Seasonal changes in an alpine soil bacterial community in the colorado rocky mountains.

ABSTRACT: The period when the snowpack melts in late spring is a dynamic time for alpine ecosystems. The large winter microbial community begins to turn over rapidly, releasing nutrients to plants. Past studies have shown that the soil microbial community in alpine dry meadows of the Colorado Rocky Mountains changes in biomass, function, broad-level structure, and fungal diversity between winter and early summer. However, little specific information exists on the diversity of the alpine bacterial community or how it changes during this ecologically important period. We constructed clone libraries of 16S ribosomal DNA from alpine soil collected in winter, spring, and summer. We also cultivated bacteria from the alpine soil and measured the seasonal abundance of selected cultured isolates in hybridiza

SUBMITTER: Lipson DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC404381 | biostudies-literature | 2004 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature