Calls for Applications – Biology and Life Sciences
25.01.2024
DFG: Priority Programme “Systems ecology of soils – energy discharge modulated by microbiome and boundary conditions (SoilSystems)”
Deadline: 1 July 2024
The key concept of this Priority Programme is that soil systems, their biodiversity and ecosystem services are determined by energy and matter fluxes derived from the (trans-)formation of SOM, bio- and necromass, which are subject to thermodynamic principles. SoilSystems links thermodynamic state variables (Gibbs energy, Enthalpy and Entropy) with processes of soil organic carbon turnover in order to gain a systemic view on energy and matter fluxes and their relationships to biota, non-living soil components and prevailing environmental conditions. This will enable improved assessment and prediction of dynamic biogeochemical processes, boundary conditions and performance limits, also by taking advantage of modelling approaches to address the complexity of energy-driven soil systems.
The premise of SoilSystems is that soil ecosystem structure, function and stability are controlled by energy dissipation, and that the flux of matter and energy through SOM is modulated by the microbiome. This leads to the main hypotheses:
- A: The microbiome drives and modulates energy dissipation and matter turnover along various biological ‘energy use channels’. Microbial carbon turnover and sequestration, including recycling, are part of the energy-use-channels and contribute dominantly to SOM, e.g. by stabilising necromass. Necromass is the dominant ‘contributor’ to SOM.
- B: Energy and matter input, discharge and utilisation in the soil system affect biological complexity, i.e. the structural and functional diversity as well as the organisation of the soil microbiome and higher-level trophic networks.
- C: The boundary and system conditions, including the soil matrix, minerals and microhabitat structure shape the energy and matter dynamics of soil biota. The activities of soil biota lead to the emergence of functional behaviour, non-equilibria and dissipative steady states that can be characterised by thermodynamic optimality concepts.
Individual projects or project clusters should address these hypotheses with a clear focus on the application of energy and C mass balances for studying the link between substrate turnover and microbial ecology on the basis of thermodynamic state variables. This should encompass at least one of the topics: energy dissipation and matter fluxes in microbial communities and to higher trophic levels, energy and carbon use efficiency including microbial growth yields, substrate ecological stoichiometry and energy use limitations as well as carbon and energy storage in SOM. Steady state levels and gradients of substrates and energy should be related to system and boundary conditions.
Isotope probing approaches for balancing are expected, combined with high-resolution biomarker analyses, calorimetric experiments, Gibbs energy assessments and modelling. State of the art techniques need to be included, for example ‘omics’ techniques to evaluate the diversity, processes and responses of the soil microbiome, or high-resolution MS and 3D imaging for soil microstructure analysis and chemical mapping to visualise solute fluxes and spatial arrangements.
This call particularly invites proposals from interdisciplinary teams representing expertise from soil biogeochemistry, microbiology, ecology, molecular biology, biophysics, bioinformatics, statistics and modelling. Expertise in the field of thermodynamics is required.
Proposals must be submitted to the DFG by 1 July 2024.
More information:
https://www.dfg.de/de/aktuelles/neuigkeiten-themen/info-wissenschaft/2024/ifr-24-01
For scientific enquiries concerning the Priority Programme, please contact:
Professor Dr. Sören Thiele-Bruhn
Universität Trier
FB VI – Raum- und Umweltwissenschaften
Fach Bodenkunde
Campus II, Behringstraße
54296 Trier
phone +49 651 2012241
thiele@uni-trier.de
Professor Dr. Matthias Kästner
Helmholtzzentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ
Themenbereich Nachhaltige Technologien für die Umwelt
Department Umweltbiotechnologie
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig
phone +49 341 6025-1235
matthias.kaestner@ufz.de
Dr. Marcel Lorenz
Universität Trier
FB VI – Raum- und Umweltwissenschaften
Fach Bodenkunde
Campus II Behringstraße
54296 Trier
+49 341 6025 2494
lorenzma@uni-trier.de
Questions on the DFG proposal process can be directed to:
Programme contact:
Dr. Patricia Schmitz-Möller
phone +49 228 885-2797
patricia.schmitz-moeller@dfg.de
Administrative contact:
Ulrike Schween
phone +49 228 885-2917
ulrike.schween@dfg.de