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Self-organisation of microbial soil organic matter turnover

Descripción del proyecto

Comprender la materia orgánica del suelo con la ciencia de los sistemas complejos

El papel del recambio microbiano de la materia orgánica del suelo (MOS) es primordial en el ciclo del carbono de la Tierra. No obstante, su mecanismo fundamental no se comprende en profundidad. El proyecto SomSOM, financiado con fondos europeos, investigará desde la perspectiva de la ciencia de los sistemas complejos. Según la teoría de los sistemas complejos, las interacciones entre individuos a nivel micro pueden conducir a la «autoorganización» a nivel macro. El sistema adquiere nuevas cualidades que no provienen de las características de los individuos que interactúan. Sin embargo, si los sistemas de los descomponedores microbianos están autoorganizados, pueden presentar comportamientos distintos de los esperados en circunstancias medioambientales cambiantes. El proyecto investigará si la descomposición microbiana de la materia orgánica se lleva a cabo por medio de autoorganización y qué efectos tiene en el ciclado de carbono y nitrógeno del suelo.

Objetivo

Microbial turnover of soil organic matter (SOM) is key for the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle. Its underlying mechanisms, however, are not fully understood. The role of soil microbes for organic matter turnover has so far been studied mainly from the point of view of microbial physiology, stoichiometry or community composition. I propose to shed new light on it from the perspective of complex systems science.
Microbial decomposition of organic matter requires the concerted action of functionally different microbes interacting with each other in a spatially structured environment. From complex systems theory, it is known that interactions among individuals at the microscale can lead to an ‘emergent’ system behavior, or ‘self-organisation’, at the macroscale, which adds a new quality to the system that cannot be derived from the traits of the interacting agents. Importantly, if microbial decomposer systems are self-organised, they may behave in a different way as currently assumed, especially under changing environmental conditions.
The aim of this project is thus to investigate i) if microbial decomposition of organic matter is driven by emergent behaviour, and ii) what consequences this has for soil C and nitrogen cycling. Combining state-of-the-art methods from soil biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, and complex systems science I will
• Investigate mechanisms of spatial self-organization of microbial decomposer communities by linking microscale observations from experimental microcosms to mathematical, individual-based modelling,
• Elucidate microbial interaction networks across the soil’s microarchitecture by linking microbial community composition, process rates and chemical composition of spatially explicit soil micro-units at an unprecedented small and pertinent scale.
• Explore fundamental patterns of self-organisation by applying the framework of complex systems science to high-resolution spatial and temporal data of soil microstructure and process rates.

Régimen de financiación

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

Institución de acogida

UNIVERSITAT WIEN
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 1 896 129,00
Dirección
UNIVERSITATSRING 1
1010 Wien
Austria

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Región
Ostösterreich Wien Wien
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 1 896 129,00

Beneficiarios (1)