In collaboration between Ecoss and two DOE National Labs, we are addressing whether microbial taxa exhibit differences in growth and death rates and the underlying biochemistry in these environments, and to what degree these responses are genetically determined or environmentally induced. For the first time we have the opportunity to link in vivo taxon-specific microbial growth and death rates to metabolic capabilities and activities in strongly contrasting soil environments. Information on microbial growth and death rates, and their metabolic capabilities and activities in undisturbed soil environments is an essential step towards developing more mechanistic soil C cycling models.
Soil is a complex ecosystem with diverse microenvironments ranging from bulk soil with low quality substrates and no or very limited microbial growth, to high quality C-rich environments near decomposing litter and rhizosphere where microbial growth and death rates are high. Soil contains different microbial communities, supports varying microbial activities Read more…
When new carbon enters soil, especially carbon that is easily assimilated and decomposed by soil microorganisms, a chain reaction occurs leading to the breakdown of older soil carbon, carbon that would otherwise have remained stable. Current theory does not explain this chain reaction, sometimes called the “priming effect.” But understanding Read more…
We’ve got your number: Tracing the source of invasive Japanese beetles March 9, 2016 Sonya Daw news.nau.edu Like a Southern drawl popping up on the West Coast, our accents mark us as newcomers. With time they fade, leaving only traces of our past in the occasional slip of a word. Read more…