Boden

Structure and Functions of Soils


The research group "Structure and Function of Soils" investigates how soil properties are influences by the main drivers, land use and climate. A special focus is on soil structure and its temporal dynamics. Within the soil science community, the importance of soil structure with its central role for the gas and water balance of soils and as a habitat for soil organisms has increasingly come into focus. The research group develops quantitative methods of structural analysis to come up with new concepts for the prediction of soil functions and processes on the field scale. Thematically, the focus is on water balance, carbon balance, greenhouse gas emissions and the influence of microhabitat structure on biodiversity. Methodologically, the research group is responsible for gas chromatography of trace gases, oxygen microsensors in soil, as well as X-ray CT and subsequent image processing.

Scienctists

Schlüter
Dr. Steffen Schlüter
Head of working group
Mengqi Wu
PhD Student

Technicians

Bernd Apelt



Alumni
Dr. Frederic Leuther
Dr. Maik Lucas
Dr. Lena Rohe

UFz

GLIMPSE - Research Consortium

Impact of land use and water regime on root-soil interactions as mediated through plant communities
PIs: Dr. Steffen Schlüter, Prof. Dr. Doris Vetterlein, Dr. Mika Tarkka
Funding: Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ

Soilsystems

SoilSystems (SPP 2322)

Heat dissipation and matter turnover in the course of microbial succession constrained by substrate and oxygen availability
PIs: Dr. Steffen Schlüter, Dr. Thomas Reitz, Dr. Evgenia Blagodatskaya
Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - DFG

Soil Structure Turnover

New concepts for assessing soil structure turnover by structure labeling and analyses of biochemical gradients
PIs: Prof. Dr. Robert Mikutta, Dr. Steffen Schlüter

Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - DFG


SPP

Rhizophere Spatiotemporal Organisation (SPP 2089)

Relevance of root growth and related soil structure formation for spatiotemporal patterns of chemical and biological properties and emergent system functions
PIs: Prof. Dr. Doris Vetterlein, Prof. Dr. Robert Mikutta, Dr. Steffen Schlüter

Spatial organization of the liquid phase in the rhizosphere

PIs: Dr. Steffen Schlüter; Prof. Dr. Andrea Carminati
Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - DFG

DASIM

DASIM

Experimental exploration of denitrification in multiscale porous media and soil
PIs: Dr. Steffen Schlüter, Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Vogel
Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - DFG


2024 (3)

2023 (11)

2022 (16)

2021 (16)

2020 (5)

2019 (12)

2018 (19)

2017 (2)

2016 (5)

2015 (2)

2014 (4)

2013 (2)

2012 (2)

2011 (3)

2010 (2)