Monday, March 18, 2013 3:30 p.m. 2-425 Lilly (3:15 pm for pre-visiting, coffee, refreshments) Some Investigations of Metal Oxide Nanomaterials and Terrestrial Organisms Patricia Holden University of California, Santa Barbara [cid:image002.jpg@01CE2181.C896B1E0]Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) are increasingly produced and used, and therefore are entering the environment. Still, little is known about potential environmental effects and therefore how to design MNMs to safeguard the environment. Soils are expected to be accumulators of MNMs, mainly in the U.S. from biosolids land disposal practices. While some MNMs may not be bioavailable in soil, other MNM chemistries may result in soil microbial and plant exposure. We have been studying bacterial population and community level effects of some common metal oxide MNMs. Our collaborators have studied plant population effects with similar materials. Results from both types of experiments will be discussed. Then, a greenhouse experiment with soybean in organic farm soil will be presented, where similar MNMs were examined for their effects on plants, microbes, and plant-microbe interactions in a more agriculturally-realistic context. The results suggest potential effects of these MNMs long term, if there is buildup in soil. A broader discussion is then suggested about contexts, and controls, in conducting such experiments. The work presented is representative of results in the University of California, Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, within which Holden is a member and leader of Theme 4 "Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts".
