PUBLIC LECTURE: Soils and the ends of the Earth, and a few places in between

2015 is the International Year of Soils. So what? It has frequently been said that soils are the thin skin on the land surface upon which terrestrial life depends and which acts as a buffer between the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere, as well as representing a significant reservoir of biological diversity and source of multiple key ecosystem functions.

In this talk, Prof David Hopkins will illustrate the diversity of soils and their roles in ecosystem processing based on first hand experience. He will show how they are being affected by environmental change or management or use by humans in a diverse range of soils from the polar deserts of Antarctica and the Arctic, the temperate and tropical regions.

The emphasis will be on decomposition processes and soil organisms because these soil properties integrate across a range of soil conditions, and importantly drive key soil fertility properties and buffer environmental change.

To register, go to www.ioa.uwa.edu.au/events/register