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Karl Ritz

Emeritus Professor of Soil Ecology,

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Biography

I am Emeritus Professor of Soil Ecology at University of Nottingham, where from 2014-2020 I was Professor of Soil Biology. I graduated in Agricultural Botany from the University of Reading in 1981, and completed a PhD in grassland ecology at the University of Bristol in 1984. I then moved to Scotland to lead research programmes at the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research and the Scottish Crop Research Institute. From 2002-14, I held a Chair in Soil Biology at Cranfield University.

I am currently joint Editor-in-Chief of the journal Soil Biology & Biochemistry and an Associate Editor of Earth Critical Zone.

Expertise Summary

I am a soil ecologist with experience in studying a wide range of interactions between soils, plants, microbes and fauna in a variety of systems. My research interests focus on developing a mechanistic understanding the origins and functional consequences of the compositional and spatial organisation of soil communities. This work underpins the development of frameworks for understanding factors that regulate the activity of soil communities, systems to manage the biota appropriately, and incisive procedures for assessing and monitoring soil health.

Selected Publications

Life in earth drives life on Earth. Contact me to discuss the truly remarkable biological engine of the earth, or have a look at my publications.

Journal papers are under the 'Publications' tab.

Other stuff is as follows:

BOOKS

  • Wall, D.H., Bardgett, R.D., Behan-Pelletier, V.M., Herrick, J.E., Jones, T.H., Ritz, K., Six, J., Strong, D.R. and Van der Putten, W.H. (2012) Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services (Eds.) Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  • Ritz, K. and Young, I.M. (2011) Architecture and Biology of Soils (Eds.) CABI, Wallingford, UK. ISBN
  • Jeffrey, S.R., Gardi, C., Jones, A., Montanarella, L., Marmo, L., Miko, L., Ritz, K., Peres, G., Rombke, J. and Van der Putten, W.H. (2010) Soil Biodiversity Atlas of Europe (Eds.) Commission, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg.
  • Ritz, K., Dawson, L.A. and Miller, D. (2009) Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics (Eds.) Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands. ISBN
  • Ritz, K., Dighton, J. and Giller, K.E. (1994) Beyond the Biomass: Compositional and Functional Analysis of Soil Microbial Communities (Eds.) John Wiley, Chichester. ISBN

