Core course: Soil, soil biology & soil hydrology 2017
 

Category: Core course
0.2 CP per course day
 

The rationale of this module is to provide PhD researchers with a general idea of soil formation, life within the soil, the links to biogeochemical cycles, as well as transport processes.

Key integrating aspects (propositions, to be continued):

 
  • Everything is connected (i.e. the water, C, N, P and mineral cycles interact nowhere as closely as in the soil)
  • Time scales of the different interacting cycles (time of soil formation, vs. time of complete degradation of this years litter vs. time of complete exchange of water within the soil volume?)
  • Soil structure connects with biogeochemistry as well as water flow
 

1.  Date

February - March 2017
The lectures will take place in the seminar room B0.002 and in the Institute of Ecology (Dornburger Str. 159).

 

2.  Suggested reading

Brady & Weil (2001). The Nature and Properties of Soils. Prentice Hall

 

3.  Outline

In the following you see the preliminary schedule:

Legend
L = lecture, D = demonstration, P = practical, E = excursion

Day & TimeTypeContentWho
 
Mon, Feb 27 Intro to soil science and the mineral phase of the soil 
09:00 - 10:30LImportant aspects of soil science
- Soil function and formation
- Intro to soil phases (water/air, mineral, organic)
Beate Michalzik
ca. 10:45 - 12:15LSoil classification
- Key concepts and systems
- Soil transfer functions
- Soil properties and ecological site characteristics
 
Beate Michalzik
ca. 13:15 - 16:30E/DSoil description and sampling (close to the MPI)
- Description of soil profile
- Measurement of simple soil properties in the field
Beate Michalzik
 
Fri, March 3 Soil lab
 
9.00 - 11.00D Iris Kuhlmann
 
13.00 - 15.00D Iris Kuhlmann
 
Wed, March 8 Pore / Water phase of the soil, and transport processes & Soil fauna
 
09:00 - 10:30LSoil hydrology
- Water flow/storage in unsaturated and saturated media, incl. non-linear processes, macro-pore flow
- Water balance at soil surface
- Plant – water interactions
 
Anke Hildebrandt
 
ca. 10:45 - 12:15LTransport in porous media
 
Anke Hildebrandt
 
13:30 - 15:00LOverview of soil fauna
- Biodiversity of soil organisms
- soil food webs
- Role of functional organism groups for biogeochemical processes (including their role for soil structure)
 
Markus Lange
 
Thu, March 9 C-N cycles in the soil (connection to the organic soil phase)
 
11:00 - 12:30LSoil C and N stocks and turnover
- Carbon stabilization mechanisms
- C and N processes and interactions
- Methods for determination of substrates and C/N processes and isotopic markers
 
Gerd Gleixner
 
13:30 - 16:00LModeling soil C and N turnover: ca. 1h lecture, then modeling exercises with C / N / H2O soil modules, incl. break
 

please bring a laptop with a current version of R and RStudio installed. You will need the packages SoilR and FME

Carlos Sierra
 
Wed, March 15 Environmental change / Human impacts
 
10.00 - 11.00 Soil degradation
- (compaction, loss of organic carbon, acidification, increased erosion, i.e. results of intensive land use)
Marion Schrumpf
 
11:15 - 12:15 Response of soil processes to change of moisture and temperature (climate change)
 
Carlos Sierra
 
Thu, March 16

at Dornburger Str. 159

Soil biology (II)

lecture hall & labs on the 2nd floor

 
09:30 - 11:00LSoil microbiology
- Actors/drivers in element cycles
- Methods of soil biology (classical field & laboratory incubations)
 
Kirsten Küsel
 
11:00 - 13:00PDNA extraction from soilJens Wurlitzer & Patricia Lange
 
13:45 - 14:45LWetland microbiology
- Actors/drivers in element cycles
 
Kirsten Küsel
 
14:45 - 16:15PPCR (16S Bacteria, 16S Archaea, 18S Eukarya)

Gelelectrophoresis (with prepared PCR products)
Gel analysis (with prepared Gel)

Jens Wurlitzer & Patricia Lange
 


The soil lab demonstration will be carried out in two groups owing to the restricted place in the MPI labs. Participants of the course will be informed about the grouping by February 23 (confirmation message of the IMPRS-gBGC coordination office).

 

4.  Material

Handout by Iris Kuhlmann
Field Experiments and Instrumentation / Workshops by Iris Kuhlmann
Slides of Anke Hildebrandt

 

5.  Feedback

The survey gives feedback of 10 (out of 16) participants. Statistics and statements should not be taken as an exhaustive or exclusive list.

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