The research group BioGeoOmics integrates state-of-the art instrumental and methodological approaches to study dynamic interactions of molecules in the environment. These molecular interactions include natural processes (e.g. metabolism, organic matter diagenesis) as well as anthropogenic interferences (interaction of biological systems with chemicals).
At the core of the the analytical toolkit of the BioGeoOmics-group, we use ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) supported by biogeochemical and chemo-informatics methods. We use these tools to explore chemical and biological transformations of organic molecules, their spatial localization in tissues, and to identify metabolites and unknown chemicals and transformation products in complex mixtures.

The methods and concepts are applied to various research fields:
- Ultra-complex mixtures: Natural organic matter characterization and transformation
- Identification of transformation products and their interactions in complex mixtures
- Non-target analysis: Applications of stable isotope metabolomics (NT-SIM) and biogeochemistry (NT-SIB) with use of FT-ICR MS
- MSI of biological systems: Uptake and distribution of chemicals, primary and secondary metabolites in plants and zebrafish model systems
- Single-cell metabolomics/fluxomics
BioGeoOmics at a glance
Scientists:
Dr. Oliver Lechtenfeld
Dr. Carsten Simon
PhD students:
Michel Gad
Shuxian Gao
Limei Han
Elaine Jennings
Martin Lohse
Rebecca Matos
Maria da Silva
Konstantin Stumpf
Engineer/Technician:
Jan Kaesler
Johann Wurz
Students:
Fritz Czaplinski
Vinicius Maia
Alumni:
Dr. Julia Raeke
Miriam Fuß
Kai Franze
Kevin Jakob
Arina Kremser
Rania Mobarak
Chang Peng
Henning Teickner
Maria Wieckhusen
Current externally funded projects:
OZEOM
STRUCTOMICS
NaNaCo
SPP 2322: Soilsystems - Maddoms
H2020: Perforce3
UFZ projects:
DOC export from riparian zones (concluded)
Concluded projects:
ACEnano
GOKonAQua
FLUORBANK
FluorTECH
PFAS Non-Target-Screening
SPP 2089: Rhizoshere - MoleBIRD
TALKO
TRANSFLUOR
2023 (4)
- Herzsprung, P., Kamjunke, N., Wilske, C., Friese, K., Boehrer, B., Rinke, K., Lechtenfeld, O.J., von Tümpling, W. (2023):
Data evaluation strategy for identification of key molecular formulas in dissolved organic matter as proxies for biogeochemical reactivity based on abundance differences from ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry
Water Res. 232 , art. 119672
full text (doi) - Jennings, E.K., Sierra Olea, M., Kaesler, J.M., Hübner, U., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2023):
Stable isotope labeling for detection of ozonation byproducts in effluent organic matter with FT-ICR-MS
Water Res. 229 , art. 119477
full text (doi) - Lohse, M., Santangeli, M., Steininger-Mairinger, T., Oburger, E., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Hann, S. (2023):
The effect of root hairs on exudate composition: a comparative non-targeted metabolomics approach
Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 415 (5), 823 - 840
full text (doi) - Sierra Olea, M., Kölle, S., Bein, E., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Hübner, U. (2023):
Isotopically labeled ozone: A new approach to elucidate the formation of ozonation products
Water Res. 233 , art. 119740
full text (doi)
2022 (9)
- Blaurock, K., Garthen, P., da Silva, M.P., Beudert, B., Gilfedder, B.S., Fleckenstein, J.H., Peiffer, S., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Hopp, L. (2022):
Riparian microtopography affects event-driven stream DOC concentrations and DOM quality in a forested headwater catchment
J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeosci. 127 (12), e2022JG006831
full text (doi) - Butturini, A., Herzsprung, P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Alcorlo, P., Benaiges-Fernandez, R., Berlanga, M., Boadella, J., Freixinos Campillo, Z., Gomez, R.M., Sanchez-Montoya, M.M., Urmeneta, J., Romaní, A.M. (2022):
Origin, accumulation and fate of dissolved organic matter in an extreme hypersaline shallow lake
Water Res. 221 , art. 118727
full text (doi) - Chen, S., Klotzbücher, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Hong, H., Liu, C., Kaiser, K., Mikutta, C., Mikutta, R. (2022):
Legacy effects of sorption determine the formation efficiency of mineral-associated soil organic matter
Environ. Sci. Technol. 56 (3), 2044 - 2053
full text (doi) - Halbach, K., Aulhorn, S., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Lecluse, M., Leippe, S., Reemtsma, T., Seiwert, B., Wagner, S., König, J., Luckenbach, T. (2022):
Zebrafish Oatp1d1 acts as a cellular efflux transporter of the anionic herbicide bromoxynil
Chem. Res. Toxicol. 35 (2), 315 - 325
full text (doi) - Jennings, E., Kremser, A., Han, L., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2022):
Discovery of polar ozonation byproducts via direct injection of effluent organic matter with online LC-FT-ICR-MS
Environ. Sci. Technol. 56 (3), 1894 - 1904
full text (doi) - Kamjunke, N., Beckers, L.-M., Herzsprung, P., von Tümpling, W., Lechtenfeld, O., Tittel, J., Risse-Buhl, U., Rode, M., Wachholz, A., Kallies, R., Schulze, T., Krauss, M., Brack, W., Comero, S., Gawlik, B.M., Skejo, H., Tavazzi, S., Mariani, G., Borchardt, D., Weitere, M. (2022):
Lagrangian profiles of riverine autotrophy, organic matter transformation, and micropollutants at extreme drought
Sci. Total Environ. 828 , art. 154243
full text (doi) - Pertzborn, D., Arolt, C., Ernst, G., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Kaesler, J., Pelzel, D., Guntinas-Lichius, O., von Eggeling, F., Hoffmann, F. (2022):
Multi-class cancer subtyping in salivary gland carcinomas with MALDI imaging and deep learning
Cancers 14 (17), art. 4342
full text (doi) - Tittel, J., Büttner, O., Friese, K., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Schuth, S., von Tümpling, W., Musolff, A. (2022):
Iron exports from catchments are constrained by redox status and topography
Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 36 (1), e2021GB007056
full text (doi) - Zherebker, A., Rukhovich, G.D., Sarycheva, A., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Nikolaev, E.N. (2022):
Aromaticity index with improved estimation of carboxyl group contribution for biogeochemical studies
Environ. Sci. Technol. 56 (4), 2729 - 2737
full text (doi)
2021 (12)
- da Silva, M.P., Blaurock, K., Beudert, B., Fleckenstein, J.H., Hopp, L., Peiffer, S., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2021):
Delineating source contributions to stream dissolved organic matter composition under baseflow conditions in forested headwater catchments
J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeosci. 126 (8), e2021JG006425
full text (doi) - Fazia, S., Amalfitano, S., Venturi, S., Pacini, N., Vazquez, S., Olaka, L.A., Tassi, F., Crognale, S., Herzsprung, P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Cabassi, J., Capecchiacci, F., Rossetti, S., Yakimov, M.M., Vaselli, O., Harper, D.M., Butturini, A. (2021):
High concentrations of dissolved biogenic methane associated with cyanobacterial blooms in East African lake surface water
Commun. Biol. 4 , art. 845
full text (doi) - Giannopoulos, K., Benettoni, P., Holbrook, T.R., Reemtsma, T., Wagner, S., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2021):
Direct analysis of fulvic acids adsorbed onto capped gold nanoparticles by laser desorption ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry
Environ. Sci.-Nano 8 (8), 2336 - 2346
full text (doi) - Han, L., Kaesler, J., Peng, C., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2021):
Online counter gradient LC-FT-ICR-MS enables detection of highly polar natural organic matter fractions
Anal. Chem. 93 (3), 1740 - 1748
full text (doi) - Hensgens, G., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Guillemette, F., Laudon, H., Berggren, M. (2021):
Impacts of litter decay on organic leachate composition and reactivity
Biogeochemistry 154 , 99 - 117
full text (doi) - Herzsprung, P., Kamjunke, N., von Tümpling, W., Wilske, C., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2021):
Judgement and assessment of high resolution mass spectrometry investigations of DOM – Examples for identification of biogeochemical processes in waters
Vom Wasser 119 (2), 47 - 51
full text (doi) - Lohse, M., Haag, R., Lippold, E., Vetterlein, D., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2021):
Direct imaging of plant metabolites in the rhizosphere using laser desorption ionization ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry
Front. Plant Sci. 12 , art. 753812
full text (doi) - Muniz, M.S., Halbach, K., Araruna, I.C.A., Martins, R.X., Seiwert, B., Lechtenfeld, O., Reemtsma, T., Farias, D. (2021):
Moxidectin toxicity to zebrafish embryos: Bioaccumulation and biomarker responses
Environ. Pollut. 283 , art. 117096
