Student Research - Biology
Brendan Kavanaugh
The Effects of Soil Environments on Mojave Desert Nematodes
Abstract: Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that are present in large quantities in almost every habitat in the world. They are so prominent that four out of five multi-cellular animals on the planet are nematodes. The goal of my research was to analyze soils from the Mojave Desert in order to see how several environmental variables affect the nematode communities. In hot deserts such as the Mojave, soil nematodes experience extreme temperature, low soil moisture, and high soil salinity. Only species that are adapted to these conditions can survive. Soil samples were collected from a field experiment at the Nevada Test Site, where researchers are manipulating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, soil nitrogen levels, and soil moisture content. I've also collected soil along an elevation and productivity gradient in Death Valley National Park, CA. I've identified seventeen different nematode morphospecies from the Mojave Desert soils. The diversity and prevalence of nematode species will be related to experimental treatments and soil properties in order to understand how nematode communities are structured in the Mojave Desert soils.
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