BOOK CHAPTERS

  • Ritz, K. (2015) Collection and identification methods for soil biota. In: Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas, ed. A. Orgiazzi and C. Gardi, JRC, Brussels. Accepted.
  • Ritz, K. (2014) Life in Earth: A truly epic production. In: The Soil Underfoot: Infinite Possibilities for a Finite Resource. Eds. G J Churchman and E R Landa. Taylor & Francis, London, pp. 379-394.
  • Sakrabani, R., Deeks, L.K., Kibblewhite, M.G. and Ritz, K. (2012) Impacts of agriculture on soil quality. In: Environmental Impacts of Modern Agriculture. Issues in Environmental Science and Technology 34., ed. R. E. Hester and R. M. Harrison, pp. 35-56. Royal Society of Chemistry, London.
  • Ritz, K. and Van der Putten, W.H. (2012) The living soil and ecosystem services: Introduction and Synthesis. In: Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services, ed. D. H. Wall, R. D. Bardgett, V. M. Behan-Pelletier, J. E. Herrick, T. H. Jones, K. Ritz, J. Six, D. R. Strong and W. H. Van der Putten, pp. 1-2, 86-87. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  • Van der Putten, W.H. and Ritz, K. (2012) From genes to ecosystem services: Introduction and Synthesis. In: Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services, ed. D. H. Wall, R. D. Bardgett, V. M. Behan-Pelletier, J. E. Herrick, T. H. Jones, K. Ritz, J. Six, D. R. Strong and W. H. Van der Putten, pp. 63-64, 111-112. Oxford University Press, Oxford
  • Bartlett, M.D. and Ritz, K. (2011) Animals underground: the zoological generation of soil structure. In: Architecture and Biology of Soils, ed. K. Ritz and I. M. Young, pp. 71-85. CABI, Wallingford, U.K.
  • Ritz, K. (2011) Views of the underworld: In situ visualisation of soil biota. In: Architecture and Biology of Soils, ed. K. Ritz and I. M. Young, pp. 1-12. CABI, Wallingford, U.K.
  • Ritz, K. (2011) Microbes, habitat space and transport in soil. In: Encyclopedia of Agrophysics, ed. J. Glinski, J. Horabik and J. Lipiec, pp. 472-475. Springer, Dordrecht.
  • Barclay, A.D., Dawson, L.A., Donnelly, L., Miller, D. and Ritz, K. (2009) Soils in forensic science: underground meets underworld. In: Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics, ed. K. Ritz, L. Dawson and D. Miller, pp. 501-513. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
  • Williams, A., Temple, T., Pollard, S.J.T., Jones, R.M. and Ritz, K. (2009) Environmental considerations for common burial site selection after pandemic events. In: Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics, ed. K. Ritz, L. Dawson and D. Miller, pp. 87-101. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
  • Bartlett, M.D., James, I.T., Harris, J.A. and Ritz, K. (2008) The relationship between profile construction and casting behaviour of earthworms in golf course soils. In: Science and Golf, ed. D. Crews and R. Lutz, pp. 489-495. Energy in Motion, Mesa AZ, USA.
  • Ritz, K. (2008) Soil as a paradigm of a complex system. In: Complexity and Security, ed. J. J. Ramsden and P. J. Kervalishvili, pp. 103-119. IOS Press, Amsterdam.
  • Nunan, N., Young, I.M., Crawford, J.W. and Ritz, K. (2007) Bacterial interactions at the microscale - linking habitat to function in soil. In: Spatial Distribution of Microorganisms in the Environment, ed. R. B. Franklin and A. L. Mills, pp. 61-85. Kluwer, Dordecht.
  • Ritz, K. (2007) Spatial organisation of soil fungi. In: Spatial Distribution of Microorganisms in the Environment, ed. R. B. Franklin and A. L. Mills, pp. 179-202. Kluwer, Dordecht.
  • Ritz, K. (2006) Fungal roles in transport processes in soils. In: Fungi in Biogeochemical Cycles, ed G. M. Gadd, pp. 51-73. Cambridge University Press.
  • Ritz, K. (2005) Fungi. In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment, ed D. Hillel, pp. 110-119. Elsevier Ltd, Oxford.
  • Ritz, K. (2005) Underview: origins and consequences of belowground biodiversity. In: Biological Diversity and Function in Soils, ed. R. D. Bardgett, M. B. Usher and D. W. Hopkins, pp. 381-401. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Young, I.M. and Ritz, K. (2005) The habitat of soil microbes. In: Biological Diversity and Function in Soils, ed. R. D. Bardgett, M. B. Usher and D. W. Hopkins, pp. 31-43. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Ritz, K., McHugh, M. and Harris, J.A. (2004) Biological diversity and function in soils: contemporary perspectives and implications in relation to the formulation of effective indicators. In: Agricultural Soil Erosion and Soil Biodiversity: Developing Indicators for Policy Analyses, ed R. Francaviglia, pp. 563-572. OECD, Paris.
  • Ritz, K. and Griffiths, B.S. (2000) Implications of soil biodiversity for sustainable organic matter management. In: Sustainable Management of Soil Organic Matter, ed. R. M. Rees, C. A. Watson, B. C. Ball and C. D. Campbell, pp. 343-356. CABI, Wallingford, U.K.
  • Ritz, K. and Crawford, J.W. (1999) Colony development in nutritionally heterogeneous environments. In: The Fungal Colony, ed. N. A. Gow, G. Robson and G. M. Gadd, pp. 49-74. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
  • Griffiths, B.S., Ritz, K. and Wheatley, R.E. (1997) Relationship between functional diversity and genetic diversity in complex microbial communities. In: Microbial Communities: Functional versus Structural Approaches, ed. H. Insam and A. Rangger, pp. 1-9. Springer Verlag, Berlin.
  • O'Donnell, A.G. and Ritz, K. (1997) Microbial dimensions to the functional implications of soil biodiversity. In: Functional Implications of Biodiversity in Soil, ed V. Wolters, pp. 23-26. Ecosystems Research Report No. 24, European Commission Directorate General, Sciences, Research and Development, Brussels.
  • Ritz, K. and Struwe, S. (1997) Methods and approaches in studying functional implications of biodiversity in soil. In: Functional Implications of Biodiversity in Soil, ed V. Wolters, pp. 17-21. Ecosystems Research Report No. 24, European Commission Directorate General, Sciences, Research and Development, Brussels.
  • Watson, C.A., Ritz, K., Younie, D. and Franklin, M. (1996) Nitrogen and soil biomass dynamics in ley/arable crop rotations. In: Rotations and Cropping Systems: Aspects of Applied Biology 47 pp. 43-50.
  • Coleman, D.C., Dighton, J., Ritz, K. and Giller, K.E. (1994) Perspectives on the compositional and functional analysis of soil communities. In: Beyond the Biomass: Compositional and Functional Analysis of Soil Microbial Communities, ed. K. Ritz, J. Dighton and K. E. Giller, pp. 261-271. John Wiley, Chichester, UK.
  • Crawford, J.W. and Ritz, K. (1994) Origin and consequences of colony form in fungi: a reaction-diffusion mechanisms for morphogenesis. In: Shape and Form in Plants and Fungi: Linnean Society Symposium Series No. 16, ed. D. S. Ingram and A. Hudson, pp. 311-328. Academic Press, London.

