This book brings together the latest research and opinion on the biogeochemistry of organic phosphorus from a wide range of disciplines and focuses specifically on the characterisation and transformations of organic phosphorus in terrestrial and aquatic systems.

a: Preface, B L Turner, E Frossard and D S Baldwin Section A: Chemical characterization of organic phosphorus in environmentalsamples 1: Separation, preconcentration and speciation of organic phosphorus in environmental samples, I D McKelvie, Monash University, Australia 2: Using phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to characterize organic phosphorus in environmental samples, B J Cade-Menun, Stanford University, USA 3: Organic phosphorus speciation in natural waters by mass spectrometry, W T Cooper, J M Llewelyn, G L Bennett, A C Stenson and V J M Salters, Florida State University, USA Section B: Processes controlling the dynamics of organic phosphorus in theenvironment 4: Abiotic degradation of organic phosphorus compounds in the environment, D S Baldwin, J A Howitt, Monash University, Australia, and J K Beattie, University of Sydney, Australia 5: Enzymatic hydrolysis of organic phosphorus, H Quiquampoix, and D Mousain, INRA-ENSAM, France 6: Abiotic stabilization of organic phosphorus in the environment, L Celi and E Barberis, University of Turin, Italy 7: Microbial turnover of phosphorus in soil, A Oberson, Institute of Plant Sciences, Switzerland, and E J Joner, Norwegian Forest Research Institute, Norway 8: Utilization of soil organic phosphorus by higher plants, A E Richardson, T S George, M Hens, and R J Simpson, CSIRO Plant Industry, Australia 9: Microbial turnover of organic phosphorus in aquatic systems, R T Heath, Kent State University, USA 10: Ecological aspects of phosphatase activities of algae and bryophytes, B A Whitton, University of Durham, UK, A M Al-Shehri, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia, N T W Ellwood, Universita Roma Tre, Italy, and B L Turner Section C: Integrating processes at the ecosystem level 11: Organic phosphorus dynamics in tropical agroecosystems, G Nziguheba, Generose, Belgium, and E K Buenemann, Institute of Plant Sciences, Switzerland 12: Organic phosphorus transfer from terrestrial to aquatic environments, B L Turner 13: Interactions of organic phosphorus in terrestrial ecosystems, L M Condron, Lincoln University, New Zealand, and H Tiessen, Göttingen University, Germany 14: Organic phosphorus in the aquatic environment: speciation, transformations and interactions with nutrient cycles, A M Mitchell and D S Baldwin, Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, Australia 15: Modelling phosphorus, carbon and nitrogen dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems, W J Parton, Colorado State University, USA, J Neff, US Geological Survey, Denver, USA, and P M Vitousek, Stanford University, USA 16: Modelling organic phosphorus transformations in aquatic systems, P Reichert, Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Switzerland, and B Wehrli, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Switzerland 17: Synthesis and recommendations for future research, B L Turner"

"This is a very welcome book and one that will be indispensable for phosphorus researchers in the years to come." R H Foy, European Journal of Soil Science, April 2006 "This book contains papers of a high standard that link well to each other to provide a picture of P that encompasses terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems." P J Gregory, Experimental Agriculture, 42, 2006