Pyrosequencing to determine the influence of fallow period on soil microbial communities in the Bolivian Highlands

Abstract

Using pyrosequencing methods, we are characterizing the responses of microbial communities in these systems to fallow period and the presence of Thola. In the first phase of the project, we have analyzed soil fungal diversity, as reported here. In the next phases of the project we will analyze both fungal and bacterial community composition in more detail in the Bolivian altiplano and in Zambian agricultural systems, synthesizing microbial community data with socioeconomic and soil physico-chemical data.