ORGANIZED ORAL SESSION 36

OOS-36: Role of microbial communities in mediating biogeochemical response to disturbance

Endorsed by the ESA Biogeosciences Section

Wednesday, August 10, 1:30 PM - 5 PM, Meeting Rooms 511b and 511e, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Organizers:  Erica Smithwick (easmithwick@wisc.edu), Monica Turner

Description: Disturbances alter ecosystem biogeochemistry, but how microbial communities mediate post-disturbance processes is largely unknown. Significant insight has been gained about how microbial communities alter ecosystem processes, but predictive ecosystem models generally assume microbes act in a “black box.” With few exceptions, ecosystem scientists have overlooked the specific role of microbial communities in mediating post-disturbance processes, focusing rather on the processes themselves. Thus, descriptions of post-disturbance ecosystem function are largely indirect, lacking a mechanistic basis. A synthetic theory that links microbial composition and function to post-disturbance processes is lacking. In this session, we will explore how and why microbial community structure and function are altered by disturbance (e.g., CO₂ enrichment, forest harvesting, fire, agricultural land use change), the consequences of these changes to ecosystem function and biogeochemical processes (especially carbon and nitrogen cycling), and assess the future challenges (e.g., methodological constraints) for integrating microbial ecology, ecosystem ecology, and biogeochemical cycling.