Short-Term Effects of a Prescribed Burn on the Soil Bacterial Microbiome in an area under restoration for the Longleaf Pine
Disciplines
Biology | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology | Integrative Biology | Microbiology | Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Plant Biology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) is a pyrophytic conifer that fronts one of the more endangered ecosystems within the Southeastern United States. This ecosystem is dominated by a matrix of herbaceous grasses and forbs in which pine trees are embedded, and which serve as propellants for fire, a necessary component and natural regulator for the ecosystem. While there is extensive knowledge on the importance of fire within the longleaf pine ecosystem, not much is known about the impacts of fire on the soil microbiome associated within this ecosystem. This study aims to investigate the immediate and short-term effects of a prescribed burn on the bacterial soil microbiome of a restoration area for the longleaf pine, located in the Piedmont region of Georgia. Soil samples from Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area were collected from randomized plots before and after a prescribed burn (one day after, one week after, three weeks after, and two months after the burn) in spring of 2023. DNA was then extracted from samples using commercially available kits and concentrations of DNA extracted from soil were quantified using a Nanodrop spectrophotometer. DNA samples were sent to a commercial lab for the identification of bacteria. Pre-burn results indicate that Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Proteobacteria dominate the soil microbiome. We predict there will be a noticeable difference in bacterial richness and a shift within the composition of the community of bacterial families within these phyla depending on the time since the burn. These analyses provide a connection between the soil bacterial microbiome of the longleaf pine and ecological succession after fire. This study is part of a longer-term study of the longleaf pine and its soil microbiome concentrating on the relationship between the different bacterial taxa, the above ground dominant herbaceous species, and environmental factors.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Paula Jackson
Short-Term Effects of a Prescribed Burn on the Soil Bacterial Microbiome in an area under restoration for the Longleaf Pine
The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) is a pyrophytic conifer that fronts one of the more endangered ecosystems within the Southeastern United States. This ecosystem is dominated by a matrix of herbaceous grasses and forbs in which pine trees are embedded, and which serve as propellants for fire, a necessary component and natural regulator for the ecosystem. While there is extensive knowledge on the importance of fire within the longleaf pine ecosystem, not much is known about the impacts of fire on the soil microbiome associated within this ecosystem. This study aims to investigate the immediate and short-term effects of a prescribed burn on the bacterial soil microbiome of a restoration area for the longleaf pine, located in the Piedmont region of Georgia. Soil samples from Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area were collected from randomized plots before and after a prescribed burn (one day after, one week after, three weeks after, and two months after the burn) in spring of 2023. DNA was then extracted from samples using commercially available kits and concentrations of DNA extracted from soil were quantified using a Nanodrop spectrophotometer. DNA samples were sent to a commercial lab for the identification of bacteria. Pre-burn results indicate that Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Proteobacteria dominate the soil microbiome. We predict there will be a noticeable difference in bacterial richness and a shift within the composition of the community of bacterial families within these phyla depending on the time since the burn. These analyses provide a connection between the soil bacterial microbiome of the longleaf pine and ecological succession after fire. This study is part of a longer-term study of the longleaf pine and its soil microbiome concentrating on the relationship between the different bacterial taxa, the above ground dominant herbaceous species, and environmental factors.