Soil Metadata Survey for Microbial Studies

The purpose of this survey is to determine what data about soil is believed to be important to accompany microbial molecular data entered into major databases, e.g GenBank, EMBL, RDP. The value of this metadata is to enable a search of the data for particular features and for determining relationships among soil features and molecular data over more global data sets. We are surveying the soil biology community to gain this assessment and then will work with the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) and the Environmental Ontology Subgroup to ensure that soil data will be properly considered along with the metadata from other environments.

--from Jim Tiedje, Michigan State University, as an initiative
of the Genomic Standards Consortium and the new
International Soil Metagenome Consortium (Terragenome)

INSTRUCTIONS: Click a 1, 2, 3, 4 before each characteristic based on your opinion. The sets are categorized by:
Importance (to the understanding of microbial ecology) 1 = Not important at all 2 = Minimally important 3 = Moderately important 4 = Very important	AND	Difficulty (how burdensome is collecting this data/ are you likely to provide it) 1 = Easy to obtain 2 = Moderately easy 3 = Moderately difficult 4 = Very difficult to obtain
Click the checkbox for items you believe should be "required" (to accompany all molecular data entry; minimum metadata set).

Chemical
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		pH (in water or Calcium chloride)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		salinity/conductivity
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		total organic C
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		total N
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		nitrogen species (e.g., Nitrate, Ammonia)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		total P
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		total S
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		Ca, Mg
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		carbonates
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		available carbon (e.g., DOC...)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		carbon fractions (e.g., light, heavy, occluded, fulvic, humic acids)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		mineralogy
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		pore space oxygen concentration
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		Eh (redox potential)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		cation exchange capacity
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		base saturation
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		Al saturation
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		pollutants (e.g., solvents, heavy metals)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		trace elements (e.g., metals:Fe, Mn, Cu...)
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$
Physical
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		texture (granulometry)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		aggregate stability
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		penetration resistance
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		soil structure
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		porosity
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		bulk density
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		water retention curve
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		field capacity
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		wilting coeffecient
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		infiltration capacity
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		slope, position
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$
Biological
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		microbial biomass and its C,N,P
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		C/N ratio
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		respiration rate
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		N cycle rates (e.g., nitrification)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		plant cover (native)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		root biomass
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		enzymatic activities (e.g., dehydrogenases)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		annual primary productivity of site
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		annual plant residue returned to soil
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		soil fauna (types, density)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		earthworm activity or density
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		susceptibility to microbe immigration (water, dust, birds…)
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$
Soil / Geological
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		soil type (classification)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		horizon
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		drainage classification
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		parent rock material
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		water table (maximum and minimum annual depths)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		degree of heterogeneity within sampled site
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$
Geographical
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		latitude and longitude
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		elevation
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$
Management
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		land use (e.g., urban, agriculture, forestry)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		tillage (type)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		crops (current, rotation)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		crop yield
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		animal activity (e.g., feral pigs, grazing)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		fertilizers (type and annual amount)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		pesticides
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		historical data (e.g., previous land use)
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		fire
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		erosion
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$
Climate
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		mean and seasonal rainfall
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		mean and seasonal temperatures
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		evapotransportation
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		global radiation
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$
Sampling
Importance	Difficulty	Req'd
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		depth
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		composite design
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		soil temperature at sampling
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		weather at sampling
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		moisture content at sampling
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		area represented by composite sample
1234$xforms-template-label$	1234$xforms-template-label$		weight of sample used for DNA extraction
$xforms-template-label$	$xforms-template-label$

Additional comments:
Add any additional comments here

SUBMIT