Carbon Turnover Through the Soil Microbial Community

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Abstract00-75777MyroldCarbon turnover through the soil microbial communityTerrestrial ecosystems are driven by inputs of organic carbon derived from their plant communities. The quantity and quality of this carbon changes during the different growth stages of the plants and is influenced by seasonal climate. The investigators hypothesize that these factors exert selective pressures on the soil microbial community and influences which microbes respond to plant carbon inputs, where such responses take place, and the fate of plant carbon in the soil. The fate of plant-derived organic carbon will be followed by labeling tall fescue grass with a stable carbon isotope and following the labeled plant carbon in shoot and root residues as they decompose. At the same time, microbial activities, community composition and turnover will be measured with a combination of molecular and biochemical techniques. The project will provide new information about how climate and plant carbon inputs interact with the microbial community to influence how carbon is processed in soil.