Gwendolyn Pipes

PhD Candidate

Freedman Lab Department of Soil Sciences
UW-Madison

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is stabilized by microorganisms through mineral association within soil aggregates. This research explores the distinction between bacterial and fungal necromass stabilization and whether there is a difference between their use by microorganisms and their eventual fate within soil aggregates in soils affected by different tree species. The soils at Blackhawk Island provide a unique opportunity because of the diversity of tree species and soils, as well as the limitation of disturbance and presence of old growth forest stands. Thus, the purpose of this study will be to determine carbon use efficiency of bacterial and fungal necromass by microorganisms within well-established tree stands of different dominant species, and examine necromass incorporation into soil aggregates.