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Harvard Forest Symposium Abstract 2005
- Title: Microbial Community Responses to Soil Warming
- Primary Author: Heather Smith (University of New Hampshire - Main Campus)
- Additional Authors: R. Drijber (University of Nebraska); Serita Frey (University of New Hampshire - Main Campus); Jerry Melillo (Marine Biological Laboratory)
- Abstract:
During fall 2003 we collected soil cores (2.5 cm diam) from the control, disturbance control, and heated plots (n = 6) at the Prospect Hill soil warming experiment to examine the effects of long-term soil warming on microbial community composition. Each core was divided into O-horizon material and the top 10 cm of mineral soil. Microbial community composition was determined by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis, where specific FAMEs are used as biomarkers for fungal and bacterial cell components. Microbial biomass, measured as extractable lipid P, was 28% and 26% lower in heated compared to control plots for the mineral and organic horizons, respectively. Samples collected from the mineral horizon of the heated plots had significantly lower concentrations of the fungal biomarker C18:2c9, the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal biomarker C16:1c11, and several bacterial biomarkers (aC15:0, C16:1c7, C16:1c9, aC17:0, 3-OH ME, CyC17-9/10, and CyC19-11/12). Additionally, a shift from gram negative to gram positive bacteria was observed for both organic and mineral horizons in the heated plots. There were no significant differences between heated and control plots for actinomycete biomarkers (10MeC17:0 and 10MeC18:0).
- Research Category:
