Project ended after 1st Phase
Soils of the Atacama Desert: reservoir and fingerprint of life
Research areas: Soil Science and Biogeochemistry
Principal investigators: PD Dr. Eva Lehndorff, Dr. Roland Bol, Prof. Dr. Erwin Klumpp, Prof. Dr. Wulf Amelung
Project Info: 1st Phase
 New pit in a 4 mio year´s surface.Photo: Eva Lehndorff |
Soils are the habitat and reservoir for plants and microorganisms, which leave their fingerprints as organic residues, microaggregate glues, stoichiometry of key nutrients and altered isotopic composition of, e.g., δ18O of phosphates. Here we will
- identify and quantify organic residues in soil profiles and along potential plant dispersal corridors,
- relate occurrence of organic matter, alterations in nutrient pools and physical soil properties to potential trajectories in microclimate and present and past dispersal of life, and
- elucidate changes in organic matter properties, nutrient content and stoichiometry dynamics in soil to a sudden increase in water availability.
We hypothesize that soil properties have contributed to preferential pathways or barriers of the dispersal of life, and that most soil forming processes occurred within very short periods when water is available, while traces of dormancy and (past) life may be buried and diluted by the continuous deposition of nutrient/salts. Hence, we assume that in particular the subsoils will reveal an unique though little explored archive of organic matter and nutrient fingerprints of past and present life in the Atacama Desert.
These hypotheses are evaluated using a combination of optimized method protocols, sophisticated biomarker, nutrient stoichiometry, stable isotope and colloid analyses, as well as spectroscopic mapping of hot spot patterns at both micro- and macroscale – following potential biogeographic dispersal pathways and artificial irrigation events (with Z3). This project contributes to the overall research hypothesis by elucidatingspatial patterns of soil organic matter and nutrient status as the reservoir for life.
The CRC will enable us to elucidate the role of climate, wind transport and dust deposition on soil formation and nutrient contents (with A3, C2, C3, and Z3), to link gypsum deposits to soil nutrients (with D3 and C4), and to unravel biological processes and time-scales of organic matter accumulation (with B1, B4 and Z4).
Former members:
- PD Dr. Eva Lehndorff (Principal Investigator)
- Dr. Roland Bol (Principal Investigator)
- Prof. Dr. Erwin Klumpp (Principal Investigator)
- Prof. Dr. Wulf Amelung (Principal Investigator)
- Dr. Bárbara Fuentes (Scientist)
Publications
Project B5 - Publications
Articles
Jaeschke, A., May, M., Hakobyan, A., Mörchen, R., Bubenzer, O., Bernasconi, S., Schefuß, E., Hoffmeister, D., Latorre, C., Gwozdz, M., Rethemeyer, J., Knief, C., 2024.
Microbial hotspots in a relict fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii dune from the coastal Atacama Desert.
Global and Planetary Change. 104383, 1 - 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104383.
Sun, X., Amelung, W., Klumpp, E., Walk, J., Mörchen, R., Böhm, C., Moradi, G., May, M., Tamburini, F., Wang, Y., Bol, R., 2023.
Fog controls biological cycling of soil phosphorus in the Coastal Cordillera of the Atacama Desert.
Global Change Biology. 30:e17068 (1), 1 - 19. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17068.
Sun, X., May, M., Amelung, W., Tang, N., Brill, D., Arenas-Díaz, F., Contreras, D., Fuentes, B., Bol, R., Klumpp, E., 2023.
Water-dispersible colloids distribution along an alluvial fan transect in hyper-arid Atacama Desert.
Geoderma. 438 (116650), 1 - 13. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116650.
Walk, J., Schulte, P., Bartz, M., Binnie, A., Kehl, M., Mörchen, R., Sun, X., Stauch, G., Tittmann, C., Bol, R., Brückner, H., Lehmkuhl, F., 2023.
Pedogenesis at the coastal arid-hyperarid transition deduced from a Late Quaternary chronosequence at Paposo, Atacama Desert.
Catena. 228 (2023) (107171), 1 - 21. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2023.107171.
Arenas-Díaz, F., Fuentes, B., Reyers, M., Fiedler, S., Böhm, C., Campos, E., Shao, Y., Bol, R., 2022.
Dust and aerosols in the Atacama Desert.
