FranzJosef Chronosequence
Characterizing microorganisms during ecosystem development: Do soil microbial communities show patterns of succession?
To explore the patterns of microbial change and their relationship to other physicochemical and biological gradients that develop as ecosystems age, the composition and diversity of microbial communities in soil was studied along multiple chronosequences in Michigan and Georgia in USA and FranzJosef and Haast in New Zealand. The bacterial communities were assessed by pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes at multiple stages of ecosystem progression and retrogression, ranging in age from 0 to 100s of thousand years. Results indicate that broad patterns of bacterial community composition and diversity are less related to vegetation and more related to soil properties.