Project description
Decomposition – the recycling of nutrients from dead organic matter (e.g., plant litter, fungal and bacterial necromass) – is key for ecosystem productivity in terrestrial ecosystems. It liberates carbon and nutrients that can be used to produce new, living biomass. Not all organic matter is fully decomposed and, thus, released back to the atmosphere. Instead, a fraction may remain in the soil and form a persistent store of carbon. Indeed, soils make up a globally significant carbon sink which is highly relevant for the global carbon balance (Pan et al., 2011). More than 80% of the carbon stored in Norwegian ecosystems is stored in soils (Bartlett et al 2020). The decomposability of the organic matter is determined by a combination of factors related to i.e., biomass quality. Climate (temperature, moisture) is also an important determinant.
The FUNDER project aims to assess how climate affects ecosystem functioning above and below ground. Part of the project focuses on decomposition of organic matter and this is where this master project would contribute to it.
We have buried fungal necromass (dead fungal mycelia) with different quality in the soils of our experimental plots and we are working on assessing the mass loss of these materials during the incubation period in the field. By collecting and analysing these data, we get better insight into rates of decomposition, the fate of the decomposed carbon (release to the atmosphere or storage) and how these outcomes may be affected by climate. A natural extension of this project will be to identify decomposer communities in necromass remains.
This MSc project will identify microbial decomposer communities in remains of fungal necromass from a decomposition experiment. You will isolate DNA , perform PCR and preparation of metabarcoding libraries that will be sequenced to identify microbial assemblages. This will give you extensive training and experience with working in a molecular lab. You will use bioinformatic tools to analyse and assure the quality of your data, and use statistical analyses and modelling to investigate patterns in the microbial communities you identify.
Supervisors
Peter Groth Farsund (peter.farsund@uib.no) and
Vigdis Vandvik (vigdis.vandvik@uib.no)
References
Bartlett, J., Rusch, G.M., Kyrkjeeide, M.O., Sandvik, H. & Nordén, J. 2020. Carbon storage in Norwegian ecosystems (revised edition). NINA Report 1774b. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. https://brage.nina.no/nina-xmlui/handle/11250/2655580
Pan, Y., Birdsey, R.A., Fang, J., Houghton, R., Kauppi, P.E., Kurz, W.A., Phillips, O.L., Shvidenko, A., Lewis, S.L., Canadell, J.G., Ciais, P., Jackson, R.B., Pacala, S.W., McGuire, A.D., Piao, S., Rautiainen, A., Sitch, S., Hayes, D., 2011. A large and persistent carbon sink in the world’s forests. Science 333, 988–993. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1201609