Biophysics of Cold Adaptation and Acclimatization: Microbial Decomposition.

• Main Author: Laursen,G A
• Other Authors: ALASKA AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY EXPERIMENT STATION FAIRBANKS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1984
• Subjects: Anatomy and Physiology; Stress Physiology; *SOILS; *FUNGI; *ADAPTATION; *BIOPHYSICS; *BIODETERIORATION; *ACCLIMATIZATION; *ADAPTATION(PHYSIOLOGY); LOW TEMPERATURE; ENZYMES; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; GRAVIMETRY; LOSSES; ARCTIC REGIONS; CATABOLISM; BAGS; PEAT; WUNR202245; Arctic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA153413; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA153413

The intent of the proposed research was to further ellucidate decomposition processes attributed by soil fungi in an Arctic terrestrial environment as those processes relate to the structure and function of decomposition in cold dominated peat soil. The approach was novel in that it was to examine the presence and abundance of total fungal hyphae by a modified Jones and Mollison technique and viable fungal hyphae by either the fluorescein diacetate or oresein techniques of Soderstrom in relationship to: 1) the presence and activities of catabolic enzymes (i.e., chitinase, peroxidases, proteases and cellulase) present in the soil complex, and produced by the fungi; 2) the gravimetric loss of organic litter components (i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, acid and neutral solution solubles and remaining residuals) the decomposition of which is largely attributed to soil fungi in moist but not saturated peat soils; 3) the total concentrations of nitrogen in the decomposing system in relation to the overall rate of component weight loss that was not determined because of reduction in funding amounts and duration. Litter bags constituted the experimental pool from which most measurements were taken.