Woody plant encroachment into grasslands and savannas is among the most geographically extensive vegetation changes occurring in the world today, and fire is a common management tool used to control it. Both woody encroachment and fire often modify key ecosystem properties and processes such as plant species composition, plant productivity, decomposition, and nutrient cycling processes. The investigators will study the impacts of woody encroachment and fire history on the diversity and function of soil microbial communities in the southern Great Plains. New techniques using ribosomal RNA genes extracted from soils will be applied to characterize the diversity of the bacterial and fungal communities in the soil, and functional gene arrays will be used to document their functional attributes. This study will enhance fundamental understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between above- and belowground components of ecosystems, and improve abilities to manage and conserve natural resources in grassland and savanna ecosystems.
