Alaskan Tundra Soil Meta-Omics following Rainfall

In this experiment, mesocosms containing soil from the active layer of two dominant tundra ecosystems were subjected to simulated rainfall to alter redox conditions. The microbial functional potential (metagenomics) and gene expression (metatranscriptomics) patterns were measured during saturated anoxic redox conditions prior to rainfall and at multiple time points following the simulated rainfall event. The purpose was to determine if rainfall, as a form of soil oxidation, is sufficient to alter the anoxic redox conditions in arctic tundra and enhance the microbial degradation of organic carbon and methane to carbon dioxide.