My focus of our project is on
soil carbon content. I have two experimental questions. First: will added live
versus sterile inoculum promote an increase in soil carbon? Second: do sedum
species versus native prairie plants lead to higher soil carbon levels? To answer these questions I must be able to accurately measure the carbon in the soil. My
goal this semester is just that: get reliable soil carbon data for our experimental
trays by using the Flash CN Analyzer.
Before I can run our real
samples, I have to practice preparing samples and running standards and samples
with the analyzer using excess soil. This coming
week, Susanna and I will collect the end-of-season soil samples for our
experiment. From there I will need to grind the soil, finalize the Flash
analyzer protocol, and begin running samples. The Flash Analyzer, which I described in detail in a previous post, is intimidating, but I am excited about the potential data sets we could get; that is if I can get good at using the machine.
This semester, I also want to work on scoring the MIP root slides for our mychorrizal data, but this is secondary because the slides are easily preserved where as I need the carbon data to continue my project. I am also looking forward to helping Susanna with her project which deals in part with soil water retention.
No comments:
Post a Comment