Alpine Ecosystems Research Institute
Soil biology research and education across southwest Montana
There are many benefits to fostering the soil biology, such as improved soil fertility, increased water retention, improved aeration, and much more. By including yourself in our research and education programs, you and your community will learn to to work with nature, rather than against her.
Why do research?
great question.
By working with us or attending our workshops, you will gain access to a new layer of understanding about soil remediation: how to grow and apply the beneficial microorganisms in soil. Here at AERI, we strive to make scientific research accessible to the public and available for community and educational benefit. Our goal is to make it possible for everyone to learn how to monitor their own soils and make their own management decisions for the plants that they grow.
Why you?
we are better together.
With every soil sample and data point, we can pinpoint the driving factors in plant and soil health. More data points in a region provides added value for all the landowners in that region. Every context requires small adjustments to get the desired results. Once the methods are worked out in one location, they can be applied throughout nearby regions.
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Improving the soil biology has many benefits, including increasing plant health, reducing pest and disease pressure, decompacting and aerating our soils, and increasing water capacity. However, the solutions for improving soil biology won't come from a product you can buy at the store, or some other quick fix. It will come from dedicated, local practitioners who learn how to foster the beneficial microbes that are adapted to YOUR region. We provide the means to assess soil activity, and assist you in our collective journey to sustainability.
What do you need to commit?
biological remediation and educational benefit
All soil samples will be used to create educational content around soil restoration, and will be discussed anonymously. We use non-identifying pictures of the restoration plots for those who are interested in restoration research. Additionally, AERI will use both video footage and photos of the microscope-view of soil samples. AERI will highlight general data from restoration projects in our blogs and videos unless a landowner or land manager chooses to be publicly acknowledged.
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Landowners and land managers with biological remediation projects will be prioritized for soil assessments.
The soil food web dance
The complex relationships that live in the earth's skin
Soil microbes do so much for our ecosystems, but much of it goes unnoticed because these organisms are invisible to our eyes. Bacteria and fungi break down dead and dying organic material, reorganize soil structure to create pore spaces, increase aeration, increase water retention, and begin the process of nutrient cycling. They even produce glues to hold the soil structure together, reducing erosion. But the story doesn't end with them. Predators must be present...
Much like elk and deer in the wilds of Yellowstone, bacteria and fungi must have predators present in the system to release the nutrients back into the system in a plant-available form. In the same way that farmers spread manure on their crops to increase fertility, the predators of the soil microbiota do the same.
Interestingly, different plant species and varieties release slightly different compounds to attract the bacteria and fungi species that they prefer. So, one way to think about it is that plants have been farming themselves since the beginning of time, only their methods involved attracting the prey for the predator who spreads the manure right where the plant needs it—next to the roots.
Pictured above: (top) A pocket gopher hole provides aeration and disturbance for spring beauties, a significant food staple for humans and rodents who inhabit high elevation locations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (middle) A deer grazes on grouse berries at high elevation in the GYE. (lower) Amoebae crawling across the microscope slide at 400x total magnification in real time. Amoebae are bacterial predators and excellent nutrient cyclers.
Soil Biology Blog
$10/year
If you are interested in supporting our research and learning more about the benefits of soil microbes and soil restoration practices in southwest Montana, please consider joining our membership for access to our Soil Biology Blog! You can also gain access to all blog posts for free by signing up for a 1-month free trial.
