Nov 13 – 15, 2024
Leipziger KUBUS Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ
Europe/Berlin timezone
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Defining the role of spatial sampling in soil biodiversity estimates

Nov 14, 2024, 2:45 PM
1m
Leipziger KUBUS/1-B - Hall 1 B (Leipziger KUBUS)

Leipziger KUBUS/1-B - Hall 1 B

Leipziger KUBUS

150
Poster Biodiversity Change Poster Flash Talks

Speaker

Maria Kostakou (Department of Applied Microbial Ecology, Helmholtz Institute for Environmental Research-UFZ)

Description

In soil microbiomes, the interplay between dispersal, biotic, and abiotic selection is scale-dependent, but the impact of sampling design on biodiversity estimates is often overlooked. To address this, we studied the effects of spatial sampling designs, including commonly-practiced homogenization (or sample pooling), on microbial diversity estimates by sampling soil microbiomes at 54 sites across grasslands and forests in Germany.
Using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding, we explored how variations in sample size and distribution within plots influence diversity estimates. We assessed the effects of sample extent, aggregation, and sample number on alpha, beta, gamma, and zeta diversity estimates, comparing these to homogenized soil samples from the same locations.
Our findings provide valuable insights into the effects of spatial sampling designs on microbial diversity estimates in soils. It underscores the importance of preserving soil cores rather than homogenizing samples, thereby contributing to the development of more robust sampling methodologies.

Status Group Doctoral Researcher

Primary author

Maria Kostakou (Department of Applied Microbial Ecology, Helmholtz Institute for Environmental Research-UFZ)

Co-authors

Dr Kezia Goldmann (Department of Soil Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ) Dr Stephanie Jurburg (Department of Applied Microbial Ecology (AME), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ)

Presentation materials

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