Assessment of Soil Microbial Communities Associated with Greenhouse Gas Efflux From a Secondary Forest in Central Missouri.

Carbon and nitrogen enters the atmosphere in the forms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) as a result of human activities such as industrial and agricultural processes. Greenhouse gases and their effect on global climate change and the environment requires better understanding of the processes that govern greenhouse gas efflux. Soil microbial communities influence the environment in which they live by mediating nutrient cycling and other soil processes. However, the extent of microbial influence on GHG efflux is not fully understood. Our objective is to enhance information on biological importance to GHG efflux by examining how phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), DNA profiles and GHG efflux varies as functions of landscape position and seasons. PLFAs represent the current living community both quantitatively and qualitatively. An incubation study was designed to examine the influence of soil microorganisms and microbial activity on the spatial distribution of greenhouse gases from soil in a secondary forest in central Missouri. The information gathered from this study will be useful in constructing predictive models of greenhouse gas effluxes from different ecosystems relative to greenhouse gas emissions; and, by extension, global warming.