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Mongolian Gerbils as an Animal Model of Wound Healing
Published on: January 6, 2023
Desert gerbils affect bacterial composition of soil.
Tatyana A Kuznetsova1, Michael Kam, Irina S Khokhlova
1Laboratory of Ecology and Functional Morphology in Higher Vertebrates, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr. 33, Moscow, 119071, Russia.
Microbial Ecology
|July 17, 2013
Summary
Desert rodents significantly impact soil microbial communities. Their burrowing activities alter nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB) populations, influencing soil processes like denitrification and CO2 emission based on rodent diet.
Area of Science:
- Soil Ecology
- Microbiology
- Desert Ecosystems
Background:
- Rodents influence soil microbial communities through burrowing and diet.
- Understanding these impacts is crucial for soil health in arid environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of three gerbil species with distinct diets on soil nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB) communities.
- To analyze nitrogen fixation rates (ARA), denitrification (DA), and CO2 emission in rodent burrows.
Main Methods:
- Collected soil from burrows of Psammomys obesus (folivorous), Meriones crassus (omnivorous), and Dipodillus dasyurus (granivorous).
- Measured colony-forming units (CFU), ARA, DA, and CO2 emission.
- Identified NFB in rodent digestive tracts and dominant plant species.
Main Results:
- Denitrification and CO2 emission rates varied significantly among gerbil burrows, with highest rates in D. dasyurus and lowest in P. obesus.
- Bacterial communities in burrows reflected rodent diets, with cellulolytic bacteria in P. obesus and enteric bacteria in D. dasyurus.
- Discriminant function analysis showed distinct differences between burrow soils and control soil.
Conclusions:
- Gerbils act as ecosystem engineers, significantly shaping the soil microbial communities within their burrows.
- Rodent diet and digestive tract bacteria composition directly influence the NFB communities in burrow soils.
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