A systematized survey was conducted to find soil-borne microbes that degrade cellulose in soils from unique ecosystems, such as the Superpáramo, Páramo, and the High Andean Forest in the Nevados National Natural Park (NNNP), Colombia. These high mountain ecosystems represent extreme environments, such as high levels of solar radiation, low atmospheric pressure, and extreme daily changes in temperature. Cellulolytic activity of the microorganisms was evaluated using qualitative tests, such as growth in selective media followed by staining with congo red and iodine, and quantitative tests to determine the activity of endoglucanase, β-glucosidase, exoglucanase, and total cellulase. Microorganisms were identified using molecular markers, such as the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of ribosomal DNA for fungi. Multivariate statistical analysis (MVA) was used to select microorganisms with high cellulolytic capacity. A total of 108 microorganisms were isolated from the soils and, in general, the enzymatic activities of fungi were higher than those of bacteria. Our results also found that none of the organisms studied were able to degrade all the components of the cellulose and it is therefore suggested that a combination of bacteria and/or fungi with various enzymatic activities be used to obtain high total cellulolytic activity. This study gives an overview of the potential microorganism that could be used for cellulose degradation in various biotechnological applications and for sustainable agricultural waste treatment.
It were analyzed the agricultural practices and the living conditions of the community from the rural district El Bosque, located in Los Nevados National Park, Colombia. It were applied various tools such as participant observation, semistructured interviews, timelines, maps per rural district and farms, agricultural calendars, activity schedule by gender and structured questionnaires. It was determined that potato crops and livestock are developed as a survival strategy and they are part of the paramo cultural heritage: practices learned from the Green Revolution and the traditional knowledge. These agricultural practices have generated conflicts between ecosystem conservation and improving the quality of life of its inhabitants. From the research it is proposed to implement community management plans, agroecological models, biocultural memory rescue and transformation in the agrarian structure.
The effect of soil management on the activities of urease, phosphodiesterase, arylsulphatase, and β-glucosidase in soil samples from three municipalities in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia,Tausa (T), Villapinzón (V), and Zipaquirá (Z), was evaluated in this study. Two types of samples were taken in each municipality: 1) soils with a history of potato (Solanum tuberosum) farming using conventional soil managementand agrochemical application (P) and 2) grassland soils that had not been treated with agrochemicals (G). The urease activity for T, V, and Z was higher int he G samples. The phosphodiesterase and arylsulphatase activities for T and V were greater in the G samples, while the β-glucosidase activity for T and Z was greater in the P samples. The phosphodiesterase and β-glucosidase activities for T were lower than for the other two municipalities, indicating a possible effect of the site on these enzymatic activities. The differences in the enzymatic activities among the samples indicate an important effect of soil use and management on the soil's biochemical properties.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.