REPORTS AND OTHER

  • Reynolds S.H., Ritz, K. Crotty F.V., Stoate, C., West, H. and Neal, A.L. 2017 Effects of cover crops on phosphatase activity in a clay arable soil in the UK. Sustainable Intensification. Aspects of Applied Biology 136, Sustainable Intensification, 215-220.
  • Tsiafouli M.A., Drakou E.G., Orguazzi, A., Hedlund, K. and Ritz, K. 2017 Editorial: Optimizing the delivery of multiple ecosystem goods and services in agricultural systems. Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution 5:97, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2017.00097
  • Ramirez, K.S., Bardgett, R.D., Fricks, B., Montanarella, L., Six, J., Van der Putten, W.H., Wall, D.H., Ameloot, N., Ayuke, F., Banwart, S.A., Bignell, D.E., Black, H.I.J., Bossio, D.A., Bruckman, V.J., Brussaard, L., Campbell, C.D., Campbell, K., de Carvalho, T.S., Cooper, J.M., Coutinho, H.L.C., Goulding, K.W.T., Griffiths, R.I., Harris, J.A., Hopkins, D.W., Housekova, B., Jenhe, W., Lemanceau, P., Lindo, Z., Murray, P.J., Muscolo, A., Ogram, A., Ritz, K., Rombke, J., Scow, K.M., deVries, F.T., and Wolters, V. (2012) White Paper on the First Open Meeting of the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, Colorado. http://www.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/ .
  • Burns, R.G. and Ritz, K. (2012) Introduction. Biochar: Virtual Special Issue. Soil Biology and Biochemistry Online: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/soil-biology-and-biochemistry/virtual-special-issues/virtual-special-issue-on-biochar/
  • Ritz, K., Corstanje, R., Deeks, L.K., and Whitmore, A.P. (2010) Review and initial assessment of what makes some soils more resilient to change and how this resilience can be conferred to other soils. Report SP1605 Studies to Support the Soil Strategy for England, Part D.
  • Ritz, K., Murray, P.J., and Harris, J.A. (2010) The role of soil biota in soil fertility and quality, and approaches to influencing soil communities to enhance delivery of these functions. Report SP1601 Studies to Support the Soil Strategy for England, Part A.
  • Herrmann AM, Nunan N, Ritz K (2009) Potential of visualisation methods to further our understanding of organic matter dynamics. Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta 73, A526.
  • Bartlett, M.D., James, I.T., Harris, J.A., and Ritz, K. (2008) Estimating species richness of earthworms on golf courses and implications for innovating environmentally benign control methods. Acta Horticulturae 783, 475-480.
  • Black, H.I.J., Ritz, K., Campbell, C.D., Harris, J.A., Wood, C., Chamberlain, P.M., Parekh, N., Towers, W., and Scott, A. (2008) Prioritising biological indicators of soil quality for deployment in a national-scale soil monitoring scheme. Final Report, Defra Project SP0529.
  • Ritz, K. (2008) Routes to bioavailability: the spatial organisation of soil systems. Chemicals in soil: interactions, availability and residue formation. RAISEBIO - Marie Curie Early Stage Research Training Programme, Summer School, Leipzig.
  • Clarke, M.A., Creamer, R.E., Deeks, L.K., Gowing, D., Holman, I.P., Jones, R.J.A., Palmer, R.C., Potts, S., Rickson, R.J., Ritz, K., Thompson, T.R.E., Truckell, I.G., Vickery, J., Whalley, R., and Woodcock, B. (2008) Scoping study to assess soil compaction affecting upland and lowland grassland in England and Wales. Final report on Project BD2304. Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, London, UK.
  • Hallett, P.D., White, N.A., and Ritz, K. (2006) Impact of basidiomycete fungi on the wettability of soil contaminated with a hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Biologia 61: S334-S338.
  • Ritz, K. (2006) Book Review: Methods to Study Litter Decomposition: A Practical Guide. Edited by Manuel A.S. Graça, Felix Bärlocher & Mark O. Gessner. Mycological Research: 110, 122.
