Soil systems harbor a highly diverse spatial organization of its functions shaping biogeochemical matter cycles. From microbial microenvironments via physical soil structure and various chemical differentiation by pedogenetic or anthropogenic processes up to the landscape scale. In this session, we invite diverse studies that open our views on the spatial heterogeneity in soils from biological, physical, and chemical perspectives related to organic matter dynamics.
We look forward to discuss insights across different scale and structures. Zooming in provides the opportunity to observe microbial habitats and processes, probe highly active spheres around roots or detritus, and follow the interactions of organic matter with mineral phases. Aggregated structures and a network of soil pores provides a dynamic scaffolding, which can protect soil components and influence local water retention and elemental distribution. Pedogenetic soil processes drive the differentiation at pedon scale and can result from a combination of small-scale processes determining soil ecosystem fluxes up to the landscape scale.
This session is of interest to soil scientists with complementary biogeochemical and physical backgrounds working at different scales. We especially encourage contributions that address the importance of spatial heterogeneity and architecture for ecosystem-relevant soil functions, such as the occlusion of organic residues, microbial colonization, provision of water and nutrients, and many more. Different experimental imaging approaches, analytical techniques and data-driven modelling works are invited. We aim to discuss recent achievements, current obstacles, and future research directions to strengthen our conceptual understanding of the linkage of spatial heterogeneity with soil functions and organic matter dynamics across scales.