Microbial ecology of biogeochemical interfaces - diversity, structure, and function of microhabitats in soil.
In soils, a multitude of inorganic, organic, and biological constituents build up extremely large, heterogeneous, and hierarchically organized biogeochemical interfaces (BGIs). These interfaces affect a variety of soil processes, such as the formation and the stability of soil aggregates; the movement and the spatial distribution of solutes, colloids, and gases; or the bioavailability of inorganic and organic compounds. As environmental conditions prevailing in soil frequently change over time and in space, the structural and the compositional heterogeneity of BGIs offers a multitude of microhabitats and supports growth of highly diverse microbial communities. Yet, microorganisms not only inhabit these interfaces, but they also actively participate in their formation and reorganization, as well as in their destabilization and destruction. They may thus be seen as both “architects” and “actors” …