PhD project offered by the IMPRS-gBGC in July 2025

Molecular Fingerprints of Ecosystems as Early Warning Systems for Climate-Induced Changes

Markus Lange, Valerie Schwab, Georg Pohnert, Gerd Gleixner

Project description

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a critical component of the global carbon cycle, offering insights into ecosystem processes and health. Comprising a mixture of plant, microbial, and soil-derived compounds, DOM facilitates the assessment of plant-microbial interactions. This project aims to investigate how changing environmental parameters, such as precipitation, temperature, and extreme climate events, influence the molecular composition of DOM and how these changes can serve as early warning systems for ecosystem alterations.

The research will focus on the vulnerability of ecosystems to environmental changes, considering their vegetation and soil properties. It will utilize DOM samples from diverse ecosystems in Germany and tropical regions in Brazil. Advanced analytical techniques, such as ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry, will be employed to characterize DOM at the molecular level. The comprehensive DOM data will be related to weather and climate data using advanced statistical techniques.

This research will enhance the understanding of how climate extremes and environmental changes impact ecosystem health and stability. By identifying molecular changes in DOM, the project aims to deepen the understanding of altered plant-soil interactions and develop a sensitive early warning system for detecting ecosystem changes, contributing to climate adaptation strategies.

Working group

Molecular Biogeochemistry at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry

Requirements

Applications to the IMPRS-gBGC are open to highly motivated and qualified students from all countries. Prerequisites for this PhD project are:

a Master's degree in Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, biogeochemistry, environmental science or other disciplines related to environmental sciences
Lab skills

experiences in mass spectrometry (high-resolution MS, such as FT-ICR-MS or Orbitrap) is of great advantage
experiences with lipid biomarker are of advantage

Computational skills

handling large datasets
skills in statistics an in data-science and programming (R, Matlab, or Python) are of advantage

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, knowledge of German is an asset.

The Max Planck Society (MPS) strives for gender equality and diversity. The MPS aims to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore explicitly encouraged to apply. We welcome applications from all fields. The Max Planck Society has set itself the goal of employing more severely disabled people. Applications from severely disabled persons are expressly encouraged.

Related Literature

Lange, M. et al. Plant diversity enhances production and downward transport of biodegradable dissolved organic matter. Journal of Ecology 109, 1284-1297 (2021). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13556

Roth, V. N. et al. Persistence of dissolved organic matter explained by molecular changes during its passage through soil. Nature Geoscience 12, 755-+ (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0417-4

Schroeter, S. A. et al. Hydroclimatic extremes threaten groundwater quality and stability. Nature Communications 16, 720 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55890-2

left: View of the central 325m tower at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in central Amazonia; middle: Weather station at one of our study sites in Germany (Brandenburg); right: Front view of an LC-Orbitrap MS system in the Gleixner lab