Earth-Science Reviews. 226 (March 2022, 103925), 1 - 26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.103925.
Fuentes, B., Choque, A., Arenas-Díaz, F., Mörchen, R., Amelung, W., Knief, C., Moradi, G., Klumpp, E., Bol, R., 2022.
Influence of Physical-Chemical Soil Parameters on Microbiota Composition and Diversity in a Deep Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert.
Frontiers In Microbiology. 1 - 14. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.794743.
Di, W., Senbayram, M., Moradi, G., Mörchen, R., Knief, C., Klumpp, E., Jones, D., Well, R., Chen, R., Bol, R., 2021.
Microbial potential for denitrification in the hyperarid Atacama Desert soils.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 157 (108248), 1 - 1.
Moradi, G., Bol, R., Trbojevic, L., Missong, A., 2020.
Contrasting depth distribution of colloid-associated phosphorus in the active and abandoned sections of an alluvial fan in a hyper-arid region of the Atacama Desert.
Global and Planetary Change. 103 - 104.
Mörchen, R., Amelung, W., Giese, C., Böhnert, T., Ruhm, J., Lehndorff, E., 2020.
Fingerprint of plant life in the Atacama Desert - insights from n-alkane analyses.
Organic Geochemistry. 104 - 145.
Mörchen, R., Amelung, W., Giese, C., Böhnert, T., Ruhm, J., Lehndorff, E., 2020.
Supplementary Information for Fingerprint of plant life in the Atacama Desert - insights from n-alkane analyses.
Organic Geochemistry. 104 - 145.
Jones, D., Olivera-Ardid, S., Klumpp, E., Knief, C., Hill, P., Lehndorff, E., Bol, R., 2019.
Moisture activation and carbon use efficiency of soil microbial communities along an aridity gradient in the Atacama Desert.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 117, 68 - 71. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.026.
Kusch, S., Jaeschke, A., Mörchen, R., Rethemeyer, J., 2019.
Tracing life at the dry limit using phospholipid fatty acids – does sampling matter?.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 141, 1 - 5.
Mörchen, R., Lehndorff, E., Arenas-Díaz, F., Moradi, G., Bol, R., Fuentes, B., Klumpp, E., Amelung, W., 2019.
Carbon accrual in the Atacama Desert.
Global and Planetary Change. 1 - 9. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2019.102993.
Jones, D., Olivera-Ardid, S., Klumpp, E., Knief, C., Hill, P., Lehndorff, E., Bol, R., 2018.
Moisture activation and carbon use efficiency of soil microbial communities along an aridity gradient in the Atacama Desert.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 117, 68 - 71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.026.
Event Paper
Amelung, W., Bol, R., Dunai, T., Fuentes, B., Jaeschke, A., Lehndorff, E., Knief, C., Klumpp, E., Kusch, S., Mörchen, R., Rethemeyer, J., 2019.
Tracing altitudinal changes in microbial life and organic carbon source in soils of the Atacama Desert.
Geophysical Research Abstracts. Proc. of EGU General Assembly 2019, 21 (EGU2019-8930-1), April 07 - 12, 2019, Vienna, 1 - 1.
Presentations
Project B5 - Presentations
Selected type
Data
Project B5 - Research Data
Walk, J., Schulte, P., Bartz, M., Binnie, A., Kehl, M., Mörchen, R., Sun, X., Stauch, G., Tittmann, C., Bol, R., Brückner, H., Lehmkuhl, F., 2022.
Grain size distributions and parameters of soils along a chronosequence at the coastal alluvial fan Paposo, Atacama Desert.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.55.
Walk, J., Mörchen, R., Amelung, W., Lehmkuhl, F., 2019.
Paposo soil samples - carbon analysis.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Mörchen, R., Lehndorff, E., Arenas-Díaz, F., Moradi, G., Bol, R., Fuentes, B., Klumpp, E., Amelung, W., 2019.
Supplementary Information for Carbon Accrual in the Atacama Desert.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Mörchen, R., 2019.
Carbon pools and SOC stock according to Profile Sampling.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Mörchen, R., 2019.
Carbon pools and stocks according to nested Topsoil Sampling.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Mörchen, R., 2019.
Coordinates of locations of topsoil samples during field campaigns.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
