Does leaf color alter the leaf biofilm microbial community during leaf decay in Liquidambar?
We collected Liquidambar leaves in the fall of 2023 that were either green, yellow, or red. We submerged the leaves in sterilized pond water and left the leaves in an incubator at 30 degrees C for 1 day, 1 week, and 3 weeks. We then extracted the DNA and used 16S rRNA primers to identify the microbial community on each leaf. The purpose of this experiment is to understand how the microbes within leaf biofilms contribute to leaf preservation or decay and if they are affected by leaf color.