full text (doi) - Rummel, C.D., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Kallies, R., Benke, A., Herzsprung, P., Rynek, R., Wagner, S., Potthoff, A., Jahnke, A., Schmitt-Jansen, M. (2021):
Conditioning film and early biofilm succession on plastic surfaces
Environ. Sci. Technol. 55 (16), 11006 - 11018
full text (doi) - Sartori Jeunon Gontijo, E., Herzsprung, P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., de Castro Bueno, C., Barth, J.A.C., Rosa, A.H., Friese, K. (2021):
Multi-proxy approach involving ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and self-organising maps to investigate the origin and quality of sedimentary organic matter across a subtropical reservoir
Org. Geochem. 151 , art. 104165
full text (doi) - Werner, B.J., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Musolff, A., de Rooij, G.H., Yang, J., Gründling, R., Werban, U., Fleckenstein, J.H. (2021):
Small-scale topography explains patterns and dynamics of dissolved organic carbon exports from the riparian zone of a temperate, forested catchment
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 25 (12), 6067 - 6086
full text (doi) - Wilske, C., Herzsprung, P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Kamjunke, N., Einax, J.W., von Tümpling, W. (2021):
New insights into the seasonal variation of DOM quality of a humic-rich drinking-water reservoir—coupling 2D-fluorescence and FTICR MS measurements
Water 13 (12), art. 1703
full text (doi)
2020 (13)
- Butturini, A., Amalfitano, S., Herzsprung, P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Venturi, S., Olaka, L.A., Pacini, N., Harper, D.M., Tassi, F., Fazi, S. (2020):
Dissolved organic matter in continental hydro-geothermal systems: Insights from two hot springs of the East African Rift Valley
Water 12 (12), art. 3512
full text (doi) - Butturini, A., Herzsprung, P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Venturi, S., Amalfitano, S., Vazquez, E., Pacini, N., Harper, D.M., Tassi, F., Fazi, S. (2020):
Dissolved organic matter in a tropical saline-alkaline lake of the East African Rift Valley
Water Res. 173 , art. 115532
full text (doi) - da Silva, M.P., Kaesler, J.M., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2020):
Absorption mode spectral processing improves data quality of natural organic matter analysis by Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry
J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 31 (7), 1615 - 1618
full text (doi) - da Silva, M.P., Sander de Carvalho, L.A., Novo, E., Jorge, D.S.F., Barbosa, C.C.F. (2020):
Use of optical absorption indices to assess seasonal variability of dissolved organic matter in Amazon floodplain lakes
Biogeosciences 17 (21), 5355 - 5364
full text (doi) - Giannopoulos, K., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Holbrook, T.R., Reemtsma, T., Wagner, S. (2020):
Exploring the potential of laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to analyse organic capping agents on inorganic nanoparticle surfaces
Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 412 (22), 5261 - 5271
full text (doi) - Herzsprung, P., Wentzky, V.C., Kamjunke, N., von Tümpling, W., Wilske, C., Friese, K., Boehrer, B., Reemtsma, T., Rinke, K., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2020):
Improved understanding of dissolved organic matter processing in freshwater using complementary experimental and machine learning approaches
Environ. Sci. Technol. 54 (21), 13556 - 13565
full text (doi) - Kamjunke, N., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Herzsprung, P. (2020):
Quality of dissolved organic matter driven by autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial processes in a large river
Water 12 (6), art. 1577
full text (doi) - Lohse, M., Blaser, S.R.G.A., Vetterlein, D., Schlüter, S., Oburger, E., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2020):
Online nano solid phase extraction Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry workflow to analyze small scale gradients of soil solution organic matter in the rhizosphere
Anal. Chem. 92 (15), 10442 - 10449
full text (doi) - Lohse, M., Dusny, C., Kaesler, J., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2020):
MRMS powered single cell metabolomics – Quantification of picogram amounts of a biocatalytic product from few living cells
Bruker Application Note 05-2020, MRMS-70, 1877441
Bruker Daltonics, 6 pp.
