Work

Environmental and anthropogenic controls over bacterial communities in wetland soils

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: Soil bacteria regulate wetland biogeochemical processes, yet little is known about controls over their distribution and abundance. Bacteria in North Carolina swamps and bogs differ greatly from Florida Everglades fens, where communities studied were unexpectedly similar along a nutrient enrichment gradient. Bacterial composition and diversity corresponded strongly with soil pH, land use, and restoration status, but less to nutrient concentrations, and not with wetland type or soil carbon. Surprisingly, wetland restoration decreased bacterial diversity, a response opposite to that in terrestrial ecosystems. Community level patterns were underlain by responses of a few taxa, especially the Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria, suggesting promise for bacterial indicators of restoration and trophic status.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0808254105

Authors: Wyatt H. Hartman, Curtis J. Richardson, Rytas Vilgalys, Gregory L. Bruland

Institutions: Duke University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaii System

Language: English

Topic: Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Science Foundation