High-Throughput Pyrosequencing to Investigate Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes in Agricultural Ecosystems.

This research analyzes the availability of nitrogen in the soil after thinning a poplar plantation in the Chenwei Forest Research Station in Jiangsu Province, China. The study of nutrient cycles in the environment is important because it focuses on the biological and chemical processes in the environment and how it affects plants, animals, and humans. The nitrogen cycle is one of the most important cycles in an ecosystem because it is the central role in the production of food. This research will focus specifically on the mineralization process of the nitrogen cycle. In this biological process, organic nitrogen, NO₃^-, is converted into inorganic nitrogen, NH₄⁺ for plant nutrient uptake and consumption by microorganisms. Thinning is the selective removal of trees within an area of the forest to promote healthy growth of plants and trees.  The methods used in this research study were thinning of the forest, soil collection, DNA extraction, determination of nitrate & ammonium, and a statistical analysis. In this study, soil samples were collected after an application of thinning in March of 2012 and DNA from each sample was extracted. The concentration of nitrate and ammonium were analyzed using the Auto Analyzer 3 to determine the soil nutrient availability in the rhizosphere of the soil. Nitrate and ammonium were both actively present in the 0-5 cm layer of the soil but there is no significant difference in the thinning practice effects on the soil.