Focussing on plant-soil interactions in the Arctic, I investigate how rhizosphere priming affects the decomposition of soil organic matter in permafrost soils and how it influences the greenhouse gas emissions in Arctic regions.
During my PhD, I conduct field work in the Canadian Arctic and build a mesocosm experiment that aimed to recreat natural conditions in a controlled environment, here at university. With this, we can isolate single plant species and study their effect on the soil biogeochemical processes.
Plants can accelerate soil decomposition near their roots, which can increase soil CO2 release, but also nitrogen availability and thereby plant productivity. NITROPRIME will quantify the impact of this complex interplay on the Arctic CO2 balance.
Arctic warming increases CO2 release from permafrost soils and CO2 uptake by plants. Plants can additionally enhance soil CO2 release near roots – the rhizosphere priming effect. PRIMETIME studies the impact of priming on the Arctic CO2 balance.
