Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Soil Microbial Community: Understanding The Belowground Network For Sustainable Grassland Management, Y. G. Zhu, W. D. Kong, B. D. Chen, Z. B. Nan, P. Christie

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

1. In addition to the use of conventional methodologies in soil microbial research, molecular techniques are now being applied to gain insights into the soil microbial community;
2. Plant diversity can exert impacts on soil microbial diversity (through root activities and plant litter etc.), but may in itself be significantly altered by soil properties;
3. Soil microbial diversity largely determines the stability of soil ecosystems under biotic and abiotic perturbations.
4. Management of soil microbial diversity can only be achieved through better understanding their structures and functions.

Soil Microbial Community: Understanding The Belowground Network For Sustainable Grassland Management, Y. G. Zhu, W. D. Kong, B. D. Chen, Z. B. Nan, P. Christie

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Key points

1. In addition to the use of conventional methodologies in soil microbial research, molecular techniques are now being applied to gain insights into the soil microbial community;

2. Plant diversity can exert impacts on soil microbial diversity (through root activities and plant litter etc.), but may in itself be significantly altered by soil properties;

3. Soil microbial diversity largely determines the stability of soil ecosystems under biotic and abiotic perturbations.

4. Management of soil microbial diversity can only be achieved through better understanding their structures and functions.

Influence Of Seasonality And Agricultural Practices On Soil Microbes In Kamishihoro, Japan, Y. Madegwa, Y. Uchida

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Soil microbes are important for maintenance of soil fertility and ecosystem functions. Agricultural practices such as land use, seasonality and fertilizer application effect the soil microbial community structure. However, the effect of these management practices on soil microbes and related functions, especially in one specific region, is still not clear.

Therefore, the study was conducted in Kamishihoro, Japan, to determine effect of land use (cropland, grassland), season (summer, spring) and fertilizer (anaerobic digestate, control) on soil microbial community and functions. Experimental procedure included DNA extraction, quantification, purification, amplification of 16SrRNA (bacterial gene) and Next Generation Sequencing (Ion PGM). Data analysis …

Carbon Dynamic In The Decomposer Subsystem Of The Leymus Chinensis Grassland In Northeastern China, Yong Wang, Jixun Guo

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Martian Life Detection With Amino Acid Enantiomers, Ali Jamil, Gaosen Zhang, Henry J. Sun

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

The Viking mission showed that Martian soil can degrade a heterotrophic medium to carbon dioxide as if live microorganisms were present. The result is considered inconclusive, however, because abiotic oxidants, such as superoxides, may also exist on Mars and would explain the Viking result. One way to resolve this ambiguity is to repeat the Viking experiment with a isomerically pure medium. The consumption of one isomer, either D or L, would indicate biological activity. Indiscriminate destruction of both isomers would indicate abiotic redox processes. This idea was validated for glucose by REU research last summer (Sun et al. 2009). The …

Diversity Of Estrogen Degrading Microorganisms In Las Vegas Wash And Lake Mead, Nevada, Usa, Susanna Blunt, Jim Bruckner, Jenny C. Fisher, Duane P. Moser

Lake Mead Science Symposium

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a subject of intense research as more studies reveal their persistence in the environment and detrimental effects on wildlife. Steroid hormones, including the natural and synthetic estrogens estrone (E1), 17-beta-estradiol (E2) and 17- alpha-ethinyl estradiol (EE2), are among the most bioactive and have been detected at low concentrations in waterways downstream from wastewater treatment plants. Las Vegas Wash, a stream flowing into Lake Mead and fed primarily by treated wastewater, provides a unique experimental system in which to study the role microorganisms play in the fate and dispersal of these compounds in surface waters.