Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/28491
Title: Heterotrophic microbial communities in biological soil crusts : responses to temperature and precipitation
Authors: Doherty, Stacey J.
LeGrand, Sandra L.
Foley, Karen L.
Rosten, Shelby A.
Jones, Robert M.
Fisher, Andmorgan R.
Sikaroodi, Masoumeh.
Gillevet, Pat.
Barbato, Robyn A.
Keywords: Cyanobacteria
Microorganisms
Mineral dusts
Soil chemistry
Soil crusting
Soil mechanics
Soil stabilization
Soils
Publisher: Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.)
Geospatial Research Laboratory (U.S.)
Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Series/Report no.: Technical Report (Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)) ; no. ERDC TR-18-11
Abstract: Mineral dust affects many of Earth’s processes (e.g., radiative forcing, nutrient distribution, and hydrology) and poses a risk to Army maneuverability and situational awareness. Understanding soil processes and how these relate to potential dust emission is of increasing concern as adverse effects of dust become more prevalent. Biological soil crusts (BSCs), commonly found at the soil surface in arid and semiarid regions of the world, protect soils from wind and water erosion. While there is a rich understanding of the behaviors of photosynthetic organisms within BSCs, they are only part of the community. Understanding the other component, the nonphotosynthetic microorganisms and their response to environmental stimuli (i.e., temperature and moisture), will improve dust forecasting models and cur-rent soil-stabilization methods. We conducted a laboratory incubation study to investigate the effects of simulated precipitation events and cooling on the nonphotosynthetic microbial community that made up approximately 40% of the bacterial community in our samples. Our results show how temperature and moisture influence the diversity and resilience of the microbial community and its structure.
Description: Technical Report
Gov't Doc #: ERDC TR-18-11
Rights: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/28491
http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/28491
Size: 44 pages / 5.89 Mb
Types of Materials: PDF/A
Appears in Collections:Technical Report

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