Soil Biochemistry
We disentangle the role of soil biogeochemical parameters in the accrual and stability of soil organic matter to ultimately aid in managing soils more effectively as nutrient stores and carbon sinks. Our current research focus is on the relevance of soil fauna and plant diversity to the formation (and decomposition) of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter. We perform manipulative experiments on various scales (e.g., lab-, Ecotron-, field-scale), in various land uses/covers (grassland, forest, agriculture), and in ambient and simulated future climates employing physical fractionation, isotopic, spectroscopic, and biomarker approaches.
On a collaborative basis, we offer:
- Physical fractionation of soil
- Biomarker extraction and measurement
- Amino sugars (acid hydrolysis)
- Lignin-derived phenols (CuO oxidation)
- Cutin- and suberin-derived monomers (base hydrolysis)
Projects
Running projects
- 2024: “Loners or team players: how do interactions of earthworms and other soil faunal taxa regulate soil organic carbon contents and stability?” Czech Science Foundation, standard grant, principal investigator
- 2024: “Soil fauna - the neglected driver of soil carbon formation and stability”, Lumina quaeruntur – Academic award for promising researchers of the Czech Academy of Sciences
- 2021: “Marcescence – common but overlooked. Why do some plants retain their dead biomass and what are the consequences for litter decay and nutrient cycling?” Czech Science Foundation, standard grant, principal investigator
Completed projects
- 2022: “Interactive effects of earthworms and climate change on soil organic carbon dynamics and sequestration,” German Research Foundation – DFG, principal investigator
- 2019: “Disentangling the effect of substrate quality on the formation and chemical composition of mineral-protected soil organic matter,” 19-00533Y Czech Science Foundation, junior grant, principal investigator
- 2019: “The role of nutrient availability in microbial soil organic matter formation and stabilization in agricultural soils of different C saturation status,” 19-17139S Czech Science Foundation, standard grant, co-principal investigator
- 2018: “Soil aggregate formation and its role in soil organic matter stabilization and water holding capacity along chronosequences of primary and secondary succession,” 18-24138S Czech Science Foundation, standard grant, co-principal investigator
- 2017: “Stabilization of cutin and suberin in soil aggregates and organo-mineral associations as affected by earthworm activity,” Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic, Program of subsidy for research and mobility support of starting researchers, principal investigator