Living on the edge: microbes and carbon cycling in mangrove soils along the west coast of Australia

Microbial mineralisation of organic matter in mangrove soils plays a key role In maintaining ecosystem productivity and carbon storage. This thesis revealed that microbial activity and community structures in Avicennia marina soils along the arid west Australian coast were strongly influenced by differences in nitrogen and phosphorus supply, complexity of organic carbon, and salinity. Dissolved inorganic carbon production in soils was also strongly influenced by microbial metabolism of mangrove roots or root exudates. My findings demonstrate that different environmental factors may be more or less important in driving microbial dynamics in oligotrophic mangrove soils depending on the scales considered.