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Assessing The Agronomic And Ecological Relevance Of Mineral-Associated Organic Matter, Andrea Jilling
Assessing The Agronomic And Ecological Relevance Of Mineral-Associated Organic Matter, Andrea Jilling
Doctoral Dissertations
As the largest terrestrial sink for carbon (C) and a critical source of nitrogen (N) for plants, soil organic matter (SOM) is a major driver of ecosystem function. It is critical to understand the mechanistic controls on SOM in order to improve models of global C cycling and to develop accurate measures of soil fertility. SOM consists of a wide spectrum of compounds, varying in chemical characteristics and function. The chemical and physical fractionation of SOM is a valuable tool for distilling this complexity into meaningful and distinct pools: detrital or particulate organic matter (POM), which contains mostly recent litter …
Fungal Physiological Response To Temperature And Nitrogen Availability, Shana Whitney
Fungal Physiological Response To Temperature And Nitrogen Availability, Shana Whitney
Master's Theses and Capstones
Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE; the proportion of assimilated C allocated towards biomass production) is a powerful regulator of global soil C stocks, and there is a need to integrate accurate and dynamic CUE parameters into C-cycling models. However, there is uncertainty in the CUE-response to warming and increased N deposition and how this response may vary among groups of microbes. Here, we conducted a laboratory incubation of ten photogenically diverse fungal isolates grown in liquid culture to evaluate potential environmental and physiological controls over CUE. Isolates were grown at 15ºC or 25ºC and under low or high N concentrations. …
Fungal Community And Soil Responses To Invasive Alliaria Petiolata (Garlic Mustard), Soil Warming, And Nitrogen Deposition, Mark Alan Anthony
Fungal Community And Soil Responses To Invasive Alliaria Petiolata (Garlic Mustard), Soil Warming, And Nitrogen Deposition, Mark Alan Anthony
Doctoral Dissertations
Non-native, invasive plants can fundamentally alter soil fungal communities and edaphic properties. In this dissertation, I first measured fungal and edaphic responses and recovery to invasive, Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard; Brassicaceae) eradication across Southern New England. I conducted an experimental eradication and tracked fungal communities and soil properties for three years in relation to reference uninvaded plots and actively invaded plots. Neither the fungal community nor soil properties recovered (i.e. became similar to reference uninvaded plots) following eradication, and I discuss how altered soil properties likely prevented fungal communities from recovering via environmental filtering. I also measured fungal and edaphic …