Cooperation partner - Soil Microbiology
Quantification of Soil
Microbiological N-Turnover Processes for the Characteriszation of
N-Partitioning between Soil Microbiology and Vegetation. - Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU), Research Center Karlsruhe.
The main objectives of the project are to quantify in an integrated approach combining field and laboratory studies and studies on microcosms under controlled conditions the competition and partitioning of inorganic and organic nitrogen (N) between (a) key soil microbial N-turnover processes (mineralization, nitrification, denitrification, dissimilatory NO3--reduction to NH4+, microbial immobilization of NH4+/NO3- and DON) involved in N-provision and N-consumption and (b) plant roots (adult beech, young beech, understorey vegetation) and to identify changes in this competition due to changing environmental (climate, N-deposition) and edaphic (soil substrate) conditions. For this the temporal patterns of N-competition/-partitioning between microbes and plants and the contribution of bacterial and fungal biomass to N-partitioning will be investigated. Data sets obtained from parametrizations of microbial N-turnover processes will be used to deduce and provide algorithms for improvement of a process oriented model for the simulation of present and prognosis of future N-contention in beech dominated forest ecosystems.