Travel patterns of wind-blown soil microbes

摘要

WHEN strong winds carry away soil, microbes in the soil can act like hitchhikers and go along for the ride. With help from a wind tunnel and the latest DNA technology, Agricultural Research Service scientists from the USDA, are shedding light on the travel patterns of these soilborne hitchhikers. The work has implications worldwide for soil health and could lead to management practices that minimise the damage to soils caused by wind erosion. Scientists have been studying wind-eroded soils since the1930s, but few studies have focused on wind's effect on soil microbes. Microbes drive a number of critical processes, such as releasing enzymes that spur turnover of organic matter, sequestering carbon in the soil, and making nutrients available to plants.