Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Biology Honors Papers

Series

2018

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Effects Of Drought On Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea In Salt Marshes, Hayley Mcmahon Jan 2018

The Effects Of Drought On Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea In Salt Marshes, Hayley Mcmahon

Biology Honors Papers

Severe droughts are expected to occur with increasing frequency under current climate change models. Droughts conditions lead to changes in the chemistry of salt marsh sediment by raising salinity, decreasing pH, and shifting conditions from anoxic to oxic. These changes have the potential to impact salt marsh microbial communities, including those involved in the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) carry out the oxidation of ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2−), the first and most rate limiting step of nitrification. I analyzed community composition and abundance of AOA in sediment samples collected from a Connecticut salt marsh during 2016, a severe drought …


Impact Of Severe Drought Conditions On Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities In A Connecticut Salt Marsh, Jack Beltz Jan 2018

Impact Of Severe Drought Conditions On Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities In A Connecticut Salt Marsh, Jack Beltz

Biology Honors Papers

Salt marsh ecosystems exist along a boundary between fresh and saline waterways, and their function is regulated by a variety of physical and chemical cycles. Microbial communities hold many important roles as mediators in these cycles, and like other aspects of the ecosystem are sensitive to changes in their environment. Climate change is expected to bring many obstacles for salt marshes around the world, one being periods of sustained drought. In this study we investigate the impact that a severe seasonal drought had on the abundance and community composition of microbes involved in nitrogen cycling, specifically ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). An …