Biology researcher receives NSF CAREER award to measure 1xbet online casino microbe, grazer interactions
Monday, March 30, 2020
Lydia Zeglin, a microbial ecologist, has received an NSF CAREER award to study interactions between prairie grazers and 1xbet online casino microbes.| Download this photo.
MANHATTAN —A Kansas State University researcher aims 1xbet online casino depth of nature's social circle.
Lydia 1xbet online casino , 1xbet online casino ecologist and assistant professor in the Division of 1xbet online casino , was awarded nearly 0,000 from the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program to research interactions between the tallgrass prairie's largest species — bison and cattle — and the smallest — 1xbet online casino microbes.
"The College of Arts and Sciences is very proud of Dr. 1xbet online casino not only for receiving this prestigious NSF CAREER award, but also for the societal and economic impact her work will bring to Flint Hills life and the Manhattan community," said Amit Chakrabarti, dean of the college.
The interactions between grazers and 1xbet online casino microbes are important for prairie biodiversity and may affect how 1xbet online casino can remediate nitrogen pollution.
"We know how important grasslands are for carbon storage, but intact prairie ecosystems are also sponges for nitrogen," Zeglin said. "This is in part because the 1xbet online casino microbes can pick up nitrogen quickly and help keep it in the 1xbet online casino for a long time, even after plant tissue has decomposed."
Plants need nitrogen — a building block of proteins, DNA and other essential molecules — for healthy growth, but plants can only use so much. According to Zeglin, if it wasn't for 1xbet online casino microbes, anything extra could leach out of the 1xbet online casino and pollute groundwater, streams, rivers and lakes.
"There may be a balance between the plant uptake and the microbial activity that regulates good plant growth versus potential for pollution," 1xbet online casino said. "There's a concept called nitrogen retention, which is sort of the beneficial ecosystem service that we are interested in making sure we are measuring and sustaining."
1xbet online casino 's preliminary research suggests that cattle and bison may provide a service to the ecosystem by helping microbes spread their good deeds around the prairie.
"Grasslands evolved with bison and other large animals," Zeglin said. "One intriguing consideration is that bison and cattle can move microbes around as they pass across the landscape. They also redistribute nitrogen as they move around, which might help cultivate certain types of 1xbet online casino bacteria and archaea. Our plan is to collect samples in a way that enables distinguishing between the two mechanisms."
Zeglin's research will test 1xbet online casino from multiple prairie locations with a citizen scientist approach.
"Our ultimate goal is to understand the nitrogen cycle in all prairie soils better," Zeglin said. "In order to do that, we need to interact with more people to get more coverage of different prairie soils. We will be working with The Nature Conservancy, ranchers and students to contribute 1xbet online casino samples from bison- and cattle-grazed areas across the Flint Hills to expand the range of understanding."
Zeglin and students, including graduate students in her fall Microbial Diversity class, will perform detailed investigations of 1xbet online casino microbial diversity and activity— some involving experimental manipulations — to learn whether 1xbet online casino chemistry determines microbial diversity, or vice versa. The results will be shared with high school science classes, undergraduate biology classes and private landowners, with an intent to expand the scope and dissemination of the science as broadly as possible.
