Poster Details
THE EFFECTS OF TETRAKIS (HYDROXYMETHYL) PHOSPHONIUM CHLORIDE (THPC) ON LEAF DECOMPOSITION AND MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES.
Fire retardant chemicals are sprayed around forests to prevent fires. They have little impact on
terrestrial environments, however, are toxic to aquatic environments. Adding these pollutants to
freshwater systems can impact consumers negatively, but the effects are temporary. Although their
impacts are known for consumers, little is known about their effects on microbial communities and
ecosystem processes. Microbial communities can be important role players in the decomposition of
organic matter and their diversity and distribution can regulate the early stages of the decomposition
process. We used mesocosms with different concentrations of Tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium
chloride (THPC) and a control to test its impact on leaf decomposition and microbial communities.
Water oak leaf packs were placed in tanks 2-weeks prior to adding THPC to allow for conditioning. After
14-d, replicates were removed to assess microbial communities and decomposition during initial
conditioning. Remaining replicates were removed after 14-d with treatment and processed for
decomposition and microbial colonization. We predicted that higher concentrations of THPC would
inhibit microbes and slow decomposition. Preliminary results indicate that different concentrations of
THPC may have differential effects on decomposition rates with the lowest concentrations yielding
faster rates than controls.
Sara Alemar (Primary Presenter/Author), Georgia Southern University, sa03382@georgaisouthern.edu;
Checo Colon-Gaud (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Georgia Southern University, jccolongaud@georgiasouthern.edu;