International Conference on “Soil Systems Ecology – Organic Matter, Energetics & Turnover”

Large fluxes of solar energy conserved in organic matter pass through soil as conduit from primary production to mineralisation. Soil organisms are channelling the flux, are fuelled by the provided energy, and contribute by their bio- and necromass. Due to missing unified approaches, previous research targeted either biogeochemical turnover processes or microbial co-occurrence and phylogeny but rarely linked both. Let us explore new conceptual and empirical studies linking mass and energy fluxes in soil ecosystems. It’s time to get a systemic view on energy and matter fluxes and their interactions with living and non-living soil components. We cordially invite you to present your work, meet and discuss with many colleagues, enjoy keynote talks and evening events in the magnificent center of Berlin. Tackle with us the key questions:

How to identify the thermodynamic principles that link carbon and energy use efficiencies to microbial diversity, growth and activity in soil?
Does the microbiome, its structural and functional diversity and interacting trophic levels on the turnover and storage of SOM control the energy flux?
Do boundary conditions shape or even define the energy use channel in soil?
Does a specific substrate and its energy content always result in similar microbial community composition and similar degradation performance in terms of kinetics?

What causes the C-stabilization (‘entombing effect´) after conversion to microbial necromass in different soil types?
We are expecting around 150 participants from the fields of soil and ecosystem research and biothermodynamics. The Soil Systems Ecology International Conference is an initiative of the Research priority program SPP 2322 SoilSystems and supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Soil Science Society (DBG).

Important dates:

Submission Deadline: 22nd May 2024

Registration Deadline: 21st July 2024