The ecology of tussock grasslands: Microbiology of tussock grassland soils

[First paragraph(s)...]
An investigation of aspects of the microbiology of tussock grassland soils was carried out in the 1953-1954 season and was an attempt at a team approach to soil microbiological studies. The investigation sought to determine the influence of vegetation, soil type, climate and season on several groups of micro-organisms existing in a relatively stable environment under near natural conditions. Five groups of organisms-fungi, yeasts, amoeboid and ciliate protozoa and bacteria, have been studied jointly in soils under low tussock grassland cover dominated largely by Festuca novae-zelandiae.
The investigation has included the isolation of different organisms with various and appropriate techniques, in some cases comparing standard with newly developed methods and comparing the effects of differently constituted isolating media. The organisms have been identified taxonomically and their frequency of occurrence determined.