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https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-25202| Publication type: | Master thesis |
| Title: | Vegetation and soil microbial diversity along alpine elevation and snow gradients |
| Authors: | Keller, Sabrina |
| Advisors / Reviewers: | Dengler, Jürgen Hepenstrick, Daniel Rixen, Christian |
| DOI: | 10.21256/zhaw-25202 |
| Extent: | 54 |
| Issue Date: | 2022 |
| Publisher / Ed. Institution: | ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften |
| Publisher / Ed. Institution: | Winterthur |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | Alpha diversity; Alps; Drivers; Elevation gradient; PH; Plants; Microbes; rRNA sequencing; Species richness; Snow gradient; Structural equation model SEM |
| Subject (DDC): | 579: Microbiology 580: Plants (Botany) |
| Abstract: | Along elevation gradients, effects of changing environmental conditions can be observed and predicted, with plants being commonly used as bioindicators. The relationship between plant alpha diversity and elevation depends on the sampling design and shows unimodal or decreasing patterns, whereas there are inconsistent or even contradictory findings for soil microbes (bacteria, fungi, protists). I examined plant and microbial diversity indices (species richness, Shannon index, Shannon evenness index) along alpine elevation and snow gradients in Switzerland, using the snow gradient to represent seasonal variation and soil moisture. To determine the effect of both gradients on diversity indices and test their relationship, I conducted linear mixed-effect models (LME) and correlation tests. In structural equation models (SEM), I examined the (in-) direct effect of elevation and snow gradient, pH, and plant species richness on microbial diversity. All diversity indices of plants and microbes showed a unimodal relationship along the elevation gradient, while species richness of fungi was influenced by the interaction of both gradients and showed increasing and decreasing linear patterns along the snow gradient. The species richness of protists showed no relationship with elevation but was highest in plots under snow cover. I could not detect an effect of plant species richness on microbial diversity indices in the SEM. Both gradients, as well as pH, had shown a direct influence, whereby their effects differed between microbial groups and indices. Even though plant species richness did not significantly affect microbial diversity in my analyses, at least a link between plant and bacterial diversity is to be expected, because they follow the same unimodal curve and are positively correlated. Thus, further research is needed, for example based on functional groups, to explore these relationships. |
| URI: | https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/25202 |
| License (according to publishing contract): | CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International |
| Departement: | Life Sciences and Facility Management |
| Appears in collections: | Masterarbeiten Umwelt und Natürliche Ressourcen |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022_Keller_Sabrina_MAS_ENR.pdf | 1.94 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |
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Keller, S. (2022). Vegetation and soil microbial diversity along alpine elevation and snow gradients [Master’s thesis, ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften]. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-25202
Keller, S. (2022) Vegetation and soil microbial diversity along alpine elevation and snow gradients. Master’s thesis. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-25202.
S. Keller, “Vegetation and soil microbial diversity along alpine elevation and snow gradients,” Master’s thesis, ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Winterthur, 2022. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-25202.
KELLER, Sabrina, 2022. Vegetation and soil microbial diversity along alpine elevation and snow gradients. Master’s thesis. Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften
Keller, Sabrina. 2022. “Vegetation and Soil Microbial Diversity along Alpine Elevation and Snow Gradients.” Master’s thesis, Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-25202.
Keller, Sabrina. Vegetation and Soil Microbial Diversity along Alpine Elevation and Snow Gradients. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, 2022, https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-25202.
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