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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Environmental Microbiome In A Changing World: Microbial Processes And Biogeochemistry, Stephanie Juice
The Environmental Microbiome In A Changing World: Microbial Processes And Biogeochemistry, Stephanie Juice
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Climate change can alter ecosystem processes and organismal phenology through both long-term, gradual changes and alteration of disturbance regimes. Because microbes mediate decomposition, and therefore the initial stages of nutrient cycling, soil biogeochemical responses to climate change will be driven by microbial responses to changes in temperature, precipitation, and pulsed climatic events. Improving projections of soil ecological and biogeochemical responses to climate change effects therefore requires greater knowledge of microbial contributions to decomposition. This dissertation examines soil microbial and biogeochemical responses to the long-term and punctuated effects of climate change, as well as improvement to decomposition models following addition of …
Earthworm Presence In Northern Forests: Impact On Distribution Of Soil Carbon Within Aggregate Fractions, Meghan Elizabeth Knowles
Earthworm Presence In Northern Forests: Impact On Distribution Of Soil Carbon Within Aggregate Fractions, Meghan Elizabeth Knowles
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Growing concerns over climate change is driving research aimed at determining ways of retaining soil carbon (C) within managed northeastern forests. Earthworms are exotic to the state of Vermont and the current extent of earthworm community presence in the state's forests, as well as the long term impact these communities will have on soil C storage, is still unknown. Current research suggests that earthworms have conflicting effects on the C cycle of soils, simultaneously enhancing mineralization through soil mixing, while protecting C through the stabilization of microaggregate (mA) structures. The mA soil fraction represents a pool of physically stable structures …
Modeling The Effects Of The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid On Carbon Storage In Northern New England Forests, Jeffrey John Krebs
Modeling The Effects Of The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid On Carbon Storage In Northern New England Forests, Jeffrey John Krebs
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae Annand) is an invasive insect that threatens to eradicate native eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.) across the eastern United States. In southern New England and southern Appalachian forests, HWA-induced hemlock mortality has impacted carbon (C) flux by altering stand age, litter composition, species composition, and coarse woody debris levels. However, no one has examined how total C storage and sequestration may be impacted by these changes. Further, while projections are that HWA will ultimately infest hemlock across its entire geographic range, the majority of studies have been limited to southern New …