Existing models of soil organic matter (SOM) formation consider plant material as the main source of SOM. Recent results from nuclear magnetic resonance analyses of SOM and from own incubation studies, however, show that microbial residues also contribute to a large extent to SOM formation. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the soil mineral sur-faces are covered by numerous small patchy fragments (100 - 500 nm) deriving from microbial cell wall residues. We will study the formation and fate of these patchy fragments as continuously produced interfaces in artificial soil systems (quartz, montmorillonite, iron oxides, bacteria and carbon sources). We will quantify the relative contributions of different types of soil organisms to patchy fragment formation and elucidate the effect of redox con-ditions and iron mineralogy on the formation and turnover of patchy fragments. The develop-ment of patchy fragments during pedogenesis will be followed by studying soil samples from a chronosequence in the forefield of the retreating Damma glacier. We will characterize chemical and physical properties of the patchy fragments by nanothermal analysis and microscale condensation experiments in an environmental scanning electron microscope. The results will help understanding the processes at and characteristics of biogeochemical interfaces.
The relevance of biogeochemical gradients for turnover of organic matter and contaminants is yet poorly understood. This study aims at the identification and quantification of the interaction of different redox processes along gradients. The interaction of iron-, and sulfate reduction and methanogenesis will be studied in controlled batch and column experiments. Factors constraining the accessibility and the energy yield from the use of these electron acceptors will be evaluated, such as passivation of iron oxides, re-oxidation of hydrogen sulfide on iron oxides. The impact of these constraints on the competitiveness of the particular process will then be described. Special focus will be put on the evolution of methanogenic conditions in systems formerly characterized by iron and sulfate reducing condition. As methanogenic conditions mostly evolve from micro-niches, methods to study the existence, evolution and stability of such micro-niches will be established. To this end, a combination of Gibbs free energy calculations, isotope fractionation and tracer measurements, and mass balances of metabolic intermediates (small pool sizes) and end products (large pool sizes) will be used. Measurements of these parameters on different scales using microelectrodes (mm scale), micro sampling devices for solutes and gases (cm scale) and mass flow balancing (column/reactor scale) will be compared to characterize unit volumes for organic matter degradation pathways and electron flow. Of particular interest will be the impact of redox active humic substances on the competitiveness of involved terminal electron accepting processes, either acting as electron shuttles or directly providing electron accepting capacity. This will be studied using fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) of the gained spectra. We expect that the results will provide a basis for improving reactive transport models of anaerobic processes in aquifers and sediments.
Nutrient and water supply for organisms in soil is strongly affected by the physical and physico-chemical properties of the microenvironment, i.e. pore space topology (pore size, tortuosity, connectivity) and pore surface properties (surface charge, surface energy). Spatial decoupling of biological processes through the physical (spatial) separation of SOM, microorganisms and extracellular enzyme activity is apparently one of the most important factors leading to the protection and stabilization of soil organic matter (SOM) in subsoils. However, it is largely unknown, if physical constraints can explain the very low turnover rates of organic carbon in subsoils. Hence, the objective of P4 is to combine the information from the physical structure of the soil (local bulk density, macropore structure, aggregation, texture gradients) with surface properties of particles or aggregate surfaces to obtain a comprehensive set of physical important parameters. It is the goal to determine how relevant these physical factors in the subsoil are to enforce the hydraulic heterogeneity of the subsoil flow system during wetting and drying. Our hypothesis is that increasing water repellency enforces the moisture pattern heterogeneity caused already by geometrical factors. Pore space heterogeneity will be assessed by the bulk density patterns via x-ray radiography. Local pattern of soil moisture is evaluated by the difference of X-ray signals of dry and wet soil (project partner H.J. Vogel, UFZ Halle). With the innovative combination of three methods (high resolution X-ray radiography, small scale contact angle mapping, both applied to a flow cell shaped sample with undisturbed soil) it will be determined if the impact of water repellency leads to an increase in the hydraulic flow field heterogeneity of the unsaturated sample, i.e. during infiltration events and the following redistribution phase. An interdisciplinary cooperation within the research program is the important link which is realized by using the same flow cell samples to match the spatial patterns of physical, chemical, and biological factors in undisturbed subsoil. This cooperation with respect to spatial pattern analysis will include the analysis of enzyme activities within and outside of flow paths and the spatial distribution of key soil properties (texture, organic carbon, iron oxide content) evaluated by IR mapping. To study dissolved organic matter (DOM) sorption in soils of varying mineral composition and the selective association of DOM with mineral surfaces in context with recognized flow field pattern, we will conduct a central DOM leaching experiment and the coating of iron oxides which are placed inside the flow cell during percolation with marked DOM solution. Overall objective is to elucidate if spatial separation of degrading organisms and enzymes from the substrates may be interconnected with defined physical features of the soil matrix thus explaining subsoil SOM stability and -dynami
We consider clay minerals, iron oxides and charcoal as major components controlling the formation of interfaces relevant for sorption of organic chemicals, as they control the assemblage of organic matter and mineral particles. We studied the formation of interfaces in batch incubation experiments with inoculated artificial soils consisting of model compounds (clay minerals, iron oxide, char) and natural soil samples. Results show a relevant contribution of both iron oxides and clay minerals to the formation of organic matter as sorptive interfaces for hydrophobic compounds. Thus, we intend to focus our work in the second phase on the characterization of the interface as formed by organic matter associated with clay minerals and iron oxides. The interfaces will be characterized by the BET-N2 and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGME) methods and 129Xe and 13C NMR spectroscopy for determination of specific surface area, sorptive domains in the organic matter and microporosity. A major step forward is expected by the analysis of the composition of the interface at different resolution by reflected-light microscopy (mm scale), SEM (scanning electron microscopy, micrometer scale) and secondary ion mass spectrometry at the nanometer scale (nanoSIMS). The outcomes obtained in combination with findings from cooperation partners will help to unravel the contribution of different types of soil components on the formation and characteristics of the biogeochemical interfaces and their effect on organic chemical sorption.