  • Jones, C.A., Basch, G., Baylis, A.D., Bazzoni, D., Biggs, J., Bradbury, R.B., Chaney, K., Deeks, L.K., Field, R., Gomez, J.A., Jones, R.J.A., Jordan, V.W.L., Lane, M.C.G., Leake, A., Livermore, M., Owens, P.N., Ritz, K., Sturny, W.G. and Thomas, F. (2006) Conservation Agriculture in Europe: An approach to sustainable crop production by protecting soil and water? SOWAP, Jealott's Hill, Bracknell. ISBN 978 0 9556565 0 7.
  • Ritz, K., Harris, J.A., Pawlett, M., and Stone, D. (2006) Catabolic profiles as an indicator of soil microbial functional diversity. Science Report SC040063/SR, Environment Agency, Bristol, U.K.
  • Ritz, K. (2006) Book Review: Underground: How creatures of mud and dirt shape our world by Yvonne Baskin. Environmental Conservation: 33, 365.
  • Ritz, K. (2005) Key threats to soil in Europe: Decline in Soil Biodiversity. In: Soil Atlas of Europe, Eds. A. Jones, L. Montanarella & R. Jones, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, p.113.
  • Ritz, K. (2004) Book Review: The Ecology of Soil Decomposition by S.M. Adl. European Journal of Soil Science 55, 631-632.
  • Ritz, K. and Young, I.M. (2004) Interactions between soil structure and fungi. The Mycologist 18: 52-59.
  • Boswell, G.P., Jacobs, H., Davidson, F.A., Gadd, G.M., and Ritz, K. (2003) A mathematical approach to studying fungal mycelia. The Mycologist 17: 165-171.
  • Hallett, P.D., Ritz, K., and Wheatley, R.E. (2001) Microbial derived water repellency in golf course soil: International Turfgrass Society Research Journal: 9, 518-524.
  • Griffiths, B.S., Ritz, K., Wheatley, R.E., Caul, S., and Clegg, C.D. (2000) Characterisation and consequences of soil microbial biodiversity. Annual Report of the Scottish Crop Research Institute for 1999/2000, 167-170.
  • Ritz, K., Crabb, D., Harris, K., Nunan, N., Wu, K., Crawford, J.W., and Young, I.M. (2000) Visualising the spatial organisation of soil microbial communities. Annual Report of the Scottish Crop Research Institute for 1999/2000, 163-166.
  • Ritz, K. (1997) Report on the 1997 SPM Meetings. BBSRC UK Soil-Plant-Microbe Newsletter 3.
  • Ritz, K. and O'Donnell, A.G. (1997) The UK Soil:Plant:Microbe Interactions Initiative. World Wide Web Pages. URL: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~naes/bbsrc/SPMHome.html [now defunct].
  • Ritz, K. (1997) MICRONET: The SOAEFD Soil:Plant:Microbe Initiative. World Wide Web Pages. URL: http://www.scri.sari.ac.uk/micro/home.htm [now defunct].
  • Ritz, K. (1996) Book Review : The Significance and Regulation of Soil Biodiversity: Ed. by H.P. Collins, G.P. Roberston and M.J. Klug. New Phytologist 133, 377.
  • Ritz, K. and Burns, R.G. (1996) The 1996 SPM Annual Meeting. BBSRC UK Soil-Plant-Microbe Newsletter 2.
  • Ritz, K. (1995) The 1995 SPM Annual Meeting. BBSRC UK Soil-Plant-Microbe Newsletter 1.
  • Ritz, K., Crawford, J.W., Gilligan, C.A., Thornton, C., Grose, M., and Kleczkowski, A. (1995) Problems and opportunities relating to the analysis of fungal growth in soil. BSSS Newsletter 27, 11-13.
  • Ritz, K. (1994) Fungal growth in heterogeneous environments. Annual Report of the Scottish Crop Research Institute for 1993, 54-57.
  • Wheatley, R.E. and Ritz, K. (1994) Nitrogen transformations in cultivated soils. Annual Report of the Scottish Crop Research Institute for 1994, 81-84.
  • Crawford, J.W., Duncan, J., Ellis, R.P., Griffiths, B.S., Hillman, J.R., MacKerron, D.K.L., Marshall, B., Ritz, K., Robinson, D., Wheatley, R.E., Woodford, J.A.T., and Young, I.M. (1989) Global Warming: The Implications for Agriculture and Priorities for Research. Occasional Reports of the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee.
  • Newman, E.I., Ritz, K. and Jupp, A.P. (1989) The functioning of roots in the grassland ecosystem. In: Roots and the Soil Environment: Aspects of Applied Biology 22 pp. 263-269.

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