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Picture: The photograph shows a piece of soil with grass growth lying on a round flat mineral container and held in front of the camera by two hands in white latex gloves. The size of the piece of soil is about twelve centimetres in height and about fifteen centimetres in diameter. Many predominantly fine roots can be seen in the soil. Long blades of grass grow on the surface of the piece of soil. In the background of the photograph a meadow and a row of leafy trees can be seen under a blue sky with a few clouds.

Therefore, we installed mineral bags filled with pure, carbon-free mixtures of sand and illite (clay mineral) or goethite (iron oxide) at 5 cm depth at all experimental sites (EPs) of the Biodiversity Exploratories in 2015. At all very intensive sites, additional bags were installed at 25 cm depth and for forests also directly below the litter layer to determine the role of soil depth.


After five years of field incubation, the bags are now being retrieved as well as surrounding soil. We aim at exploring the co-occurrence of mineral-associated microbial communities, organic matter, and nutrients in a coordinated, interdisciplinary approach. We hypothesise that type and intensity of land use and biodiversity affect: (1) the accumulation and quality of mineral-associated organic matter, (2) the contribution of plant and microbial sources to mineral-associated organic matter, (3) the patterns of microbial communities emerging in the mineralosphere, (4) the preservation mechanisms of mineral-associated organic matter, (5) the nutrient accumulation in the mineralosphere, and (6) the soil depth-related differences in mineralosphere.


The mineral and soil samples will be analysed using a series of state-of-the-art surface-sensitive, biogeochemical, isotopic, mineralogical, and microbiological methods. This collaborative approach will allow for the first time in-depth insight into developing mineralospheres under natural environmental conditions and real land-use intensities.


Doc
Bramble D.E., Ulrich S., Schöning I., Mikutta R., Brandt L., Poll C., Kandeler E., Mikutta C., Konrad A., Siemens J., Yang Y., Polle A., Schall P., Ammer C., Kaiser K., Schrumpf M. (2024): Formation of mineral-associated organic matter in temperate soils is primarily controlled by mineral type and modified by land use and management intensity. Global Change Biology 30 (1), e17024. doi: 10.1111/gcb.17024
More information:  doi.org
Doc
Brandt L., Poll C., Ballauff J., Schrumpf M., Bramble D. S., Schöning I., Ulrich S., Kaiser K., Mikutta R., Mikutta C., Polle A., Kandeler E. (2024): Mineral type versus environmental filters: What shapes the composition and functions of fungal communities in the mineralosphere of forest soils? Soil Biology and Biochemistry 190: 109288. doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109288
More information:  doi.org
Doc
Brandt L., Stache F., Poll C., Bramble D. E., Schöning I., Schrumpf M., Ulrich S., Kaiser K., Mikutta R., Mikutta C., Oelmann Y., Konrad A., Siemens J., Kandeler E. (2023): Mineral type and land-use intensity control composition and functions of microorganisms colonizing pristine minerals in grassland soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 182, 109037. doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109037
More information:  doi.org
Doc
Einfluss der Landnutzungsintensität von Grünlandflächen auf die mikrobielle Besiedlung von Goethit und Illit
Stache F. (2022): Einfluss der Landnutzungsintensität von Grünlandflächen auf die mikrobielle Besiedlung von Goethit und Illit. Master thesis, University Hohenheim
Doc
Exploring C dynamics on mineral surfaces under different management scenarios in temperate forests
Erforschung der C-Dynamik auf mineralischen Oberflächen unter verschiedenen Bewirtschaftungsszenarien in Wäldern der mittleren Breiten
Mainka M. (2022): Exploring C dynamics on mineral surfaces under different management scenarios in temperate forests. Master thesis, University of Hohenheim

Scientific assistants

Dr. Marion Schrumpf
Project manager
Dr. Marion Schrumpf
Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie
Prof. Dr. Ellen Kandeler
Project manager
Prof. Dr. Ellen Kandeler
Universität Hohenheim
Prof. Dr. Christian Mikutta
Project manager
Prof. Dr. Christian Mikutta
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Prof. Dr. Robert Mikutta
Project manager
Prof. Dr. Robert Mikutta
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Dr. Klaus Kaiser
Project manager
Dr. Klaus Kaiser
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Dr. Christian Poll
Employee
Dr. Christian Poll
Universität Hohenheim
De Shorn Bramble
Employee
De Shorn Bramble
Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie
Luise Brandt
Employee
Luise Brandt
Universität Hohenheim
Susanne Ulrich
Susanne Ulrich
Katja Pursche
Employee
Katja Pursche
Leibniz Universität Hannover
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