How the Environment Affects a Small Community

By: Oscar D. Gonzalez

Protists are the most abundant and diverse group within the domain eukarya. Protists represent one of the key groups in soil communities and hold a crucial role both below and above the ground. They represent an essential driver of the microbial food web by shaping bacterial communities, enhancing nutrient recycling, and stimulating microbial turnover and plant production. This research investigated the influence of land use types on protist communities in grasslands by applying quantitative and qualitative cultivation-independent methods. Soil samples were collected from three grassland plots found in three different geographical sites: low-mountain, lowland, and a fen site. The study found that site was an important determinant affecting protistan community composition, and are also influence by geography. It was also shown that soil water can also determine community composition and abundance of cultivable soil protists. The study also showed that grazing by sheep had an indirect effect on the microbial community compared to grazing by other animals. This study will aid further research on how to improve the agricultural methods used throughout the world. 

 

(Glaser et al, 2015) This figure illustrates two factors that affect protistan community, (N) nitrogen found in soil and grazing by animals.

  Glaser, K., Duppardt, A.,  Boenigk, J., et al. (2015) The influence of environmental factors on protistan microorganisms in grassland soil along a land-use gradient. Science of the Total Environment. 527: 33-42