Arbeitsgruppe Physische Geographie – Ökohydrologie

Research

Teaching

Abschlussarbeiten in folgenden Bereichen

• One Health: Landnutzung und Lebenserwartung

• Geysire als Zukunftslabor?

• Nitrifikationshemmung als Invasionsstrategie

• Kohlenstoffallokation zu Wurzelexsudaten

• Klimaklassifikation

Globally, soil stores more carbon than vegetation and the atmosphere combined, making its role as a carbon sink crucial in the climate system. Carbon in the soil originates from both above-ground litter and below-ground roots, with the latter expected to contribute more significantly to soil carbon stabilization and storage potential. As a result, the rhizosphere, where plants and soil interact, is increasingly recognized as playing a critical role in the carbon cycle.
During drought conditions, the assimilation of carbon decreases, potentially reducing the carbon sink function of forest ecosystems. However, recent research reveals that soils respond differently than trees to drought, adding complexity to predicting carbon stability and storage processes in forest ecosystems. Limited study techniques hinder accurate predictions, and most studies fail to account for shorter-term dynamics in non-adapted systems, potentially underestimating ecosystem threats posed by intermittent drought periods.
In this context, the Kroof (Kranzberg Forest Roof Project) experiment stands as a globally unique field study, enabling the investigation of drought and rewetting effects on two major European tree species, beech and spruce. Employing novel sampling and analysis techniques, we aim to test the significance of carbon allocation processes under climate change.

The impact of matter input from terrestrial sources on aquatic systems is well known. The reverse process has received less attention. In SystemLink, a DFG-funded research training group located at RPTU Landau, we investigate bottom-up and top-down interactions in terrestrial ecosystems, which propagate from aquatic environments as a result of their exposure to anthropogenic stress.