Overview/Theory

By measuring the enzyme activity of microbes we can determine the environmental benefits (e.g. carbon storage and nutrient retention and recycling) of different management practices.  As part of the Landscape Biomass Project, we are interested in how microbes interact with different biomass cropping systems to influence carbon storage and nutrient cycling.  A novelty of this study is our ability to ask questions related to position of cropping systems on the landscape (summit, side-slope, floodplain, etc).  Landscape position is important to microorganisms because soil properties that vary with topography, such as soil texture, carbon content, pH, and soil moisture, can also influence microbial activity.

Approach

We measure the potential activity of 8 enzymes involved in the degradation of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and chitin, and proteins as well as enzymes involved in the liberation of phosphorous.  We sample soil from the research plots at three time points throughout the growing season (May, July, August/September), sieve the soil from each plot, and measure potential enzyme activity in the lab.  The results we get in the lab help us understand decomposition and nutrient availability in the field.