How to Cite
Abstract
The addition of chicken manure, a common nitrate supplement for agricultural plants, has been shown to affect the soil ammonia-oxidizing bacterial community composition. To analyze the persistent effects of chicken cultivation on soil ammonia oxidizing bacteria community composition, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of PCR amplified 16S rRNA specific to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria was performed. Ammonium and pH levels were also measured to determine any correlation between shifts in community composition and measured values. Ammonium levels and pH values were found to vary with no specific trend. Furthermore the community diversity of soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria was shown to be fairly consistent while some differences in relative abundance were observed through the 3 to 20 month time course. Therefore, it was concluded that chicken cultivation had some persistent impact on soil ammonia oxidizing bacteria community composition.