Forest & Tundra Soils from Niwot Ridge LTER - 16S Survey Targeted Loci (environmental). soil metagenome

Bdelloid rotifers and other mesofauna are integral to biogeochemical cycling and trophic dynamics of soil systems. Despite the potential for rotifers to exert top-down control on bacterially mediated biogeochemical cycling, there is no previous work on the relationship between rotifers and bacteria in soils. We analyzed the amplicon libraries of both bacterial and bdelloid communities within two distinct biomes (conifer forest and dry meadow tundra) within the Colorado Rockies Niwot Ridge LTER study area. Our results indicate that local site based differences induce similar shifts in diversity for both bacteria and bdelloid rotifers.