full text (doi) - Tayyebi Sabet Khomami, N., Philippe, A., Abu Quba, A.A., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Guigner, J.-M., Heissler, S., Schaumann, G.E. (2020):
Validation of a field deployable reactor for in situ formation of NOM-engineered nanoparticle corona
Environ. Sci.-Nano 7 (2), 486 - 500
full text (doi) - Wilske, C., Herzsprung, P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Kamjunke, N., von Tümpling, W. (2020):
Photochemically induced changes of dissolved organic matter in a humic‐rich and forested stream
Water 12 , art. 331
full text (doi) - Zherebker, A., Kim, S., Schmitt-Kopplin, P., Spencer, R.G.M., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Podgorski, D.C., Hertkorn, N., Harir, M., Nurfajin, N., Koch, B., Nikolaev, E.N., Shirshin, E.A., Berezin, S.A., Kats, D.S., Rukhovich, G.D., Perminova, I.V. (2020):
Interlaboratory comparison of humic substances compositional space as measured by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (IUPAC Technical Report)
Pure Appl. Chem. 92 (9), 1447 - 1467
full text (doi) - Zherebker, A., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Sarycheva, A., Kostyukevich, Y., Kharybin, O., Fedoros, E.I., Nikolaev, E.N. (2020):
Refinement of compound aromaticity in complex organic mixtures by stable isotope label assisted ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry
Anal. Chem. 92 (13), 9032 - 9038
full text (doi)
2019 (6)
- Chen, S.-C., Musat, N., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Paschke, H., Schmidt, M., Said, N., Popp, D., Calabrese, F., Stryhanyuk, H., Jaekel, U., Zhu, Y.-G., Joye, S.B., Richnow, H.-H., Widdel, F., Musat, F. (2019):
Anaerobic oxidation of ethane by archaea from a marine hydrocarbon seep
Nature 568 (7750), 108 - 111
full text (doi) - Dusny, C., Lohse, M., Reemtsma, T., Schmid, A., Lechtenfeld, O.J. (2019):
Quantifying a biocatalytic product from a few living microbial cells using microfluidic cultivation coupled to FT-ICR-MS
Anal. Chem. 91 (11), 7012 - 7018
full text (doi) - Lian, S., Wu, L., Nikolausz, M., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Richnow, H.H. (2019):
2H and 13C isotope fractionation analysis of organophosphorus compounds for characterizing transformation reactions in biogas slurry: Potential for anaerobic treatment of contaminated biomass
Water Res. 163 , art. 114882
full text (doi) - Spranger, T., van Pinxteren, D., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Herrmann, H. (2019):
2D liquid chromatographic fractionation with ultra-high resolution MS analysis resolves a vast molecular diversity of tropospheric particle organics
Environ. Sci. Technol. 53 (19), 11353 - 11363
full text (doi) - Vernet, M., Geibert, W., Hoppema, M., Brown, P.J., Haas, C., Hellmer, H.H., Jokat, W., Jullion, L., Mazloff, M., Bakker, D.C.E., Brearley, J.A., Croot, P., Hattermann, T., Hauck, J., Hillenbrand, C.-D., Hoppe, C.J.M., Huhn, O., Koch, B.P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Meredith, M.P., Naveira Garabato, A.C., Nöthig, E.-M., Peeken, I., Rutgers van der Loeff, M.M., Schmidtko, S., Schröder, M., Strass, V.H., Torres-Valdés, S., Verdy, A. (2019):
The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges
Rev. Geophys. 57 (3), 623 - 708
full text (doi) - Werner, B.J., Musolff, A., Lechtenfeld, O.J., de Rooij, G.H., Oosterwoud, M.R., Fleckenstein, J.H. (2019):
High-frequency measurements explain quantity and quality of dissolved organic carbon mobilization in a headwater catchment
Biogeosciences 16 , 4497 - 4516
full text (doi)
2018 (4)
- Bercovici, S.K., Koch, B.P., Lechtenfeld, O.J., McCallister, S.L., Schmitt-Kopplin, P., Hansell, D.A. (2018):
Aging and molecular changes of dissolved organic matter between two deep oceanic end-members
Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 32 (10), 1449 - 1456
full text (doi) - Schlitzer, R., Anderson, R.F., Dodas, E.M., Lohan, M., Geibert, W., Tagliabue, A., Bowie, A., Jeandel, C., Maldonado, M.T., Landing, W.M., Cockwell, D., Abadie, C., Abouchami, W., Achterberg, E.P., Agather, A., Aguliar-Islas, A., van Aken, H.M., Andersen, M., Archer, C., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Auro, M., et al. (2018):
The GEOTRACES Intermediate Data Product 2017
Chem. Geol. 493 , 210 - 223
full text (doi) - Wu, L., Chládková, B., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Lian, S., Schindelka, J., Herrmann, H., Richnow, H.H. (2018):
Characterizing chemical transformation of organophosphorus compounds by 13C and 2H stable isotope analysis
Sci. Total Environ. 615 , 20 - 28
full text (doi) - Wünsch, U.J., Geuer, J.K., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Koch, B.P., Murphy, K.R., Stedmon, C.A. (2018):
Quantifying the impact of solid-phase extraction on chromophoric dissolved organic matter composition
Mar. Chem. 207 , 33 - 41
full text (doi)
2017 (3)
- Koch, B.P., Ksionzek, K.B., Lechtenfeld, O.J., McCallister, S.L., Schmitt-Kopplin, P., Geuer, J.K., Geibert, W. (2017):
Response to comment on "Dissolved organic sulfur in the ocean: Biogeochemistry of a petagram inventory"
Science 356 (6340), 813 - 813
full text (doi) - Raeke, J., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Seiwert, B., Meier, T., Riemenschneider, C., Reemtsma, T. (2017):
Photochemically induced bound residue formation of carbamazepine with dissolved organic matter
Environ. Sci. Technol. 51 (10), 5523 - 5530
full text (doi) - Raeke, J., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Tittel, J., Oosterwoud, M.R., Bornmann, K., Reemtsma, T. (2017):
Linking the mobilization of dissolved organic matter in catchments and its removal in drinking water treatment to its molecular characteristics
Water Res. 113 , 149 - 159
full text (doi)
2016 (3)
- Ksionzek, K.B., Lechtenfeld, O.J., McCallister, S.L., Schmitt-Kopplin, P., Geuer, J.K., Geibert, W., Koch, B.P. (2016):
Dissolved organic sulfur in the ocean: Biogeochemistry of a petagram inventory
Science 354 (6311), 456 - 459
full text (doi) - Laso-Pérez, R., Wegener, G., Knittel, K., Widdel, F., Harding, K.J., Krukenberg, V., Meier, D.V., Richter, M., Tegetmeyer, H.E., Riedel, D., Richnow, H.-H., Adrian, L., Reemtsma, T., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Musat, F. (2016):
Thermophilic archaea activate butane via alkyl-coenzyme M formation
Nature 539 (7629), 396 - 401
full text (doi) - Raeke, J., Lechtenfeld, O.J., Wagner, M., Herzsprung, P., Reemtsma, T. (2016):
Selectivity of solid phase extraction of freshwater dissolved organic matter and its effect on ultrahigh resolution mass spectra
Environ. Sci.-Proc. Imp. 18 (7), 918 - 927
full text (doi)
2015 (1)
- Lechtenfeld, O.J., Hertkorn, N., Shen, Y., Witt, M., Benner, R. (2015):
Marine sequestration of carbon in bacterial metabolites
Nat. Commun. 6 , art. 6711
full text (doi)
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Thermo Ultimate 3000 RSLC with
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Thermo Ultimate 3000 RSLCnano with for ultra low volume applications. |
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Dimatec DIMATOC 2000 TOC-TNb Analysator |
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LCTech FREESTYLE SPE robotic system |
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Repligen KrosFlo KR2i TFF/UF |
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Q-LAB Q-SUN Xe-1 solar simulator |
We also have access to the analytical facilities of the Department Analytical Chemistry and ProVIS .