CURRENT FUNDED RESEARCH
NSF-DEB 0918681 (9/09 to 08/13)
LiT-Collaborative
Research: What lies beneath: P limitation and soil microbial community
composition in hardwood forests.
a.k.a Phosphorus-Aluminum Experiment (PAX) Project
Jared L. DeForest (Project Director & PI), David Burke (PI), & Kurt Smemo (Co-PI)
Abstract:
Soil
pH
(acidity) has a major influence on soil fertility, and therefore the
structure
and function of ecosystems. The availability of phosphorus (P), in
particular,
is highly controlled by soil pH. Both natural processes and
human-induced
disturbance, such as acid rain, have resulted in acidification of some
ecosystems. Soil acidification can lead subsequently to a
decrease in P availability to eastern hardwood forests. However,
to date there
has not been evidence of P limitation in these forests, whether as a
result of
natural or anthropogenic acidification. This research is focused on
testing the
hypothesis that while available P may be reduced by soil acidification,
P
limitation to plants is ameliorated by microorganisms that are able to
liberate
P that is normally unavailable to plants, thereby masking P limitation
to
trees. To test this hypothesis, lime, P, or both will be added to two
forests
in eastern Ohio to determine if soil acidity or P availability can
actually
change soil microbial communities and their ability to produce
plant-available
P.
Basic site soil properties and treatment results