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Faculty Advisor

Dr. James Montgomery

Abstract

The anthropogenic impacts of industrialization have left many ecosystems polluted. Soil, being an imperative actor for ecosystem functions, is important to observe under anthropogenic change. My study examined soil organic matter decomposition, microbial biomass carbon(MBC) and the fungal to bacteria ratio(F:B) across an urban-suburban-exurban landuse gradient in San Luis Obispo, California. A cotton strip assay as well as microBIOMETER® testing was performed on three geographic locations in and outside of the city. The cotton strip decomposition acts as an indicator for organic matter breakdown as microorganisms break down the cellulose in the strips causing them to lose mass and tensile strength. My null hypothesis is the geographic location of the sites (urban, suburban, exurban) will not have a significant effect on the rate of soil organic matter decomposition, MBC, and F:B carbon. The three sites were sampled over a five-week period and the cotton strip mass loss, MBC, and F:B were measured. A two-way ANOVA as well as Tukey’s post-hoc tests were utilized to test for significant findings. The decomposition rates for the Urban, Suburban, and Exurban sites were: 0.0189g/week < 0.0204g/week < 0.0304g/week respectively. One-way ANOVA of the decomposition rates, as well as MBC and F:B among the sites showed no significant differences. (p > 0.05 for all). The tests failed to reject the null hypothesis, indicating a lack of significant difference in cotton decomposition rates and microBIOMETER® results between the three sites. A literature review suggests a longer study would have yielded more significant results.

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