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A Comparison Of Highly Disturbed Agricultural Soil And Natural Forested Soil As It Affects Decomposition, Haley Madden

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The purpose of this study is to compare decomposition of animal samples in plowed and unplowed soils. To accomplish this, two sets of three pig (Sus domesticus) ham hocks were buried in soil in early May of 2023, one set in a highly disturbed agricultural field and the other set in an undisturbed forested area. Soybeans were planted in the agricultural field within a week. The samples remained buried until excavated in October 2023 after harvest to compare the extent of decomposition and any other changes that occurred to the surrounding soil. Additionally, the soil at each site was described …