Nutrient Cycling in Upland Forest Soils

Summary Description:

The project will use a selection of fieldwork and laboratory techniques to improve understanding of how the biological communities of upland soils cycle nutrients and remain productive, possibly illustrating the suitability of upland soil types for forestry applications. Genetic material sourced from soils across the Scottish Highlands will be gathered and sequenced using next generation sequencing technologies, providing novel insights into the biological communities beneath our feet. A series of experiments will then be conducted to determine exactly how these communities retain nutrients within forest ecosystems subject to high rainfall. The results of the project promise to give exciting insights into how the soils of production and conservation forestry can be managed for optimum productivity, either improving yields or developing the ecosystems upon which Scottish wildlife depend.