Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Large Herbivores On Soil Organic Matter Quality In Terrestrial Ecosystems, Adrian Alvarez

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Understanding the factors that control the natural fluxes of carbon into and out of terrestrial ecosystems is of paramount importance to forecast and adapt to climate change. Soil respiration – the release of carbon dioxide from roots and soil micro-organisms– is considered to be the largest terrestrial source of carbon dioxide. Microbial respiration, the least understood component of soil respiration, is to a great extent determined by soil organic matter quality, reflecting the relative fractions of labile and recalcitrant soil carbon. The goal of this research was to examine how herbivory affects soil organic matter quality across a wide range …