Soil Science

Biomass

In our grazing system, plants comprise most of the biomass. This is to be expected, as they are the primary producers, trapping energy from the sun. After plant material is consumed, this energy becomes available to heterotrophic organisms - sheep and the various soil organisms.

Where does most of the heterotrophic biomass lie, above or below the soil surface?

Most heterotrophic biomass is beneath the soil surface. This pasture is stocked with 20 sheep/ha, but below the ground there are the equivalent of 10 sheep/ha in invertebrate animals, and 88 sheep/ha in soil microorganisms

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