavioural ecology of many well-studied bird species, it is increasingly difficult to make surprising new discoveries. However, this is not the case in many areas of soil and/or microbial ecology. Two recent studies suggest that the testate amoebae, a microbial group unfamiliar to most biologists, might play a much larger role in soil nutrient cycling than has hitherto been suspected.
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK. d.m.wilkinson@ljmu.ac.uk
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D000656:Amoeba / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D029793:Rhododendron / Q000382:microbiology; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D009584:Nitrogen