Prescribed burning is a common management strategy in peatlands that has the potential to affect soil physicochemistry, alter biogeochemical cycles and trigger changes in vegetation structure. How burning affects prokaryotic community composition across different soil profiles is not well understood. This study explored the effects of prescribed burning on the …
Methane (CH4) emissions from northern peatlands are projected to increase due to climate change, primarily because of projected increases in soil temperature. Yet, the rates and temperature responses of the two CH4 emission-related microbial processes (CH4 production by methanogens and oxidation by methanotrophs) are poorly known. Further, peatland sites within a fen-bog …
Microbial communities of dryland ephemeral lake bed, dunes, and river channels are characterised – Wind preferentially mobilises specific microbes from soil surface biocrusts – Microbial dispersal adaptations may influence soil stability by promoting or inhibiting adhesion
We had a long difficult hike to access basal ice of Kvíárjökull because meltwater forced us to skirt a long way along the steep western moraine. It was a spectacular location though and we were quite lucky with the weather which turned bad as we were approaching the car to leave. Working …
The carbon cycle in salt pans is complex and poorly understood. Field-based data are needed to improve regional estimates of C storage and land–atmosphere CO2 fluxes from dryland environments where pans are prevalent. This paper provides a first estimate of C stores and CO2 efflux within the salt pan, grassland and woodland …
Polluted aquifers contain indigenous microbial communities with the potential for in situ bioremediation. However, the effect of hydrogeochemical gradients on in situ microbial communities (especially at the plume fringe, where natural attenuation is higher) is still not clear. In this study, we used culture-independent techniques to investigate the diversity of …
Highlights Development of a novel technology for partial nitrification at ambient temperature. First time to use online NH4-–N measurement as a control parameter for bioreactors. RT-PCR analysis shows the population size of AOB was up to 10% of total bacteria. Intermittent aeration and oxygen-limited conditions sustained partial nitrification. The bioreactor …
Soil biodiversity remains one of the least systematically studied components of global biodiversity, largely invisible in policy agendas. A coordinated soil biodiversity …
Meeting our visiting Exmoor Ponies at Cuckoo Tors ecology research site near Buxton! We are managing this land to benefit nature and …
I’m back from the IUCN UK Peatland Programme in Derry with Moors for the Future Partnership, connecting with people and organisations involved …
Out at Allestree Park Community Rewilding project with Field Biology students of University of Derby – performing habitat condition surveys with Eleanor …
We studied the microbial diversity colonizing limestone rock pools at a Neolithic Monument (Arbor Low, Derbyshire, England). Five pools were analyzed: four …
Prescribed burning is a common management strategy in peatlands that has the potential to affect soil physicochemistry, alter biogeochemical cycles and trigger …
Political responses to the COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in city soundscapes around the globe. From March to October 2020, a consortium …
Editorial for a special issue on Biocrusts in Frontiers in Microbiology can be found here. The special issue consists of 25 articles …
Microbes in peatlands provide key ecosystem services and are essential for their role in biogeochemical cycling. Prescribed burning is a common aspect …
Biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, are microbial communities found in soil surfaces in drylands and in other locations where vascular plant cover …