STRATIFICATION IN TOPSOIL: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF BACTERIAL BIODIVERSITY AT TWO SITES IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the A horizon (topsoil) exhibits stratification across two depths, 1 cm and 4 cm. Two sites in San Antonio, TX, were chosen to address this question. The first was on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word. The second was adjacent to the university in the Headwaters Sanctuary. At each locality, soil samples were analyzed in order to examine the morphological diversity of bacteria across site and depth. Preliminary results suggest that the bacterial biodiversity is different when depths are considered as a single entity versus individually. These finding have implications for investigations into soil biodiversity and suggest that in order to gain an accurate estimate of bacterial biodiversity in topsoil multiple depths within this layer of soil should be examined.