Organic matter (or organic material) is matter that has come from a recently living organism; is capable of decay, or the product of decay; or is composed of organic compounds. Matter is commonly defined as being anything that has mass and that takes up space. An organic compound is any member of a large class of Chemical compounds whose Molecules contain Carbon. The definition of organic matter varies upon the subject it is being used for.
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Soil organic matter
Soil is mainly composed of minerals and organic matter, like decaying plants and animals, as well as living organisms. Soil organic matter (SOM is the Organic matter component of Soil. Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel The minerals are derived from the weathering of "parent material" - bedrock and overlying sub-soil. The organic matter in soil derives from plants and animals. In a forest, for example, leaf litter and woody material falls to the forest floor. This is sometimes referred to as organic material. [1] When it decays to the point it is no longer recognizable it is called soil organic matter. When the organic matter has broken down into a stable humic substances that resist further decomposition it is called humus. Humus (Origin 1790–1800 Latin: earth ground) is the organic material in Soil lending it a dark brown or black colouration Thus soil organic matter comprises all of the organic matter in the soil exclusive of the undecayed material. [2]
Once living matter
Organic matter may refer to matter which was once part of a living organism or produced by a living organism. This definition is synonymous with biotic material, and would include a clam's shell and naturally produced urea, while excluding synthetically produced urea. Biotic material or biological derived material is any Natural material that is originated from living organisms Urea is an Organic compound with the Chemical formula ( N[[hydrogen H]]22 C[[oxygen O]] While this definition is useful for modeling nutrient flows, it is not useful in measuring the organic content of soil.
Decay
Organic matter may be defined as material that is capable of decay, or the product of decay (humus), or both. Humus (Origin 1790–1800 Latin: earth ground) is the organic material in Soil lending it a dark brown or black colouration Usually the matter will be the remains of recently living organisms, and may also include still-living organisms. Polymers and plastics, although they may be organic compounds, are usually not considered organic material, due to their poor ability to decompose. An organic compound is any member of a large class of Chemical compounds whose Molecules contain Carbon. A clam's shell, while biotic, would not be considered organic matter by this definition because of its inability to decay. Biotic material or biological derived material is any Natural material that is originated from living organisms
Organic chemistry
Measurements of organic matter generally measure only organic compounds or carbon, and so are only an approximation of the level of once-living or decomposed matter. An organic compound is any member of a large class of Chemical compounds whose Molecules contain Carbon. Carbon (kɑɹbən is a Chemical element with the symbol C and its Atomic number is 6 Some definitions of organic matter likewise only consider "organic matter" to refer to only the carbon content, or organic compounds, and do not consider the origins or decomposition of the matter. An organic compound is any member of a large class of Chemical compounds whose Molecules contain Carbon. In this sense, not all organic compounds are created by living organisms, and living organisms do not only leave behind organic material. A clam's shell, for example, while biotic, does not contain much organic carbon, so may not be considered organic matter in this sense. Biotic material or biological derived material is any Natural material that is originated from living organisms Total organic carbon ( TOC) is the amount of Carbon bound in an Organic compound and is often used as a non-specific indicator of Water quality Conversely, urea is one of many organic compounds that can be synthesized without any biological activity. Urea is an Organic compound with the Chemical formula ( N[[hydrogen H]]22 C[[oxygen O]]
Vitalism
The equation of "organic" with living organisms comes from the now-abandoned idea of vitalism that attributed a special force to life that alone could create organic substances. Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from physicochemical This idea was first questioned after the abiotic synthesis of urea by Friedrich Wöhler in 1828. Friedrich Wöhler (31 July 1800 - 23 September 1882 was a German Chemist, best-known for his synthesis of Urea, but also the first to isolate several
See also
Compare with:
Biomass refers to living and recently dead Biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production In Biology, detritus is non-living particulate organic material (as opposed to dissolved organic material Humus (Origin 1790–1800 Latin: earth ground) is the organic material in Soil lending it a dark brown or black colouration Natural organic matter (NOM is broken down organic matter that comes from Plants and Animals in the environment. Organic geochemistry is the study of the impacts and processes that Organisms and once-living organisms have had on the Earth. Total organic carbon ( TOC) is the amount of Carbon bound in an Organic compound and is often used as a non-specific indicator of Water quality Biotic material or biological derived material is any Natural material that is originated from living organisms Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism A biomolecule is any organic Molecule that is produced by living Organisms including large Polymeric molecules such as Proteins Biological matter or biological material refers to the unique highly organized substances of which Cellular life is composed of for instance membranes Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on Crop rotation, Green manure, Compost, Biological pest control, and mechanical CultivationDictionary
organic matter
-noun
- The residues of dead plants and animals in various stages of decomposition
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