The formation of biogeochemical interfaces in soils is controlled, among other factors, by the type of particle surfaces present and the assemblage of organic matter and mineral particles. Therefore, the formation and maturation of interfaces is studied with artificial soils which are produced in long-term biogeochemical laboratory incubation experiments (3, 6, 12, 18 months. Clay minerals, iron oxides and charcoal are used as major model components controlling the formation of interfaces because they exhibit high surface area and microporosity. Soil interface characteristics have been analyzed by several groups involved in the priority program for formation of organo-mineral interfaces, sorptive and thermal interface properties, microbial community structure and function. Already after 6 months of incubation, the artificial soils exhibited different properties in relation to their composition. A unique dataset evolves on the development and the dynamics of interfaces in soil in the different projects contributing to this experiment. An integrated analysis based on a conceptual model and multivariate statistics will help to understand overall processes leading to the biogeochemical properties of interfaces in soil, that are the basis for their functions in ecosystems. Therefore, we propose to establish an integrative project for the evaluation of data obtained and for publication of synergistic work, which will bring the results to a higher level of understanding.
Die Stabilisierung von organischer Sustanz (OM) und von Nährstoffen im Boden ist an ihre Bindung an Minerale gekoppelt. Mineraloberflächen, im weiteren auch Mineralosphäre genannt, sind Zonen, in denen das Aufeinandertreffen von reaktiven Oberflächen und Bodenmikroorganismen zu komplexen biogeochemische Prozessen und Wechselwirkungen führt. Das Wechselspiel von mikrobieller Besiedlung sowie Sorption bzw. Freisetzung von organischer Substanz und Nährstoffen hat unmittelbare Auswirkungen auf die Speicherung und Verfügbarkeit von Kohlenstoff und Nährstoffen. Die Richtungen und Rückkopplungen der aufgrund von Umwelteinflüssen und Ökosystemfaktoren ablaufenden Entwicklungen sind nur unzureichend verstanden. Mit dem vorgeschlagenen Projekt nutzen wir die einmalige Gelegenheit, dass auf allen Versuchsflächen der Biodiversitäts-Exploratorien frische, unverwitterte Minerale (Illit, ein Tonmineral, und Goethit, ein Eisenoxid) seit 2015 den natürlichen Bodenbedingungen ausgesetzt sind. Auf diesen, durch unterschiedliche Eigenschaften gekennzeichneten Mineraloberflächen, planen wir eine koordinierte, interdisziplinäre Untersuchung der Auswirkungen von Landnutzung und Biodiversität auf die Veränderungen von mikrobiellen Gemeinschaften, der organischen Substanz und von Nährstoffen. Wir vermuten, dass sowohl Art und Intensität der Landnutzung als auch die Biodiversität Einfluss nehmen auf: (1) die Akkumulation und Zusammensetzung mineral-assoziierter organischer Substanz, (2) den Beitrag von Pflanzen und Mikroorganismen zur mineral-assoziierten organischen Substanz, (3) die Zusammensetzung der sich etablierenden mikrobiellen Gemeinschaften, (4) die Stabilität der mineral-assoziierten organischen Substanz, (5) die Nährstoffakkumulation in der Mineralosphäre sowie (6) die Eigenschaften der Mineralosphäre als Funktion der Bodentiefe. Diese Aspekte werden an den exponierten Mineralen sowie in dem sie umgebenden Boden untersucht. Dazu nutzen wir eine Reihe komplementärer, moderner Methoden aus den Bereichen Mineralogie, Biogeochemie, Mikrobiologie und Mikrobieller Ökologie. Folgende Eigenschaften sollen an den Mineralen zu untersucht werden: Oberflächeneigenschaften und der Nährstoffakkumulation, Radiokohlenstoffalter, chemische Zusammensetzung und Stabilität der mineral-assoziierten organischer Substanz, Zusammensetzung der mikrobiellen Gemeinschaft, und Enzymaktivitäten. Unser gemeinschaftlicher Forschungsansatz wird erstmalig detaillierte und umfassende Einblicke in die sich unter unterschiedlichen Umweltbedingungen unter Grünland und Wald entwickelnden Mineralosphären ermöglichen.
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