Microbe community changes may reduce Amazon's ability to lock up carbon dioxide
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 - 16:10
in Earth & Climate
A new paper looks for the first time at the reaction of free-living nitrogen-fixing microorganisms called diazotrophs to the conversion of rainforests to pastureland in the Amazon. Researchers found big changes to the diazotroph communities that they say may reduce the region's ability to act as a reservoir for greenhouse gas.