Dr Josephine Hyde, Dr Angus Lawrie, Dr Heidi Nistelberger
1Biologic, East Perth, Australia, 2Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Science, Curtin University, Bentley, Australia
Biography:
Josephine is a Senior Geneticist at Biologic. She has a wide variety of experiences, with a particular focus on microbiomes. Including a PhD on the molecular ecology of stygofauna in the Yilgarn region of Western Australia, a post-doctorate in the USA helping to develop an axenic mosquito model, after which she returned to Australia to establish an eDNA program at Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in Western Australia. Her current research centres on exploring soil microbiomes for primarily biodiversity management purposes.
Abstract:
Natural Capital Accounting is a systematic framework that attempts to measure and report the environment’s contribution to our quality of life. Many parts of natural ecosystems are measured and reported on as part of natural capital accounting, including soil health. Soil plays a vital role in natural ecosystems and is critical to the survival of all life on earth, however methods for assessing soil health are complex. Research suggests that soil microbiomes might provide a useful measure of ecosystem health and recovery, yet further work is required to test the utility of these data within an accounting framework. Here, we present preliminary soil microbiome data from the Gidgegannup Biodiverse Carbon Project in Western Australia – a mixed species environmental planting carried out on abandoned farmland. Using 16S and ITS metabarcoding data, we establish a baseline for bacterial and fungal communities at three treatment sites; remnant vegetation, empty paddock, and restoration planting sites (one-year post-planting) and relate these to land use history and soil physicochemical data. We observe significant variation amongst the three treatment sites with signatures of a shift in composition at the restoration sites following soil disturbance. As we continue to monitor these sites over time, we will track the trajectory of the restoration sites to assess whether there is a return to reference remnant vegetation community structure. We discuss our findings in light of the use of soil eDNA data as part of Natural Capital Accounting systems.