Large-scale study of factors affecting spatial variation in rhizosphere priming in European croplands

Home laboratory: BioEcoAgro Joint Research Unit, INRAE, France
Host laboratory: Department of Biogeochemical Integration (BGI), Max Planck Institute, Germany
 

Duration: 2 weeks, Oct. 7–18, 2024

This mobility project is focused on characterising spatial variation in rhizosphere priming. The latter is generally defined as an increase in the respiration levels of microorganisms in response to greater organic matter availability. The result is that microorganisms more rapidly decompose soil carbon stocks. There may be several sources of organic matter, including photosynthetic products released by the roots. Current estimates of global carbon fluxes may underestimate carbon fluxes from soils because rhizosphere priming is not systematically accounted for. This mobility project will draw on previous work (Keuper and Wild et al., 2020) to assess declines in soil organic carbon attributable to rhizosphere priming in European croplands. This work will contribute to a continental-scale study of rhizosphere priming in croplands.