Microbial Carbon Turnover and Dynamics from Biochemically Diverse Microbial Groups in Temperate and Tropical Forest Soils

摘要

Microorganisms represent an important source of actively cycling carbon (C) in terrestrial ecosystems, yet little is known of the relative importance of microbial biochemistry as a factor influencing C stabilization across different microbial groups. This project utilized uniformly 13 C-labeled, biochemically diverse, non-living microbial residues as substrates in a reciprocal transplant experiment in Blodgett Forest (BF), a temperate forest in the Sierra Nevada, and Luquillo Forest (LF), a tropical forest in Puerto Rico to examine the stability of unique microbial biochemistries. These sites represent diverse ecosystems that are known to support substantially different microbial communities, and provide an excellent opportunity to look at the effects of climate, parent material, and microbial community on factors affecting humification processes.