[Electron microscopic study of forest soil]

Scanning electron microscopy was used to evidence the aggregated structure of a forest soil as well as the presence of fungal hyphae external to soil aggregates. The supernatant of soil suspension in water mainly contained isolated bacteria, while ultrathin sections of aggregates frequently revealed groups of bacteria surrounded by a sheath of mucilage with adhering clay minerals on the outside. These results confirm the existence of two particular biotopes in the soil studied: one is located inside aggregates, and the other, in the inter-aggregate spaces.