About 50 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico is the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. The region is the intersection of several regional ecosystems, including grasslands, woodlands and riparian vegetation. The location is ideal for researchers to study how climate variability and climate change… [Read More]

One of the biggest challenges in making biofuels cost-effective is finding alternative methods for breaking down biomass, and particularly, materials such as lignocellulose that provide rigidity and structure to the plant cell walls. To find these alternative methods, many researchers are turning to natural refineries such as the cow rumen or forestomach to learn more… [Read More]

One of the most common types of environmental contaminants, especially in groundwater, is chlorinated solvents. Often used as degreasing agents or for dry cleaning, these compounds have toxic properties and contaminate more than 50,000 groundwater sites throughout North America. Studies have identified several microbial species that can break down these compounds and harness the energy… [Read More]

Earthworms are common soil organisms that influence the fertility of soils by altering the nutrient availability to plants. These nutrients include forms of nitrogen, phosphorous and carbon. The microbial community within earthworms releases nitrous oxide, degrades cellulose, and stimulates the growth of fungi that can break down cellulose. The earthworm egg capsule microbial community represents… [Read More]

Microbialites resemble coral reefs but can also be found in freshwater systems. Composed of sediments built up over many hundreds of years and multiple interactions between microorganisms such as diatoms and cyanobacteria and minerals, they can sequester carbon through a process called biologically-mediated carbonate precipitation, though just how this is done is still poorly understood…. [Read More]

For several decades, researchers have studied the microbial mat communities in hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. They’ve identified the dominant species in these communities and also found previously-unknown inhabitants of these mats that use light as an energy source. The finding is significant because bioenergy researchers are increasingly tapping microbial communities that perform photosynthesis… [Read More]